Month: November 2019

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Is Berlin Boyd Using a 2015 Robocall?

With a week left in the runoff elections for the two remaining undecided Memphis City Council seats, the incumbent in the District 1 race, Berlin Boyd, who is opposed by Michalyn Easter-Thomas, is pursuing an unusual and all-out advertising campaign.

One deviation from the norm is the fact that the Boyd campaign has purchased some large billboards on major thoroughfares in the city’s far eastern precincts. Billboards are an uncommon medium for a district race, and these are many miles away from Boyd’s District 7 bailiwick. Perhaps Boyd, one of the financially better endowed council candidates, figures he can afford it, and he — or his advisers at Caissa Public Strategies — believe in using all the means at one’s disposal. Another Caissa runoff candidate, District 1 incumbent Sherman Greer, who is opposed by Rhonda Logan, is also using large billboard signs.

But what’s the idea behind another, odder advertising stratagem that’s been linked to Boyd? Here’s how it was described in a Facebook post on last Friday by Jeffrey Lichtenstein of the AFL-CIO:

I was just got a really concerning automated phone call.

It first seemed like a live poll, but eventually it was clear I was talking to a sophisticated recording. This is the number that called: (901) 245-4604.

It said “Hi this is Becky Spray, calling from Memphis Brighter Future Political Action Committee. Can I ask you about the city council election? This will take 90 seconds.
Do you plan on voting in the upcoming city council election?

If the election was today, would you vote for Anthony Anderson, Berlin Boyd, or unsure?
Do you need a ride to the polls?”

This is push polling. It seems clearly designed to confuse people and discourage us from voting for Michalyn Easter-Thomas. This kind of shady political game is shocking.
When I called back, it said “extension 370 is not available. Leave a message.”

Moments later, the same number called my friend Thomas Wayne Walker, and it was the same call. We were able to record it. I’ll try and figure out how to post that….

As a reminder, Anthony Anderson was Boyd’s runoff opponent in the 2015 City Council race, but was not a candidate for the District 7 position this year. Lichtenstein seems convinced that the robocall is intended to “confuse” and “discourage” potential voters for Michalyn Easter-Thomas, the runoff opponent to incumbent Councilman Berlin Boyd in District 7.

The robocall is obviously confusing and it definitely does Easter-Thomas no favor by leaving her out of the question.

But, on the discouragement front, the robocall — and publicity given it — could have a boomerang effect. Anderson, for example, has responded to the robocall and its use of his name by posting an online endorsement of Easter-Thomas.

Categories
News News Blog

15 Years On: Catching Up with the ‘Overton Park Billboard Girl’

CREDIT: Toby Sells/Jenny Slaver

Toby Sells/Jenny Slaver

Then and now: Jenny Slaver did not know she’d become the ‘MCA billboard girl’ back then and didn’t know the billboard was still up now.

You know Jenny Slaver, even if you don’t know her name. You may even see her every day.

A lock of her blonde bangs obscures one eye, but the other eye is bright, alert, and hopeful, a student’s eye ever-watchful for the future’s horizon. She stands behind a canvas painted with two vases and a colorful bouquet of red, sweet-smelling flowers.

Her no-nonsense, plaid button-up is rolled to the elbows. Paint spatters her jeans. A black hair tie wraps her wrist. It’s clear Jenny Slaver is not afraid to get her hands dirty, to get to work.

Someone else, a classmate maybe, stands behind her in a black hoodie at an easel of their own, but the person’s back is turned away from the camera. But Jenny has turned away from her canvas to look at you, sitting in your car on Sam Cooper as you drive back into Midtown.

And there she’s been. For nearly 15 years, Jenny Slaver has looked from that Memphis College of Art (MCA) billboard at Sam Cooper and East Parkway, greeting you back to town on your travels from all points east.

Toby Sells

The Overton Park billboard at Sam Cooper and East Parkway.

She never knew she’d be on that billboard. When contacted this week, she didn’t know the billboard was still up.

