The Commercial Appeal
Farewell to 495 Union
From the District of Columbia to the City on the Bluff, sometimes it feels like America is being reduced to rubble. Buildings that brought people together are replaced by vacant lots and “Empty Sky,” to borrow the title of a song that Bruce...
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Memphis-shelby Co. Airport Authority board to be replaced
The Memphis-shelby County Airport Authority is undergoing major changes after a new state law requires the current board of commissioners to be replaced and operate under more state oversight. MSCAA operates Memphis International Airport (MEM). House...
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Israel, Iran halt retaliatory attacks
Israel and Iran said they would halt strikes on each other for now but warned of forceful responses to any future aggression – ending, at least temporarily, an exchange of missile attacks over the weekend that put a fragile ceasefire and diplomatic...
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SALES OFF THE RAILS
For nearly two years, Downtown Memphis has been missing a core component of its identity — the historic trolley line. Locals and visitors alike might have noticed a quieter South Main, absent of trolley cars rumbling down the tracks and ringing their...
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Memphis celebrates its musical history while aiming for new growth in the city
At 87 years old, Pastor Juan Shipp – dressed in pressed purple silk pants and shirt – listened with narrowed eyes to the soul-gospel strains of one of Memphis’ oldest groups tuning up beyond a recording studio window. h Members of the Jubilee...
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GERMANTOWN CHARITY HORSE SHOW JUMPS INTO ACTION
ABOVE: Danielle Grice and Morpheus R jump over a hurdle on the course in the Welcome Stake jumper class competition at the Germantown Charity Horse Show on June 3. The annual horse show kicked off June 2 and ends June 6. TOP RIGHT: Natalee Haggan and...
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‘Opportunity Knocks’ for Memphian on reality show
A Memphis-area woman’s “real-life transformation” from traumatized underdog to confident family hero is documented during “Opportunity Knocks,” a public television series that began its third season this week. h Kristina Bell, 34, is one of four women...
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‘HELPING MOVE AMERICA FORWARD’
Two long-time Fedex Freight drivers, or elite road captains, prepared for their first ride with the company as part of its new chapter on opening day June 1. Willie Baylor, driver of 37 years, has witnessed the company go through different stages and...
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From GM to Spacex, more than 3.3B invested
With Tennessee’s three newly drawn congressional districts, one of Shelby County’s three districts has some of the largest economic investments in state history. Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, which includes 17 full or partial counties,...
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EYE OF THE STORMS
Tornadoes have become somewhat synonymous with the changing seasons in Tennessee, and this rise in storms is creating devastating circumstances for the state’s residents. Tornado Alley is a region in the central part of the United States that...
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VOTERS IN TENNESSEE’S SPRAWLING NEW DISTRICTS WARY OF EACH OTHER ‘I’m not happy about it’
Tersely licking bright blue ice cream from a waffle cone, Rhiannon Hogan excorciated Tennessee’s new congressional district maps in an aisle at Overholt’s Farm Market, an Amish-mennonite grocery in Humphreys County. “I’m not happy about it,” Hogan...
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‘THEY BUILT NASHVILLE’
The front side of Nashville City Cemetery is a who’s who of local historic figures. Five people who were the namesake for Tennessee counties have been, or still are, buried there. That includes John Mcnairy, one of Tennessee’s first federal judges and...
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Mcnally, Sexton make appointments to board
More names of those who will oversee the Memphis-shelby County Schools Board have been announced. Lt. Gov. Randy Mcnally, R-oak Ridge, announced his appointments to the board on May 26. Billy Orgel and Dedrick Brittenum Jr. will serve as the Senate...
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What is Memphis missing in big box retail, restaurants?
Although Memphis has a multitude of places to shop and top-class eateries, there still seems to be some options missing from Bluff City's retail and restaurant market. Whether it’s grocery stores, home goods, clothing or popular food chains, Memphians...
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Reflections of a senator
WALLAND — Five years ago, when he walked out of the U.S. Senate for the final time, it was an open question whether Lamar Alexander’s legacy would be muddied by his refusal to vote to convict Donald Trump in his first impeachment. That decision −...
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‘This is my destiny’
At work, she appears to be a Jedi master, tapping into some unseen force to make magic with her hands. In fact, with purposeful and even virtuosic gestures, waves and gesticulations, she is manipulating a pair of electromagnetic fields. The magic that...
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81 STEP UP
The Memphis Police Department graduated its latest class of basic training recruits at a May 21 ceremony at Bellevue Baptist Church. h The 149th Basic Police Recruit Class is the largest in nearly 10 years, with 81 recruits, according to an MPD...
