The Memphis Safe Task Force is a month old. The federal law enforcement surge has impacted local crime rates but also strained parts of the local justice system many don’t ever see.

Gina Sweat, the first woman to serve as director of fire services in the city’s history, has left the administration.

Restaurants — especially local restaurants — can find themselves in a precarious position when politics come into play, whether restaurateurs want them to or not.

Attorneys for Tyré Nichols’ estate and the City of Memphis have spent much of the year wrangling over certain aspects of discovery.

Recent legal filings and a statement from the governor’s office shows that the legality of the guard’s Memphis deployment could hinge on whether the Tennessee National Guard is an army or a militia. 

Calls grow for Mayor Paul Young to criticize the tactics of the Memphis Safe Task Force. 

As recently as last week, ICE arrests made up nearly 19% of total Memphis Safe Task Force arrests. Where that stands now is unclear because the data is no longer being released.

“I saw lines that I’ve never seen in the 7 years that I’ve been here,” the Shelby County clerk said. 

Faith leaders, local business owners and local college students gathered at First Baptist Church Lauderdale to express opposition to the Memphis Safe Task Force’s methods.

Meanwhile, librarians seeking union recognition got a promise from the Memphis City Council. 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and leaders of other groups seeking to stop the National Guard deployment in Memphis say the city was never offered an option to join their lawsuit.

For a year, Memphis City Council has delayed a final vote on an ordinance that would formalize a significant change to city sewer policy made by former Mayor Jim Strickland in 2017.

Also in the political roundup, Harris endorses Green in the race for Governor as Blackburn calls out Green by name. And a close encounter at “No Kings” between Cohen and Pearson.

Also happening this week: The Memphis Tigers play a big-deal game against South Florida, and The Daily Memphian is hosting two panel discussions.

Director of Development and Infrastructure John Zeanah and Public Works Director Scott Morgan hatch a schedule to patch teeth-rattling roadways and clean stormwater inlets.

The museum awarded Marc Morial, Velma Lois Jones and Mark Suzman for their advancements in “truth, equity and justice.” 

Mayor Paul Young is aware his strategy — and the Task Force itself — are controversial.

The National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Awards mark another move by the 34-year-old institution further onto the “sacred ground” it occupies.

Gov. Bill Lee declined to set an end date for when the task force’s work would be completed in Memphis. He said it could last forever.

With helicopters in the air and detentions rising, some legal immigrants are afraid to leave home.

The guard’s early actions appear more casual than the federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have flooded the streets as part of President Donald Trump’s Task Force, a multiagency crime reduction effort. 

City of Memphis leaders marked the opening of the sixth and final phase of South City, the 712-unit mixed income conversion of what was once the Foote Homes public-housing development.

It remains unclear how many guard personnel will be in the city. MPD Chief C.J. Davis has stated that the guard will serve as a deterrent in high-traffic areas. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth could authorize the use of up to 1,000 Tennessee National Guard troops for a whole year as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force.

The council passed a unanimous, but nonbinding, resolution asking for Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to reconsider the current $1.9 billion plan.