Mike Conley grew up around cousins who had sickle cell disease. He didn’t understand much about it then, but he saw the impact. Years later, he continues to see it and continues to try and do his part to fight it.

2. FHN Names Dawn Morris to Chief Digital Banking/Marketing Post - Tuesday, September 11, 2018

First Horizon National Corp. has named Dawn Morris executive vice president, chief digital banking and marketing officer.

3. Last Word: Rain and Lightning, Recycling Blues and Polls and Campaigns - Monday, September 10, 2018

Signs of festival season in the air Sunday after what was left of Tropical Storm Gordon dumped most of its remaining rain and wind on the city Saturday. The Central Gardens home tour was doing a brisk business Sunday afternoon with lots of foot traffic in light jackets and lines outside a few of the homes on Belvedere as Birds and golf carts buzzed around. Further south Cooper-Young practicing moderation a week ahead of its milestone event for festival season – a new mural on Young west of Cooper toward the Fairgrounds awaiting your judgment next weekend.

4. Karl Dean Pledges Commitment to Completing Megasite - Thursday, September 6, 2018

Pointing at the need to bolster distressed West Tennessee counties, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean is pledging to complete the Memphis Regional Megasite and appoint an adviser to oversee the project.

5. Radioactive Treatment Cures Hyperthyroidism in Aging Cats - Wednesday, September 5, 2018

A treatment that cures feline hyperthyroidism is being offered at a local veterinary hospital, but not all pet owners are on board. Radioactive iodine, or I-131, is given as a one-time injection and is an alternative to oral or topical medications, which only treat the symptoms of an overactive thyroid.

6. Gov. Haslam Hears Concerns for TNReady Credibility at Collierville Forum - Monday, September 3, 2018

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam heard from a group of Memphis and Shelby County educators that the state’s TNReady test has credibility issues with parents and doesn’t provide reliable data quickly enough for teachers to make better use of it in improving student achievement.

7. Kick in the Grass - Saturday, September 1, 2018

Mentally, the ownership group bringing a United Soccer League team to share AutoZone Park with the Memphis Redbirds has been flipping the switch for the better part of two years. After the last out of the Redbirds regular-season home finale was recorded Monday, the act got physical. The concept became real.

8. Paying it Forward - Thursday, August 30, 2018

The idea started with a birthday party. Many years later, the Annie Ervin Willis Scholarship Fund is providing help to a graduating senior that lives or attends school in one of the ZIP codes where Willis attended school and church.

9. Chamber Seeks Site Improvement Grants for 9 Sites Including Firestone - Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Greater Memphis Chamber has applied for state improvement grants for nine economic development sites in Memphis as the first step in a “Sites and Buildings Plan.”

The list of Memphis sites includes the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant site in North Memphis, which is one of eight applying via the chamber to be part of the Tennessee Site Evaluation Program.

10. Memphis Climb - Saturday, August 25, 2018

Recently, cbssports.com put out a map showcasing the best college football programs in every state. The state of Tennessee, which forever would have been colored Big Orange, was instead shaded Memphis Tigers Blue. College football writer Barrett Sallee provided a two-part explanation for how this came to be:

11. Ernest Strickland Has Been on City’s Front Line - Friday, August 24, 2018

Some people grow up waiting for the chance to get out of their hometown. Others, like Ernest Strickland, senior vice president of workforce development for the Greater Memphis Chamber, view staying put as an opportunity to make a difference.

12. SCS Board Approves 9 New Charter Schools With Concerns About Saturation - Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Shelby County Schools board members approved nine new charter schools for 2019-2020 including the conversion of six Catholic Jubilee schools to secular schools.

13. Last Word: Police Surveillance on Trial, Elvis Alternatives and Firestone's Dilemma - Monday, August 20, 2018

In Memphis Federal Court Monday morning, Memphis Police surveillance of protesters over the last two years is on the docket of U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla. McCalla ruled earlier this month in advance of the nonjury trial that police conducted “political surveillance” of protesters in violation of a 1978 federal court consent decree.

14. Grizzlies Sign Former Tiger Markel Crawford - Monday, August 20, 2018

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Markel Crawford and added him to the team’s training camp roster.

Crawford, a former University of Memphis player, appeared in seven games (one start) for the Grizzlies during NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas and averaged 9.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.4 minutes while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from three-point range. The 23-year-old Memphis native also saw action in three games as a reserve during the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League and averaged 5.7 points in 12.8 minutes.

