In this episode of The AM/DM podcast, editorial director Mary Cashiola and newsletter editor Bianca Phillips discuss the week ahead.

MATA doesn’t have the money for a trolley return, Bar Hustle’s pizza has a secret and Shadyac has a new gig.

As Bill Lee’s final term nears its end, multiple contenders stepped up for the race for state governor. Plus, this political roundup also explores the Democratic primary race to succeed Wanda Halbert.

MATA does not have enough money to operate the trolleys even as it works to ready vehicles for a potential return. 

In what a former Memphis police chief laughingly calls a “goat rodeo from the word go,” three bumbling crooks hatched a harebrained scheme to steal the body of Elvis Presley two weeks after his death. It didn’t go very well.

Also happening this week: The County Commission considers an MSCS board election shakeup, and the CRA wants your ideas for the Old Brick Church.

The move to put all nine MSCS board seats on the ballot in 2026 took a few turns last week in County Commission committee sessions. 

“(Rescue groups) like these are typically overwhelmed with a lot of dogs,” said Jane Jayakumar, who brought her Streetdog foster Gabriel to the event. “Events like these help promote that we’re a presence in Memphis.”

As the golf tournament resumes, MLGW crews are slowly whittling down the number of customers without power after a summer squall dumped an inch of rain on the city Friday afternoon.

With the launch of a second elementary school campus in Sherwood Forest this week, University of Memphis’ new K-12 district began its first expansion effort outside the college’s campus. Even more could be on the horizon. 

Heavy rain Friday afternoon leaves more than 11,000 in the dark and causes play to be suspended at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

After serving as Lakeland commissioner, Wesley Wright is preparing for a run as county commissioner representing District 3.

A Monday, Aug. 11, roundtable discussion U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is hosting at PURE Academy will not be open to the public, according to information obtained by The Daily Memphian.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools also notified Tennessee regulators and provided bottled water to be used along with water-filtration systems and hand sanitizer.

Celtic Crossing is temporarily closed, Swedish cowboys were spotted at FESJC and we tell you where to find corn dogs coated in cereal. 

MLGW will not be providing more than a small amount of power to xAI and the Tennessee Valley Authority may not provide a lot either, according to CEO Doug McGowen.

A family from Sweden traveled 14 hours to watch Ludvig Aberg. They left with signed golf balls from the Swedish star and a new admiration for St. Jude.

Accused of kidnapping and killing a man in 2021, the former MPD officer pleaded guilty to five of the charges he was facing.

In 2024, Joshua Zimmerman escaped DeSoto County custody, where he was being held for attempted murder. Before he came to Mississippi, he wanted for murder in Texas.

The deaths are two of at least seven housed at the overcrowded jail to die this year.

Feagins’ attorney demands retraction from The Daily Memphian, the jail and courts could move to New Chicago and FESJC tees off.

Methodist Olive Branch President David Baytos has served as Methodist University interim president since Tim Slocum left in January. 

While most county commissioners support building a new jail, not all of them agree on where its built, who pays for it and who’s included. 

Related story:

New jail targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jail

Cleotha Abston was convicted last year for raping Alicia Franklin in 2021. He later pleaded guilty to the murder of Eliza Fletcher in 2022, and was sentenced to life in prison. 

Darian Nolen, 33, died at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis the night of Feb. 6.