“By welcoming young people and community voices into nonprofit governance, we can strengthen individual organizations and build a more equitable, sustainable and community-driven Memphis.”

How fully have the Memphis Grizzlies been passed by other young teams? How accurate was Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman’s same-day assertion/admission that the team is “not close” to contention?

The Central High jazz band did it. They defeated bands from across the country — and around the world — to win the Essentially Ellington contest in New York. And, yes, there were many tears.

The Central High jazz band continued to blaze through New York, advancing to the finals of the Essentially Ellington contest. Said Ollie Liddell, the band’s director: “We play with the spirt of the city, man.” 

Cam Spencer’s grandfather was known for saying, “Enjoy the journey,” encouraging the people he loved not to focus so hard on the destination they miss the fun of the road that gets them there.

Eric Daniels is a combat veteran who once failed sixth, seventh and eighth grades. He’s also one of 2,759 students who will receive a diploma from the University of Memphis Saturday.

“There are communities that want less blight, more opportunity, and more stability, but find themselves weighed down by systemic restraints. The problem isn’t the quality of the home — it’s the value assigned to the land.”

“Like a .30-06 Springfield with a buck in the sights, the curricula in our schools have become a target, and our history has become fair game.”

“He doesn’t care about the glitz and glam of all of this stuff,” Laketia Wells said about her son. “He just lives.”

“A vital program for seniors faces elimination in a preliminary federal budget — a decision that, if approved by Congress, would leave our most vulnerable elders without advocates during their most critical time of need.”

“If middle school students are having unprotected sex and contracting sexually transmitted infections, do we really think they are going to log onto a website and order a test?”

Ollie Liddell, the director of bands at Central High, wasn’t sure how his jazz band would get to the Essentially Ellington contest at Lincoln Center. Then Memphians came through for him.

Tuomas Iisalo only got to coach fifteen games and have two practices, but the work he did in his interim role was enough to earn him the full-time coaching job.

“Life comes at us utterly unannounced. No spoiler alerts. No accurate forecasts. No fortune tellers. It’s just us and time. And for me, God.”

“The City Council and County Commission meetings are often long, complicated and filled with technical language. But underneath all of it is a deep commitment to the city’s future.”

“We cannot escape our responsibility to our place in history any more than a fire can burn down what happened at Clayborn Temple.”

After the Memphis-Shelby County Schools takeover bills failed to make it to the finish line, state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, and state Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, changed their messaging. 

Kim Jameson is a Memphian who founded a program at Christian Brothers University to help people with autism succeed not just at college but in life.

“Our decision to wait reflects our belief that effective reform must be evidence-based. Without the audit’s insights, we risk implementing solutions that are either too heavy-handed or insufficiently robust.”

Pastor Terrell Monger on how the work of Memphis Allies is “difficult, dangerous and exhausting.” But it is “essential we all work together to save as many lives as we can.”

The city can feel like it’s in crisis. The country can feel like it’s in crisis. And Monday, we all woke up to the news that Clayborn Temple had burned down.

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There have been a lot of whispers in recent weeks of the potential for major change on the Grizzlies roster this summer.

“About 30% of online reviews are fake and cost U.S. businesses nearly $152 billion per year in damaged reputations and lost revenue.”