Mike Cody represented Martin Luther King Jr. in court, helped found Memphis Area Legal Services and was one of the people behind Breakaway Running. 

Also happening this week: The Shelby County assessor’s office explains the upcoming reappraisal process. 

California-based Merkle Standard is at least the second digital operation to locate in Memphis in recent months, following Elon Musk’s xAI. 

The gun referendum has stoked partisan enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle. JB Smiley Jr. and Jerri Green said the council won’t back down. Conservative talk radio has called the body’s moves a “gun grab.”

Allan Wade, the council’s attorney, successfully argued that the constitutionality of the ballot measure did not matter until the people voted on it.

As low water season begins, the Mississippi River is currently 4 feet higher than the record low of 2023. 

The Memphis City Council voted down or delayed all but one proposal in a meeting dominated by planning and development items.

The transit authority’s latest check-in with City Council saw some skepticism that MATA’s financial troubles were a surprise to those running the city’s bus system.

“You can’t have 50 different cities with 50 different laws,” Lee said as the Memphis City Council pushes to put local gun-control measures on the November ballot. “Trying to override that is just picking a fight.”

With a focus on tree-trimming and milder weather, Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported a drop in area outages from 2023 to 2024. 

The parks committee also takes up funding for repairs to the Mud Island river museum building.

Also happening this week: Michael Whaley becomes chair of the Shelby County Commission.

All sides in the ouster lawsuit are due in Circuit Court next week to sort out various motions including one seeking to declare Wanda Halbert in default for not responding directly to the complaint.

The area of spotty grass, situated roughly between Manassas and Neely, became a park by default in the 1960s when five Victorian homes were torn down, says Scott Blake, executive director of Victorian Village Inc. CDC.

After weeks of questions, Shelby County Health Department leaders confirmed that the EPA has approved an air monitoring station for xAI’s Memphis Supercomputer ZIP code. 

In the past, TVA has struggled to provide enough power, but environmentalists say the continued investment in natural gas could mean further harm to neighborhoods already surrounded by heavy industrial users. 

The Memphis City Council’s lawsuit to vote for citywide gun-control measures in November pushes on as the September deadline for the ballot approaches. 

Several veteran Memphis firefighters are alleging the Memphis Fire Department’s promotional process is discriminatory toward Black employees. 

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.