Hello, Memphis, where the poor campaign kicked off in Memphis on Monday and Penny Hardaway gave us a preview of what we can expect from the Tigers in the upcoming season.
But, first, a report from the Greater Memphis Chamber shows that the Memphis area has now recovered all of the jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports our Corinne Kennedy.
The Greater Memphis area had recovered about 70,000 jobs lost during the pandemic by March. In April, the region hit a record employment level of 661,400.
“So to see this type of recovery in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, I think it’s surprising, of course, that this element is,” said Ted Townsend, director of economic development for the chamber. “But for us, we are encouraged by the dynamism and resilience of our economy and the way it is developing.”
Sherra Wright denied parole in Lorenzen Wright’s sentence
The Tennessee parole board denied Sherra Wright’s parole application, and she is not expected to appear before the board again until 2027, according to our report by Lucas Finton and Micaela Watts.
Wright’s request was first heard on May 11, where at least one member recommended that his request be denied, but the official denial came days later and cited the seriousness of the crime as reasoning.
In 2019, Sherra Wright was sentenced to 30 years after pleading guilty to orchestrating the 2010 murder of Lorenzen Wright, her ex-husband and former University of Memphis and Grizzlies basketball star.
Kroger fined for breaching Southaven child labor laws
Kroger was fined $13,673 civil after the Southaven store allowed minors to perform hazardous work and exceeded hours set for minors by federal child labor standards, reports our Gina Butkovich .
US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found the Kroger in Southaven was allowing three underage workers, aged 16 and 17, to load a trash compactor with the keys into the machine to enable the working. It also allowed a 15-year-old employee to work more than three hours on a school day and more than 18 hours during a school week.
The campaign of the poor marches in Memphis
A small horse-drawn buggy drove more than 200 people from Robert R. Church Park to the National Civil Rights Museum. Marching in pairs, the group stretched more than half a mile long and people in apartments and houses along the route of the march came out onto their porches to watch the line go by, our Gina Butkovich reports. .
“I won’t let nobody turn me around, turn me around, I won’t let nobody turn me around, I’ll keep walking, keep talking, walking to the land of the free,” sang the Poor People’s Campaign as they walked.
Memphis is the last leg of the Poor People’s Campaign’s final mobilization tour before its march to Washington, DC on June 18. the right to vote, living wage laws, housing and access to affordable health care.
Southern Baptist Convention sex abuse report details decades of inaction
Southern Baptist Convention leaders perpetuated a two-decade cycle of abuse by ignoring reports of sexual abuse and rejecting recommendations for reform, enabling a culture that re-traumatized survivors, reports Liam Adams.
Guidepost Solutions’ nearly 300-page report contains details of how the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has responded to a growing sexual abuse crisis among its ranks.
“Almost always the internal goal was to protect the SBC from legal liability and not to care for survivors or create a plan to prevent sexual abuse within SBC churches,” Guidepost said in its report.
Humane Society to receive $250,000 grant from Shelby County government
The Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County opened a low-cost veterinary clinic in 2021. The venture was supported by $450,000 from the county government, with another $250,000 on the way, according to our reports from Lucas Finton.
The quarter-million dollar allows the Humane Society to continue to provide accessible pet care, such as vaccination services, neutering and neutering surgeries, and wellness exams, for pet owners. animals receiving government assistance of any kind.
Jody Stephens Advances Her Music Career With These Pretty Wrongs
Jody Stephens began his musical career as the drummer for Memphis pop band Big Star, with the release of their debut album, “#1 Record”.
Now, in recent years, Stephens – who has helped run Ardent Studios in Midtown since the late 1980s – has taken on a new role, moving from behind the kit to front of the stage, as a vocalist and songwriter. -composer of These Pretty Wrongs, our reports Bob Mehr.
“I had no idea and no plan for These Pretty Wrongs,” Stephens marvels of the seven-year-old project. “I didn’t think we would go past a few songs together. But here we are three albums in there. It was a very unexpected but wonderful development for me.
Bob shows us how These Pretty Wrongs came together, and he looks back at Stephens’ time with Big Star.
Penny Hardaway on Larry Brown, Memphis basketball recruiting
Penny Hardaway expects assistant coach Larry Brown to join her Memphis basketball coaching staff for the 2022-23 season, our Jason Munz reports.
“Coach Brown, right now, is coming back,” Hardaway said. “I don’t know to what capacity. It’s literally up to him. It’s a blessing to have him around. If not (as a) coach, maybe he can be an assistant head coach or something that doesn’t have to travel and recruit and do so much (as a assistant coaches).
Hardaway, entering his fifth season at his alma mater, spoke to the media Monday for the first time since March. Jason tells us everything the Memphis coach had to say.
Ja Morant thinks the Grizzlies could have won the NBA title if they were healthy
“If the Grizzlies were healthy, would they have won it all?” This hypothetical question could lead to an equally ridiculous answer.
Of course, the Grizzlies could have won it all! But is this really the prism through which this NBA playoff race should be remembered, asks our Mark Giannotto in his latest column.
Here is an exerpt :
On that basketball court during the season, there are a number of ways Ja Morant doesn’t look like us. The way he jumps, the way he sees the floor, the way he stands, they all coalesced to create a burgeoning NBA superstar.
But in the world when the offseason rolls around, sometimes hidden behind designer clothes and diamond necklaces and the flood of conscience messages on social media, Morant often seems to think like us.
Or at least tweet like us.
So it makes sense that Morant is watching the Western Conference Finals like we are.
With an idea of what might have been, and maybe even a hint of regret.
The 901 is written by Ray Padilla, digital producer for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @Ray_Padilla_.