Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell would very likely still be a Jane Doe if it weren’t for Amber Edlin, a crime-scene technician with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. 

The council will review Tuesday, Sept. 24, a camera system for police to respond to traffic tie-ups and crimes in real-time as well as a plan for a family shelter on the old Manassas High School site.

The jury will begin deliberations soon. After three days of testimony in the trial for Justin Johnson, one of the men accused of killing rapper Young Dolph, the defense and the prosecution have officially rested their cases.

Justin Johnson’s trial began Monday in Memphis court. Johnson is one of the men accused of fatally shooting Memphis rapper Young Dolph. A second alleged shooter, Cornelius Smith, took the stand Monday afternoon. 

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Steve Gaines, who has served as senior pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church for 19 years, is stepping down from the role to travel and minister as an itinerant preacher.

AutoZone Park could get a refresh, Mini Claw (and places like it) may save the mall and you can get a taste of Montana in Germantown. 

“The future of the Grizzlies might be caught up in the ongoing fight over the gun referendum. For Memphis, it’s a dangerous game to play.”

Alannah Williams, 17, has moved her baking business from South Korea, to Germany, to Japan and now to Memphis. 

The increase in absenteeism follows a national phenomenon, but over the past year 16 Memphis-area charter schools have been testing strategies with the support of AttendanceWorks and the Hyde Family Foundation.

Also happening this week: Nine new inductees will join the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

The City of Memphis and the Grizzlies are eyeing widespread security enhancements and changes Downtown.

Shelby County Commissioners will also vote at their Monday, Sept. 23, meeting on a consulting contract to assist with the master plan for the city’s hip-hop museum.

Young Dolph was killed while visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in 2021. Now, three of the men charged in his death are set to go to trial.

“I’m a big believer in second chances. Just because you have a past doesn’t mean you can’t have a future,” Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn said.

Also in this roundup: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn writes op-ed for right-wing media outlet accused of conspiring with Russian state media and accused of making untrue statements; how Tennessee’s congressional delegation voted on the spending bill.

Porter-Leath is bringing Head Start preschool programming back to Millington, and it appears poised to compete for the 3,200 Head Start seats currently with MSCS this fall. 

Memphis Mayor Paul Young and members of the Blight Zero team filed into a bus and rode to the sites of several active or recent demolitions on Friday, Sept. 20.

“These ballot questions are a fraud on the voters of Memphis,” General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement his office released about its decision to not challenge a court’s ruling allowing the gun-control referendum to continue.

The City of Memphis is readying $16 million in bonds to subsidize a two-part project that includes parking at 100 N. Main and renovations at AutoZone Park Downtown.

The proposed command center would be south of Interstate 40 off Canada Road.

FedEx Corp. missed Wall Street’s mark, a newspaper-inspired bar opens Downtown and you can claw your way to a good time at the mall. 

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said detectives executed a felony warrant in Nashville for threats of mass violence at a school. 

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School safety threats continued Thursday

The mayor’s comments about governance come after MATA has laid off employees, is weighing route closures, and has faced weeks of headlines about its negative financial worth. 

Mayor Young says he still thinks the referendum is not the best approach, but told The Daily Memphian he understands the sentiment. Gov. Lee says the referendum is about finding a way to “circumvent the law.”

A day after Kevin Ritz formally resigned as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, an acting successor has been named in his place.