What’s ahead this week? Leftwich Tennis Center will reopen, Downtown Dining Week is happening, and Mississippi voters are headed to the polls.

Shelby County Juvenile Court is auditing its Detention Assessment Tool, which it uses to determine if youth accused of crimes will be kept in custody or sent home.

Bill Gibbons, president of the crime commission, said Memphis is not the only city seeing its crime rate rise, especially in the car theft category, “but that is little comfort.”

The mayor-elect says the city accounts for the possibility of making short-term bond payments on projects such as Liberty Park.

TVA built a training house on the Midtown Memphis campus where contractors can learn to identify weatherization problems, and how to correct them. The new course will start in January.

Deion Byrd was stabbed Oct. 26 in a holding cell awaiting a court appearance at the Walter L. Bailey Jr. Criminal Justice Center, more commonly known as 201 Poplar.

“These first two early appointments show our commitment to excellence and my commitment to creating an administration staffed with problem-solvers who are ready to work on day one,” said Memphis mayor-elect Paul Young.

After months of asking Tennesseans how the state should judge its public schools when giving them their first A-F letter grades, Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds mostly ignored the feedback.

Ben Crump gets another Memphis client, Downtown Local owner takes over Midtown Local space and Tigers win all around.

Details from the plea agreement reached in the federal criminal case against Desmond Mills Jr. shed more light on his role in Tyre Nichols’ death.

Related stories:

Plea deals reached for officer charged in Tyre Nichols’ death

Judge OKs release of additional materials in Tyre Nichols case

Files newly eligible for public release include 24 hours of video, audio, reports and personnel files of up to 17 City of Memphis employees related to the indictment and investigation. 

Deion Byrd’s family is the fifth in the Memphis-Shelby County area who have lost loved ones during interactions with law enforcement to hire Ben Crump for representation.

Beginning in February or March of 2024, work at Beale Street Landing will also render the dock there unusable for most of next year. 

“As soon as we uncovered evidence that he had these images, then obviously we secured a warrant and affected an arrest on him and terminated him that day,” said Chief Deputy Justin Smith.

After the first judge’s recusal from the case, Hernandez Govan appeared in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 10 Judge Jennifer Mitchell’s courtroom for the first time Thursday, Nov. 2.

The request by plaintiffs in the case known as L.W. v. Skrmetti represents the first time the U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on such a law.

“I’m hoping that for Mr. Mills it was his conscience that allowed him to make this plea agreement and not because of his lawyers telling him it was the right thing to do,” RowVaughn Wells said.

Ex-cop in Nichols case will take a plea, “the Chick-fil-A of entertainment” may come to Liberty Park and up-and-coming chefs make cameos at Cameo. 

“It’s always been a nuisance,” Nita McComb said of the EZ Express convenience store near her Frayser home. “It’s just an eyesore because of people loitering. A lot of people loitering.”

More than 700 Memphians have cast early ballots in the runoffs for three city council seats through the first four days of the voting period. 

William Skelton, 38, made the plea Wednesday, Nov. 1, in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 3 Judge James Jones Jr.‘s courtroom. 

Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson traveled to North Mississippi on Wednesday to participate in a joint effort across the two states to enhance voter interest.

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy announced the policy Tuesday, Oct. 31, during a press conference in the 10th-floor conference room of the DA’s office in the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, 201 Poplar Ave.

Desmond Mills, who is represented by attorney Blake Ballin, plans to enter a change of plea during a hearing.

Austin, Texas-based High 5 Entertainment hopes to be open at Liberty Park in mid-2025, its CEO told The Daily Memphian Wednesday morning, Nov. 1.