Cerelyn ‘C.J.’ Davis, chief of police in Durham, North Carolina, has been named to head the Memphis Police Department, becoming the first woman to lead the agency in its 194-year history.

Local activists rally against pipeline project and police shootings, a company with plenty of paper (and healthy salaries) looks to locate its HQ in Memphis, and who a fourth COVID surge may impact most.

Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young called Sunday for more mental health services across all level of governments.

The increase in demand for counseling services is just beginning, experts say. “The Cottage” will enable the Collierville facility to offer weekend mini-camps and workshops, not just its once-a-year camps for children and for adults.

Two women are leading the effort to stop Byhalia Pipeline from running its crude oil through South Memphis neighborhoods. The fight is reminiscent of the battle won decades ago by women who stopped a freeway from running through Overton Park.

‘Not here, not now, not ever on our watch,' said Rev. Dr. William Barber II during a rally Sunday protesting the Byhalia Connection Pipeline that would go through majority Black, poor neighborhoods in southwest Memphis. 

Around 30 people gathered outside the National Civil Rights Museum on Sunday, April 18, to demand justice in three recent police killings in Knoxville, Chicago and Minnesota. 

A total of 291,556 people have been vaccinated in Shelby County. Of those, 110,942 are partially vaccinated and 180,614 are fully vaccinated. 

Current disease modeling of the U.K. variant, 50% more contagious than the original Wuhan strain of coronavirus, shows Shelby County cases could rise to 300 to 400 a day. This can pose a problem for employers already struggling to fill positions. 

Crime impacts neighborhoods across the city. From Frayser to Whitehaven, community leaders discuss how to address the problem and the causes that contribute to it.

Yolanda Johnson, who has been in the nail industry for 21 years, plans to open a school to help former ex-felons train to be entrepreneurs and start their own nail salons like she did.

A total of 289,761 people are vaccinated in Shelby County. The number of people partially vaccinated is 112,088, while 177,673 people are fully vaccinated.

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Greater Imani Pastor Rev. Bill Adkins says the case can be made for a new director from MPD ranks or for someone from the outside. Adkins also said he sees a new indifference to violent crime that calls for new solutions as well as new ways of policing the city.

The Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival and Art in the Loop are planning for thousands over the weekend in distanced events.

Joris Ray previewed his Reimagine 901 plan, which will include higher teacher salaries, smaller class sizes and new educational programming.

The 183 cases come from 3,457 cases, giving the day a positivity rate of 5.3%.

 The goal is to receive commitments for 500 gifts in 24 hours.

We might be at the beginning of a fourth coronavirus surge — or we might not. Plus, why the Germantown schools legislation is on hold and how we learned Steve Harvey has bought a house in Memphis. 

Proposals by Memphis City Council members and Shelby County commissioners emerged during a second joint meeting Thursday of the two bodies. But other elected officials expressed concern that just talking about changes in economic development incentives could put the city and county at a disadvantage.

The Shelby County tax assessor said on “Behind The Headlines” that Germantown homes reflect an increase in values in this year’s reappraisal despite 2019 flooding in some parts of the city. He also discussed a change in the valuation of commercial property and his call for a reappraisal every other year.

Eight of the 19 members sign letter asking for workers to be reinstated.

A Mississippi tree service owner says Steve Harvey’s wife, Marjorie Harvey, told him she had permission to remove the two large magnolias, even though they were on public land.

Students at Robert R. Church Elementary School in Whitehaven can now exchange points for prizes after a $10,000 donation funded their new incentive store. 

If the numbers do not decline, another health directive could be out in two weeks instead of a month, and it likely will not include the ease in masking restrictions Dr. Bruce Randolph alluded to on Tuesday, April 13.