Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Brandon LaGrone II

Scrum-believable: After years without a home field, Memphis Inner City Rugby puts down permanent roots

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:33:59 -0500

After years of away games and borrowed park grass, Memphis Inner City Rugby celebrated the grand opening of its permanent $1.1 million home field complex in South Memphis.

At St. Louis Church, amateur golfers are swinging for top prize

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:44:00 -0500

All week long, amateur golfers have been hitting buckets of golf balls on the grounds of St. Louis Catholic Church for the chance to win $1 million.

Former Tigers wide receiver named AutoZone Liberty Bowl president

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:34:41 -0500

Wayne Dowdle, a native Memphian who graduated from White Station High and was a wide receiver for the Tigers in the 1970s, succeeds outgoing president Shone Bynum.

Man convicted of manslaughter in Memphis chef’s death sentenced to six years

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:18:44 -0500

Armed with about 50 letters from the community, prosecutors pushed for a harsher penalty, but legal parameters restricted the sentence.

Against the current: How a Memphis grandmother is swimming her way to the Senior Olympics

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:13:14 -0500

As a child, Marquinne Yancey struggled to learn how to swim. Decades later, she not only has overcome that hurdle, but is headed to the Senior Olympics regional competition.

Making waves: How the Memphis police harbor patrol keeps the city’s western border safe

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 09:43:08 -0500

Where the pavement ends on Memphis’ western edge, a police Harbor Patrol Unit navigates the unpredictable Mississippi River as the city’s last line of defense.

‘Bigger than the devil’: Hernandez Govan is back in custody, only this time it’s federal

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:06:49 -0500

A federal magistrate judge denied Govan’s request for bail following a hearing that detailed explicit threats of violence, extortion and a criminal history spanning decades.

Tami Sawyer indicted, faces federal corruption charges

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:09:36 -0500

The Shelby County General Sessions Court clerk was seen in custody at the Odell Horton Federal Building.

Talking in Memphis: How GloRilla inspired a local accent research project

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:00:02 -0500

Memphis rapper GloRilla said she puts an R in any word that has a U in it. Now, linguistic researchers are hearing her out.

Cracking the code: Memphis first stop on Black Girls Code summer camp tour

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0500

Older campers coded platform games similar to “Super Mario Bros.” from the ground up while younger participants worked on the fundamentals of coding by designing game worlds and characters.

A legacy of pride: Civil Rights Museum launches Bayard Rustin Institute to inspire ‘angelic troublemakers'

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:40:08 -0500

As a gay man operating in a homophobic era, Bayard Rustin was often forced into the background of the Civil Rights Movement, despite his critical role as a trusted adviser to Martin Luther King Jr.

Amid high arrest numbers, Memphis Safe Task Force faces lawsuit over First Amendment rights

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Tue, 9 Jun 2026 04:00:07 -0500

New filings in the case against Task Force officials allege personal intimidation and retaliation. Tyreece Miller, head of MSTF locally, said that “constitutional policing is at the core of everything we do.”

Memphis advisory board finalizes 11 community priorities for $3 million AI fund

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Fri, 5 Jun 2026 09:41:09 -0500

The board’s recommendations — which still need to pass the City Council — include a $1 million allocation for a pre-weatherization assistance program to help residents with critical home repairs, mold remediation and indoor air quality improvements.

Fueling up for a fight: Kuhn launches congressional bid at Cordova gas station

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Thu, 4 Jun 2026 11:18:52 -0500

Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn officially launched her campaign Thursday, June 4, for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District.

With 'Beauty and the Beast' in town, Gaston plays tour guide and Cogsworth is a duckmaster

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Wed, 3 Jun 2026 14:32:27 -0500

A Memphis native has returned home to take the Orpheum stage — and help his castmates find a good place to eat. Plus, the Peabody ducks are keeping time with the help of a new clock.

Former Memphis Grizzly Tony Allen pleads guilty to reduced charge in Arkansas drug case

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Mon, 1 Jun 2026 14:11:24 -0500

Allen entered a guilty plea in Poinsett County Circuit Court on May 27.

State prosecutors, civil rights attorneys argue over bail statute

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:55:01 -0500

Attorneys squared off in federal court Wednesday over a 2024 state law that changed Shelby County’s bail-setting procedures.

Blackburn says Trump's $1.8B anti-weaponization fund needs 'a revisit'

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Wed, 27 May 2026 05:36:35 -0500

Blackburn’s comments, which came during a stop in Memphis, are her first on the controversial fund that could be used to pay those convicted of violent offenses in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Well versed: A Memphis wordsmith makes history with 'little poems'

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Mon, 25 May 2026 11:11:33 -0500

“It’s just been amazing what we’ve done with just our sheer talent, just wanting to write and be heard,” Bria Saulsberry said.

Rhyme and reason: City of Memphis inducts inaugural poet laureate

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Fri, 22 May 2026 18:29:17 -0500

Attendees gathered at Downtown’s Cossitt Library to honor the three finalists for the poet laureate role.