Another Ford is sentenced. How far has the corruption reached?

(Oct. 6, BenQQ) Former Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison, plus two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to five counts of attempted tax evasion. A bribery count was dismissed under the plea deal, so he was not sentenced for bribery. The judge still described the case as using public office for personal enrichment.

Edmund Ford Jr. is part of the family whose Democratic political dynasty took off in 1974, when his uncle Harold Ford Sr. was elected to the U.S. House. That same day, two other uncles also won: John Ford to the Tennessee Senate and Emmitt Ford to the Tennessee House. John had already won a Memphis City Council seat in 1971.

The family’s record of indictments, convictions, and acquittals is a byzantine path. It reads like a script from Succession, in which a family treats power like a private inheritance and scandal like a management problem. But its not completely like that. Some members avoided the siren of corruption, last paragraph below.

Ford Jr.’s father, Edmund Ford Sr., then a Memphis city councilman, was charged in 2006 with bribery and extortion after undercover video showed an FBI informant handing him cash. A jury acquitted him on all counts in May 2008. He testified that the money was advances on a business loan, not payment for votes.

Harold Ford Sr. was charged with taking roughly $1.2 million to $1.5 million in loans from 1976 to 1982 from banks controlled by Jake and C.H. Butcher, with no intention of repaying them. Prosecutors said the loans were disguised political favors.

He and two co-defendants, lawyers Karl Schledwitz and Douglas Beaty, were charged with bank fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy. Ford said the money was an investment in the family funeral business that was converted to a loan without his knowledge. His first trial, in 1990, ended in a hung jury. A second jury acquitted him and both co-defendants on all counts on April 9, 1993, in Memphis. Public records do not show another criminal case against him.

John Ford, Harold Ford Sr.’s brother, was convicted in 2007 in the FBI’s Tennessee Waltz sting of taking $55,000 in bribes. A separate Nashville conviction, over more than $800,000 from TennCare contractors, was later overturned on appeal.

Emmitt Ford resigned in 1981 after an insurance-fraud conviction. He was later sentenced to federal prison in 2000 for tax evasion.

Ophelia Ford, their sister, had her 2005 special-election win for Tennessee Senate District 29 voided over voting irregularities. She was later cleared of criminal charges and reelected, and she held the seat until 2014. She is the aunt of both Harold Ford Jr. and Edmund Ford Jr.

Not every Ford who held or sought office was accused of corruption. Harold Ford Jr. served in Congress from 1997 to 2007 and is now a co-host of The Five. He was never charged. Joe Ford served on the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission and was interim county mayor in 2009–2010. He has no corruption case. In 2025 the state suspended his funeral-home license over a delayed shipment of a body, a licensing action, not a criminal charge. Justin Ford served on the Shelby County Commission from about 2009 to 2014 and has no corruption case. He was named in the same 2025 funeral-board action over uncertified death certificates. James Ford served on the Shelby County Commission and died in 2001. No corruption case turns up in the public record. Jake Ford, a son of Harold Ford Sr, ran for Congress in 2006 and 2008 and lost. He was not charged. Kemba Ford, John Ford’s daughter, ran for city council and the state House and lost. She was not charged.

So it needs to be said: another Ford conviction does not make a Succession family.

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Judge Signals MSCS Takeover Could Proceed; Next Ruling’s Timing Remains Unclear

(Oct. 3 BenQQ) At yesterday’s federal hearing in Nashville, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw signaled that Tennessee’s appointed oversight board could soon take control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, as reported by Chalkbeat. “Whenever the oversight board is ready to do business, I’m going to dissolve my order,” he said. His remarks did not immediately transfer control.

Crenshaw questioned the district’s claim that the takeover violates students’ constitutional rights and gave its attorneys another week to explain the specific harm students would suffer. He also agreed to remove Gov. Bill Lee, Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds and legislative leaders as defendants, while leaving the challenge to the takeover law unresolved.

Chalkbeat reported no date for Crenshaw’s next order. The additional week concerns amended arguments, not a promised ruling. The elected school board retains control until he clarifies or replaces his order. Lifting the pause would let the appointed board exercise authority over budgets, contracts, school closures and the superintendent’s contract while the lawsuit could continue.

MSCS faces a substantial academic gap despite recent gains. State results compiled by Tennessee Firefly show that only 23.7% of its third- through eighth-graders met or exceeded English expectations and 22.6% met or exceeded math expectations in 2025–26, compared with 42.6% and 43.2% in Knox County, including Knoxville, and 37.1% and 39.7% in Hamilton County, including Chattanooga.

Alongside academic reforms, a growing legislative push seeks to protect classroom learning time by strengthening teachers’ authority to remove disruptive students:

• Texas expanded removal authority in 2025, including after a single disruptive incident, and established conditions for students’ return.
• Arkansas strengthened authority to remove violent or abusive students pending a parent conference, with alternative placement among the options.
• Louisiana’s “Let Teachers Teach” initiative pairs stronger discipline rules with supervised alternative education for suspended or expelled students.

Tennessee’s Teacher’s Discipline Act, sponsored by Rep. Scott Cepicky and Sen. Joey Hensley, lets teachers request removal of students who repeatedly or substantially interfere with teaching or classmates’ learning. The principal or designee reviews the request and decides the response, including possible alternative-school placement with required legal protections. Carroll Academy in Huntingdon explicitly supports removing disruptive students from regular learning environments while providing education, counseling and behavioral treatment.

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Friday’s MSCS Takeover Hearing: Who Will Fix the F Schools?

(Sept. 30 BenQQ) Friday’s federal hearing in Nashville will consider whether the elected MSCS board retains control or a state-appointed oversight board assumes authority while the takeover lawsuit proceeds. Newly elected board Chairman Tamarques Porter and Vice Chair Sable Otey could face substantial limits on carrying out their priorities, as reported by Chalkbeat.