15. Last Word: Suburban Elections, Charter Changes and Aretha Franklin - Friday, August 17, 2018

Almost there for the November ballot with Thursday’s qualifying deadline for the contenders in the five sets of elections in five of the six suburban towns and cities. Three mayor’s races – all contested -- in Germantown, Lakeland and Bartlett. 11 races decided at the deadline with candidates running unopposed. Something of a surprise in one of the Millington alderman races.

16. Compass Schools Conversion Pared From 9 Jubilee Schools to 6 - Friday, August 17, 2018

The Shelby County Schools Board will consider adding nine new charter schools to the system in 2019-2020, including six Catholic Jubilee schools slated to become Compass Community Schools.

Compass originally planned to take over nine of the Jubilee schools in the Memphis Catholic Diocese system, but has pared that back to six. The SCS board meets in special session Wednesday, Aug. 22, so it can hit a state deadline on what is a second round of charter applications.

17. Firestone Fallout - Saturday, August 18, 2018

The red letters grow fainter as the years pass in North Memphis. The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant’s smokestack, once a symbol of the industrial base that defined North Memphis, has become a different kind of symbol in the 35 years since the tire plant closed.

18. Rookie Receiver Deontay Burnett Younger Than Titans Name - Friday, August 17, 2018

Deontay Burnett is so young that, to anyone’s knowledge, he is the first player to wear a Tennessee Titans uniform who was born after the team played its first game in the Volunteer State.

Burnett is just 20 years old and in Titans camp as an undrafted rookie receiver. He was born Oct. 4, 1997, a full six weeks after the then-Tennessee Oilers topped the Oakland Raiders to kick off the franchise’s lone season in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

19. Now More than Ever, Tigers’ Riley Patterson Says There is No Other Option - Friday, August 17, 2018

Long after the football had landed outside the goal posts, those missed field goals in the American Athletic Conference title game kept kicking around inside Riley Patterson’s head.

He had scored a career-high 13 points in that game (7PAT/2FG), but he’ll tell you that doesn’t matter.

20. Last Word: Southgate Signs, Suburban Deadline and Kingsbury Allegations - Thursday, August 16, 2018

Seven months after it closed, the Kroger supermarket at the Southgate shopping center reopened Wednesday as a CashSaver grocery store in what has to be a blueprint for future efforts but is also nonetheless something that is not easily replicated. Showing the way on this has been The Works Inc. at its store at the South Memphis Farmers Market. We wrote about this earlier this year just as the Southgate solution began to take shape.

21. TNReady Testing Patience of All Concerned - Thursday, August 16, 2018

If Clint Eastwood were to make to a sequel of “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” state Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver could play Granny Hawkins because of her penchant for blunt language.

22. As Expected, Study Shows Memphis Lags Behind Peer Cities in Economic Development - Friday, August 10, 2018

Greater Memphis Chamber leaders say they’re moving aggressively to improve economic development efforts after a new study confirmed what they already suspected: that Memphis and Shelby County are at a serious competitive disadvantage to a number of peer communities.

23. Small Moves, Significant Results? - Monday, August 13, 2018

As the Memphis Grizzlies recently unveiled their new uniforms in a special event at FedExForum, there was a large image of Mike Conley – noted NBA fashion plate – modeling the new threads. Asked what he thought, Conley smiled and said: “In my personal opinion, I think I look great.”

24. Germantown’s Ian Clark Finds His Krewe in Big Easy - Friday, August 10, 2018

In 2017, former Belmont University star Ian Clark experienced the ultimate high for an NBA player, capturing the league championship as part of a star-studded Golden State Warriors team.

25. Aitken: Look Beyond Price Of New Collierville High School - Friday, August 10, 2018

The day after the ribbon cutting, the toughest critics of the new Collierville High School got to look around – the high school’s seniors begin classes Monday, Aug. 13.

And the tour got rave reviews.

26. Last Word: Cops Stay Put, Day One at SCS and Barry Gibb Comes To Town - Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Memphis Police are staying put in their recent move to 170 North Main from the CJC. There has been some question about the former state office building the city bought possibly becoming the site of a second convention center hotel. And that’s where this gets complex.

