Memphis News Today: Stories That Matter to Our City

For more than a decade, Kurt Kraiger, Ph.D., had worked at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. But the professor desired a change; he wanted to live in a bigger city, and one where he could have more of an impact on the community. So, about four years ago, Kraiger took a position at the University…

With the nation facing a widespread nursing shortage, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare have teamed up to produce nursing students at a faster pace, at no cost to the student. With the population aging, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 275,000 additional nurses will…

The Edge District is getting another apartment complex. On Wednesday, Oct. 5, the Design Review Board, an affiliate board of the Downtown Memphis Commission, approved plans for the 105-unit apartment complex at 440 Monroe Ave. in the former Holliday Event Flowers. “This is another development that adds urban density to the neighborhood,” Downtown Memphis Commission…

A California-based restaurant franchise, Celebrity’s Soul Food, is rolling out the red carpet Wednesday, Oct. 5, in Memphis to celebrate the grand opening of its first Tennessee location at the former Newk’s Eatery site on South Highland Street. Celebrity’s founders Taja and Fredrick Jacobs partnered with franchisees Jennifer Cochran-Welch and Court Welch to open the…

In FY 2022, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) earned a record $132.9 million in grant and contract awards, marking the sixth straight year it had seen an increase. Whether the institution can extend the streak in FY 2023 remains to be seen; it’s less than three months into its new fiscal year. But so…

To Kenneth Wayne Alexander, Memphis artists deserve a seat at the table — that table being recognition from the rest of the world. At Cafe Lit, Alexander is gearing up to build the table himself. In late 2019, Hulsey Britt and Frankey Anderson approached Alexander with a proposition: to curate a combined art space, restaurant, and…

Retail and tech titan Amazon says it will be adopting 20 schools in the Memphis-Shelby County School district in a deal that might generate more excitement than Prime Day. The Amazon partnership will focus on support services at Family Resource Centers, serve as mentors and school ambassadors, offer job placement opportunities, volunteer in person at schools, and donate directly…