“Thanks to natural recharge zones and our local reduction in demand, our water system is sustainably replenishing itself. But we cannot afford to become complacent.”

“If a serious charge generated through the Memphis Safe Task Force is not prosecuted, citizens have a legitimate interest in knowing what happened. That is not an attack on prosecutors. It is accountability.”

“Advocating against the Anti-Bail Fund Legislation is not to stand for the release of convicted felons, but rather to stand and say that the legislation is flawed at its core.”

“There’s a more serious dialogue to be had over the inter-generational bickering so prevalent these days. Largely fueled by social media, generations seem to be increasingly antagonistic toward one another over society’s ills and who’s to blame.”

“It’s time for Shelby County government, including the new mayor-elect and county commissioners-elect, to exit their lawsuit against the MSCS oversight board and get to work rebuilding opportunity for Memphis students.”

“Communities thrive on open, civic dialogue, but our leaders also deserve fairness, basic decency, and residents who debate policy instead of tearing down character.”

“Memphians have been given a false choice: either accept AI data center development without safeguards or be left behind. Memphis must treat clean air, clean water and affordable energy as non-negotiable, as other cities and regions have.”

“Some of my neighbors feel unheard, and that is a gap we have to close. But a blanket moratorium fixes none of the problems. It stops new construction jobs and increases in the tax base while leaving the plants already running exactly where they are.”

“Addressing the domestic violence part of our violent crime challenge must involve providing more support for domestic violence victims, more accountability for the perpetrators and efforts to change behavior.”

“The world today has a shortage of good people, people with integrity, honesty.”

“Is the very nature of a peak that there is only one? Does the length of a life have any correlation with the number of peaks it will have?”

“No government agency will threaten to arrest you or take legal action against you if you don’t send them money immediately.”

“The communities that succeed in this next economy will be the ones capable of supporting major investment while maintaining the trust of the people who call them home.”

“When Ron Maxey declared summer ‘the best season for a reason,’ I couldn’t resist making the case for autumn.”

“Awe is evident when your mind has been blown and you are forced to re-think what you knew before.”

“It takes living here to know the people. That’s what so many who dismiss Memphis never experience. They see headlines but never hospitality. They hear about violence but never generosity. They know the statistics but not our stories.”

“I typically write about God in this space, and you may think there’s no way on earth to weave God into a conversation about punctuation – but on that matter, Dear Reader, you would be wrong.”

“Memphis could be at the epicenter of the next music revival, much like Nashville and country music has enjoyed over the last 15 years. Yet so many of the discussions here today focus on promoting the music infrastructure, with very little about musicians themselves.”

“Here is my challenge to Memphis as a new school year begins: Move Memphis, mane! Move beyond the debates long enough to remember the reason we have them in the first place: our children.”

“As Memphis discusses the future of Ardent Studios, I hope we will spend just as much time remembering why Ardent mattered and honoring John Fry, the man who devoted his life to making sure the music, the people and the history of this city would never be forgotten.”

“In a time of pervasive anxiety and loneliness, we pay a hearty chunk of change for a music box named after a Turtle in order to drown out the God-given sounds that Creation offers to soothe us.”

Arthur Ashe’s example is a reminder that rejecting racism, caring for the poor, agitating for peace, protecting the environment and embracing diversity transcend color or creed.

“As I linger on the sweet and innocent memories, I try to never let them become my lone takeaway from that time in life when things felt better even if they weren’t. I don’t want my selective recollections of the past to become an encompassing reality that never was.”

“There is a difference between criticizing law enforcement as a profession and criticizing how law enforcement officers are trained. Examining professional failures does not demean a profession. It strengthens it.”

“Nearly 800,000 vehicles are donated to charities every year. There are a host of charities that accept donations of cars listed. But they may not all be reputable.”