Their previously stated priorities include literacy interventions, teacher development and regular performance reviews—approaches familiar to MSCS. A district evaluation of its 2023–24 tutoring program documented unreliable attendance records and coordinator vacancies that some schools left unfilled. Those findings show problems with execution; they do not establish that improvement is impossible.

The district has examined causes. At a March accountability hearing, officials reported that more than half the teachers at 14 schools with repeated D or F grades worked on emergency or temporary permits. State board Chairman Bob Eby praised MSCS’ presentation of root causes. Scripted lessons and curriculum checks were already underway, Chalkbeat reported. The question is whether those measures produce results.

School systems differ, but these educators and researchers offer concrete improvement paths:

• Coordinate teaching and tutoring: Educator Emily Taubken identifies competing instructional sequences as a problem that wastes learning opportunities.
• Match help to the reading deficit: Russell Gersten’s federal panel on primary-grade reading recommends screening, intensive small-group instruction and regular progress checks.
• Protect classroom learning time: Michael Epstein’s panel on elementary classrooms recommends identifying disruption triggers, changing classroom conditions and teaching appropriate behavior.
• Provide credible career routes: James Kemple’s 2008 randomized career-academy study found higher subsequent earnings, but no additional improvement in graduation or postsecondary attainment compared with the comparison group.
• Explain what spending will stop: Educator and former board candidate James Q. Bacchus called for costs and deadlines, plus an explanation of which activities would stop when budget concerns require redirecting funds.

Parents can already find named underperforming schools through Tennessee’s State Report Card. Kingsbury Middle, Douglass K-8 and Treadwell Elementary were among schools identified at March’s hearing with two years of F grades. MSCS should prominently publish each affected school’s results, corrective actions, spending and deadlines—and send that information directly to families. Public availability does not establish that every parent knows.

A takeover could override spending decisions by the elected board without automatically canceling existing programs. The appointed board would control major budget decisions and could terminate the superintendent for cause, according to the University of Tennessee’s summary of the takeover law. Whoever governs should explain which approaches will continue, which will change and what results parents should expect. Friday concerns interim control, not the lawsuit’s final resolution.

Hearing information: Friday, Oct. 2, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville. The court’s Nashville courthouse is the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building, 719 Church St., Nashville, TN 37203. The hearing’s specific building assignment, courtroom and exact starting time have not been independently confirmed. Before traveling, contact 615-736-5498 or publicaccess@tnmd.uscourts.gov, referencing Shelby County Government v. Lee, case 3:26-cv-00835.

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TrumpRx Promises Discounts Up to 98%—Some Shelby County Patients Could Save $343 to $10,502 on a Single Prescription. Here are some of the drugs.

President Donald Trump announced today that every state Medicaid program will participate in his most-favored-nation drug-pricing model. Participating manufacturers must provide rebates so Medicaid’s final price for hundreds of expensive brand-name medicines—including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and mental health drugs—does not exceed the lowest price paid in comparable developed countries. 

Local people spend millions out of pocket for heart, diabetes, cancer and mental health drugs– major health issues impacting Shelby County residents. Here are some cost breakdowns of some of those drugs for those diseases: Read more.

Heart disease:

• Plavix: From $771.62 to $15.95—a $755.67 difference, or 97.9%. This antiplatelet medicine helps prevent blood clots that can cause heart attacks and other cardiovascular emergencies.
• Farxiga: From $377.82 to $35 for 30 tablets—a $342.82 difference, or 90.7%. In addition to treating diabetes and chronic kidney disease, it is prescribed to reduce hospitalization and cardiovascular risks in certain heart-failure patients.
• Repatha: From $625.89 to $239 for two autoinjectors—a $386.89 difference, or 61.8%. It sharply lowers LDL cholesterol and is used to reduce cardiovascular risks in certain high-risk patients.
• Praluent: From $537.21 to $225 for two prefilled pens—a $312.21 difference, or 58.1%. It is prescribed for patients whose LDL cholesterol remains dangerously high.
• Colestid: From $135.60 to $67.20—a $68.40 difference, or 50.4%. It lowers LDL cholesterol by binding bile acids in the digestive system.
• Lopid: From $79.20 to $39.60 for 60 600-milligram tablets—a $39.60 difference, or 50%. It is used primarily to lower very high triglycerides and improve certain cholesterol levels.
• Tikosyn: From $672 to $336 for 60 capsules—a $336 difference, or 50%. It is prescribed to restore or maintain a normal rhythm in certain patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.

Stroke prevention:

• Plavix: From $771.62 to $15.95—a $755.67 difference, or 97.9%. It helps prevent platelets from forming clots and may be prescribed after a stroke, heart attack or certain artery procedures.
• Lovenox: From $74.42 to as little as $11.90—a $62.52 difference, or 84%. This injectable anticoagulant prevents and treats dangerous blood clots, although it is not a routine long-term stroke medicine for every patient.
• Xarelto: From $611.82 to $197—a $414.82 difference, or 67.8%. It is prescribed to reduce stroke risk in certain patients with atrial fibrillation and to treat or prevent deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Cancer — Presidential brand-name deals:

• Rydapt: From $13,411 to $2,908.64 for 56 25-milligram capsules—a $10,502.36 difference, or 78.3%. It treats newly diagnosed FLT3-positive acute myeloid leukemia and certain forms of systemic mastocytosis.
• Tabrecta: From $11,666 to as little as $2,649.92 for 56 tablets—a $9,016.08 difference, or 77.3%. It treats certain metastatic non-small-cell lung cancers with a qualifying MET genetic alteration.

