The Early Word: Richmond plans to revamp MSCS, and a Guru goes to jail
Howdy, Memphis. It’s Tuesday, April 1, and Memphis Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway is the new head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.
April Fools! The Grizzlies, still led by interim Coach Tuomas Iisalo, do play the Golden State Warriors at home tonight though, and that’s no joke. In fact, it’s kind of a big deal, and they really need to win.
In other real news, Green Leaf Container Cafe+Farm Stand is officially opening today near LeMoyne-Owen College. The mini kitchen in a shipping container will serve healthy meals (including some vegan options) made with produce grown by kids at Knowledge Quest.
Roderick Richmond, Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ interim superintendent, wants to reorganize the district into five regions, rather than its current seven networks of schools. The regions would be based on school feeder patterns, with the exception of the fifth region, which would be a return of MSCS’ Innovation Zone for low-performing schools. Richmond also wants to revamp student performance assessments and replenish some staffing roles cut by former Superintendent Marie Feagins. His proposals are a response to an audit of MSCS by the Council of Great City Schools that said MSCS lacked vision.
Billy Richmond Jr., the former Memphis Tigers basketball player behind the Wing Guru chain, was arrested on Monday following a Shelby County grand jury indictment for theft and tax fraud. And it’s not the first time Richmond has been in the news for financial issues. Last year, an independent arbitrator ruled that he owed Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant more than $365,000 for breaching a name, image and likeness deal.
Plus, the county health department takes public comment over xAI’s permit, rural DeSoto County residents finally have good internet and the Grizzlies keep losing.
Topics
The Early Word Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.