27. Police HQ No Longer in Running for Second Convention Center Hotel - Tuesday, August 7, 2018

The Civic Center Plaza building that is currently Memphis Police Department headquarters is out of the running to be the site of a second convention center hotel.

“That site was contemplated in the beginning. It’s no longer in the running,” Downtown Memphis Commission president Jennifer Oswalt said of 170 N. Main St. on the WKNO/Channel 10 program “Behind The Headlines.”

28. Day One - Monday, August 6, 2018

Five school years into the historic merger and demerger of public education in Shelby County, the start of the sixth school year classes this month shows the change is establishing very real roots.

29. U of M Has Shot at Jeffries After Recruit De-Commits - Saturday, August 4, 2018

The University of Memphis would appear to be in prime position to land Top-50 recruit D.J. Jeffries after he announced he is decommitting from Kentucky and reopening his recruitment.

An athletic, 6-foot-7 forward from Olive Branch High School, Jeffries said in a Twitter post that decommitting was a “hard choice” but the “right decision.” Jeffries played for Memphis coach Penny Hardaway’s AAU team in the summer of 2017.and played for the same program this year after Hardaway had left.

30. Long, Winding Road - Saturday, August 4, 2018

Considered by many to be the main artery of Memphis’ robust logistical and distribution network, the Lamar Avenue Corridor has long been clogged by its own narrow lanes and outdated capacity. 

31. McKinney Assumes New Role Joining Greater Memphis Chamber - Thursday, August 2, 2018

David McKinney later this month starts his new job as senior vice president for public policy at the Greater Memphis Chamber.

The 36-year-old attorney succeeds Kelly Rayne, who left earlier this summer to become senior counsel for St. Jude ALSAC.

32. Hard To Find an ‘Adult In The Room’ in This Year’s Ads - Thursday, August 2, 2018

Television executives, ad reps and political consultants will hate to see this governor’s primary race end. But they can take solace from all the pain they’ve helped dole out while dining on caviar and grilled halibut while in the Caribbean Islands this fall, if they like fish eggs.

33. Police Documents Show Protest Spreadsheet and Fear of 'Radicals' - Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Memphis Police brass kept a spread sheet over the past two years on whether a protest received a city permit – was “lawful” or “unlawful” – while continuing to collect information on some of the protesters from public social media.

34. Jeffries De-commits from Kentucky Giving Memphis Shot at Top Recruit - Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The University of Memphis would appear to be in prime position to land Top-50 recruit D.J. Jeffries after he announced he is de-committing from Kentucky and reopening his recruitment.

A 6-foot-7 forward from Olive Branch High School, Jeffries said in a Twitter post that decommitting was a “hard choice” but the “right decision.” Jeffries played for Memphis coach Penny Hardaway’s AAU team in the summer of 2017 and played for the same program this year after Hardaway had left.

35. Bluff City Bourbon - Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Tucked away in a nondescript North Memphis warehouse, Big River Distilling Company has been quietly crafting, barreling and aging its arsenal of small batch whiskeys and bourbons. But since this process takes years to see to fruition, they decided to lay low until the time was right to unveil their brand to the public.

36. Memphis Sports Hall of Fame Will Be One-of-a-Kind - Friday, July 27, 2018

To get an idea of what the future Memphis Sports Hall of Fame might look like, you can travel Interstate 40, stop in at Bridgestone Arena on Broadway in downtown Nashville, and see the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. But you can also go just around the corner, to 421 S. Main St., and visit the Blues Hall of Fame.

37. Last Word: Polls & Precinct Splits, Behind The Roundhouse Revival and The Bubba - Tuesday, July 24, 2018

With a week left in early voting we have reached that part in the campaign where candidates and campaigns have one last chance to read the signs, interpret them on how this is going and act. They will still be doing the first two things up until the polls close on Aug. 2. But very shortly there won’t be time to do the third and have it make a difference in the outcome.

38. Last Word: MemFix 4's Big Weekend, Early Voting Six Days In and Grizz Moves - Friday, July 20, 2018

A big weekend to avoid the interstate with a rare closing of I-240 between the 385 split and the I-40 split and Poplar over I-240 also closed in both directions. This kicks in Friday evening and runs up to Monday morning’s rush hour as TDOT crews work to replace four bridges in East Memphis using a relatively new process in which parts of the bridges are assembled in advance and then moved into place. The bridges are both Poplar bridges, the Park Avenue bridge and the Norfolk Southern rail bridge. And this will happen all over again in about a week’s time using the same schedule, weather permitting. Weekenders on the interstate already have some experience with a milder version of this with the interstate projects on the south leg

39. State Sen. Tate Censured by Local Democratic Party - Friday, July 20, 2018

Amid early voting, the Shelby County Democratic Party is censuring state Sen. Reginald Tate for comments he made about Democrats this summer and for calling himself a “black Republican.”

