The 901: Current COVID-19 trends in Memphis; what we know about Texas elementary shooting

Good morning, Memphis, where we are all still learning more about what happened in the elementary school shooting in Texas where a gunman killed 19 children and two adults.

But, first, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have trended upward in the Mid-South in recent weeks, and Memphis doctors are saying people should not panic, but pay attention, our Corinne Kennedy reports in her story for subscribers.

“It's really important for people to be aware of what is happening and that we are seeing an increase in cases so that they can take extra precautions, especially if they're high risk, if they have underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for severe disease or if they live with loved ones who are at risk for severe disease,” said Dr. Shirin Mazumder, an infectious disease expert with the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system.

Read Corinne’s story to learn the latest COVID-19 trends in Memphis and what our leading healthcare providers are saying about it.

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19 children, two adults killed in Texas elementary school shooting

In Texas, a gunman killed 19 children at a Texas elementary school in the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Wearing body armor and firing hundreds of rounds, the 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two adults, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez said.  Gov. Greg Abbott said one of the two was a teacher. A U.S. Border Protection agent, one of several responding to the scene, shot and killed the gunman, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told USA TODAY on Tuesday night.

Officials have not revealed a motive for the shooting, but have said the shooter was a resident of the community. Abbott identified the gunman as Salvador Ramos.

Read more on what we know about the school shooting as well as how people and government officials are responding.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will ‘seriously consider’ possibility of third-term

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland dismissed the idea of a third-term as a remote possibility that he didn’t spend much time thinking about two weeks ago, but now he said "over the next several days, my family and I will seriously consider the opportunity,” our Samuel Hardiman reports.

The political opportunities available to Strickland changed when the Memphis City Council voted to put a referendum on the ballot that will ask voters whether term limits for Memphis mayor and the City Council should be extended from the current two to three potential terms.

If the referendum passed in August, it would be a signal that voters were open to a third Strickland term and another reelection campaign in 2023.

Memphis Starbucks union vote delay brings disappointment, shock

The Memphis Starbucks union vote was delayed by the National Labor Relations Board for two weeks — despite workers eager anticipation of the vote Tuesday, our Omer Yusuf reports.

The NLRB sent the following statement to The Commercial Appeal:

"… the New Orleans regional office had only received several ballots, which is unusual for a voting unit of this size, and often signals there has been a delay in mail delivery," the statement said. "The Region reached out to the employer and the union before the scheduled count and both parties agreed to postpone the count until June 7, to allow more time for ballots to be returned."

Memphis loan program could boost economic development, sustainability

A city of Memphis loan program C-PACER — which translates to Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency Program —  could be the boost Memphis projects need to get off the ground by giving them another potential funding stream, our Samuel Hardiman reports.

"This is creating another opportunity for a large project to add to its capital stack in an innovative way. But in a way that encourages them or requires them to make building improvements necessary to cut down on their energy consumption, and energy costs, or to include clean energy, and renewable energy components within their project,” said John Zeanah, the city and county head of planning and development.

Man accused of killing Midtown chef to he held on second-degree murder charge

After hearing testimonies, a judge ordered Johnathan Bush, the man accused of stabbing and killing executive chef Jody Moyt of Lafayette’s Music Room, held on a $1 million bond on a charge of second-degree murder, our Lucas Finton reports.

A grand jury will hear Brush's case, but no date was released for the hearing Tuesday.

Lucas gives us details of what was testified in court Tuesday from Memphis police investigators, the officers on the scene and what was shown from surveillance footage.

How Penny Hardaway’s recruiting approach is changing for Memphis basketball

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway is adapting his recruiting approach as he heads into Year 5 with a loss of eight players so far, either to the transfer portal or the NBA Draft, our Jason Munz reports.

“I think the biggest problem I’ve had in the past was I had way too many guys,” he told The Commercial Appeal. “When you have 13 starters – or, everyone thought they were a starter – it poses problems. And it’s not really fair to everybody.”

Hardaway said he didn’t sweat it when players began to bail for the portal, and he has new plans for this upcoming season.

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_.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: COVID-19 cases rise in Memphis; 19 students fatally shot in Texas