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Elvis to Glorilla
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on Memphis’ part in that story. Perhaps no city — and certainly no city of its size — has made as much of an impact on American music and culture as...
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Graceland exhibit marks USA’S 250th
In its review of Elvis Presley’s evening show at the Midsouth Coliseum on March 16, 1974, the Memphis morning newspaper made note of a particularly powerful piece of stagecraft. As Elvis neared the end of “American Trilogy,” his signature...
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Lakeland townhome project restarts after 5-year hiatus
The once abandoned townhomes project has been resuscitated at The Lake District in Lakeland after almost five years. Bulldozers are moving dirt and construction workers are building again on site at the previously dormant 160-acre mixed-use...
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Collierville residents weigh in on 2050 plan, from walkability to housing
Collierville officials and residents heard a final report May 14 at Town Hall about how residents want to plan and shape the Town into the future. Topics included vision, land use, economic development, housing, transportation, connectivity and...
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RISING COSTS
Americans’ concerns about being able to afford electricity and home heating fuel have been elevated since the beginning of the Iran war. But recently released nationwide data shows that even before the war began, these concerns were widespread,...
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INSIDE LOOK
A curious thing happened during the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the National Civil Rights Museum’s new “Legacy Experience.” The event in the plaza near the balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed had proceeded as...
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LOOKING AT ‘THE PERFECT CRIME’
At the edge of South Memphis — bordered by the Bunker Hill, Castalia Heights and Prospect Park neighborhoods — is Rose Hill Cemetery. h Hidden off Elvis Presley Boulevard, trash, clothes and tires litter gravel paths. Grass and trees have overtaken...
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Whole Hog Harmony
Rhinestones, ribs and raw talent collided May 14 at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest as the beloved Ms. Piggie Idol showdown returned to center stage at Liberty Park. Contestants unleashed their best diva-worthy...
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GRILLS, THRILLS & BODY SLAMS
Let’s get ready to rumble — in 100 gallons of barbecue sauce! It was a smackdown in the sauce pit, and no one was safe — especially spectators brave enough to wear their summer whites. The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest...
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How will redistricting change Shelby County elections?
The Shelby County Election Commission is adjusting to recent redistricting despite an “aggressive timeline,” said Linda Phillips, administrator of elections for the commission, on May 12. The commission’s tech department is working to update the...
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Sneak peek at good eats
The smoke is already filling the beautiful Memphis sky, an unmistakable signal that the 2026 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is about to begin. Ahead of the big event, friends, family and members of the media were invited to...
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Vivian Gray’s ‘Obsession’
The actors say the lines, get most of the closeups, and enact the smooching, the screaming and the bloody violence that could make the new horror movie, “Obsession,” a hit. But a key attraction in the latest release from the vaunted horror studio,...
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‘Violation of everything’
Two days after the Tennessee General Assembly approved a new congressional district map for the state, carving up Shelby County and the state’s only majority-minority district, around 100 people gathered in Downtown Memphis to protest the...
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BUILDING ECONOMY
rea Realtors and homebuilders believe sales on new home construction in the Shelby County suburbs could pick up even as affordability remains a barrier. h A total of 345 new homes were sold in the suburbs in 2025, a decrease from 411 in 2024, according...
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Man accused of shooting officer caught
Danell Maxwell, the man who made the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list after allegedly shooting and injuring a Memphis Police Officer during a traffic stop, has been found, according to court records. Maxwell, 40, was on TBI’S most...
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Satellite Music Hall sets opening date
Live Nation’s new Memphis concert venue, Satellite Music Hall, has confirmed it will open in early September and announced its initial slate of shows. Operated by the entertainment giant Live Nation, Satellite Music Hall is located at 1291 Autumn Ave....
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Proposed congressional map carves up Memphis
Heeding the call of President Donald Trump to redraw the state’s congressional lines after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back protections of the Voting Rights Act, Tennessee House and Senate Republicans revealed a new congressional map on May 6 that...
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Shelby County primary election results are in
Shelby County primary election day has come and gone. Voters have cast their ballots to decide on a new sheriff, a new Shelby County mayor, four seats on the Memphis-shelby County Schools board, all 13 seats on the Shelby County Commission, numerous...
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Ice Cube to Marshmello
The third annual Riverbeat Music Festival has wrapped, after three days and nights — May 1-3 — of cool sounds (expected) and cool weather (welcome and unexpected, for May in Memphis, with temperatures dipping into the 50s at night) in the renovated Tom...
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An Oscar toa ‘Swagger Dance’
Platinum albums and gold singles. Several acts at the 2026 Riverbeat Music Festival were accompanied by those achievements. But only one artist at Tom Lee Park this weekend hoisted an Academy Award above his head. “That man brought an Oscar out...
