Carol Coletta steps down, a jailer is arrested over Zimmerman’s escape and Seth Henigan’s backup is revealed.

Commissioners approved a design contract for the proposed mental health center on a second vote. The commission also redistributed the 6% pay raise budgeted in June.

The former employee was terminated Friday, Aug. 23, according to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. 

State reps. John Gillespie and Justin J. Pearson were some of the Memphis-area legislators pushing for local gun-control measures on the Nov. 5 ballot after a threat from state Republican leadership.

“Common sense says local governments can’t override state law to give a 12-year-old a driver’s license, and they can’t override other state laws either,” Hargett said in a statement emailed to The Daily Memphian.

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Coletta’s tenure running the group that manages 6 miles of the city’s riverfront saw the $61 million redesign of Tom Lee Park and a push to better connect the riverfront to the rest of Downtown.

A home-smoking pro tip from Patio Porkers, soul food ordering instructions and a Memphis arts meet-up in an unlikely place. 

According to data from the Memphis Police Department, the number of police pursuits — which come with concerns about harm to civilians and property — has slowly risen. 

As campuses reopen, a shadow over Christian Brothers University is its probationary status.

He started college but quit decades ago. He never stopped wishing it could be different.

One Memphis-area school says numbers are down because standards are up: “If that means we experience a bit of pain for a few years with a decline in freshman enrollment, then so be it.”

Also happening this week: Shelby County and Collierville leaders discuss pay raises, MATA’s board talks job and bus cuts and locals celebrate Memphis on 901 Day.

The commission meeting also marks the last for Miska Clay Bibbs as chairwoman of the body. Michael Whaley becomes chairman next month.

The agency is poised for major layoffs and route cuts, yet it’s still working toward plans for a more efficient transit system. 

Bar and restaurant shootings happen every day around the country, not just in Memphis, according to one expert. But there are steps that can be taken to prevent them. 

Democrats rallied in Memphis and three other cities across the state Saturday, Aug. 24, to kick off a get-out-the-vote effort for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other down ballot races in the Nov. 5 elections.

The sold-out event is the group’s largest fundraiser and will provide $25,000 in scholarships this year.

The incoming and outgoing chairs of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners talked on “Behind The Headlines” about new Cordova and Frayser schools funding and rebuilding Regional One Health’s campus.

If a federal bankruptcy judge approves, Diamond Sports Group will continue to carry games for 13 NBA teams and nine NHL teams, including the Grizzlies.

The Memphis Library Foundation wrapped up a series of brainstorming sessions Friday, Aug. 23, at the Central Library meeting rooms that are the center of the discussion about an expansion of the library.

Emmitt Martin III was facing a maximum of life in prison, but prosecutors are recommending he serve 40 years. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris does not have to follow that recommendation.

Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney set the date during a Friday, Aug. 23, status conference.

Kyl Alton Hall was indicted Tuesday, Aug. 20, on three felony charges. 

Memphis Democrat Justin J. Pearson, along with Gloria Johnson of Knoxville and Justin Jones of Nashville, had been scheduled to take the national stage just before the balloon drop during the Democratic National Convention.