Cancer — additional generic cash-price listings:

• Imatinib, generic Gleevec: From a comparison price of $2,427 to as little as $17 for 30 100-milligram tablets—a $2,410 difference, or 99.3%. It treats chronic myeloid leukemia, certain forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
• Hydroxyurea: From a comparison price of $35.40 to as little as $7.40 for 30 500-milligram capsules—a $28 difference, or 79.1%. It is used for certain leukemias and noncancerous blood disorders such as sickle-cell disease.
• Etoposide: Prices start at approximately $16.09, depending on formulation and quantity. It is used in treating small-cell lung cancer, testicular cancer, lymphomas and certain leukemias.
• Tamoxifen: Prices start at approximately $7.99. It treats hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and may reduce the risk of recurrence.
• Anastrozole, generic Arimidex: Prices start at approximately $8.20. It is used primarily for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
• Letrozole, generic Femara: Prices start at approximately $8.53. It is another aromatase inhibitor used to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer.
• Bicalutamide, generic Casodex: Prices start at approximately $16.49. It is used with other treatments for certain forms of prostate cancer.
• Mercaptopurine: Prices start at approximately $30.13. It is commonly used as part of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Diabetes:

• Xigduo XR: From $599.72 to as little as $45—a $554.72 difference, or 92.5%. It combines dapagliflozin and metformin to treat type 2 diabetes.
• Toujeo: From $428.57 to as little as $35—a $393.57 difference, or 91.8%. This long-acting insulin helps control blood sugar in patients with diabetes.
• Farxiga: From $377.82 to $35 for 30 tablets—a $342.82 difference, or 90.7%. It treats type 2 diabetes and may also be prescribed for heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
• Jentadueto: From $525.08 to $55 for 60 tablets—a $470.08 difference, or 89.5%. It combines linagliptin and metformin to treat type 2 diabetes.
• Ozempic: From $1,027.51 to $199 for each of the first two qualifying monthly purchases—a $828.51 difference, or 80.6%. The price then rises to $349 or $499, depending on dosage.
• Invokamet: From $598.56 to $225 for 60 tablets—a $373.56 difference, or 62.4%. It combines canagliflozin and metformin to control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
• Admelog: From $98.07 to $35 for one vial—a $63.07 difference, or 64.3%. This rapid-acting insulin is used around mealtimes to control blood sugar.

Mental-health disorders — generic cash-price listings:

• Sertraline, generic Zoloft: TrumpRx lists prices starting at approximately $8.80, although the amount changes by dosage, quantity, pharmacy and ZIP code. It is commonly prescribed for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social-anxiety disorder.
• Fluoxetine, generic Prozac: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It is prescribed for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and bulimia.
• Escitalopram, generic Lexapro: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It is widely prescribed for major depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
• Bupropion, generic Wellbutrin: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It is prescribed for depression and seasonal affective disorder and, under another brand name, may be used to help patients stop smoking.
• Quetiapine, generic Seroquel: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It may be prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and, in some cases, as an additional treatment for major depression.
• Aripiprazole, generic Abilify: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It may be prescribed for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and as an additional treatment for major depression.
• Venlafaxine, generic Effexor: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It is prescribed for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social-anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
• Lamotrigine, generic Lamictal: TrumpRx lists this medicine through its generic-price section. It is used as a mood stabilizer for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder and is also prescribed for seizure disorders.

The mental-health medicines and most of the additional cancer drugs are generic pharmacy-price listings, not individually negotiated Presidential deals. TrumpRx does not provide a stable nationwide previous price for many of them, so dependable “from–to” dollar and percentage reductions cannot be calculated without selecting a dosage, quantity, pharmacy and ZIP code.

The administration projects $64.3 billion in Medicaid savings over 10 years: $36.6 billion for the federal government and $27.6 billion for the states. The White House also says the agreements have already provided Medicaid with one million free prescriptions of the blood thinner Eliquis.

$6.1 Million Clerk Cleanup Approved—But UNaccountability Still Prevails

Commentary report by
Ben “BenQQ” Harrison

(9.15.26) As is well documented, failures in the Shelby County Clerk’s Office reached all the way down to field-level service. Like many Shelby County residents who visited one of the office’s six motor-vehicle branches under former Clerk Wanda Halbert, I walked away with a story of long lines and sardine-can waiting conditions. But my experience was a little different, although it also began with a long wait.

When I briefly stepped outside to take a telephone call and returned—still holding my appointment number—I recall a faceless, bossy bureaucratic voice booming over the loudspeaker for everyone to hear: “You cannot come back in! You will not be served!”

Even people waiting inside protested that I had already been there a long time. It was a brief moment of solidarity among a diverse group confronting bureaucratic stupidity. No sign warned people that stepping outside would cost them their place. It was one of the crudest bureaucratic displays of disrespect toward taxpayers I had ever witnessed—made more maddening by the office’s self-righteous signs proclaiming its devotion to serving “customers.” I also saw no clearly marked public-restroom door at that branch. Huh? Now back to the Commission's County Clerk Story:

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners authorized the release of up to $6,134,386.81 Monday to stabilize and modernize the clerk’s office. The money comes from an existing special-revenue fund allotted specifically to the clerk’s office, so the appropriation does not require a new tax or draw from the county’s general operating fund.

New County Clerk La Sonya Hall, who took office Sept. 1, told commissioners that her team found 34 crates of unprocessed automobile-dealer paperwork during its first inspections of the six branches. The records covered about 2,600 individual titles and registrations, including customers who reportedly had been waiting since June for permanent tags. Hall promised measurable results and quarterly reports to the Commission.

Who Knew What—and When?

Wanda Halbert was unquestionably on notice that the office had a serious operational crisis years ago. Thousands of tag and registration transactions were already backlogged in 2022, when Halbert announced two week-long branch closures to catch up. Long lines, missing tags, faulty financial reports and state scrutiny continued during her two terms. Halbert says she was never told about this specific 34-crate backlog and was led to believe the work had been caught up. No evidence reviewed for this story proves that she personally knew about those particular crates. Her denial nevertheless leaves an obvious unanswered question: Who handled the dealer packets, and who reported—or failed to report—their status to the clerk?

