SmokeSlam, the barbecue festival hosted annually at Tom Lee Park, announced on Jan. 13 that it will not host a competition in 2026.

Tennessee state troopers arrested Rebecca Leathers, 55, during the ICE protest that drew hundreds of people to Summer Avenue in the Berclair neighborhood.

The city will be at halfway point in its fiscal year, as the council discusses pay raises for firefighters, renovating a police precinct, relocating a Downtown MPD unit and “Hyde Square.” 

Initial public records provided to The Daily Memphian showed only a fraction of xAI’s true electric consumption and almost none of its natural gas usage, prompting questions about incomplete disclosure.

As the Grizzlies look to rack up points in Berlin and London, Memphis business leaders are aiming for some wins of their own. 

Memphis Tourism president and CEO Kevin Kane said the Grizzlies’ international games provide a rare opportunity to get in front of influential international travel companies. 

Former Memphis Police Association president Mike Williams picks a race. Also, a nonendorsement by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a new city policy director and a review of the Election Commission’s revamped website.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young talked about the 2023 campaign promise at Thursday’s Lowery New Year’s Day Prayer Breakfast Downtown.

The most important Memphis City Council decisions of 2025 were about the flow of city funds, the city-owned bus system, what to do with property tax revenues from xAI and the council’s relationship with the Mayor’s office.

THC products were a small fraction of one liquor wholesaler’s West Tennessee sales just a year ago, but they are now on track to rival traditional liquor, beer and wine sales.

What were the news highlights of the year in Memphis? A look back at the metro team’s top stories. 

The set of 10 apartments in the North Memphis neighborhood of Bickford took two years to renovate.

The matter is set for oral arguments on March 5, 2026.

The City of Memphis and the Memphis Fire Fighters Association are winding down their litigation after the Memphis City Council passed a 2% raise this week. 

It’s official: Memphis International Airport will be Frederick W. Smith International Airport. 

Bellevue Tennis Center would also get renovation funds.

Can an African elephant make the correct call on a contest between Bearcats and Midshipmen?

Before the vote on Tuesday, multiple council members raised the city’s fiscal condition. 

The letter apologized for the contentious nature of the debate over a raise for firefighters, but also said the raise would not matter much. 

Crime keeps dropping. Police say major offenses fell again in November, reaching their lowest level in nearly three years.

The city needs sales-tax growth at Liberty Park to pay bonds at the Memphis Sports and Events Center. To generate that tax growth, it needs hotel and apartments to become something more than hypothetical. 

The owner of The Station, a proposed high-end liquor store in East Memphis, will appear before the city’s Alcohol Commission next week to ask for a permit.

Memphis’ historic cobblestone landing formally opened Friday after at least 19 years of bureaucracy, red tape and the rise and fall of the Mississippi River.

Housing and Urban Development grants could reach an estimated 100 to 120 senior citizen homeowners.

Also in this roundup, the first forum among contenders for Shelby County sheriff and the race to succeed Wanda Halbert is filling up.