The Early Word: 12 answered the Grizzlies’ call; Downtown fights doom

By , Daily Memphian
Published: October 23, 2025 6:20 AM CT Premium

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Good morning! It’s Thursday, Oct. 23, and our annual Daily Memphian Developing Memphis Seminar is today at Memphis Botanic Garden. This one’s got a bit of a Crosstown theme, with updates on Cleveland Street corridor improvements and Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church’s massive $300 redevelopment project. Get your tickets here.

We called 12; he answered: Forget that awful preseason: Ja Morant is back.

Troopers making most arrests: Tennessee Highway Patrol isn’t messing around.

Vetoing the veto? The Shelby County Commission might say “yes, we can” to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ “no, you can’t” over school board elections.

Fighting the Downtown ‘doom loop’: Here’s how the Downtown Memphis Commission plans to fight post-pandemic Downtown woes

Can football bounce back? The Memphis Tigers football team suffered a big blow last Saturday. Can they still win a conference title?

Roll call: The Germantown Municipal School District is experiencing “an unexpected blip” in school enrollment.

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