The 901: Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray placed on paid leave
Good morning, Memphis, where St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital plans to invest $1.4 billion in a multi-year expansion as well as add 900 more jobs.
But, first, Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray will be place on paid administrative leave during an external investigation reviewing alleged abuse of power and violations of policy, our Laura Testino reports.
The school board voted 7-2 during a special called meeting to select the attorney and place Ray on paid leave.
The pair of deputy superintendents, Angela Whitelaw and John Barker, will assume Ray's superintendent responsibilities.
After the vote, Ray said, "I'm disappointed by the board's actions tonight. However, I want to make it very clear that I respect the board's oversight. They will have my full cooperation during the review process. It's imperative that we remain focused on our children and their academic progress."
Mayor Jim Strickland to run for third term if referendum passes
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will seek a third term in office if voters approve a referendum that changes the Memphis City Charter and extends term limits for the mayor and members of the Memphis City Council from two to three, our Samuel Hardiman reports.
Strickland said: "If the referendum passes, I will run for a third term. Our team has improved city services, and although we have implemented changes that have improved Memphis, there is more to be done and more to fight to achieve.
Polling shows strong support for our administration and for term limits. Even though I know some people who support me may vote to keep the current term limits, I feel that I need to let voters know where I stand."
Will Memphis’ top employers cover travel expenses related to abortions?
Memphians seeking abortions soon will have to travel out of state as Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban is expected to take effect in mid-August.
Our Astrid Kayembe contacted companies on the Greater Memphis Chamber’s list of major employers in the area to ask if they plan to adjust healthcare benefits to cover travel for reproductive services for its employees.
The CA reached out to 45 of Memphis’ largest employers to ask about their company's travel policies and possible changes. Astrid compiled a list of responses from employers like FedEx, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, The Kroger Co., and Memphis Light, Gas and Water.
St. Jude to invest additional $1.4 billion in expansion, add more jobs
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital pledged an additional $1.4 billion to expand the hosptial’s campus and hire additional staff, our Corinne Kennedy reports.
The new investment, announced Wednesday, brings the hospital’s total planned expenditure up to $12.9 billion by 2027. The expansion plan started in July 2021 and is the largest strategic expansion in the hospital’s six-decade history.
“One of our goals of the strategic plan is to cure the incurable cancers, those cancers where, over the last several decades, we really haven't made progress and the outlook is still very poor for patients,” CEO Dr. James Downing said.
Man arrested for setting dog on fire
The Tillman Task Force arrested 43-year-old Quishon Brown in connection to the crime of setting a 1-year-old pitbull mix on fire, our Dima Amro reports.
The arrest comes after Memphis police received a call Monday evening from a witness saying Brown commented, "Whoever gave the surveillance video to the news and the police is going to have their houses burned down," the affidavit said.
Court documents show the dog named Riona, also known as Mona, "was in his care" for the past year and Brown told police he was outside prior to the incident where there was a gas can in his backyard.
Ja Morant coaches Grizzlies rookie Kennedy Chandler at Summer League
Kennedy Chandler will be the No. 3 point guard on the depth chart for the Memphis Grizzlies, but he’s already embracing the new role by taking advantage of his relationship with Ja Morant, our Damichael Cole reports.
Morant has been at every Grizzlies Summer League game and he can be spotted having conversations with Chandler. Some of that is Morant wanting to share his knowledge, but it’s also Chandler asking for Morant’s opinion on what he sees on the floor.
“Every time he gets the chance to tell me something I can do better on and learn from, he tells me,” Chandler said. "It's been good."
The 901 is written by Ray Padilla, digital producer for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.comor on Twitter at @Ray_Padilla_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: MSCS Superintendent Joris Ray placed on paid leave
