Jes Shea leaned down to light the cookstove in her Sprinter van. Then the world went “BOOM.” 

“When you boil it all down: Haggerty is leaving the team that he led to the NCAA Tournament as an All-American, to go to a team that didn’t make the tournament last year, and ultimately for less money than he would’ve made if he had just committed to Penny Hardaway for another season.” 

“All Americans owe the families of the servicemen and women who died serving our country more than lip service in gratitude, appreciation and reverence.”

“Living this way has flung the doors wide for me to write about things like the Grammys and National Parks and PGA golf and missionaries. ... And it’s all largely because I’ve now been taught to see.”

“On Dec. 2, 1943, USS LCT-242 was sunk by a circling torpedo off Naples, Italy. In a little more than a year of service, she earned two battle stars. She was a Memphis girl.”

“Air pollution doesn’t know borders. It doesn’t stop at the state line. Running dozens of polluting turbines at this location would threaten air quality for families in South Memphis as well as those in Southaven.”

Chris Herrington answers some interesting questions about the Grizzlies’ two ostensible tentpole players: Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

“Jimmy Moore was a good-natured and gentle man. ... Yet he understood what politics was all about. For Moore, politics was about helping people who needed help. Getting things done. “

“XAI is creating hundreds of jobs — from skilled trades to advanced technical roles — offering higher wages and economic stability. These jobs can lift families out of poverty, boost local businesses, fund improvements to our schools and infrastructure.”

“I don’t think hope is what we need in Memphis right now. I don’t even think a disciplined hope is the answer. Rather we need hope joined to action and plain old stubbornness. We need courage.”

“Had my stepmom broken a limb or cut herself open or gotten cancer or a chronic disease, she and my dad and the family would all would have talked about it. But not with dementia.”

Tennessee’s new Farmland Preservation Fund helps farmers secure their land and legacy, supports local and regional food systems, conserves wildlife habitats and stimulates rural economies.

Reports from the Council on Foreign Relations and the United States Institute of Peace say some overseas call centers are staffed by people who have been trafficked or lured in by fake job ads.

As MATA tried to meet a state mandate for an electric fleet, Gary Rosenfeld said it was more expedient and less costly to visit overseas manufacturers rather than ship equipment back and forth for testing. 

“It’s the city, man,” the band’s leader, Ollie Liddell, answered when asked where that joy comes from, “the soul.”

Will Milwaukee trade Giannis? Do only the healthy teams advance in the NBA playoffs? Can we get a conference quota in the draft lottery? Do you remember Luigi Datome? And much more.

“John Calipari is game to return to Memphis this fall to play an exhibition game to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? That sounds like an fine idea. It’s just time.”

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Calipari’s Razorbacks working to schedule exhibition game in Memphis

“This time of your life should be so rich with hope, excitement, and possibility. I want you to understand, however, that not everyone in our country is allowed those rights.” 

“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.”