From a fresh start to a growing gallery to more national recognition and tourists, here’s why the Memphis Art Museum staffers are so excited about the tantalizing possibilities that will come with the new space.

There is a beaver on the loose in Midtown. It’s big, it’s brown — and it’s not going to be easy to move.

MSCS enrollment has suffered in the past decade. But the district doesn’t just struggle to get students in the door, it also has trouble keeping them in their seats day after day.

The estimated $7 million renovation became possible as part of a $60 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help areas affected by the 2011 floods.

MSCS leaders ramped up chronic absenteeism interventions this past year, aiming to reduce chronic absenteeism rates for the first time since 2017.

Renovations have been approved for the “Old” Daisy Theater on Beale Street after a June 2025 electrical fire.

“We should be encouraged by the significant progress we’ve made in our crime rate,” said Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons.

Three judges denied an injunction in a combined civil rights lawsuit that challenged Tennessee’s new congressional map. The map favors Republicans as it splits majority-Democratic Shelby County into three different districts.

Surveillance clips show the shooting that killed Darrin Pigram inside the Burger King where he worked. The release comes days after officials said there would be no charges filed against the officer. 

The Memphis City Council also approved a change to the city’s structure for the trustee status MATA is currently operating under.

Robert Spence, the attorney for the coalition of liquor stores fighting The Station, indicated that his clients may need to “reassess” a pending Chancery Court lawsuit in the wake of the council’s decision.

Mayor Paul Young’s administration pitched how it plans to spend about $3.3 million on the 5-mile area around SpaceXAI’s Colossus I data center.

Private development at Liberty Park has stalled, and the City of Memphis is looking to end its contract with the joint venture managing the project.

Darrin Pigram, 41, who was shot and killed on May 13, was being sought on a warrant for charges of aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and a weapons violation.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young signed an executive order that puts in place up to six weeks of fully paid leave for full-time city employees following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child.

The Memphis City Council will act on the appointments for the city’s CFO and CAO and take final votes to add a pair of city charter change referendums to the Nov. 3 ballot for Memphis voters to decide.

The organization hosted its 12th annual youth “hackathon” at the FedEx Institute of Technology July 16-18. 

“Those of us who don’t stand to profit off zoning decisions must speak up and support a vision for a more walkable Memphis. Not only will this support small local businesses, but it will save lives on our roads.”

The iconic Front Street Deli is among the businesses struggling with the loss of pedestrian traffic as the city closes the street in preparation for the December opening of Memphis Art Museum.

Also happening this week: Part of Front Street will be closed for street updates.

A new state law changes who selects members of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority board of commissioners, but has been contested in federal court. 

U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, and Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, headlined the “Get Out the Vote Rally.”

The Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis launched a strategic plan on Friday designed to strengthen the region’s response to domestic violence.

Shelby County is back at the polls and the ballot is lengthy. 

Here’s a rundown to help you with the what, when and where of voting in the 2026 August elections.