The County Commission knew the dysfunction was longstanding. Commissioners debated Halbert’s performance and a possible no-confidence vote by summer 2022 (Action News 5, Aug. 9, 2022). At the Sept. 9 committee meeting, Commissioner Mark Billingsley called it an “emergency that this county has had for eight years,” while Commissioners Michele Dial and Shante Avant said they were still awaiting permanent tags for vehicles purchased that summer (Action News 5, Sept. 9, 2026). The committee endorsed Hall’s request unanimously before the full Commission approved it 13-0 Monday.

Mayor Lee Harris’ administration challenged Halbert but could not control an independently elected clerk. Two 2024 ouster petitions stalled over legal standing, and the 34-crate backlog surfaced only after Hall took office. 

Hall herself is not entering blindly. Before becoming clerk on  Sept. 1, she served as Harris’ deputy chief administrative officer and acknowledged that she knew many of the office’s material shortcomings. She launched her campaign in late 2025 describing the clerk’s office as a “turnaround project” and specifically identified long waits, inconsistent processing and outdated systems. Hall says the 34 crates themselves were discovered during her first week as clerk. There is no public evidence that she knew of that specific cache while serving in the Harris administration.

Halbert was the elected official responsible for operating the clerk’s office, but the office’s broad failures were visible to county leaders and the public for years. The Commission’s authority was limited by the clerk’s independently elected status. Still, repeated backlogs, branch closures, financial-reporting failures and state intervention raise a legitimate question about why no oversight system detected thousands of stalled transactions before a new administration began inspecting the branches.

Hall said she did not favor commissioning another audit at this stage, arguing that earlier state findings could guide the corrective work and proposing workflow consultants instead. Quarterly performance reports may show whether the backlog declines and service improves. They are not the same as an independent public accounting identifying when each crate arrived, who was responsible for it, what supervisors were told and why existing financial, inventory and management controls failed.

The Clerk’s Office debacle is hardly isolated: Shelby County’s repeatedly rejected budgets, costly short-term borrowing, federal findings involving Juvenile Court and the county jail, and its history of public-corruption convictions all point to the same chronic failure to identify responsibility and impose consequences. Across city government, MATA’s financial collapse and the Justice Department’s findings against MPD provide equally powerful warnings. There are others, but I’ll leave it at that.

Accountability cannot mean merely appropriating millions more, promising reforms and waiting for the next scandal. It requires audits, names, dates, public explanations—and consequences for the officials who knew, failed to act or failed to do their jobs.

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Memphis Must Regulate Data Centers Without Driving the Future Across the State Line

(9.14.26) As of today, the Memphis City Council has not abandoned the data-center debate. Its Sept. 15 agenda contains three proposals that could determine whether Memphis freezes new data-center development, replaces a blanket moratorium with negotiated standards or imposes extensive water and energy restrictions.

Ordinance 5982, a proposed 12-month moratorium, is scheduled for third and final reading. It would stop the processing and approval of most applications and permits for new data centers while city officials study permanent regulations. Existing, lawfully operating facilities would generally be exempt unless they expand their buildings, electrical demand, utility capacity or operational intensity.

Two alternatives will receive second readings. Ordinance 5985, sponsored by Councilman Philip Spinosa, would replace a blanket moratorium with tiered, time-limited reviews, water assurances, minimum fiscal requirements and negotiated development agreements. Ordinance 5986, sponsored by Councilman Jeff Warren, would require closed-loop cooling, restrict major withdrawals of local water, mandate increasing use of renewable or non-carbon electricity and establish public-disclosure, enforcement and operating requirements. All three measures appear on the council’s Sept. 15 agenda.

The council therefore is not simply allowing xAI to take its computers, construction and future investment elsewhere. But that remains a real danger. Mississippi has already secured an xAI project in Southaven involving a promised investment exceeding $20 billion—the largest private investment announced in that state’s history—with hundreds of permanent jobs expected. The project demonstrates that this industry can move across a state line even while remaining within the greater Memphis infrastructure network.

Memphis should not give any company a blank check. Concerns about turbine emissions, neighborhood effects, water consumption, electrical demand and costs passed to ordinary utility customers deserve enforceable answers. Data-center operators should pay the infrastructure costs their facilities create, comply with environmental law, disclose resource consumption and use cooling systems that protect the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Those are reasonable conditions of doing business—not a justification for shutting the door.

A blanket one-year moratorium is a blunt instrument. It would not undo the decisions that allowed xAI’s existing Memphis operations, and it would not by itself resolve disputes over emissions or neighborhood effects. It would, however, announce that Memphis may spend another year debating whether it wants an industry that Mississippi is already recruiting aggressively.

This is where Mayor Paul Young should show stronger leadership. His role should be to bring the company, council, utility officials, environmental regulators and affected neighborhoods together behind enforceable standards. Memphis needs a negotiated framework that protects residents while giving investors clear requirements, firm deadlines and confidence that political winds will not change the rules halfway through a project.

Memphis cannot afford to let partisan hostility toward Donald Trump or Elon Musk—or left-wing agitation against capitalist progress—determine whether a project is good for the city. Supporters should not dismiss legitimate environmental questions, but opponents should not be permitted to turn those questions into an automatic veto against investment, technology and job creation.

The best path is a workable combination of Ordinance 5985’s predictable review system and the strongest practical protections contained in Ordinance 5986. The council should reject an unnecessary blanket moratorium, require xAI and future operators to meet transparent standards and make certain that taxpayers and residential MLGW customers are not forced to subsidize private infrastructure.

Memphis has spent too many years watching major investments land elsewhere and then explaining why the city was not ready. This time, it has an opportunity to lead. Protect the water, protect the neighborhoods and protect ratepayers—but do not regulate the future out of Memphis.

