All MATA services will be free to ride on Thursday, April 28.

Continued growth in DeSoto County translates to a need for a new Justice Court building. The facility, already under construction, should open this summer alongside other law-and-order facilities.

DeSoto County officials make decisions on medical pot sales, Gina Neely will take over as host of WMC-TV’s “Bluff City Life” and our readers discuss what’s missing from the Memphis food scene. 

Marterius Boyd, an eighth-grade student at Memphis Business Academy Middle School, and Nikima Robertson, an eighth-grade student at A. Maceo Walker Middle School, were selected as national ambassadors to represent Memphis in a national Do the Write Thing celebration in Washington, D.C.

“Regardless of where you live in Tennessee, you should have a say in who represents you,” writes Tequila Johnson and Charlane Oliver.

“What is troubling here ... is the narrative around crime is so strong, so in your face all the time.”

Harding Academy will host its annual Student Art Show Thursday, April 21, displaying original artwork created by Harding art students in grades 7-12.

We look at the city’s homicides by ZIP code, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland proposes the first-ever dedicated funding source for MATA and Memphis in May unveils artist George Hunt’s final poster. 

Homicides and violent or gun-related crimes have become a growing issue in the city of Memphis, with a 45.9% increase in murders from 2019 to 2020, according to the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission. Memphis set a record for homicides in 2020 with 332. And broke it again with 345 in 2021. 

With six minutes left in the game, everyone at FedExForum was dancing to “Whoop that Trick.” Including little Kaari Morant. It was that kind of triumphant night.

The apartment complex had persistent opposition from an area that asked for and received de-annexation from Memphis. One council member had harsh words for that idea.

The two proposals were introduced during council committee sessions but appear to have been discussed among council members prior to that. 

Related story:

City Council approves Southwind apartments, Liberty Park management contract, more

Memphis police Tuesday released video footage of the three suspects from the shootout that occurred on Beale Street April 10. 

Grand jury alleges Miracle Renee Rutherford was driving recklessly and crashed into the home of Leslie Galen Young, former basketball standout at Hillcrest High School.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland proposed a dedicated funding source for the Memphis Area Transit Authority as part of a $750 million operating budget proposal. The budget proposal also includes a team of 17 employees with heavy equipment to continually clear illegal dumping sites and raises the pay for city employees.

Throughout the city, gun-related arrests, gun thefts, and gun seizures have increased for the year. 

With all 26 sites open Monday, April 18, for the first time in the two-week period, more than 2,800 of the 3,900 early voters in the first four days of the period cast their ballots in the Democratic county primaries.

Major airlines were some of the first to update their rules after the court decision. United, Southwest, American, Alaska, Delta and JetBlue announced that, effective immediately, masks would no longer be required on domestic flights.

Memphis Tiger Jalen Duren declares for the NBA draft, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art wants to become a hub for Black art and Downtown reports a peaceful Easter/NBA playoff weekend.

Mayor Jim Strickland has been dropping hints about his budget proposal that include more of the unexpected adjustments the city budget has taken over the past two years because of the pandemic. 

Senate and House finance committees are expected to take up the proposed Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) funding formula this week. A final vote in both legislative bodies could come soon.

“I’ve heard a lot that Tennessee just isn’t the place for us,” said state Rep. Torrey Harris, one of two openly gay members of the General Assembly. “And I’m trying not to get to the place where I believe the same thing.”

A $5 entry fee, plus weapon and ID checks, were required to enter Beale Street between 8 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m., helping officials track the number of visitors.

Under the museum’s $5 million Blackmon-Perry Fellowship, aspiring curators of color will have the opportunity to create their own exhibits and acquire art from all over the world. 

A wandering wallaby is safely home at the zoo, a Lakeland commissioner is cleared of a possible ethics violation and Collierville studies LED streetlights.