The greater chestnut weevil hadn’t been definitively seen since the 1990s. Many assumed it was extinct. But not two scientists at the University of Memphis. 

Two schools will exit the nearly defunct, state-run Achievement School District this summer. Their fates lie with MSCS officials, who have yet to decide if the schools will remain open or be closed.

Decades ago, drivers planted a plastic Jesus on their car’s dashboard to provide a bit of religious safety as automobiles became more prevalent on the road. 

Also happening this week: Saturday marks the three-year anniversary of Tyré Nichols’ death.

In the days before a Nashville judge ruled on the legality of Gov. Bill Lee’s deployment of the Tennessee National Guard, hundreds more guardsmen surged into Memphis, according to public records.

President Donald Trump linked Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime to the alleged presence of Venezuelan gangs in American cities, including Memphis.

Venezuelans in Memphis cheered the removal of their home country’s president but express fear and uncertainty about what comes next for the beleaguered South American nation.

The Memphis area’s representatives in Washington, D.C., reacted hours after the military operation that took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro into custody for trial on federal drug charges in the U.S.

Related story:

Trump claims Memphis crime drop due to task force

On Behind The Headlines, reporters discuss top local stories of 2025, including the link between the Memphis-Shelby County Schools ouster of Marie Feagins, and the arrival of the National Guard.

The number of traffic fatalities in Shelby County dropped by almost a third in 2025, and MPD credits its officers as well as the extra help provided by state and federal officers.

Memphis saw a 26.4% decline in murders year over year.

Interested in a plant-based lifestyle? Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips has thoughts and tips. 

The Daily Memphian obtained daily reports on the Task Force’s work between Oct. 1 and Dec. 8, and analyzed each day’s report to determine how every arrest started.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young talked about the 2023 campaign promise at Thursday’s Lowery New Year’s Day Prayer Breakfast Downtown.

Many of the issues the current commission voted on will persist into a new year that includes county elections.

As the federal trial for Lindsey Whiteside is delayed by a month, a DeSoto County state senator is seeking legislation targeting officials who vouched for the former youth pastor charged with sexual battery with a minor.

Take a look at the latest list of who has a petition in circulation and who has gotten the 25 signatures required to get on the May 5, 2026, county primary ballot.

Memphis police are promising a noticeably heavier presence on and around Beale Street as 2025 becomes 2026. Here’s what else to expect Downtown.

Buc-ee’s fans will have to wait, Airbnb party houses are a hot topic (again) and we explain what the new THC law means for your buzz.

The most important Memphis City Council decisions of 2025 were about the flow of city funds, the city-owned bus system, what to do with property tax revenues from xAI and the council’s relationship with the Mayor’s office.

THC products were a small fraction of one liquor wholesaler’s West Tennessee sales just a year ago, but they are now on track to rival traditional liquor, beer and wine sales.

What was billed as a “Pajama Christmas Party” with a cover charge and offers of free liquor Dec. 20 ended with gunfire and the death of a man shot outside the short-term rental in East Memphis. 

The company already has two Memphis data centers.

New gas turbines are coming to Southwest Memphis, drag racing returns to Millington area and Le Bonheur unveiled one of the biggest murals in Memphis.

We know how many of Memphis’ elected officials feel about the task force, but what about regular people, just trying to live their lives? What do they think?