Arson killed Memphis firefighter, a BlueOval supplier will invest $790 million and we meet a 15-year-old golf wiz.

Murphy Culpepper has Down syndrome. He got a hole-in-one the other day. Here’s the story of how it happened — and why Murphy’s story needs to be shared. 

Preliminary data, which the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, shows major violent crimes and major property crimes are up so far in 2023.

Two council incumbents were effectively re-elected at the Thursday, July 20, deadline because they had no opposition. Two other council races drew fields of seven candidates.

The fire took the life of Lt. Jeffrey Norman and injured three of his team members.

The resolution request for the approval of a two-year license agreement between Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and the USFL is on the Tuesday, July 25, city council committee meeting schedule.

Officials said the situation could be resolved as soon as Friday.

The majority of outages remaining from Tuesday’s storm are in six clusters: Raleigh, Frayser, Berclair, East Memphis, Germantown and Hickory Hill. 

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Barrage of storms complicate long-term improvements at MLGW

Vishant Shah started with the DA’s office Monday, July 17. 

Pack was arraigned before General Sessions Criminal Court Division 13 Judge Louis Montesi, according to court documents.

When Lexie Johnston checked her “Ceaseless Prayer” app Tuesday, she laughed out loud. It suggested she pray for MLGW. Yes, MLGW. It’s been that kind of week in Memphis. Or that kind of week, again.

City hires a retired judge to monitor the courts, Holiday Ham may be in trouble and Davonte Pack goes to jail.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced that he hired a longtime legal professional to monitor the courts. Bobby Carter confirmed to The Daily Memphian he has been contracted by the city on a part-time basis.

Normal Station has been one of the areas hardest hit by power outages, but modernizing the community’s electric equipment has resulted in a 50% improvement in reliability.

Related story:

MLGW estimates power outages will last several days

Formerly incarcerated people can learn job skills while earning money through a Shelby County Office of Re-Entry program called Focused.

Davonte Pack, a childhood friend of Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, has been booked into the Shelby County Jail for the assault charge stemming from a July 2022 incident.

Straight line winds downed 11 power poles on Winchester Road, knocking thousands off the grid. Lightning also tripped breakers at utility substations, which McGowen said “had a pretty dramatic impact that we don’t typically see.” 

Lt. Jeffrey Norman had served with Memphis Fire Department for more than 20 years, joining Sept. 23, 2002.

Related story:

Firefighter dies, others injured in South Memphis fire

Three other firefighters are also in the hospital. 

MSCS is closing 18 summer program sites July 19 after a Tuesday evening storm led to power outages.

Justin J. Pearson reports massive fundraising, Millington airport gets a facelift and takeout is taking off. 

Friends for Our Riverfront, a local group dedicated to protecting the city’s riverfront promenade for public use, is legally challenging the museum’s right to build at the Downtown site. 

Historical data from MLGW shows the worst storms in its history, based on the number of customers who lost power. More than a third of those happened in the past year and half. 

Related story: 

Power outages spike Tuesday during severe thunderstorms, heat advisory

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board followed district recommendations to reject applications for Humes Middle School, MLK Prep, Fairley High and others, but voted in favor of two charter schools.

TCAP results for Memphis-Shelby County School students show increased proficiency in 10 out of 11 subjects, including English Language Arts.