A proposed Whataburger in Midtown has sparked controversy because of its drive-thru. If the restaurant is built, it will join 12 existing fast-food chains within a 1-mile radius.

Also happening this week: Craig Brewer’s new television show premieres on Peacock, and Victorian Village leaders want your ideas.

When Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett first took the bench 30 years ago, she said it was “strange” to be one of only a few women. At her first judicial conference, colleagues mistook her for hotel staff.

“There’s a lot of issues that are unknown, and there’s a lot of contamination. ... So how do we address that, and where are those sources coming from?” the science director at Protect Our Aquifer said.

He said the city council’s lawsuit to get the referendum on the ballot could hurt efforts to work with Republican leaders of the legislature. 

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Memphis City Council sues Election Commission over gun-control vote

The current path of the legal dispute over a multi-part city ballot referendum on gun control is expected to hinge on the outcome of the payroll tax ballot question’s 2004 controversy.

“We won’t back down and d--n sure won’t be bullied,” Memphis City Council Chair JB Smiley Jr. said, as council members announced the lawsuit.

A new initiative from the city’s Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) offers money to local businesses to help them pay for adequate lighting or landscaping, both of which can deter crime.

Such steep cuts are necessary to balance the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s budget, officials said several times in Tuesday’s meeting, as the agency fights to find stable footing after years of financial difficulties.

“Common sense says local governments can’t override state law to give a 12-year-old a driver’s license, and they can’t override other state laws either,” Hargett said in a statement emailed to The Daily Memphian.

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Local reaction to gun-control threat crosses party lines

Coletta’s tenure running the group that manages 6 miles of the city’s riverfront saw the $61 million redesign of Tom Lee Park and a push to better connect the riverfront to the rest of Downtown.

Also happening this week: Shelby County and Collierville leaders discuss pay raises, MATA’s board talks job and bus cuts and locals celebrate Memphis on 901 Day.

The Memphis Library Foundation wrapped up a series of brainstorming sessions Friday, Aug. 23, at the Central Library meeting rooms that are the center of the discussion about an expansion of the library.

The planned $112.5 million private development High 5 could transform Liberty Park, formerly known as the Mid-South Fairgrounds, and bail the City of Memphis out of an underwater wager.

University of Memphis president Bill Hardgrave said there were many who believed the renovation wasn’t going to happen.

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Founding executive director Tina Sullivan announced in June she was leaving the leadership role she has held since 2012.

The issue for the multi-use development is adding another set of drive-thru lanes to an area already dominated by fast-food restaurants.

Memphis police made 14,399 total arrests in 2023. Most of those, 90%, were adults.

New Memphis Area Transit Authority documents detail which jobs the transit system plans to cut as it attempts to right-size its operations.

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City Council grills MATA on proposed cuts

The Aug. 20 meeting became contentious as Memphis City Council members responded to a presentation from MATA’s Interim CEO. 

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MATA may lay off half its staff, suspends trolley service

The agency’s interim CEO said significant cuts are coming unless it receives additional funding. MATA also stopped operations on the Main Street trolley line.

The council also gets an update on the Memphis Area Transit Authority, finalizes city charter change amendments for the Nov. 5 ballot, and votes on a Whataburger restaurant on Union Avenue.

Also happening this week: The U of M hosts groundbreaking for stadium upgrades, and The Daily Memphian launches a new foodie event.

Tina Sullivan talked on “Behind The Headlines” about her 12 years as Overton Park Conservancy’s first executive director and what’s next for the greensward as she prepares to step down.