Here’s who Gov. Lee tapped for Memphis schools takeover board
Among Gov. Lee’s five appointments to a Memphis schools takeover board are a former Memphis superintendent and former president of the Memphis Chamber.
Former Commercial Appeal building set for demolition
Demolition of the former Commercial Appeal building could start in late June. DT Specialized Services, an Oklahoma-based company, filed a demolition permit for the property at 495 Union Ave.
Storybook trail opens at Tom Lee Park
Just in time for summer break, Memphis River Parks Partnership and Literacy Mid-South officially unveiled the city’s first free public storybook trail.
Tigers baseball knocked out of American tournament by Wichita State
The Memphis Tigers’ American Conference Tournament run in Clearwater, Florida, has come to an end after suffering a 6-4 loss to the Wichita State Shockers on Friday night at BayCare Ballpark.
Redbirds recap: Memphis starts early, finishes big against Iowa
Memphis still holds a one-game lead over the Nashville Sounds for first place in the International League standings.
Spring Fling 2026: Houston falls to Farragut in Class AAAA title game
The Farragut Admirals broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth to beat the Houston Mustangs and win their state-record fifth straight baseball championship.
University of Memphis sports got nearly $12 million from the American Conference
Tigers athletic director Ed Scott hasn’t publicly revealed the U of M revenue sharing budget in detail. Here’s how much each member university received from the conference.
SpaceX buys data center building for $185 million
SpaceX purchased the building that houses the Colossus data center for $185 million, documents show.
Lakeland shirks property tax rate hike: ‘We run a lot of things lean in this city’
But residents of the Memphis suburb are about to see their sewer fees skyrocket.
Bailey: Redistricting to the south poses the same arguments — and questions — as Tennessee
Redistricting for Mississippi has similar debates to Tennessee but will take longer to resolve.
Arts Beat: Free weekend of music coming to South Main Street
“People are hungry for songs and stories,” according to a local musician. And a South Main music festival is here to deliver.
Grizzlies podcast: Would Memphis trade up from pick No. 3?
Drew Hill and Chris Herrington discuss Grizzlies draft trade scenarios and react to the early conference finals games between the Thunder and Spurs.
Tigers fall to UTSA but still alive in conference tournament
The Memphis Tigers baseball team holds onto hope in the American Conference Tournament.
Food Files: The Melting Pot returns to East Memphis
After 12 years, the fondue restaurant is expected to return to the Memphis market in late 2026 or early 2027 inside a former Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza.
Tsunami building goes on the market
Ben Smith opened Tsunami, a Pacific Rim-themed restaurant, in July 1998. He closed it this past February but would like to see it become a restaurant again.
Calkins: You know what’s right with the world? People like Joe Ford.
At the age of 60, Joe Ford started pole vaulting. And started passing his wisdom along. He’s now retiring as a volunteer coach at the age of 75. But you can bet he’ll still be around.
Why a federal judge denied an injunction against TN’s new congressional map
A judge filed a legal memo a week after his May 14 decision to deny a motion for a temporary pause in implementing the state’s new congressional map.
What Daily Memphians think*
“... You will smile inside when you tell your grandchildren about this state championship.” — Mike Hanna about Spring Fling 2026: Tipton-Rosemark captures first title in 12 years
“Ben — best of luck in your life’s next chapter — you deserve it!” — Kelly Fish about Tsunami building goes on the market
“If the takeover board fails to achieve the assigned goals, what are the consequences for the overseers and legislative masters?” — Tom Jeanette about Here's who Gov. Lee tapped for Memphis schools takeover board
* Select comments upvoted by Daily Memphian readers.
Opinion: Beyond redistricting rhetoric are reality and results
“To hear many Tennessee Democrats tell it, partisan redistricting is some unprecedented assault on democracy itself — a historic political crisis unlike anything the state has ever experienced.”
Opinion: How connections between Memphis and Ireland give us a language for staying
“Ireland being honored in Memphis as part of Memphis in May looks like the usual cultural exchange on the surface. But beneath that is something more interesting: two vastly different places that recognize structure in each other.”