“I’ve been immortalized as a 19-year-old!” Slaver wrote in an email from Atlanta, where she’s learning to weld metal sculpture. ”Yes, its totally weird. But I’m honored to be a tiny part of Overton Park history. Plus side, that billboard reminds old friends to call me every now and then.”
[pullquote-1] Slaver has moved around since her time at MCA, from which she graduated in 2007. She lived for a time on a ranch in Texas but recently sold it to travel. She now resides in “sunny California” but, again, taking some time to learn welding in Georgia.

She’s been busy. She paints, of course, and her work can be found at jennymakesart.com. She’s also an educator and an illustrator, now working on her fourth book.

Kim Robbins

Slaver at work.

Local internet denizens recently wondered ”whatever happened to the MCA billboard girl.” A local source knew her (digitally, anyway) and pointed us to her website. The Flyer contacted Slaver and sent her some questions, which she graciously answered. But there was also one thing Jenny Slaver really wanted Memphians to know. But you’ll have to read on to find out exactly what.

Memphis Flyer: So, you were 19 at the time? When did the billboard go up?

Jenny Slaver: It seems like a lifetime ago, but I was probably around 19, maybe a sophomore in college at MCA. I graduated in 2007, so most likely in 2004. It was so long ago time has escaped me.

MF: Did you know MCA was going to put you on a billboard? How did they approach you about it?

JS: One day I was working on an oil painting in the studio at MCA and a photographer walked by and snapped one photo. I didn’t think much of this, since, well, it is art school so that is a very common occurrence.

Soon after, I was told nonchalantly by administration that there was a photo of me being added to some MCA promotional material, possibly a poster.

I had seen many posters, flyers, and catalogs from the school with many students on them so I didn’t think much of that either … until a few weeks later when I was driving down Sam Cooper and nearly swerved. I was definitely not expecting to be on a billboard. The school did not officially inform me nor compensate me for the image.

MF: What was the response to it at the time?

JS: I was a student ambassador on a full tuition scholarship at the time, so one of my jobs was to go to college fairs around the area to promote the school. It was odd having my own face on the promotional material, slightly embarrassing, but it made for a good story.

Toby Sells

Jenny Slaver on the MCA billboard.

There was definitely a dark side to this, mainly some unwanted attention from men in public places. I was approached many times in public and at school, “Hey aren’t you the Overton Park billboard girl?” Which was fine until several male students frequently began questioning, “Did you even paint that? It looks totally staged. I bet that is someone else’s art,” and so on …

As a female artist, I was no stranger to this behavior but expected more from students in a liberal arts college. It was very frustrating, but I decided to ignore the sexist remarks and move forward with my creative endeavors, unfazed.
[pullquote-3] Let me say for the record that I was surrounded with support from many amazing fellow students of all genders who did not question my abilities based on my gender. It’s just a shame when a handful of creeps try to get to you. Every woman has felt this in some way, sadly.

Memphis College of Art was and is an amazing place full of creative energy and support, and I am honored to have been a small part of its history. My heart aches that MCA will be closing its doors forever soon.

MF: You said you were surprised to know it was still up. You didn’t know? Is that weird to know it’s been up all that time?

JS: I’m surprised it’s been up this long! I’ve been immortalized as a 19-year-old! Yes, it’s totally weird. But I’m honored to be a tiny part of Overton Park history. Plus side, that billboard reminds old friends to call me every now and then.

MF: What are you up to now? Where do you live? What do you do?

JS: As I’m writing this, I’m spending time in Cabbagetown in Atlanta, Georgia, learning to weld metal sculpture. I travel a lot these days, but currently I live and work in sunny southern California.

I am a painter, educator and illustrator. I am working on a new series of botanical oil paintings, and I am just finishing up my fourth book (illustrator, not the author) about a day in the life of a little girl living in South Sudan. A portion of proceeds from the book will go to drill water wells in the war-torn villages of South Sudan.

Jenny Slaver/jennymakesart.com

A sample of Slaver’s recent work.

