The 901: Ex-charter school officials accused of theft; Tony Allen arrested in domestic incident

Good Thursday morning, Memphis, where the weather feels like spring and the area's festive holiday decorations have much of the city bathed in bright lights at night.

But, first, several groups led by the ACLU have taken aim at Shelby County's bail and pretrial detention practices.

These practices "violate state and federal law," according to a letter sent Wednesday from the Wharton Firm, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee, and Memphis advocacy group Just City, our Katherine Burgess reports.

And, if the county won't come to an agreement about proposed changes to these practices and agree to a meeting to discuss bail practices, the ACLU of Tennessee and its partners will sue, the letter threatens.

Addressed to the judges on Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court, Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, Shelby County Public Defender Phyllis Aluko, Chief Judicial Commissioner Lee Wilson, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and more. The letter asks for a mediated discussion to be held prior to the end of January 2022.

Former Memphis charter school officials accused of using public money for hot tub, lobster and crab legs

Former leaders of Memphis Academy of Health Sciences stole nearly $400,000 from the charter school, according to an investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Investigators determined former executive director Corey Johnson, former finance director Robert Williams and former nutritional services director Michael Jones, misappropriated a combined $398,365.27 from the school between July 2015 and February 2021, our Dima Amroreports.

“These thefts were carried out over a period of four-and-a-half years without scrutiny by the MAHS Board of Directors,” said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. “Board members have a duty to uphold the integrity and ethics of the organization under their oversight. Each board member has a fiduciary responsibility to ask tough questions, perform due diligence, and establish clear policies and internal controls related to financial activities.”

New safety measures at Wolfchase

In an effort to thwart any Memphis Grinches, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office says it will ramp up the visibility of deputies around Wolfchase Galleria and other shopping areas through the month of December, our Dima Amro reports.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr announced Wednesday Operation Jingle Bells, an increase of law enforcement in the county, particularly in the Wolfchase Galleria area, to help keep the areas jolly for holiday shoppers.

Sheriff's deputies will patrol parking lots, contact store employees and increase traffic enforcement every day during December to deter car break-ins, shoplifting and traffic issues, according to the sheriff's press release.

Jim's Place Grilles celebrates a century in business

In 1934 a three-course steak dinner at Jim’s Place was $1.15.

Things have obviously changed over the 100 years that Jim’s Place has been open, but the one thing that hasn't is the family’s passion and commitment for serving excellent food and hospitality, our Jennifer Chandler reports in this story for subscribers.

Today, the restaurant — now called Jim’s Place Grille — is run by Dimitri Taras and his sons James and Sam. They are the second and third generation of the Taras family to be at the helm of this Memphis dining institution.

(Not a subscriber? Consider becoming one so you won't miss any of our dining stories for subscribers. You can find our best deals here.)

New "Black Food" book explores glorious, complex history

Memphis-born Bryant Terry has built a career as a vegan chef, cookbook author, activist and educator. Now he is making books with others.

This year Ten Speed Press launched 4 Color Books, a new imprint with Terry as its editor-in-chief. His first project is “Black Food: Stories, Art & Recipes from Across the African Diaspora,” a bright, jubilant anthology of Black voices who explore food, including recipes but also odes to the joys and complexity of cuisine, in a book that defies easy definitions, reports Todd A. Price from our sister newsroom The American South.

Terry, who oversees food programming at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, spoke to The American South about how he created “Black Food” and his future plans for 4 Color Books.

Former Grizzlies star Tony Allen arrested in domestic incident

Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen was arrested in Collierville Sunday night and faces charges of domestic assault, domestic vandalism and interference with emergency calls following an incident involving his wife, Desiree Allen, our Evan Barnes reports.

Collierville Police were called to Desiree Allen's apartment at around 10:21 p.m. regarding a domestic assault, according to the police report. Officers on the scene said Allen told them she moved "approximately two weeks previously" because she said her husband had "changed" and become "dark" without further elaborating.

That evening, Desiree Allen said Tony Allen called and accused her of keeping him from their two children. He came to the apartment and banged on the door asking to be let in. When he wasn't let in, he returned and "broke open the door damaging the inside of the door frame."

Tigers lose to Georgia

Penny Hardaway, decked out in a suit for the first time since before the pandemic, called timeout with 44.7 seconds remaining, his Memphis basketball team down three, our Jason Munz wrote in this story.

Hardaway removed his coat, sat his team down and drew up a play. It didn’t work. The 19th-ranked Tigers (5-2) lost for the second time in as many games, falling 82-79 to Georgia (3-6) at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, on Wednesday night.

Six Memphis players scored in double-figures, but it wasn’t enough as Kario Oquendo led Georgia with 24 points. The Bulldogs shot 48% from the field, a season-best by a Memphis opponent. It was Georgia coach Tom Crean's 400th career victory.

Here are five takeaways from Wednesday's contest.

Our columnist Mark Giannotto, watching the Tigers lose to the woeful Georgia Bulldogs, asks a question likely on the minds of other Tigers' fans:

An excerpt from his column for subscribers:

The statements were damning, more damning than the awful 82-79 loss Memphis basketball suffered to Georgia Wednesday night.

Just not in the way Tigers coach Penny Hardaway probably intended.

“There aren’t enough guys in that locker room who care about winning unless they are the ones that are helping us win,” Hardaway said, one of several postgame comments meant to challenge his players. “It’s not team. That’s the danger of having a lot of talent. The talent has to want to play together, and right now the talent doesn’t want to play together.”

And just about everyone collectively had the same response: Well, whose fault is that? Who put this team together?

Mark Russell is executive editor of The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at mark.russell@commercialappeal.com or 901/288-4509. You can also follow him on Twitter: @MarkRussell44

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: Ex-charter school officials accused of theft