Also happening this week: The Shelby County assessor’s office explains the upcoming reappraisal process. 

Tennessee’s abortion ban comes up in discussion of Memphis’ gun-control referendum; Sen. Blackburn uses old stats to talk crime, and remembering Jim Sasser, the former U.S. senator who was instrumental in bringing pandas to the zoo.

What started as an effort to combat food insecurity in Memphis has evolved into a community of people looking out for one another.

In an interview last week, Memphis Parks director Nick Walker said the city plans to start work on the new clubhouse in 2025.

California-based Merkle Standard is at least the second digital operation to locate in Memphis in recent months, following Elon Musk’s xAI. 

After the judge ruled, the jury was brought in for the first time in the day, and examination continued for Larnce Wright, the Memphis Police Department officer who trained those charged in Tyre Nichols’ death.

All sides are back in court Tuesday for a hearing on Halbert’s attorney’s motion to dismiss the case entirely.

Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to impaired driving Friday, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in New York’s Hamptons.

Demetrius Haley’s testimony came amid a tense argument over whether prosecutors should be able to admit as evidence forms that the former police officers filled out after Tyre Nichols’ beating. 

Related content:

Court coverage: Nichols trial enters fifth day

FedEx gets sued by the EEOC, St. Jude and the Tigers will bring the Carolinas to Memphis and banana pudding is coming to a Kroger near you.

The Daily Memphian has compiled a table that shows every job the district has budgeted for this year and how many positions MSCS removed or added.

The gun referendum has stoked partisan enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle. JB Smiley Jr. and Jerri Green said the council won’t back down. Conservative talk radio has called the body’s moves a “gun grab.”

MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins breaks down school closures and changes, including eliminating 600 vacant positions and reassigning those in other roles to decentralize the school system and refocus on what happens in the classroom.

Related content:

Former MSCS board chair calls Feagins' hire a ‘mistake'

A wind advisory is in effect and could be upgraded to a high-wind advisory.

“I taught them if they don’t follow the policies, they could go to federal prison,” a Memphis Police lieutenant who trained the former officers said in the courtroom Thursday.

Heavy rain, gusty winds in Memphis lead to a short day for students.

First witness is called in Tyre Nichols trial, Bob’s Barksdale is coming back and pumpkin spice season comes early this year. 

MLGW is asking customers to secure outdoor items and store enough nonperishable food and water to last up to three days.

The city’s Democratic elected officials thought nominee Kamala Harris successfully baited nominee Donald Trump. Republicans thought Harris was changing her tune on key issues.

Allan Wade, the council’s attorney, successfully argued that the constitutionality of the ballot measure did not matter until the people voted on it.

A nurse practitioner who treated Tyre Nichols at St. Francis Hospital described the moment the victim’s mother arrived at the hospital and saw her son for the first time after the beating.

As low water season begins, the Mississippi River is currently 4 feet higher than the record low of 2023. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Rogers used the term “run tax” — police slang for disciplining a subject who tries to escape — during her opening statements in federal court Wednesday. 

Sasser, a Democrat, represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1977 to 1995 and was then appointed by President Bill Clinton as ambassador to China.

The pop star and Millington native will appear in court Friday.