You can check me out on Instagram @Jenny_Makes_Art or my website jennymakesart.com for more info.

MF: Your art looks amazing online. How would you describe it for someone who hasn’t seen it?

JS: My paintings are motivated by nature as inspiration, typically very vibrant and expressive. I want to reveal the poetic moments I feel in nature to create work that is full of life and visual pleasure. I love to experiment with different mediums and textures in my work, letting the feel of the material shine through.

MF: Tell me a little about your work with horses.

JS: I lived on a ranch in Texas for several years and just recently sold it so I could travel. It was a bold move, but wanderlust was calling.

Jenny Slaver/Instagram

Slaver stands on a horse.

In the future I hope to plant my roots again with a few horses. But for now I’m on the road with my Husky, Skye, and the love of my life, Jason.

Horses are my muse, they will always be a big part of me. I ride whenever I can and still have one beautiful rescue mare back home in Texas that my mom, Charlotte, cares for with all her heart.

MF: Anything you want to tell the many thousands of Memphians who see/have seen you every day?

JS: Yes, I painted that (piece of art on the billboard)! And I hope you all are encouraged to create, too. Now, go make art!

Categories
Sports Tiger Blue

#14 Tigers 97, South Carolina State 64

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

“James Wiseman makes the game a lot easier for everybody.” — Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway

The 99th season of Memphis Tiger basketball opened Tuesday night at FedExForum with the number one on the mind of every fan in attendance. Coach Penny Hardaway’s top-ranked recruiting class — and the debut of James Wiseman, the country’s top-ranked freshman — headlined the Tigers’ thorough beating of South Carolina State. For the first time in program history, five freshmen started the season-opener and six true freshmen played 65 percent of the total minutes. Wiseman delivered 28 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes of playing time after sitting out the team’s two exhibition games with what’s been described as a minor ankle injury.

Larry Kuzniewski

James Wiseman

“[James] was going to erase a lot of the woes we were having,” noted Hardaway after the game, the only mention of “woes” connected with his team in quite some time. “I’m really proud of our team. We’re young, maybe the youngest in the country. We were a little stagnant at first, but it became a beautiful night for lots of reasons. Our game-plan discipline, the way we shared the basketball. We boxed out, only gave up seven offensive rebounds.”

The Bulldogs made their first five field-goal attempts — three of them from long range — and took an early 13-8 lead. But the Tigers discovered their first rhythm of the season offensively and took command well before halftime. Memphis converted six dunks — three of them by Wiseman — in the game’s first six minutes. After six misses from three-point range, D.J. Jeffries drained the Tigers’ first three-pointer of the season from the right corner to help build an 18-point (50-32) halftime lead. Wiseman had 20 points and eight rebounds at the break.

“I just took it possession by possession,” said Wiseman, who said there was no discomfort in his ankles. “I trusted my teammates, and ran the floor. When I do that, the floor opens tremendously. The atmosphere was crazy. Playing the game we love, it was a lot of fun.”

“We’re young, and we have to play against ourselves,” said Hardaway. “You have to build on sharing the basketball. Don’t let any outside noise come in. They might say, ‘You didn’t get enough shots tonight.’ Or ‘You didn’t get enough minutes.’ The games are gonna get tougher as we go. But overall, we have to protect our young guys from outside noise, any negativity.”

Sophomore guard Alex Lomax saw nothing negative in the arrival of Wiseman, his former teammate at East High School (where they won a 2018 state championship under Hardaway). “James Wiseman makes a team go from a one to a ten. He led the way, made a lot of easy baskets and was an intimidator on defense. It’s been a long time since I threw a lob to James . . . the easiest assist in the world.”

Larry Kuzniewski

Lester Quinones

Lomax scored eight points off the bench to support Wiseman, a total matched by three freshman teammates (Boogie Ellis, Damion Baugh, and Lester Quinones). Freshman forward Precious Achiuwa picked up a pair of early fouls but scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. Baugh led the Tigers with eight assists and Jayden Hardaway (the coach’s son) scored nine points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Ian Kinard led the Bulldogs with 13 points.