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Federal Prosecutors Put RICO at Center of Memphis Gang Fight as Young Mob Case Produces Results

(9.11.26) Federal prosecutors are putting federal racketeering law at the center of their fight against Memphis street gangs, outlining the strategy in interviews published Sept. 8 by The Daily Memphian. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said the goal is no longer simply to disrupt or dismantle gangs but to “completely eliminate” them, with the continuing Young Mob prosecution offered as a leading example of how federal racketeering cases can attack an entire criminal organization.

Federal authorities say 20 Young Mob members and associates have been indicted on federal charges involving murder, attempted murder, robbery, large-scale drug trafficking and firearms crimes. Paul Nelson pleaded guilty Aug. 14 to armed robbery, causing death with a firearm and drug conspiracy, while Edgar Smith and Cedric Jackson pleaded guilty Aug. 20 to RICO conspiracy. Braxton Beck earlier received 10 years in federal prison and Larry Wilson received 87 months for their roles in the Young Mob racketeering conspiracy.

Young Mob has operated in Memphis since 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. RICO — the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — allows prosecutors to connect robberies, shootings, drug trafficking and other offenses as part of a continuing criminal enterprise rather than treating each crime as an isolated case. Federal prosecutors say the Young Mob cases have “significantly dismantled” the organization, providing an early test of whether the strategy can do more than simply replace imprisoned gang members with new ones.

The Memphis Safe Task Force is part of the wider federal assault on Memphis gangs and has separately reported arrests of people affiliated with Young Mob, but MSTF is not listed as an investigating agency in this particular RICO prosecution. The Justice Department identifies the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Memphis Police Department and Multiagency Gang Unit as investigators. MSTF and the RICO prosecutions therefore represent related but distinct parts of the broader federal effort — one concentrating heavily on arrests and street-level enforcement and the other using federal racketeering law to attack the gang organization itself.

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‍Two Lethal Injections. Pike Reported Alive. No Death Announcement.

(Sept. 30) NASHVILLE, sourced from various media— Tennessee tried to execute Christa Pike Wednesday night. Witnesses reported she remained alive after two doses of pentobarbital; her attorneys said she was taken to a hospital. Her subsequent medical condition remained undisclosed. NewsChannel 5 reporter Amanda Roberts said TDOC officials did not appear before the assembled media to announce a completed execution or time of death. Pike, 50, was condemned for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

8:17 a.m.: The Sixth Circuit halted the scheduled 10 a.m. execution to review Pike’s effort to reopen her previous federal case over childhood sexual-abuse evidence, as reported by FOX 17. The stay did not overturn her conviction or death sentence. By 6 p.m.: The U.S. Supreme Court had lifted that stay, allowing Tennessee to proceed, according to NewsChannel 5.

About 7:26 p.m.: The chamber curtains opened—WSMV recorded 7:26, AP 7:27. 7:46 p.m.: They closed, reopening three minutes later. 8:05 p.m.: They closed again, according to WSMV’s witness timeline. Pike complained of arm pain. By 8:26 p.m.: Witnesses reported both doses had been administered. 8:53 p.m.: The microphone was switched off and witnesses were escorted out; they had continued hearing her snore, according to The Associated Press.

10:40 p.m.: NewsChannel 5 published an update saying Pike’s attorneys reported she was receiving hospital treatment, but they had not been told her condition. That was the report’s timestamp, not a confirmed hospital-arrival time. 11:15 p.m.: A TDOC advisory confirmed transfer to an off-site medical facility. TDOC said staff followed its approved execution protocol, which allowed no additional procedures beyond those performed. Neither statement disclosed her medical condition.

Her lawyers filed emergency motions in federal district court, the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt the execution and require lifesaving care, AP reported. No disposition was verified for this update; filing a motion does not itself create a stay. Reuters reported that Wednesday’s warrant expires at midnight and that Tennessee would need a new warrant from its Supreme Court if time ran out.

Surviving an execution attempt does not automatically erase a death sentence. In Francis v. Resweber, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a second attempt after an accidental equipment failure. That precedent does not automatically authorize another attempt against Pike: she could raise fresh constitutional challenges, and whether Tennessee could lawfully proceed would remain subject to court review.

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Health Department Says SpaceXAI Isn't Among County's Top Polluters--Is It Correct?

(9.26.26 BenQQ) Shelby County Health Department Deputy Director Kasia Smith-Alexander told county commissioners Wednesday that SpaceXAI ranked 28th among county air polluters, as reported by the Tri-State Defender. Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton said she was “stunned.” The number is striking. Now the department should show its work. Read more.

The published committee record does not provide the ranked list, the reporting year, the pollutants counted or the method. The Tri-State Defender and Action News 5 even name different companies in the top five. We can verify that Smith-Alexander said “28th.” We cannot yet verify the calculation behind it.

If correct, the ranking would put Colossus I below 27 other Shelby County facilities on the department’s chosen measure. That would undercut a broad claim that it is one of the county’s largest industrial emitters overall. It would not establish how much Colossus I emits, where it ranks for nitrogen oxides specifically or what nearby residents breathe. The temporary turbines and proposed permanent plant in Southaven are separate from this Shelby County ranking.

The solution is to release the list and the numbers behind it. Environmental justice critics should substantiate their pollution claims, and officials should substantiate a figure that appears to answer them. EPA-documented controls can reduce turbine emissions; enforceable limits and measured results would show what those controls accomplish here. Until then, “28th” is a lead worth pursuing, not a verdict.

If the 28th numbers pan out, another environmental justice shibboleth will have bitten the Memphis dust.

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Mayor Young Says He’s “No Fool” on Memphis’ xAI Debate—Technical Solutions Exist Despite Environmental-Justice Rhetoric

(9.21.26 BenQQ) Memphis Mayor Paul Young defended his handling of Elon Musk’s xAI development during a panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Young said xAI had already acquired property in Memphis and possessed the legal right to develop it, leaving his administration to negotiate for community benefits rather than attempt to stop the project.