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Shelby County primary election is days away
Shelby County voters will head to the polls on May 5 for the first election in nearly two years. h The Democrat and Republican primary election for county offices will be held on May 5. Polls will open at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. h Election...
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Avian watch
With spring comes migrating birds, much to the delight of binocular-wielding avian enthusiasts in Tennessee. While Tennessee is home to hundreds of bird species, some get local birdwatchers especially excited as migratory birds pass through or return...
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3 Memphis products made their NFL dreams possible
Many of the players selected in each NFL Draft were expected to be there one day. They were four- and five-star recruits with stacks of collegiate offers as high schoolers. Not everyone’s story is the same, though. During the 2026 NFL draft, three...
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Supreme Court rejects Louisiana voting map
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on April 29 threw out a congressional map in Louisiana that had been drawn to protect the voting power of Black residents, a decision with implications for a landmark civil rights law. An ideologically divided court...
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Tyré Nichols lawsuit has cost city nearly $3M in legal feess
The City of Memphis has spent at least $2.76 million in legal fees over the last three years defending itself in the ongoing civil lawsuit related to Tyré Nichols’ death, records obtained by The Commercial Appeal through a public records request...
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NEXT BIG STEPS
The largest capital project in Memphis International Airport’s history continues to take shape. The more than $700 million modernization of the airport’s main terminal, Terminal B, is estimated to be completed in late 2030 or early 2031, according to...
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‘Whole different level’
On a wall inside the tower-like structure on Mud Island that once marked the entrance to the theme park’s Mississippi River Museum is a large photograph of Mark Twain, seated in a chair on the deck of a riverboat, peering, presumably, at some distant...
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SOUNDTRACK OF THE STRUGGLE
Moments before he was fatally shot, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called out to jazz saxophonist Ben Branch from the balcony of the Lorraine Motel to request a song. h Today, Branch’s saxophone rests at the National Civil Rights Museum, much of which is...
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Legislature adjourns after seizing control of airports, more
After four days of marathon session meetings during which lawmakers preempted local control of airports, the state’s two largest public utilities, its largest school district and all 95 sheriff ’s departments, the Tennessee legislature is adjourned for...
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Memphis teen hits screens around world in ‘Michael’
Perhaps Jaylen Lyndon Hunter was fated to be a member of the Jackson 5, in one way or another. h “I was pregnant with him when Michael Jackson died,” said Jaylen’s mother, Crystelle Jones. “I was grieving Michael, so I was playing his music all the...
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Mayor proposes no tax hike, 2% raise for all employees
In his third budget as Memphis’ mayor, Paul Young proposed an $898 million budget that would see no tax increase despite the city’s continued struggle to grow its revenues. Young, who has been vocal in the past about the city’s ability to open revenue...
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After 38 years, Oak Court Mall officially closes
The Oak Court Mall is officially closed. On April 20, Oak Court Mall announced the closing of the interior portion of the East Memphis mall at 4465 Poplar Ave. The adjacent Dillard's store, along with Pinnacle Bank and the office building, will remain...
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Providence Place development takes shape
Work is ongoing at the Providence Place mixeduse development in Arlington. The $90 million, 45-acre development is located on the south side of Milton Wilson Boulevard and east of the Arlington Village Planned Development and Hall Creek luxury...
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Does Germantown need a full-time mayor?
Germantown voters will head to the polls on May 5 to decide whether the city’s mayor should serve in a full-time capacity. Supporters of the move say it’s time for Germantown’s government to evolve, while opponents cite concerns about a lack of...
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FEDEX
This story is part of the Iconic Brands series, a USA TODAY Network project showcasing the companies and brands that helped shape the nation’s identity, economy and culture. The series celebrates American ingenuity with a deeply reported examination of...
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MPD: Three shot, one killed outside Memphis strip mall
Three people were shot, one fatally, outside a strip mall near the intersection of Knight Arnold and Mendenhall roads in southeast Memphis on the evening of April 16, the Memphis Police Department confirmed. MPD Public Information Officer Theresa...
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Ford brings high-tech labs into schools
Ford Motor Co. is working to attract students to careers in advanced manufacturing. One way the Michigan-based automotive giant aims to do that in West Tennessee schools is through the recent launch of its Ford Future Builders Labs. These high-tech...
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Early voting has begun for the Shelby County primary election
Early voting in Shelby County started on April 15 for the Shelby County primary election. Memphis and Shelby County voters will choose a new county mayor and sheriff, as well as decide on several Memphis-shelby County Schools board member seats,...
