The feds make Memphis a model, U of M students are about to pay more and a local Broadway star heads to the Orpheum stage.

Spoiler alert, in some cases, it’s no.

Cities are encouraged to apply for a portion of $300 million in federal money to reduce crime, but that money comes with strings attached in terms of anti-immigration efforts.

A ceremony is planned for Memphis judge Jon McCalla and his wife Mary, a well-known physician.

Shelby County commissioners talked Wednesday, June 3, about leaving the county property tax rate at $2.69. It’s a discussion they’ve had in past budget seasons with different rates. But this year’s decision may be different.

U of M in-state undergraduate students, the largest group of students at the school, will pay $11,760 in tuition and fees for the 2026-27 academic year.

Elvis Presley Boulevard roadwork has years to go, the Aug. 6 ballot is getting longer and a new gas station is coming to Poplar/Highland.

The former seminarian now faces decades in prison.

University of Memphis tuition is set to increase for all students, with in-state undergrad costs for the 2026-2027 academic year rising 4.48%, or $504.

A Shelby County judge has moved up his retirement date, so the Election Commission is adding a race for his position to the other five already on the ballot. 

And other curious happenings at the Memphis City Council. 

New bill targets child predators, a Germantown man pushes for more disc golf and Hardaway is building chemistry.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the county administration say they agree on dollar figures, but not a solution to the dispute. 

Halbert lost the Democratic primary for Criminal Court Clerk on the May 5 ballot by 126 votes to state Rep. Joe Towns Jr.

Following the arrest of a DeSoto County teacher last week, a Mississippi state senator has proposed legislation aimed at combating child predators.

Allen entered a guilty plea in Poinsett County Circuit Court on May 27.

UTHSC looks into racism claim, Holiday City has a new owner and we get a first taste of Josephine Estelle.

James Jin just graduated from high school, but already, his nonprofit, ArtFlow, is in more than 200 schools and community organizations across 10 countries. Here’s why he started it — and what he’ll do next. 

In this week’s Ask the Memphian, we delve into whether drivers really have to pay speeding tickets issued by traffic cameras.

Here are short biographies of the appointees to the state takeover board, which will have sweeping powers over Memphis-Shelby County Schools through 2030.

Also happening this week: The Shelby County Commission talks about a settlement for the Sheriff’s Office again. 

The expensive legal settlement grew more complex last week with word that the $18 million would have to be included in future Sheriff’s Office budgets.

Apperson Crump ended its operations at the end of 2025. It leaves behind a legacy not just in the Memphis legal community but the city’s history, attorneys said.

The political roundup also looks at vote totals in the May primaries, and reactions to the Trump “anti-weaponization fund,” and recalls a redistricting dust-up during Davy Crockett’s days.