“I ain’t no fool,” Young told the audience while rejecting accusations that he surrendered Memphis’ interests to Musk. The mayor argued that the enormous investment could bring jobs, tax revenue and economic opportunity, while critics continue demanding stronger protections involving air pollution, electricity consumption, drinking water and the predominantly Black neighborhoods surrounding the data centers, as reported by ABC24.

Opponents have placed the xAI dispute within the broader environmental-justice movement. Supporters sometimes describe this approach as “racial environmentalism” when racial impacts are invoked to oppose technology whose risks could instead be controlled through engineering, contracts and enforcement. Whatever label is used, the objections deserve enforceable answers—but none appears technically insurmountable.

Memphis critics have raised five main environmental objections. Each has a technical or regulatory solution already operating elsewhere:

• Air pollution in nearby Black neighborhoods. In Guernsey County, Ohio, a gas-fired power plant uses selective catalytic reduction to reduce nitrogen oxides and oxidation catalysts to control carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. xAI says comparable equipment could limit its permitted Memphis turbines to 2 parts per million of nitrogen oxides, but continuous emissions monitoring and independent testing would be needed to verify that performance.
• Heavy electricity demand without shifting costs to residents. In Dublin, Ireland, data centers use grid-balancing batteries to support the electric system during periods of strain, reducing the need for separate utility-owned reserve facilities. In Central Ohio, large data centers must pay for at least 85% of their contracted capacity—even when they use less—protecting residents from the cost of underused substations and power lines constructed for the facilities.
• Drinking-water consumption and protection of the Memphis Sand Aquifer. In Quincy, Washington, Microsoft and the city built a closed-loop water-reuse system projected to save about 380 million gallons of potable water annually. In Orange County, California, an advanced water-purification system treats 130 million gallons of wastewater daily before using it to replenish and protect the groundwater basin.
• Memphis could combine those methods with aquifer-monitoring wells, but xAI’s planned $80 million recycling plant has been delayed, with construction reportedly expected to resume in 2027. The unresolved question is whether the promised system will be completed and enforced—not whether the technology exists.
• Noise, vibration and continuous neighborhood disruption. In Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, engineers traced a data-center hum to cooling fans operating at excessive speeds, reduced the fan speeds, established operating limits and added sound-reduction equipment. Industrial acoustic controls, including equipment enclosures, exhaust silencers, sound barriers and vibration-isolation mounts, can reduce noise before it reaches nearby homes.
• Permitting, public notice and independent enforcement. In Louisville, Kentucky, the city’s Strategic Toxic Air Reduction program combines enforceable emission limits with continued monitoring, while near-real-time air-toxics readings are available to the public. Memphis could require permits before equipment begins operating, meaningful public notice, continuous emissions monitoring and public reporting of air emissions, noise levels and water withdrawals.

These examples do not prove that xAI has satisfied every Memphis concern. They show that the underlying problems can be managed when proven controls are required as conditions of operation, paid for by the data-center operator, independently monitored, publicly reported and consistently enforced.

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County Commission Approves Clerk Cleanup, $38 Million Jail-Health Contract

(9.15.26) The Shelby County Board of Commmissioners opened its new term Monday by approving major spending, choosing its leadership and filling a judicial vacancy. Here are the principal decisions from the Sept. 14 meeting:

• County Clerk cleanup — 13-0: Commissioners authorized up to $6.13 million in County Clerk special-revenue funds to stabilize and modernize LaSonya Hall’s office. The appropriation does not require a tax increase or money from the county’s general fund.
• New jail-health provider — 11-0: The Commission approved an annual contract worth up to $37.98 million with Wexford Health Sources to provide medical care at 201 Poplar, Jail East, the Division of Corrections and the Youth Justice and Education Center. Wexford replaces Wellpath on Oct. 1 and will add an intermediate-care unit for inmates returning from hospitals. Commissioner Mark Billingsley recused himself.
• Avant reelected chairwoman — 9-4: Commissioners reelected Shante Avant to lead the body through Aug. 31, 2027. Avant defeated Republican Mark Billingsley after earlier ballots also included Henri Brooks and LaShanta Rudd.
• Brooks elected vice chair — 9-4: Henri Brooks defeated Billingsley to become chair pro tempore through Aug. 31, 2027.
• Marcy Ingram appointed judge — 8-5: After four ballots, commissioners appointed former General Sessions Judge Marcy Ingram to the Division 6 Civil Court vacancy created by Lonnie Thompson’s election to Chancery Court. Ingram will serve until a successor is elected in August 2028.
• Hyde Park redevelopment — 13-0: The Commission transferred 246 county-owned delinquent-tax parcels to Memphis for the Hyde Park redevelopment project.
• Delinquent properties sold — 13-0: Commissioners approved selling 40 county-owned tax parcels to identified buyers for a combined $187,647.50 and directed the county not to bid on 29 additional properties carrying environmental risks or financial liabilities.
• Jail repairs — 13-0: Commissioners approved up to $117,120 for two contract welders to work for 12 weeks at 201 Poplar and Jail East.
• Trustee technology contracts — 13-0: The Commission approved two consulting contracts totaling up to $368,700 for work on the Trustee’s tax-collection system.
• Other unanimous actions: Commissioners approved a Regions Bank contract worth up to $400,000 annually for county banking services, appropriated $15,000 from sex-offender fees and transferred the county’s A-to-Z project to Kifani Kids Charitable Organization. The full list appears in the county’s official meeting agenda.

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Data Centers, Blight, Rentals and MLGW Spending Head Tuesday Council Agenda

(9.14.26) The Memphis City Council will hold committee meetings beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday before its regular voting session at 4 p.m. The meetings can be watched on the city’s official live-video page. Data-center regulation, blight enforcement, short-term rentals, pension changes and millions of dollars in MLGW expenditures are among the leading items on the Sept. 15 agenda.