40. JLL Circling Again Just When State Workers Felt Safe from Outsourcing - Thursday, July 19, 2018

Just when workers at the state’s college campuses thought it was safe to go back in the water, corporate sharks are once again circling.

Jones Lang LaSalle, the state’s contractor for facilities management and grounds, asked to make proposals at Tennessee’s 13 junior colleges to see if it can take over. Tennessee’s colleges of applied technology are believed to be in the mix, too.

41. Tate Censured by Local Democratic Party - Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Amid early voting, the Shelby County Democratic Party is censuring state Sen. Reginald Tate for derogatory comments he made about Democrats this summer and for calling himself a “black Republican.”

42. Grizzlies’ TV Voice Pete Pranica Loving his Dream Job - Friday, July 13, 2018

As the tip-off of another Memphis Grizzlies game nears, television play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica will tell viewers on FOX Sports Southeast, “We have three officials, and they have been assigned by the NBA …”

43. 2 Lawyers Representing Ex-wife of Slain NBA Player Withdraw - Thursday, July 12, 2018

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two lawyers who were representing the ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright withdrew from the case Wednesday, citing a deteriorating relationship with their high-profile client.

44. Last Word: The Jenkins Ruling, No More City Court Clerk and Harwell's Quest - Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Making your early voting plan for Friday’s debut of the voting period in advance of the Aug. 2 election day? Well, you might want to hold off until after Tuesday morning. That’s when the latest changes could get set in stone … or not.

45. What Do Statewide Candidates Say About Education in Tennessee? - Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Gov. Bill Haslam and the General Assembly have invested in education during the last eight years. Has that been a good investment and should it continue? What do the candidates propose for the next four to eight years?

46. Grizzlies Sign Kyle Anderson to Four-Year, $37.2M Offer Sheet - Monday, July 9, 2018

On Friday news broke that San Antonio Spurs restricted free agent Kyle Anderson had signed a four-year $37.2 million offer sheet from the Memphis Grizzlies. By rule, the Spurs had 48 hours to match the offer.

47. Clean Memphis Celebrates 10 Years Of Fighting Litter, Blight in Community - Saturday, July 7, 2018

Clean Memphis founder and executive director Janet Boscarino considers her nonprofit’s work to make Memphis greener, cleaner and environmentally sustainable over the past 10 years a gift because of the many neighborhood connections she’s made.

48. Grizz Sign Jaren Jackson To Multiyear Contract - Tuesday, July 3, 2018

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed 2018 first-round draft pick Jaren Jackson Jr. to a multiyear contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Selected fourth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, Jackson became the second player in Big Ten history to win both Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season after leading the conference and ranking seventh in the nation in blocks per game (3.03) for Michigan State.

49. Editorial: Multifamily Development About More Than Numbers - Saturday, June 30, 2018

Finding a place for multifamily development across Memphis and into the suburbs is essential not only to the growth of Memphis and Shelby County by population.

It is essential to how we manage and shape the growth of Memphis and Shelby County.

50. U of M Athletes Receive AAC All-Academic Honors - Friday, June 29, 2018

The American Athletic Conference has announced its All-Academic Team and for the second year in a row, University of Memphis Athletics had more than 200 student-athletes honored. The Tigers had a department-high 216 student-athletes receive the league’s academic accolade.

51. Grizz Rookie Jevon Carter Promises to be Everything Wade Baldwin Was Not - Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Two years ago, the Memphis Grizzlies used the 17th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin. It was considered a bold move. An offensive talent, yes, but also known to be less than coachable and team-oriented. But Baldwin showed offensive flashes in the preseason. There was a period of time when everyone from point guard Mike Conley to power forward Zach Randolph was openly saying Baldwin had some Russell Westbrook-like tendencies. They meant it only in a good way.