Thirty regular-season games remain to be played before the 14th-ranked Tigers know if the preseason hype can be translated into significant hardware. But Hardaway sounded like a coach excited to see the plot unfold, particularly with his new leading man back on center stage. “It’s amazing, just seeing [Wiseman] run the floor,” said Hardaway. “Them throwing the ball toward the rim, and him finishing. That’s such a huge luxury. I had that in the NBA with [Shaquille O’Neal]. Just put it anywhere near the rim, and you get an assist from that. And him getting offensive rebounds.”

The Tigers host UIC (Illinois-Chicago) Friday night at FedExForum, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.

Categories
Music Music Blog

Not Hanging Back: Atlanta Trio The Coathangers Returns!

CREDIT: Jeff Forney

Jeff Forney

The Coathangers

The last time Atlanta garage-punk trio The Coathangers played Memphis, they ended their set at the old Hi-Tone with a merch manager – their drummer’s then-boyfriend – that barely had his arm attached to his body.

“His elbow was dislocated, it didn’t even look like it was connected,” bassist Meredith Franco tells the Memphis Flyer of the 2013 gig. “We just kept playing. He sat behind the merch booth the whole time and was like ‘nah, I’m okay.’ It looked like [his arm] was hanging on by a string.”

Though it was a simple stumble that caused the dislocation, and sheer belligerence that kept it that way, it’s definitely was a punk rock moment typical of The Coathangers’ long, energetic journey that will see them play Bluff City once again at the Hi-Tone this
Wednesday. They’ll be supported by Philadelphia punk trio Control Top and local heroes
Hash Redactor.

Formed in 2006, the band’s first gig was at an Atlanta house party where mastery of their
instruments – “I’d never even played bass before this band,” Franco says – was secondary to the performance itself. After their self-titled 2007 debut, put out through Rob’s House Records and Die Slaughterhaus, The Coathangers begun a long relationship with Seattle’s Suicide Squeeze Records – early backers of Elliott Smith and Modest Mouse – that has seen them release five albums in the last ten years.

“[Suicide Squeeze owner] David [Dickinson] is our number one fan, and we’re his number
one fans,” Franco says. “He really gives us a lot of freedom, whatever we want to do, he
supports us basically.”

Their most recent offering, The Devil You Know, released in March, shows a band that
haven’t taken a step backward from their devil-may-care roots during what has been a
tumultuous time – both politically and socially – in recent American history. With songs like
‘Hey Buddy’, addressing street harassment, and ‘F the NRA’, The Coathangers – named for a DIY abortion technique – was always going to come armed with a response to it.
“Yeah – especially a song like F the NRA,” Franco says. “It’s not like we’ve not ever been ‘not political’, but I think in the past we didn’t want to be [too] preachy. But why not? This is our way to express how we feel, why wouldn’t we write something we believe in? If someone doesn’t like it, fuck off – don’t listen to it.

“[With F the NRA], some people were worried that it was going to get negative [press] and
people who are all about guns were going to like come after us, I don’t know. People were
worried, but we were like, the reason we do what we do is to say what we want. Isn’t that the whole point of music in general? If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it.”

Though Atlanta was the starting point, The Coathangers now find themselves in three
different corners of America. Franco moved back home to Massachusetts to care for her
ailing father (who she wrote ‘Memories’ for), lead singer Julia Kugel-Montoya relocated to
Long Beach while drummer Stephanie Luke remained in Atlanta.

The Memphis connection doesn’t just end with an ex-boyfriend of a drummer who dislocated his elbow, though. The Coathangers were good friends with Memphis punk legend Jay Reatard, dedicating their 2011 track ‘Jaybird’ to his memory.

Categories
News News Blog

City Council Could Shake up Citizen Law Enforcement Review Board

The Memphis City Council is considering an overhaul of the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB).

Councilmen Kemp Conrad and Worth Morgan introduced an ordinance Tuesday that would change the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board to the Council Law Enforcement Review Board, replacing the board’s current nine members with the 13 city council members.

