The 901: Trial of Lorenzen Wright murder suspect begins with jury selection
Good morning, Memphis, where a 10-year-old boy battling cancer makes it one step closer to his law-enforcement agency dream after being sworn in by the Memphis Police Department and other agencies.
But, first, jury selection began in the trial of Billy Ray Turner, the man accused of killing Lorenzen Wright, the University of Memphis and Memphis Grizzlies basketball star, our Micaela Watts reports.
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee said jury selection would likely last throughout the day Monday, and possibly into Tuesday.
Turner, 51, has been incarcerated since his arrest in 2017.
Prosecutors believe Turner's trial will take at least a week, and those selected for the jury will be sequestered.
What eateries were added to Memphis airport’s new concourse?
With the opening of the new concourse in February, the Memphis airport has not only upgraded the facilities, but also the food offerings, our Jennifer Chandler reports in her story for subscribers.
“We wanted to be sure we represented Memphis in the food offerings,” said Glen Thomas, Memphis airport's director of Strategic Marketing and Communications.
Jennifer provides us with a list of places to eat and drink before traveling out of the city (or returning back).
(Not a subscriber? Check out our latest deals and get access to all thesubscriber-only stories mentioned in today's 901.)
Senior living community welcomes Ford with calendar featuring classic cars
Brownsville’s Sugar Creek Senior Living Community welcomed Ford’s Blue Oval City project to the area with a calendar featuring residents in various classic Ford cars — an idea that caught the company CEO’s attention, our Omer Yusuf reports.
“This made me smile today," tweeted Ford CEO Jim Farley on March 10. "The residents of the Sugar Creek Senior Living Community in Brownsville, TN put together a ‘Welcome Ford’ calendar featuring pictures with classic Ford's. Love it! Glad that @Ford's #BlueOvalCity will be a part of the West Tennessee community.”
Memphis-born filmmaker shot, killed in Ukraine
Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine, The Associated Press reports.
The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native, who was born in Memphis, was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
More: Ukrainian President pens letter of condolence for Renaud family
"This guy was the absolute best,” Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend to Renaud, told The Associated Press. ”He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.”
Memphis police swear in 10-year-old boy to fulfill his dream
Ten-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel set out to be sworn in by 300 law enforcement agencies and was recently sworn in by the Memphis Police Department, our Gina Butkovich reports.
DJ, who is from Houston, Texas, is currently battling terminal brain and spine cancer.
Monday’s ceremony included 19 agencies, including the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and the US Marshals Service.
"This is absolutely a special occasion for us, to swear in DJ this morning," Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said. "DJ, I do want you to know that it's the Memphis Police Department that's hiring. Don't listen to any of these folks that are behind me. They're nice people, but it's us that is hiring and we would certainly love for you to be a part of our team."
$70 million in housing renovations planned for Uptown and College Park
The Memphis Housing Authority and developer BGC Advantage are planning $70 million in multiple affordable housing development projects in Uptown and College Park, our Omer Yusuf reports.
The $70 million investment is from HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program and will result in 472 renovated units over multiple phases.
“This project allows people to retain their affordable housing in a unit that has been greatly improved,” Memphis Housing Authority CEO Derek Washington said.
Mini-golf, crematorium, smoke shop planned in Memphis development
Developers resurrected plans for a mixed-use development in southeast Memphis, our Corinne Kennedy reports.
The Polo Grounds North Planned Development would include commercial and residential uses, a hotel and an outdoor recreation and golf entertainment center.
GBT Realty seeks for a modification to the plans to allow for the golf and recreation center on a 22-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Germantown Road and Callis Cutoff Road.
Odds of Memphis Tigers basketball winning the NCAA Tournament
The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team has never won the NCAA Tournament.
The Memphis Tigers’ most recent trip to the NCAA Tournament occurred during the 2013-14 season. Memphis made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament during the 1954-55 season.
Here are the odds of the team winning the full NCAA Tournament, as well as odds of them beating Boise State.
The 901 was written by Ray Padilla, the digital producer for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Ray_Padilla_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: Lorenzen Wright murder suspect Billy Ray Turner's trail