52. Heritage Helped Drive Acosta Up Corporate Ranks - Friday, June 22, 2018

Growing up in Memphis, Julie Acosta, Senior Web Analyst at AutoZone, wasn’t always a fan of her strong Brazilian heritage. Like most young kids, she wanted to be like everyone else. It wasn’t until high school that she came into her own, embracing her roots and eventually allowing them to help guide her career choices.

53. FedEx Q4 Profits Beat Wall Street Estimates - Thursday, June 21, 2018

Memphis-based FedEx Corp. posted a solid growth during its fiscal fourth quarter and full year, with company executives saying the shipping giant can adjust if looming tariffs disrupt trade patterns with China.

54. Last Word: County Budget Compromise, MEM After 5 Years and Elvis - Tuesday, June 19, 2018

There is nothing like the end of a term for those holding elected office. That’s what gets most of the credit for the Shelby County commission’s smooth ending to its budget season Monday. A final reading of the revised county property tax rate of $4.05 still awaits. But the commission went a long way toward locking that in with the approval of everything else at the Monday session.

55. Morris' Secret Helped Pass Civil Rights Cold Case Laws - Friday, June 15, 2018

Charlie Morris was known for decades as a political operative who defined a brand of grassroots-style campaigning and political involvement in North Memphis. He and his late wife, Alma, operating out of a barber shop in a Quonset hut off Chelsea Avenue, endorsed candidates and worked for them at the polls – going door-to-door in their neighborhood in what was the most basic kind of political organizing.

56. Carpenter Talks Strikeouts, Coaching and the State of Baseball - Friday, June 15, 2018

Of all the starting pitchers that followed Bob Gibson to the mound in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform, perhaps none came as close to matching Gibson’s fierceness as Chris Carpenter did. In nine seasons with the Cardinals, he won a Cy Young Award, a franchise-high 10 playoff games, and was part of two World series-winning teams (2006 and 2011) and four National League pennant-winning clubs.

57. Midstate Transit Future is Paved With Tired Ideas - Thursday, June 14, 2018

If you ask state Rep. William Lamberth, Davidson County voters gave a resounding answer on the future of mass transit in this region. Based on their overwhelming defeat of an early May referendum, they don’t want to raise taxes for mass transit, preferring to be more like Atlanta and Los Angeles and less like New York.

58. Standing in the Gap - Thursday, June 14, 2018

There are statistics that tell a story. Always, there are statistics that tell a story. The city of Memphis’ story cannot be told without mentioning a poverty rate of 26.9 percent (Tennessee’s is 15.8 percent). The child poverty rate in Memphis is even more staggering, at 44.7 percent.

59. Drive, Chip & Putt … for a Lifetime - Friday, June 8, 2018

Where this golfing thing goes, Tommy Kellum doesn’t really know. His daughter Elizabeth has been playing since she was 6 years old and she has some talent.

60. Metal Museum Pondering Possibility of Polishing Up Rust Hall - Wednesday, June 6, 2018

When Memphis College of Art announced in October it would be closing its doors for good by May 2020 – an announcement that came just months after the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, another longtime mainstay, said it, too, was leaving Overton Park – there was an understandable level of concern for many patrons of the park.

61. Last Word: Storm Damage, Overton Square Parking and Corker's Tariff Plan - Monday, June 4, 2018

The week begins with recovery across the river in Arkansas where high winds, possibly tornadoes, did quite a bit of damage Saturday evening – the Delta Regional Airport just outside Colt in St. Francis County destroyed, by the National Weather Service preliminary damage estimate Sunday.

62. The Week Ahead: June 4-10 - Monday, June 4, 2018

Good morning, Memphis. Or should we say, “Hush, y’all.” It’s time again for the annual FedEx St. Jude Classic golf tournament, a Memphis tradition that spans 60 years and has been funneling millions of dollars into the doors at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

63. 100 North Main - Saturday, June 2, 2018

The city’s tallest building, the 37-story 100 North Main Building – may or may not become the city’s second convention center hotel. But the skyscraper that has been vacant for four years and counting is the centerpiece of a 3-acre planned commercial complex anchored by a 600-room hotel, no matter where it winds up in the footprint. The complex, as much as the hotel, promises to change more than the city’s convention business.

64. Chiozza, Players With Local Connection Workout for Grizzlies - Friday, May 25, 2018

There was a time four years ago when Chris Chiozza’s dream was to stay home and play his college ball at FedExForum.