Currently, per city ordinance, CLERB consists of the chairperson of the city council’s public safety committee, chairperson of the Shelby County Commission’s law enforcement committee, two law enforcement officers or member with experience in criminal justice, a medical officer, a clergy member, an attorney, and two citizens at-large.

But, Morgan told a city council committee Tuesday that he believes the purpose of CLERB is more safely placed in the hands of the city council.

CLERB, tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct by the Memphis Police Department, was first established by city ordinance in 1994, but was inactive between 2001 and 2015.

[pullquote-1]

Morgan said the goal of the board is a “good one, great one,” but CLERB has been “stuck in no-man’s land” over the past four years.

“It was a temporary solution to a long-term problem,” Morgan said. “We are a board of 13 civilians. We have subpoena power, tools, and relationships for when a serious incident comes up.”

Morgan noted that after the officer-involved shooting of Martavious Banks last year, the council’s discussions surrounding MPD policy and body cams were “more productive than CLERB’s in the past four years.”

Changing up the personnel on the board is primarily meant to make CLERB more affordable, Morgan said, citing the near $1 million that has been budgeted for the board over the past four years. The councilman did not specify how exactly the switch would save money.

Morgan said he hopes “people aren’t attached” to the civilian piece of CLERB, but instead to the goals and intentions of the board, which ultimately is an extra layer of oversight.

Virginia Wilson, administrator for CLERB, disagreed saying that CLERB doesn’t have an “absorbent budget” and she believes the make-up should remain the same.

“I think citizens would like to see CLERB continue to operate in the manner that it is,” Wilson said “We are working tirelessly.”

The committee’s discussion of the ordinance was cut short due to time constraints, but the council will return to it at its next meeting on November 19th.

Categories
News News Blog

MLGW Set to Present Rate Hike Proposal to City Council

Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) will present its proposal for rate hikes to the Memphis City Council on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 5th.

MLGW has been pushing for multi-year hikes in water, gas, and electric rates for at least the past three years. In January, the council rejected electric and gas hikes, but approved a 3 percent hike for water.

Now, the utility is pushing for increases in all three divisions over a three-year period. The plan calls for increasing electric rates by 4.2 percent in July 2020 and then 1.5 percent in both 2021 and 2022.

Water would increase by 15 percent in July 2020, 7 percent in 2021, and 5 percent in 2022. Gas would only see a one-time hike of 2 percent in 2022.

This would add about $14 to customer’s bills each month, according to the utility. That’s $4 less than last year’s proposed hikes would have tacked on.

MLGW officials say the extra revenue will be used to improve the utility’s infrastructure, which MLGW president and CEO J.T. Young has said in the past is “aged” and in need of an overhaul.

[pullquote-1]

In the past, some council members have been reluctant to approve rate hikes citing poverty rates here or MLGW’s need to find other ways to fund infrastructure improvements.

While other council members, supporting the rate hikes, argued that the council should not defer maintenance to the utility’s infrastructure any longer.

The council is set to hear MLGW’s proposal for the hikes Tuesday, but a vote on the issue isn’t slated until November 19th.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Slider Inn – South Main Slated to Open in Mid November

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

‘The Llift’ at Slider Inn – South Main

Michael Donahue

The main bar at Slider Inn-South Main

Aldo Dean’s new Slider Inn – South Main, which is slated to open in mid November, can be characterized as “clean, minimal, industrial, modern,” says Eric Bourgeois, marketing director for Packed House productions, which also includes Dean’s other businesses: Aldo’s Pizza Pies, Bardog Tavern, the original Slider Inn in Midtown, and Momma’s.

The bar/restaurant encompasses about a block at the corner of Talbot and Main. The address is 363 Mulberry – the street that runs behind Slider Inn.

The building, which dates to 1946, previously housed a storage space for vintage trucks and automobiles. Original neon truck signs from “Kisber Auto Parts,” which also occupied the space at one time, will be reinstalled.

