The International Blues Challenge continues this weekend on Beale Street. Chris Herrington has the story.
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Month: February 2013
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The Curious Case of Clarence Mumford
Is Clarence Mumford a criminal mastermind and Public Enemy Number One in education? Or is he this year’s version of Logan Young, the late Memphis football booster who was hauled into federal court and convicted in 2005 for paying a football coach to influence a recruiting prospect?
The United States Department of Justice and federal prosecutors in Memphis seem to think the former. Mumford was in court Friday to change his plea to guilty to charges that he organized a scheme to get stand-ins to take certification tests for teachers in Memphis, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Mumford made money on the deals, probably quite a lot of it. He charged his customers $1,000 to $6,000 for multiple tests, according to a presentation of the case Friday. He started arranging bogus tests in 1995, and wasn’t sniffed out until 2010 when a phony test taker wore the same pink cap to two sessions in one day and caught the attention of a monitor.
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Hey, More On Stacey Campfield
Pro Tip: It’s fun to read that headline fast.
State senator Stacey Campfield (Doofus-Knoxville) is really making the headlines this week. Every website from Wonkette to TMZ is having barrels of fun over his rudeness to a constituent to his latest version of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to his “starve dumb kids bill to his wacky blog.
Now Metro Pulse reports that Campfield has become persona non grata at a grocery in his district.
That seems about right.
- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Zach Randolph has been calling for the ball. Now he’s likely to get it.
Last night in Oklahoma City was the absolute worst way for the Grizzlies to begin life post-Rudy Gay: On the road, against arguably the best team in the NBA, which was, itself, coming off three days rest and into a nationally televised revenge game against a team that had beaten them in their building earlier in the season. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were still wrapping their collective heads around a disruptive trade and were playing with only nine active bodies, three of which were first- or second-year players who have relatively minimal NBA game experience.
Needless to say, it didn’t go well for the Griz. The Thunder went an entire quarter without having a possession end with a missed shot, on the way to building a 25-point lead. A bout of temporary insanity from Russell Westbrook and the Grizzlies’ pride conspired to make it a game again in the second half, if briefly, with the Grizzlies coming back to within 10 points. But then Kevin Durant did Kevin Durant things.
With all those first-graph factors in mind and considering that the Grizzlies were playing without four potential rotation players in trade acquisitions Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis, and Austin Daye and the still-recovering Quincy Pondexter, you can pretty well ignore this loss.
But there were a couple of problems — and one pre-game grenade — that underscore some big issues going forward in terms of whether this team can maintain it’s stature post-trade:
Can Z-Bo Still Carry the Offensive Load?
Zach Randolph reacted to the Rudy Gay trade, in part, by suggesting it might allow him to become a bigger part of the offense, making this at least the third time in the past few weeks — including his Bulls post-game TV interview and his All-Star reaction — in which he’s done a variation on “give me the ball more.”
Have you ever seen the video interview I did with Larry Clark, AKA “Larry the Clown” a few years back? If you haven’t, why not now? He’s done it all, from Ringling Bros. to the Jim Rose Sideshow, to touring with Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. And this weekend only he’s bringing it all back home with a new installment of Larry! (The Show) . Click the vid. Then go see the man in action.
February 1 & 2 at TheatreWorks. 8 PM.
For more Larryness, click.
The city’s LGBT cycling club, the Rainbow Riders, will host another combination biking and lunch event this Saturday, February 9nd. An event was held on February 2nd, but many were unable to attend due to threats of winter weather.
The group will gather at Republic Coffee at 10 a.m., ride to Shelby Farms along the greenline, and then lunch at Cheffie’s on the way back. The trip should be about 15 miles, and cyclists will be traveling at around 10 mph.
The event is free and open to the public. Bring your bike. For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.
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The Keepers
Chris Herrington reports on The Keepers, a film being made about Memphis zoo-keepers.