The story of a man who rescued 32 people from the Mississippi River 100 years ago inspires three high school seniors who won the first Tom Lee Poetry and Spoken Word Contest.

“My concern with (this bill) is that data does not support the basic premise of the legislation,” Lee wrote in a letter to General Assembly leadership.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, several events are returning this year, including the M-Town Race Series, which kicks off Saturday, May 7, with the Orion 5K.

Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins sounds off about that “dirty” comment, our own Dan Conaway runs into the Half Shell (literally) and a global tech company opens its largest Eastern U.S. office in Memphis.

“We want to make a successful transition from the benefits program into a quality, good-paying job,” said the executive dean of UM Global. “The whole point is to never go back and never look back. We want to put people on a pathway to thriving, not surviving.”

Arlington Community Schools pulls a leader from the Bartlett municipal school district to serve as the new principal for Arlington High.

U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen and Michael Kustoff commented at separate events Thursday in Shelby County, elaborating on earlier reaction to the leaked opinion draft on the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. 

Related story:

Kustoff addresses national concerns, midterm elections

Paul McCoy and Steven Fox, both from Humanities Tennessee, joined Eric Barnes to talk about how the organization has worked with arts and culture organizations in Memphis — and all over the state — during COVID.

The congressman told local business leaders the midterms could be a “wave election.” He believes Republicans could gain control of the nation’s House and Senate.

Shelby County plans transitional housing for ex-offenders, the city’s quarterly crime summit is coming to North Memphis and Collierville Elementary is getting a new gym. 

Collierville Elementary’s new gym is more than just a recess space for the Little Dragons. The recreational facility expands opportunities for the school and the community.

“Her impact really does extend beyond greater Memphis; Maine, Colorado, Arkansas, Minnesota would not be able to do what they did if they had not had that kind of connection with Ruby Bright. The connection really goes far afield where her impact has happened,” said the CEO of an organization in San Francisco. 

The Daily Memphian’s On The Record podcast reviews the results from Tuesday’s county primaries with a look ahead to the August county general election.

The county began demolition of a house next to the Office of Reentry Monday, April 25, and will soon begin construction.

LeMoyne-Owen College is celebrating its new president Vernell Bennett-Fairs with a series of events this week. The president’s investiture was delayed more than a year by COVID-19.

The upcoming June 4 summit will provide a space for members of affected communities to meet with and seek resources from from clergy leaders, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement and government agencies. 

Dwan Gilliom referred to the new position with Allworld as the end of his career in public service.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris outlined his budget proposal the day after winning the Democratic primary for county mayor and advancing to the August county general election in his quest for a second term.

Veteran WDIA host Bobby O’Jay has died, Graceland Too makes a comeback (sort of) and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art launches national director search. 

Only one of the incumbent Democratic clerks from 2018’s Democratic sweep of the offices was without a challenge from within the party. Three of the incumbents didn’t survive to advance to the August county general election.

Incumbent Democratic County Mayor Lee Harris defeated challenger Ken Moody. Harris said he expects a hard-fought contest in the general election contest with Republican nominee Worth Morgan. 

“It’s quite simple, the Democrat primary voters have decided who they want as their candidate,” Folsom said. “It was a well-fought race despite the incredibly low turnout.”

Steve Mulroy will face incumbent District Attorney General Amy Weirich in the general elections in August. 

District 4 was the only contested Republican race on the May 3 ballot.

City and state representatives in Washington react to the leaked draft of a high court opinion that indicates it is about to overturn the landmark ruling that legalized abortion in the U.S.