65. Q&A: MMDC’s Abby Miller Talks New Position, Future of Medical District - Tuesday, May 29, 2018

When the Memphis Medical District Collaborative started in February of 2016 there were only two employees: Abby Miller and current president Tommy Pacello.

In the two years since, their operation has grown five-fold, freeing up Miller, who was previously serving as the program and data director, to take on a larger role as the organization’s vice president.

66. MIFA Marks 50 Years of Interfaith Activism - Tuesday, May 29, 2018

When a group of Memphis religious leaders marched from St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral to City Hall the day after Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968, they were in the middle of a pivotal year for an ecumenical movement whose impact is still being felt.

67. Burnett Finds Satisfaction Sharing Le Bonheur’s Story - Friday, May 25, 2018

Originally from Arkansas, Sara Burnett, director of community and public relations at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, made her way to Washington, D.C., and East Tennessee before firmly planting her roots here in Memphis.

68. Expansion Golden Knights Shine a Light on Hope - Friday, May 25, 2018

Las Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley had a plan. It was an ambitious plan, but not a crazy plan. His expansion NHL team would strive to make the playoffs in three years and capture the Stanley Cup in six.

69. One Beale Developers Present New Plan to DMC - Thursday, May 24, 2018

The developer of the ambitious One Beale project has again reworked its plans and is seeking a deadline extension from the Downtown Memphis Commission to close on the nine-figure deal.

Carlisle Corp.’s latest proposal to the Center City Revenue Finance Corp. comes more than a decade after its founder, the late Gene Carlisle, first proposed the massive mixed-use project.

70. Last Word: Bike Second Line Protest, Loeb's Portrait and SCS Budget Notes - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

“Get on your bikes and ride.” The local bike share program begins Wednesday at 60 different Explore Bike Share stations at different points around town. The bike rental program is considered a milestone in the city’s bicycle culture. And like all milestones there has to be a ceremony. This effort to make it easier to mix bikes into your daily journeys will kick off Wednesday morning in Court Square at 9:30 a.m.

71. Cavs Need Road Win for LeBron To Make 8th Straight NBA Finals - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

And so now it’s LeBron James vs. the Boston Celtics and their home-court advantage in what is now a best-of-three Eastern Conference Finals.

James scored 44 points and became the NBA’s all-time leader in postseason baskets made as the Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 4 111-102 to even the series at 2-2. Neither team has won on the road in this series, which now shifts back to Boston for Game 5. If LeBron is to make the NBA Finals an eighth straight time, his team will have to find a way to win a road game.

72. Louie’s Wakes Up - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

After more than a decade, Sleep Out Louie, Memphis’ favorite fictional vagabond, is returning to the Bluff City. For nearly 20 years, the popular neighborhood bar at 88 Union Ave. was a mainstay for Downtowners and tourists alike who enjoyed the casual atmosphere and vast collection of donated ties, until it closed in 2007 to make room for the Mesquite Chop House.

73. UTHSC, LeMoyne-Owen Partner To Help Students Earn Nursing Degrees - Saturday, May 19, 2018

With an expected nursing shortage of more than 1 million registered nurses by 2022, local colleges like the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and LeMoyne-Owen College are partnering to help students along the career pathway.

74. Penny Mania - Saturday, May 19, 2018

Derek Jett was coming home from a business trip on the West Coast and making a connection at the airport in Dallas. It was football season, and because it was football season (and not basketball season), he was wearing his University of Memphis cap.

75. Drafting at No. 4, the Grizzlies will look at Michael Porter Jr. with reservations about his health - Friday, May 18, 2018

If the Grizzlies had landed in the top three of the NBA Draft Lottery, it’s pretty clear they would have been choosing from among DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley. But even with the second-worst record last season, the Grizzlies fell to No. 4. And that could change the conversation in a major way.

76. Last Word: Monuments Ruling, The Open Council Seat and Not So Great Streets - Thursday, May 17, 2018

It is likely just the first round. But the city of Memphis prevailed on every major point in the Wednesday ruling out of Nashville by Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle upholding the removal of Confederate monuments this past December from two city parks.

77. Faropoint Converting ‘Diamond In The Rough’ - Tuesday, May 15, 2018

So far this year Faropoint Ventures has already acquired $37 million in property in the Memphis area and has its sights set on another $38 million by year’s end.