Entering Slider Inn, guests will see the “Wow Wall,” which will feature a mural of the neon sign at the original Slider Inn.

Looking up, they’ll see the illuminated 2000 Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle with custom features, including a “suicide shift.”

Looking up, people also may see Dean’s dad, Aldo Ragnacci, doing some construction work on the place.

Robert Johnson, master woodworker, executed Dean’s vision for the wrap-around black walnut bar, which is the centerpiece of the room. The bar is mounted on top of a modular die bar system, which supports all the under bar appliances, Bourgeois says.

The lighting fixtures above the bar were inspired by New York designer Lindsey Adelman. They feature curved hand-blown glass shades with industrial clamps and Edison light bulbs.

In front of the bar is a 12-foot-long community table built by Joe Boyd of Woodland Tree Service. One side of the table features a 12-foot-long foot rail for customers who like to rest one of their feet while having a sip or two. Slider Inn will feature a menu of new drinks as well as its signature drink, the Jameson Slushie – Jameson Irish whiskey, fresh-squeezed lemonade, ginger beer, and bitters.

The six enormous windows on the South side already are filling up with empty Jameson whiskey bottles. The ones in Slider Inn so far are from the Midtown location. Each window will be full of the bottles, which will be “hand decorated” by patrons after they finished the contents. That will be about 120 bottles per window or 720 total, Bourgeois says.

The kitchen is done in stainless steel. That’s just about everything – from all the appliances to the ceiling. This is where chefs will prepare all the items from the Slider Inn in Midtown as well as some new items, including “lobster popcorn.” This delicacy features tempura-battered lobster nuggets mixed in with the buttered popcorn and house-made sauce. Reuben egg rolls and Cuban egg rolls also will be served – one of each on the same plate.

Dean always wanted a mezzanine in one of his businesses, Bourgeois says. So, now he’s got one. It’s called “The Lift” – a nod to the lift that workers use in garages to get under vehicles. The Lift overlooks the bar/seating area.

The room is designed as a great hangout area or can be used for events, including birthday parties. Guests – the room can accommodate around 20 people – can relax on a long leather sofa and watch wide-screen TV. They also can relax on the custom-made “Roman Bed” with pillows that give the space a casual, “lounge-y feel,” Bourgeois says.

Vintage truck tailgates fill the area above the bed. Garage “creepers” – the boards on rollers workers use to slide under cars and trucks – also are used as decorations.

Looking up again, patrons will see a vintage 14-foot steel playground slide – the kind that used to burn your behind on hot days – hanging from the ceiling. It’s a nod to a similar slide on top of Slider Inn Midtown.

The chandelier is made from Tennessee license plates bent into a circle.

The courtyard on the North side of Slider Inn features more seating. Dean even thought of his canine friends. A dog-height drinking fountain just for Fido stands next to a fountain for adults.

On the other side of the courtyard is “The Garage Bar.” It features another bar and more seating. The sleek long tables, which are built in a waterfall design, are made of spruce pine.

Garage doors can be pulled up when the weather is pleasant.

It’s a “separate eatery,” Bourgeois says, but all food will come from the same menu and the same kitchen. Guests on both sides will be able to dine at the chilaquiles buffet during Saturday and Sunday brunch.

All that is Slider Inn.

“Slider Out” is the grassy area that fronts Main Street. It’s an “outdoor event space,” which will eventually include live music, Bourgeois says.

Or, as Dean calls it, “Prime grassy real estate on South Main.”

And – it all this isn’t enough – Slider Out will show movies outside on a wall, which will be covered with white vinyl. People can rent Adirondack chairs and blankets and “cozy up,” Bourgeois says.

Michael Donahue

Slider Inn – South Main

Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

The Garage Bar at Slider Inn-South Main

Michael Donahue

The Garage Bar at Slider Inn-South Main

Michael Donahue

General manager Billy Williams, Eric Bourgeois, Aldo Dean, operations director Bobby Heath, assistant manager Chelle Morgan at Slider Inn-South Main.

