The Early Word: Why to stay out of the river; plus, we remember Mayor Morris

Bianca Phillips By , Daily Memphian
Updated: July 28, 2025 10:07 AM CT | Published: July 28, 2025 6:16 AM CT Premium

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Morning, Memphis! It’s Monday, July 28, and the Shelby County Commission is set to vote on a big shake-up for Memphis-Shelby County Schools board elections. If approved, a new resolution would put all nine board seats on the 2026 ballot, which would mean five current school board members would lose their seats earlier than expected. 

For more on what’s coming, check out This Week in Memphis.

RIP, Bill Morris: Former Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris died on Friday at age 92, several weeks after falling at his home.

You stay out of the river: But if you do find yourself scrambling to stay alive in the river’s dangerous current, there’s one tip that might save your life.

It’s a buyer’s market: Home sales are down, which may be a good thing for buyers.

On the money: Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is partnering with an Ohio company to help gets its finances in order.

The next cupcake craze? Remember when you couldn’t throw a rock in Memphis without hitting a cupcake shop? Now, there’s a new, sweet craze in town.

Into the groove: Bartlett-based Memphis Record Pressing is wrapping up plans for another big expansion.

Lausanne’s ‘idea factory’: Lausanne Collegiate School has launched a $27 million campus expansion, but it’s not about increasing enrollment.

Project Milkweed: Want to help save monarch butterflies? Contact the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

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Bianca Phillips

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.


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