Sudoku: May 22
Are you ready for today’s puzzles?
Daily WordRow: May 22
Are you a Wordle fan? Try WordRow, a similar game. It’s free to play.
Daily Jigsaw: Closing Outdoors Inc.
This jigsaw puzzle is a photo taken inside Outdoors Inc. as they prepare to close the East Memphis store. Mark Weber shot the image.
Metro
Redistricting update: ACLU brings in outside attorney. A case is reassigned. NAACP calls for college boycott
The ACLU of Tennessee brings in outside attorneys to argue against new congressional map as another case gets reassigned and the NAACP calls for a boycott of college sports in eight states in reaction to redistricting.
City of Memphis Former MATA CEO files wrongful termination lawsuit
Education Lee sends Memphian back to Tennessee’s education board in new congressional district
Premium Education Tic-tac-whoa: Rhodes professor to research combinatorial game theory in Slovenia
City of Memphis Splash course: Whitehaven YMCA’s public pool opens with promise of free swim lessons
Business
Anthropic paying $15B a year to rent Memphis data center from SpaceX
Earlier in May, xAI (now a part of SpaceX) announced a deal with Anthropic, the company behind the popular artificial intelligence chatbot Claude.
Premium Real Estate Olymbec USA adds to its Southwest Memphis holdings
Premium Real Estate Germantown office building bought for $5.5 million
Premium Real Estate Inked: New industrial buyer, SRM expands and Village Mart adds 10th local store
Premium Business Novel bookstore employees to vote on union
Sports
Spring Fling 2026: Collierville girls three-peat in Class AAA track
Collierville girls win the state track title while Houston baseball advances to Friday’s championship game. Briarcrest soccer and St. George’s baseball fall in the state championship finals.
High School Sports Spring Fling 2026: Tipton-Rosemark captures first title in 12 years
Premium Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies Mailbag: Fearing the Spurs and sorting through the NBA Draft
Premium Memphis Tigers Football Calkins: Memphis to join Power 4 in 2028? So says Charles Huff.
Premium Memphis Grizzlies Mike Miller’s 15-year dream is realized, and it’s bringing some of the NBA Draft’s top prospects to Memphis
Food
After six years, a new Enjoy A|M restaurant to open
“We’ve always wanted a cocktail, steakhouse-y kind of restaurant,” said Andy Ticer of the second-floor bar at his and Michael Hudman’s new restaurant.
Premium Table Talk Table Talk: Farewell barbecue week, it was nice to meat you
Premium Spirit of Memphis How three brain surgeries led to a 13-year-old winning at barbecue fest
Suburbs
More than a thousand gather in Mississippi Capitol to protest redistricting
Activists, elected leaders and politicians from Mississippi and beyond gathered in the state’s capitol Wednesday to rally against redistricting efforts.
Premium Germantown Germantown school board passes tight $92M budget amid funding battle
Premium Arlington Arlington schools lock in superintendent’s new four-year deal, plan raises and stipends
Arts & Culture
Rhyme and reason: City of Memphis inducts inaugural poet laureate
Attendees gathered at Downtown’s Cossitt Library to honor the three finalists for the poet laureate role.
Visual Arts Memphis Movies this Week: ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Boosters’ and a couple of Oscar winners
Music Indigo Girls, Linda Perry to play Overton Park Shell
Opinion
Calkins: Why was there a flash mob in the Methodist hospital parking garage? Because dancing always helps.
Brittnye Ostrom-Robinson — a former dancer for the Memphis Grizzlies and U of M Pom — is stuck in the hospital with a difficult diagnosis. So how did friends and family lift her spirits? With a dancing flash mob, of course.
Podcasts
The AM/DM podcast: Spotlight on a mini Memphis
At Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South, fifth- and sixth-grade students get to practice #adulting.
Games
Daily Jigsaw: Back-to-back baby
Today’s puzzle is of the Heath Riles BBQ team reaction to winning the grand championship at the Memphis In May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and was taken by Patrick Lantrip.