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COGIC Mason Temple gets $1.2M for upgrades
Mason Temple, the historic site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech and the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, was awarded a $1.2 million federal grant, COGIC clergy and staff announced in an April 13 press conference. The grant was...
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‘I love Memphis’
NBA superstar Lebron James, known as “King James,” is a noted fan of professional wrestling. Jerry “The King” Lawler — who spent several of his formative childhood years in an Ohio suburb — is a devoted fan of Cleveland professional sports. In a sort...
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INKED OVER GRACELAND
In the 1950s, Elvis Presley was accused by some critics of being “a definite danger to the security of the United States” (to quote a letter in the FBI’S Elvis file). The singer promoted delinquency and immorality with his “lascivious contortions” (so...
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2026 a big year for arts, culture groups
This is a milestone year for Memphis. Close to two dozen of the city’s arts and culture organizations and institutions celebrate significant anniversaries in 2026. Even as it recognizes the past, Memphis is looking ahead. Downtown’s Memphis Art...
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Memphis inks Fedex patch deal
Memphis and Fedex announced a jersey patch deal on April 9 that will feature the logistics giant on the Tigers’ uniforms starting in the 2026-27 academic year. Fedex and Tigers athletics have long been linked, and the Memphis-based company already...
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Autograph Collection to Riverline
Memphis hotels have made headlines recently, with NBA star Lebron James criticizing the city and its accommodations. h However, the city has seen a slight uptick in occupancy rates in Downtown Memphis despite several notable properties being up for...
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14 new stores to check out in Memphis suburbs
Several new retail options are in the works in the Shelby County suburbs. In addition to some locally owned shops, a variety of national chains are expanding their footprint in the area, from Ross Dress for Less and Hibbett Sports in Collierville to...
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Operation Tristar Hammer shows wealth of results
West Tennessee law enforcement officials announced Operation Tristar Hammer has resulted in the arrests of over 50 individuals in an effort to keep illegal drugs off the streets in the region. In a press conference on April 6, several law enforcement...
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Hernando native helps guide Artemis II mission
From Mississippi to the moon. That’s one way to characterize the career trajectory of Matthew Ramsey, a Desoto County native who is helping to guide Artemis II, the NASA space mission now on its way to Earth’s natural satellite. A veteran aerospace...
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‘The man, the movement, and the momentum’
Carrying on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a central theme of the Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu’s speech on April 4 — that and reminding everyone to not just remember history, but to also forge our own. “A man who gave his life because he...
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‘THE SOUL MAN’
“Everybody has their stories,” said David Porter, “but there are not that many people who have the truth.” The 84-year-old Stax Records legend is finally offering up his truth in a new book, “The Soul Man: Life of Songwriter David Porter.” Porter’s...
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Michael Jackson, Denim & Pearls
The Women’s Rape Assistance Program recently held its 13th annual Denim and Pearls fundraising event for survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Hundreds of people gathered at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on March 28 for a night of live music in...
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Early MSCS audit results worry TN GOP leaders
Early findings from the forensic audit of Memphis-shelby County Schools were released by the state of Tennessee on April 1. The preliminary forensic audit report, performed by Cliftonlarsonallen LLP, found 175 deficiencies in the interim report. The...
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Movement fights mental health crisis
Jayla Cole never experienced the carefree teenage years. She could not get a driver’s license because of epilepsy and frequent seizures. She didn’t want to take photos or selfies because Bell’s palsy left her with facial paralysis – a twisted smile...
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4 MPD OFFICERS PLACED ON LEAVE
The Memphis Police Department has placed officers involved in arresting and pepper-spraying protesters at a “No Kings” event on administrative leave, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement on March 30. MPD later said four officers had been...
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Iran threatened with new targeted strikes
President Donald Trump on March 30 said the United States was engaged in “serious discussions” with Iranian officials on a deal to end the war – but threatened to launch strikes on the country’s power, oil and water facilities if negotiations...
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‘No Kings’ protesters, Memphis police clash
The No Kings protest in Memphis on March 28 began calmly with more than 1,000 people gathering at Robert R. Church Park, but ended with police detaining protest marshals and spraying protesters with a chemical irritant, commonly referred to as pepper...
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Memphis Safe Task Force in action for 6 months
In the six months since the Memphis Safe Task Force was established by President Donald Trump, the law enforcement effort has been at the center of many conversations in the Mid-south. h Focus from GOP officials has primarily been on the thousands of...
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‘Trump slump’ hits tourism in 2025
With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer fans. And yet, the U.S. tourism industry is worried. While the rest of...
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