But of all those properties, one in particular stood out to NAI Saig Co.’s Hank Martin and Brian Califf, who are representing Faropoint in the Memphis market.

78. Last Word: Mimeo Move, Food Fight and Sundquist for Blackburn - Monday, May 14, 2018

There aren’t any renderings just yet of what a second convention center hotel with the 100 North Main Building as its centerpiece would look like. That’s probably a good thing for now because some of the specs and the footprint are still in flux. The developers of the proposed convention center hotel said as the weekend began that they plan a 600 room hotel and a complex that includes two 30-story towers in addition to the 37-story tall 100 North Main Building – the tallest building in the city. And the foot print will likely jump Second Street to take in the vacant Jefferson Plaza building. Here is the update and some perspective on how we got to this point.

79. Grizzlies’ Poor Draft History In Focus With Lottery Pick - Friday, May 11, 2018

When the NBA Draft Lottery is held on Tuesday, May 15, in Chicago, Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley will be watching on TV. The lottery show will air at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN, should you be inclined to join Conley and root along.

80. Last Word: Veto Override Drama, Iran Reaction & Rise of the Rest Meets Soundways - Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Shelby County Commissioners have a busy committee day Wednesday with a budget presentation – county mayor Mark Luttrell’s final one as the county’s chief executive, more discussions about the Graceland plan and a veto override.

81. Stengel Elected President Of Construction Counsel Association - Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Evans Petree PC shareholder Elizabeth B. Stengel has been elected the first female president of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel, a not-for-profit professional association of Tennessee attorneys with practices related to the construction industry.

82. Last Word: BSMF Notes, Political Dominoes and The Teacher Pipeline - Monday, May 7, 2018

Yes, it rained. There was even hail for a brief period. None of that appeared to make a dent in the run of the Beale Street Music Festival. We are still waiting on exact box office numbers. The park was sold out – Ticketfly and at the gate -- early Sunday evening. It wasn’t a sellout Friday and Saturday but ticket supplies were tight for Tom Lee Park with the festival estimating there were thousands more people Saturday than there were Friday. Much to be said for a lineup this year that managed to strike a balance between hipster, cutting edge nobody-knows-about-this-yet new and used-to-be-big-not-so-long-ago nostalgia.

83. Memphis Rox Climbing Gym Offers Mid-South Rocky Mountain High - Saturday, May 5, 2018

Kathy Enfroy learned about Memphis Rox organically, which in 2018 means through a friend via social media. So she came to check out Memphis Rox Climbing & Community in Soulsville for herself. She had such a good time that on a recent Monday morning she had returned and brought her husband, Austin Enfroy, and their 4-year-old daughter, Madeline, with her.

84. Third Time the Charm? - Friday, May 4, 2018

On the occasion of another Grizzlies press conference at FedExForum to introduce another new coach, general manager Chris Wallace said of J.B. Bickerstaff: “We’ve taken the interim tag off. He’s our permanent head coach.”

85. Bartholomew Named St. Mary’s Athletic Director - Wednesday, May 2, 2018

St. Mary’s Episcopal School has promoted John Bartholomew to athletic director. Bartholomew has been coaching lacrosse at St. Mary’s since 2014, and the following year, he joined the school full-time as assistant athletic director and lacrosse coordinator. He has been serving as St. Mary’s interim athletic director since last fall.

86. Graceland Political Push Faces First Test at County Commission - Monday, April 30, 2018

In introducing Joel Weinshanker Thursday, April 27, at a town hall meeting in Whitehaven, Graceland CEO Jack Soden talked about Weinshanker’s “appetite for risk.” The group of 150 people in the theater at Guest House at Graceland soon got a good look at Weinshanker’s emerging plan to go public in a big way with one of the city’s most sensitive economic development issues – the city and county noncompete agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies that keeps the city and county from funding any 5,000-seat and up arena that might compete with FedExForum.

87. Strickland Responds to Graceland Push for Arena Approval - Friday, April 27, 2018

UPDATE: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland responded Friday, April 27, to comments made by Graceland Holdings managing partner Joel Weinshanker Thursday evening at a town hall meeting about Graceland's expansion plans. Here is the statement in full.