Michael Donahue

Matthew Hubbard, bar manger at Slider Inn-South Main.

Michael Donahue

Aldo Ragnacci

Categories
News News Blog

Cannabis Advocate, Provocateur Thorne Peters Found Dead in Prison

CREDIT: Shelby County Division of Corrections

Shelby County Division of Corrections

Peters

Cannabis advocate and local provocateur Thorne Peters died at the Shelby County Division of Corrections facility at Shelby Farms sometime over the weekend, according to county officials.

Peters entered the public eye in 2009, when he made local news for operating a “420” friendly nightclub in Millington. Then, the self-proclaimed “Poet Laureate of Planet Earth” and “Galileo of pot” beat a cannabis charge, smoked and sold cannabis in front of 201 Poplar, and started the Cannabag Challenge (a spin-off of the ALS ice bucket challenge that involves dumping a bunch of pot on your head in the name of marijuana law reform).

He was arrested in February 2015 on charges of selling cannabis and for possessing a firearm during the crime. He was booked into prison here in December 2018. He lost a court appeal earlier this year to overrule the gun charge and lower his sentence.

A media release from the Shelby County Division of Corrections said Peters was discovered unresponsive in his cell by corrections staff. He was housed in an individual cell, according to corrections officials, and had no cellmates.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has taken the lead on the investigation and the medical examiner has taken possession of the body.

Peters was scheduled for release in December 2021. 

Categories
News News Blog

Accepting Nominations for the Flyer’s “20 Under 30” Class of 2020

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

20 Under 30 Class of 2019

The Memphis Flyer is seeking nominations for candidates for our 10th class of 20<30, the class of 2020, presented by New Memphis and Northwestern Mutual. Simply put, we’re looking to find and honor 20 of the city’s best and brightest young people. Candidates must be no older than 29 on January 1, 2020.

Send a brief bio/summary of the nominee’s work and activities and a photo to Bruce VanWyngarden at brucev@memphisflyer.com. Use “20<30 Nomination” in your subject header.

Deadline for nominations is December 15, 2019. The issue date for next year’s 20<30 will be January 30, 2020.

Here’s a link to the story about last year’s class.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Best Bets: The Birdie Sandwich at Eight & Sand

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Chef Dorje Meta with The Birdie sandwich at Eight & Sand.

The Birdie might be the most unusual sandwich I’ve ever tasted. It’s chicken, but there’s a lot going on beneath the two slices of brioche.

It’s the most popular item on the menu at Eight & Sand, the elegant new Andrew Ticer/Michael Hudman bar in Central Station Hotel, says Dorje Meta, executive sous chef for Eight & Sand, the hotel, and the hotel’s upcoming Bishop restaurant.

The Birdie is a “wet-batter fried chicken” sandwich, Meta says. “It’s coated in Calabrian honey. We, basically, take the oil from those Calabrian peppers and we emulsify it in the honey, so it’s super spicy. And then we have a dill aioli. We make a dress slaw out of that. And then dill pickles on a brioche. It’s pretty simple, but pretty elegant little bar food.”

I asked Meta what he liked about it. “It’s got the elements of a classical chicken sandwich. It’s got the aioli and good solid brioche. I actually grill the brioche with butter. It’s a normal brioche, but it’s elevated with the dill, obviously. And that pairs really with the pickles that are already on there.”

The “genius thing” about The Birdie is that honey, Meta says. “The honey is really intense. It’s spicy. If you took a spoonful of the honey by itself it’s not fun. It would be adventurous. But on the sandwich you’re not trying to down some milk ‘cause it’s too spicy. Everything on there has a purpose.”

The spice, he says, is “balanced by the slaw. So, it’s a very balanced sandwich. You can’t really slow down when you eat it. It’s just gone.”

The sandwich was developed by Ticer and Hudman for “Birdies & Bubbles,” the pop-up restaurant they did at the the 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude invitational at TPC Southwind.

So, as photographers used to say, “Watch the birdie.” But you can watch this Birdie quickly get gobbled up at Eight & Sand.