“Perhaps they grew up going to church, but it felt dull. Perhaps they went to Christian school, but didn’t click with their classmates. Perhaps they had a sibling or a friend or a mother who prayed for them, but it never really took.”

“There doesn’t seem to be a cohesive plan to address early childhood development, education, income, outcomes and policing across our agencies and non-profits. An all hands-on-deck summit might be a good place to start.”

“I hope we will all treat it with honor and respect because Tom Lee Park will change the way outsiders view our city and how we see ourselves.”

One thing was clear from those attending the Thursday night Town Hall session — the citizens don’t trust the city’s answers or addressing such a crisis in the future.

Next week, the 70 best players in the world will be here — right here — to play the game like no one else in the world can.

Annie Ruth Taylor, 94, has 19 kids, 54 grandkids and 124 great-grandkids. OK, that’s just a rough count. But take a moment to meet the most interesting woman in Memphis — who lives in a most interesting house.

“It is a relatively small number of young people who are committing crimes. However, the lack of repercussions invites others to join them, committing violent acts they might not have considered under more stringent penalties. “

“Watching ‘The Bear’ has been the most simultaneously cathartic and traumatic television experience of my life.”

“Being away from Memphis while keeping an eye on it from afar has allowed me to appreciate it more, and to long to be back among the people I love.”

“If everyone could feel the anguish of a mother whose son has been murdered; or the father of a daughter who has been killed; or a wife who has lost a husband, and a healthcare community that has lost a member of its family; we would be well on our way to establishing solutions to overcome this societal disease.”

“There are seasons when darkness snuffs out creativity. But every time we make something new and beautiful — something life-giving and delightful — we push back on all that darkness.”

“While I understand, and share, Virginia McLean’s passion to realize the vision, I submit that her passion has prohibited her from seeing the obvious.”

“Young people must be told the truth about our history — not shielded from it because it makes adults uncomfortable.” 

“These questions just scratch the surface, but they require answers.”

“On Sunday July 23, we will be coming together to say goodbye to our beloved Hard Rock Café one last time, including former staffers from around the country all reuniting as we celebrate each other and the time we all served at the Café.”

“You don’t have to live long to realize life on this earth is decidedly short. Eternity, on the other hand, is just that: eternal.”

Synthetic identity fraud is harder to prevent or detect than other forms of identity theft. Children’s SSNs are particularly vulnerable because they often aren’t monitored and the theft may not be detected for years.

Johnson & Johnson called. They wanted to make sure I was still at it before they made their quarterly projection for shareholders.

Murphy Culpepper has Down syndrome. He got a hole-in-one the other day. Here’s the story of how it happened — and why Murphy’s story needs to be shared. 

When Lexie Johnston checked her “Ceaseless Prayer” app Tuesday, she laughed out loud. It suggested she pray for MLGW. Yes, MLGW. It’s been that kind of week in Memphis. Or that kind of week, again.

“The debate must be removed from the political arena. Focus must remain on addressing gun violence as a public health problem.”

Chris Herrington breaks down how each of the under-contract Grizzlies that participated in summer league played in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

“What is emerging in Rolling Fork is a story of both optimism and uncertainty. Can this community, which was already struggling, come back?”

“Sure, you can consider if the candidate would vote your way, or if your interests are going to be protected or pursued. You can consider whether or not you both share a love of fried green tomatoes, but without that checklist as your basic guide, all bets are off.”