Three competing data-center measures remain before the council. Ordinance 5982, proposing a 12-month moratorium on permits for data-center development, is scheduled for third and final reading. Ordinance 5985 would substitute tiered, time-limited reviews and negotiated development agreements for a blanket moratorium, while Ordinance 5986 would impose extensive water, energy, operating and public-disclosure requirements. Those two alternatives are on second reading.

Also facing a final vote is Ordinance 5980, which would revise enforcement rules for short-term rentals reported as public nuisances. Ordinance 5950, a broader consolidation of the city’s blight-remediation and neighborhood-improvement laws, returns for third and final reading after being held at numerous previous council meetings.

The council also will consider nearly $4.55 million in MLGW payments connected to the Lamar Avenue Phase 3 project: $3.83 million to relocate electric-distribution facilities and $716,454 for gas-distribution work. Other utility expenditures include $1 million for substation engineering services, $740,600 for transformers and $420,000 for expanded work involving the strategic placement of battery-energy storage systems.

Ordinance 5983, amending the City of Memphis pension and retirement system, and Ordinance 5984, amending the joint Memphis-Shelby County Building Home Program, are scheduled for second reading. The abbreviated agenda descriptions do not explain the full financial or operational effects of either proposal.

Two 15-unit residential proposals also are scheduled for consideration. Planning officials recommend conditional approval of 15 townhomes at 2604 Covington Pike, where no opposition was recorded, and a 15-lot development at 795 Tanglewood Street, which drew opposition before the Land Use Control Board. A separate proposal would permit an outdoor patio larger than normally allowed for a tavern or lounge at 525 and 529 South Main Street.

The council’s fiscal agenda also includes accepting approximately $1.11 million in state funding for in-service training, including $88,800 designated for emergency-medical-services training. The regular council meeting begins at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 125 N. Main St.

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Eight Years, 34 Crates, a Jamaica Vacation, Millions Unaccounted, Mayor Lee Harris Would Not File to Remove Her, Nobody Charged — Taxpayers Left Holding the Bag

(9/12/26) On Wednesday a Shelby County Commission committee sent new Clerk La Sonya Hall’s $6.1 million bailout to the full board for Monday, Action News 5 reported, after she found 34 crates of dealer packets — about 2,600 titles idle since June — in an office still running Windows 7. Hall told commissioners that revenue is “not captured” while those packets sit. Taxpayers are being asked to pay again for work they already paid a clerk to do.

The public tab is not one invoice. A 2024 Tennessee Comptroller review found late revenue reports and about $3.5 million unidentified in a clearing fund; The Daily Memphian reported the office failed to give auditors a proper annual statement; The Commercial Appeal put Halbert’s ouster attorney fees at about $99,000. Add a late county wheel tax and Hall’s $6.1 million fix and the working range is roughly $10 million to $13 million in cleanup and delayed money — more if disputed assessor claims ever stick.

Lee Harris had the microphone and the rent check and still left taxpayers without a working clerk. He scolded Wanda Halbert’s Jamaica week, threatened the DA over an office site, and paid the Millington rent she would not — then said on TV that keeping her was no solution and that he was unlikely to file the ouster himself. Mick Wright and hired lawyers ran two cases that died; the county paid her attorney; Harris left with the crates still in the building.

Can she be prosecuted? Not on what was filed — and the first punch was thrown by a lawyer who could not legally land it. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy recused his own office as “too political,” then handed the job to Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp. 

Wamp spent months on the file and in May 2024 filed a civil ouster for willful neglect, not an indictment. A judge threw that case out because an out-of-town DA had no standing. That is not a close question of politics. It is the first question a lawyer asks before filing: who is allowed to bring this.

 Mulroy exported the heat and imported a prosecutor who could investigate and still could not sue. A second civil ouster by hired county counsel also died. Halbert’s lawyer Darrell O’Neal noted no criminal charges were ever filed. 

A 2026 audit found reporting failures but “no problems or irregularities with the money moving in and out” of the office, Action News 5 reported. A DA could still charge official misconduct or theft if new evidence showed intent. Wamp had the file and did not. Mulroy picked the messenger who could not file. She is out of office. The crates and monely are still the story.

Mulroy has questions to answer.

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DA Disputes Crump’s Phone Claims in Nolan Wells Death as Friends Report Threats

(9.27.26 BenQQ) On September 24, Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath challenged Ben Crump to provide any evidence that 18-year-old Nolan Wells was murdered. Wells was found dead near Mississippi’s Horn Island after a July 4 outing. Crump, the civil rights and personal injury attorney representing Wells’ family, had raised questions about deleted Snapchat material on Wells’ phone. McIlrath responded that the activity described by Crump’s examiner came from other Snapchat users, not someone physically accessing Wells’ phone after he last used it. She said prosecutors received selected findings, rather than the full phone extraction. wlox.com

In a September 22 podcast episode, attorney Andrew Branca called the grand jury’s detailed report a rebuke to public accusations against Wells’ companions. The jury heard from 43 witnesses, issued 132 subpoenas and declined to indict anyone. Branca’s assessment is his interpretation: the report does not name Crump in its rejection of allegations against the young men. Branca also acknowledged that Wells’ precise cause of death remains unknown and that foul play remains possible. co.jackson.ms.us

The consequences of those accusations are now part of the story. In a September 25 statement reported by TMZ, attorneys Edward Andrew Paltzik and J. Tyler Cox said their clients—Jax Pitalo, Warren Hudson and Morgan Seymour—had received bomb and death threats. The lawyers blamed speculation following Crump’s phone presentation. Their account of the threats and who made them has not been independently verified. tmz.com

Wells’ parents, Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, continue to seek an explanation for their son’s death. Crump has questioned whether Wells drowned and has called for a federal investigation. Neither the state medical examiner nor the pathologist hired by the family determined a cause of death; neither ruled out drowning. The grand jury found the circumstances consistent with drowning and said credible new evidence could warrant another look. McIlrath’s challenge to Crump’s team is to bring prosecutors evidence of a crime if it has any.

