The son of Martin Luther King Jr. returns to Memphis on the anniversary of his father’s assassination for the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual commemoration. 

“It is critical in the face of such tragedy that we don’t surrender to hopelessness. We’ve got to strengthen our resolve, amplify our voices and expand our reach,” said the executive director of Memphis Child Advocacy Center.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn was in Memphis Wednesday and talked with The Daily Memphian about crime, a proposal she is sponsoring to strip federal funds from cities with a no-cash bail policy and whether Memphis is a “soft-on-crime” city.

Sports authority board approves part of $550 million in planned renovations to FedExForum and provides a look at the upgrades the Memphis Grizzlies are planning.

MPD and its police union disagree over the recent creation of a frontline supervisor role, but Memphis Mayor Paul Young says the second lieutenant rank is needed to avoid another U.S. Department of Justice consent decree. 

The first Memphis City Council Scorecard of the body’s term of office finds the council cleaning up a few leftover matters and examines the vote that didn’t happen on a North Memphis biomass facility.

MPD’s establishment of the second lieutenant field supervisor role was meant to fill a gap within the force. But after arbitration and further negotiations, the process has left officers divided.

Also happening: Baptist Health Sciences University’s cuts the ribbon on a new college, and the deadline to file a petition for the August election is this week.

Memphis Police Association President Matt Cunningham and Vice President John Covington discussed recent public safety legislation, agreements and negotiations with the Memphis Police Department, recruitment and more on the WKNO-TV program “Behind The Headlines.”

The political roundup recaps some of the major action just ahead of the April 4 deadline for candidates to get on the August ballot.

The City of Memphis has filed a petition to vacate the results of arbitration between the Memphis Police Department and the Memphis Police Association over the creation of the second lieutenant rank. 

Attorneys for RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mother, filed their initial discovery disclosure Thursday, March 28, detailing the 90-plus people who could be deposed during the ongoing civil rights lawsuit. 

Mayor Paul Young and a coalition of Black mayors and city officials from 10 states and Washington, D.C., gathered in Memphis Thursday to discuss results of a two-day conference where they discussed crime and efforts to reduce it. 

The City of Memphis said in a statement that a man grabbed Young as he was leaving dinner and the man then attempted to force his way into the mayor’s vehicle.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, Mayor Paul Young, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and other local officials focused on steps and initiatives that the group could agree on. 

City leaders get an earful from Frayser citizens at Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s third “One Memphis” forum. 

Cohen secured $1.9 million in federal funding for MPD — half for surveillance cameras and the other half for officer equipment. 

Memphis Mayor Paul Young is hosting a newly formed coalition of Black mayors from 12 states. 

“Pine Hill needed a win,” Mayor Paul Young said at the opening of the new clubhouse, which overlooks the revamped golf course in Longview Heights that opened last June.

Also happening this week: Judge Melissa Boyd is due in court, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate Easter.

A suspicious package call shut down part of Union Avenue Thursday afternoon, March 21, as the Memphis Police Department investigated a possible bomb threat.

Friends and family recalled Nigel Lewis as a talented attorney and a tireless advocate for his clients. He also is remembered for his Catholic faith, his “glowing” personality and his love of the jam band Phish.

Nearly a year and a half after Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s smart meters started breaking — and just as the utility thought it was almost done repairing them — another issue has arisen. 

The outage shortened the council’s meeting and hindered its online capabilities, including its Granicus and YouTube feeds and the body’s electronic voting system. Most of the council’s business was delayed to the April 9 meeting.

Related story:

City of Memphis internet affected by Comcast outage

The Daily Memphian has contacted Comcast for more information about the outage and is awaiting response.