“Many years ago, this area today where we are was a combination of 30 blighted and vacant lots and it is now a place of growth, hope and celebration,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.

Tuesday’s drive at Wells Station drew more than 70 FedEx team members across company’s various operating segments. 

YogaSix plans to open at 372 S. Main St. next year, and Sephora is headed to the Kohl’s at 2335 N. Germantown Parkway in Cordova.

Commissioner Henri Brooks, whose district includes Klondike, sought again to delay the second of three votes on a TIF district for the redevelopment of the residential area. Other Democratic commissioners on the body moved forward.

The first of the giant wooden animal sculptures arrived in Tom Lee Park Tuesday, Nov. 15. The animals, all native to the Mississippi River Basin, are another sign of the bustling park’s construction activity.

A long-lasting La Niña is complicating the forecast. Right now, the country is preparing for its third consecutive year of La Niña — the first three-year La Niña in two decades.

A 5% surcharge on anything bought at the Sheraton Memphis Downtown Hotel drew lots of questions from Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Nov. 15. Council members were surprised that plans for a 300-room expansion remain tentative.

“Starting a med school is a big deal. If it was easy, everybody would do it. It takes a lot of effort.”

The resolution, which would ask the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Bill Lee to change state law, is an alternative to a registry of rental property owners.

As the temperature drops and the leaves begin to change, nature-lovers gather at historic Elmwood Cemetery for the return of its annual Fall Tree Tour. 

Collins Chapel dates back to 1841, when it was founded by enslaved people. Since then, its congregants have included Ida B. Wells, W.C. Handy and founders of the local NAACP chapter. 

The report’s complaints hinge on the authors’ interpretation that both the East and West Ponds at the Allen Plant should be subject to federal regulations rather than the state-level commissioner’s order.

The State House Democratic leader joins an already-crowded field and emphasized basic city services. Meanwhile, one of her key supporters speculates about another big name that might get into the race.

Monica Thomas wanted to publish a children’s book to help her daughter and children like her with Myasthenia Gravis, a rare autoimmune disease.

As we continue our three-part Coffee Shop Guide, we hit Midtown, where Memphis’ modern coffee shop scene all began. 

The 34-home subdivision is near the site of a new Frayser public library and the Rodney Baber Park trailhead for the Wolf River Greenway. 

Unlike typical lawsuits, the plaintiff are not seeking monetary damages nor possession of the property. Instead, they are asking a court to deem the blighted sites a public nuisance. 

“Most of us sort of live in our little world where everything is always the same. The leaves change, and the grass grows, but when a river drops like this … there’s a real sense of discovery — a sort of magic.” 

The 114th annual Holy Convocation of the Church of God in Christ kicked off at Mason Temple Tuesday, Nov. 8. COGIC Bishop Jerry W. Macklin said of Memphis: “It feels good to be home.”

The new $99.3 million plan will include a 181-room hotel, four restaurants and bars, and 10 high-end apartments. There are five Dream Hotels located in the U.S., including one in Nashville.

Andy Surber is the new head of school at Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal School, and the job is a homecoming of sorts for the school administrator.

The Memphis Japan Festival, presented through a collaboration between the garden and the Japan-America Society of Tennessee, showcases all things Japanese.

Over the years, possible solutions have included a new parking garage as well as shuttle services as two city mayors, multiple community leaders and even the police have joined the fray. 

Effi Oswald, 12, who came dressed as Bigfoot, noted that the creature’s existence has never been disproven. “I believe in him because he probably lives in the deep woods ... My whole family believes in Bigfoot.”