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New County Commission Faces Leadership Vote, $6.1 Million Clerk Request and $38 Million Jail Contract

(9.14.26) The Shelby County Commission, now including eight newly elected members, is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. today at the Vasco A. Smith Jr. County Administration Building. The meeting can be watched on the commission’s official live-video channel, and supporting documents are available through the county’s Sept. 14 agenda.

The reorganized commission’s first major decision will be the election of its chairman. Shante Avant remains chairwoman until commissioners choose new leadership, which will influence committee assignments and the commission’s direction during the coming year.

New County Clerk La Sonya Hall is asking commissioners to release $6.1 million from a special-revenue fund controlled by the Clerk’s Office. Hall said she inherited aging equipment, weak financial and inventory controls and 34 crates containing approximately 2,600 unprocessed automobile-title and registration packets. The request would not require a tax increase or money from the county’s general operating fund, and it advanced from committee without opposition, as Action News 5 reported Sept. 9.

Commissioners also will consider a major contract with Wexford Health Sources to provide medical care for people held in Shelby County detention facilities. The proposed contract would cost nearly $38 million during its first year—$37,982,899—with two additional one-year renewal options carrying higher annual costs. The vote comes as county officials continue confronting medical-care, staffing and maintenance problems at the jail.

A separate judicial appointment also is scheduled. Commissioners must select someone to fill the vacancy in Shelby County General Sessions Civil Court Division VI. The General Government Committee interviewed multiple applicants Sept. 9 but forwarded the appointment to the full commission without recommending a particular candidate.

The commission also is expected to consider the Hyde Park Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, a housing strategy connected to the joint city-county Building Home program. The proposal is intended to encourage new housing—including apartments, duplexes, triplexes and other “missing middle” development—on approximately 200 vacant or deteriorated parcels in the North Memphis neighborhood.

Other agenda matters involve funding and repair work at county detention facilities, including contracts associated with Landmark Construction. Those votes arrive as newly elected Sheriff Anthony Buckner evaluates immediate repairs, medical accommodations and longer-term options for replacing or rebuilding portions of the county jail system.

Today’s meeting is the commission’s first full voting session since the new members took office, making the leadership election, Clerk’s Office cleanup request and jail health-care contract early tests of how the new body will handle inherited operational and financial problems.

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Nightclub Raids Net Criminals and a Deported Gun Convict — and a Fourth Amendment Fight

(9.13.26) Two late-August club operations in Memphis produced what police and ICE said they were after: guns, drugs, cash, a club owner, unlicensed armed guards, and a previously deported Honduran national now facing felony reentry. What they also produced is a live constitutional argument — not yet a lawsuit — over whether Memphis police could hold hundreds of uncharged patrons and demand identification before anyone left.

That is the split worth keeping straight. The arrests of people with criminal records and of an illegal reentrant are the part that holds up. The mass hold-and-ID at one club is the part that invites lawyers.

Hickory Hill: a vice raid, then an ID line

On Saturday night, Aug. 8, MPD’s Organized Crime Unit, the Memphis Safe Task Force, the Fire Marshal’s Office and the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission hit Legends Lounge at 6232 Knight Arnold Road. MPD said the club had drawn 191 calls for service and 47 police reports over two years, including gun assaults, auto thefts and break-ins. The fire marshal found more than 300 people inside a room licensed for 99. Agents seized illegal firearms, narcotics, paraphernalia and cash. Seven people were arrested, among them co-owner Nickolas Armstrong-Green, 26, on marijuana and drug-paraphernalia charges plus an alcohol-sales citation; two armed security guards without required state cards; a man who fled with about 1.5 pounds of marijuana; and others on warrants or disorderly-conduct charges.

That part is a standard public-nuisance case. The fight is over what happened to everyone else. Patrons were held and required to show ID to exit. Defense attorney Michael R. Working told Action News 5 the hold-and-ID of roughly 300 people who were not charged was a “blatantly unconstitutional” Fourth Amendment seizure. “Why were 293 people harassed for no reason?” he asked. No patron lawsuit has been reported. MPD has cited violence, overcrowding and contraband. It has not explained why identification checks were mandatory for people who were not arrested.

Berclair: a federal immigration sweep, not the same raid

Just before 1 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, ICE arrested Honduran national Marco Sabillon-Urbina at El Corralón on Macon Road. DHS told the Tennessee Star he entered illegally in 1994, lost Temporary Protected Status — a work permit, not a green card — in January 2020, pleaded guilty in 2023 in Memphis federal court to possessing a gun as a drug user and agreed to removal, was deported Dec. 13, 2024, came back illegally, and now sits in U.S. Marshals custody on felony reentry, according to FOX13, court records and DHS. ICE said it rounded up 121 people it identified as illegal aliens in that operation. TBI warrants targeted illegal gambling and narcotics. This was a federal immigration sweep with state investigative backing, not an MPD vice bust and not the Hickory Hill ID-check of uncharged patrons.

MPD said it only controlled traffic at El Corralón. The Memphis Safe Task Force denied directing that raid. DHS said the target was immigration, drug and gambling violations under federal and state warrants.

What the record supports — and what it does not

The record supports taking Armstrong-Green, the unlicensed guards, the fleeing drug suspect and Sabillon-Urbina off the floor. A club with that call history, that occupancy violation and that contraband is a legitimate target. A man already ordered removed, already deported, already back with a gun-as-drug-user conviction is a legitimate ICE arrest.

The record does not yet support the word “lawsuits.” Working’s objection is on tape. Papers have not been filed. Law enforcement has not directly answered the constitutional point. Until someone sues, the honest line is this: the criminal and immigration arrests were the point of the nights. Holding hundreds of uncharged people for ID is the part that can still turn into court.

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