88. Our College Athletes Are Americans, Too, So Let’s Treat Them That Way - Friday, April 27, 2018

If you spilled an entire carton of milk on your kitchen table, you could count on the 12-member Commission on College Basketball to rush in and … not actually clean it up, just dab around the edges and leave a large and smelly stain in the center of your table cloth.

89. Last Word: Last Day of Early Voting, Senate Poll and Legislature Goes to Overtime - Thursday, April 26, 2018

The last day of early voting before the May 1 election day is Thursday. And the turnout count through Wednesday has eclipsed the total early voting turnout in this same set of elections in 2010 and 2014. You can find a list of early voting locations and the hours at www.shelbyvote.com, the website of the Shelby County Election Commission. The winners on election night next Tuesday advance to the August county general election.

90. Reason to Believe: Grizzlies’ Parsons Hopeful For Healthy, Better Season Ahead - Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Chandler Parsons is optimistic, at least relatively speaking. For the first time in three summers, he is not having a knee surgery.

“I want to play, I want to be healthy,” he said. “And I’m doing everything in my power to get there. I had those injections a couple of weeks ago, but there’s no rehab and I’m already working out.

91. Lee, Boyd, Black Talk Confederate Monuments, Oppose Pre-K Expansion - Thursday, April 19, 2018

Three of the four major contenders for governor in the Aug. 2 Republican primary disagree with the removal of Confederate monuments from city parks but also disagree with the state legislature’s decision to cut $250,000 of city funding in retaliation.

92. Sex Week Seems Tame Compared to Session Antics - Thursday, April 19, 2018

Why should UT Knoxville be limited to its annual Sex Week when Tennessee legislators are celebrating year-round?

Based on the scurrilous reports published in these parts over the last couple of years, state legislators are doing more than collecting per diems in Nashville, and there’s plenty of evidence to prove it.

93. Away From the Court - Thursday, April 19, 2018

For seven straight years, the Memphis Grizzlies made the playoffs. For seven straight years, the winning on the court provided momentum and opportunity for those working on the business side trying to sell season tickets and arrange corporate sponsorships.

94. Last Word: Failed Test, Trolley Back Story and Violent Crime Down City and County - Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The state’s third problem with online student achievement testing in three years is gathering political force in Nashville. And that force is aimed for the most part at testing in general and the role it plays in evaluating teachers and students.

95. Hardaway and Tigers Get Two More Signees - Wednesday, April 18, 2018

University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has added two more players to his roster. Shooting guard Antwann Jones signed with the Tigers after being released from his national letter of intent with Texas A&M. Isaiah Maurice signed after playing one season at Kansas State and one season at South Plains junior college.

96. New Plans Would Change Memphis Medical District - Tuesday, April 17, 2018

With 27,000 people who either work or attend classes in the Memphis Medical District, and about 375 acres of parking space, something has to give.

Following last week’s release of a reconfigured city bus system plan and a new shuttle system that the Memphis Medical District Collaborative is working on, officials hope to convince 2,500 people to leave their cars at home.

97. Doubleheader - Saturday, April 14, 2018

These days, Craig Unger calls himself the “corporate guy.” After all, he is now president of both the Memphis Redbirds and the United Soccer League (USL) team that will share AutoZone Park with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Triple-A club beginning in 2019.

98. ‘Food as Medicine’: Church Health grows robust nutrition services at Crosstown - Friday, April 13, 2018

Health care patients often need as much care and coaching on their nutrition, fitness, or mental health as they may need in dealing with a chronic disease or injury.

Church Health integrates all of those things into its model of care and now trains medical students, residents and practitioners in culinary medicine.

99. Lots of Noise, But Few Results in Legislature - Thursday, April 12, 2018

Just when you think the Tennessee Legislature is going off the deep end, someone will throw them a bungee cord. Maybe a rope made out of hemp would work better because a bungee cord leaves people bouncing, never quite reeling them in.

100. MarShon Brooks Inks Contract With Memphis Grizzlies - Monday, April 9, 2018

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard MarShon Brooks to a multi-year contract.

Brooks, 29, signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on March 27 and has appeared in three games as a reserve and averaged 23.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.67 steals in 25.3 minutes. He is shooting 57.1 percent from the field, 64.7 percent from three-point range and 84.6 percent from the free throw line. Brooks has recorded the most points (70) in franchise history of any player in his first three games with the team and is just the second Grizzlies player to average at least 20 points per game in his first three contests (Lorenzen Wright in 2001-02).