In the latest installment of “Ask the Memphian,” we try to answer why Memphis seems to be overrun with temporary tags on cars. But it’s not just a Memphis problem.

Also happening this week: The Shelby County Commission meets on Monday, but a planned budget talk at the meeting has been delayed.

Due to a delay in collecting the increased car-registration fee, a county clerk misstep cost the city more than expected. Plus, there’s no money for Mud Island amphitheater renovation this year.

The collapse complicates efforts to preserve some part of the historic church that went up in flames April 28.

Anasa Troutman, the leader of the nonprofit directing the restoration of Clayborn Temple, said the building may be considered a “complete loss” by the Memphis Fire Department, but she said she isn’t using the term.

Firefighters will investigate the cause of the blaze but will also need to determine if any additional parts of the structure need to come down.

Related content:

Calkins: On Clayborn Temple’s final day, shaken Memphians came to pay their respects

“If history teaches us anything, it’s this: Clayborn Temple will rise again, because its foundation was never merely physical. It was spiritual. It was communal. And that foundation cannot be burned,” said NCRM President Russ Wigginton.

Robert Hodges, otherwise known as Prince Mongo from the planet Zambodia, has irked as many Memphians as he’s charmed throughout the years. But in an odd quirk of fate, he may well have changed Memphis history.

Also happening this week: The University of Tennessee Athletics’ department brings its “Big Orange Caravan” to Memphis.

Hundreds of people packed into Fairley High’s gymnasium in Whitehaven on Friday evening largely to vent their frustration about the artificial intelligence company’s use of natural gas turbines.

Chunrong Jia, a professor in the University of Memphis’ division of epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health, modeled the impact of what xAI’s turbines would have on air quality in Southwest Memphis.

With the Redbirds’ future at AutoZone Park potentially in question, the City of Memphis’ capital improvement budget contains at least one notable absence. 

City officials have appointed four new members to the newly reconstituted Memphis Animal Services advisory board, with more likely to follow. Now comes the hard work: improving the shelter and saving more animals.

To many, xAI is just another chapter in what residents said they think is a legacy of industrial racism and pollution. The debate centers on one central question: Is Colossus worth the cost?

Council Chair Ford Canale and Council member Philip Spinosa are working on a proposal they hope will not draw the attention of Airbnb lobbyists in Nashville who undid some of the regulations council members put in place in 2016.

Although the capital and operating funds are separate, the new capital projects are expected to push attendance up, which raises more money for the zoo to operate.

The council hears about a proposal to enforce standards for lighting and cleanliness of Downtown parking garages and votes on a move to extend the life of a temporary Downtown surface parking lot at Beale and Main streets.

Darren Goods is a veteran former Memphis police officer who, before his retirement, was part of the police brass, including leading several specialized units that focused on violent crime.

XAI is being taxed on $2.2 billion in investments, not the $12 billion the Greater Memphis Chamber touted throughout the past year. 

Memphis Public Libraries marked the 1893 opening of the Cossitt on Saturday, April 12, with discussions of the history about public libraries in the city that touched on racial segregation and more.

With video appearances by Trek luminaries Jonathan Frakes and Armin Shimerman, Star Trek Day returns to Memphis this Sunday. The event will also raise money for pancreatic cancer patients. Make it so.

The four days of intense rainfall set a new record for the period in Memphis and raised the level of the Mississippi River at Memphis dramatically. 

The groups are urging the Health Department to issue an emergency order to stop xAI’s operation of what appear to be dozens of natural gas turbines in Southwest Memphis. 

“I can’t remember seeing a full bus,” Council member Dr. Jeff Warren said. “If we are not filling those buses up, why are we buying the big buses?”

Mayor Paul Young’s second budget proposal as mayor trims $30 million in red ink Young says began his budget planning process.