Month: February 2021

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Wiseacre Adds Five States, New Year-Round Beer

Wiseacre Brewing Co.

Wiseacre Brewing Co. has a new year-round beer, a new variety pack, and it will soon expand into five new states — Kentucky and New Jersey in February, and Colorado, North Carolina, and South Carolina in March.

The Memphis brewery announced the plans Tuesday. The expansion comes after the completion of the company’s new 40,000-square-foot facility in Downtown Memphis late last year.

Wiseacre Brewing Co.

Bow Echo is the new year-round beer from Wiseacre. The hazy IPA joins Tiny Bomb, Ananda, and Gotta Get Up to Get Down in Wiseacre’s full-year lineup. The company describes the beer as having “notes of citrus and tropical fruit and a fluffy texture derived from oats.” Davin Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder and brewmaster, said the beer is a “child of MemFresh, the rotating series of small-batch IPAs we’ve worked on for a few years.”

“There were a lot of happy IPA fans when we launched the series, and we’ve learned a ton about ingredients and processes on hazy IPAs over those years,” Bartosch said in a statement. ”So, we decided we’d better pump up the volume — literally — and make it available year-round. And, thanks to our new brewery, we have the capacity to get Bow Echo to fans in Memphis and beyond.”

Can’t decide on just one Wiseacre flavor? With a new variety pack coming soon, you won’t have to choose. Look to store shelves soon for a pack that includes Ananda, Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Tiny Bomb, and a rotating seasonal beer. Sun Bump Belgian Wit will be the first of the rotating seasonals.

Wiseacre Brewing Co.

Wiseacre will soon be available in 14 states total, after the expansion into the five new states. The company’s beers are now sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

“In light of COVID, we’ll hold off having events at bars and restaurants for now so we can continue to follow safe business practices for our staff, distributors, retailers, and customers,” said Kellan Bartosch, Wiseacre co-founder. “And while this launch will look very different from those in the past, we are no less excited for it!

Wiseacre Brewing Co.

“We will start shipping beer to new places with the promise that there will be a true on-premise launch down the road when it’s safe. That may be in the summer or it may be well after, but we are committed to bringing the excitement of a market launch when the time is right.

“In the meantime, it is thrilling that, even in these times, we have distributor partners, retailers, and customers in far away places who can’t wait to drink Tiny Bomb and the rest of the Wiseacre family of beers!”

Categories
Music Music Blog

Stax Music Academy Students Bring Rhythm & Revolution Online

CREDIT: Courtesy of Stax Music Academy

The Stax Music Academy (SMA) is buzzing with activity these days, as students and instructors work in its studios, and fan out across the city, for a little R&R.

No, they’re not taking a vacation, and this is not for rock ‘n’ rollers only. Rather, the entire academy has shifted into high gear for its upcoming online presentation, “R & R: Rhythm and Revolution: Expressions of Struggle, Collaboration, and Peace.”

Courtesy of Stax Music Academy

Young Stax Academy performer

This virtual show replaces the two live performances typically held by the academy in celebration of Black History Month. Though most musical fans will be asked to pay a donation, the program will be made available at no cost to students, schools, and youth organizations across the world.

And the SMA is taking that last part seriously, offering a study guide so educators can present the show to students in a considered way. The guide includes a set of questions that can be used to help young people process some of the thoughts and feelings that may arise on topics the concert will address. And, for the first time ever, the SMA study guide also includes a songwriting competition for students in grades 4-12, with a cash prize for the winner.

Billie Worley

Stax Music Academy students creating video for Rhythm & Revolution

Aiming to be an “upbeat production designed especially for students who are currently lacking access to the arts during the COVID pandemic,” the online show will feature renditions of soul classics and original music by SMA’s students. Music of the Civil Rights Movement and more recent anthems will be highlighted, along with songs made famous by the likes of Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Al Green, The Jackson 5, Janet Jackson and Albert King.

Billie Worley

Stax Music Academy students creating video for Rhythm & Revolution

The virtual Black History Month show is even now being filmed in various locations in Memphis, including the I AM A MAN Plaza at historic Clayborn Temple, Beale Street, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and Royal Studios, home of Hi Records, and artists like Al Green and Ann Peebles.

Pat Mitchell-Worley

“As important as the Black History Month lessons are in this virtual production, it is more than anything a show of sheer entertainment for students of all ages and parents alike,” said Stax Music Academy executive director Pat Mitchell Worley. “Our students are performing for other students and have been involved in every aspect of the show, from designing costumes to engineering and production to even filming dance lessons for other young people to emulate and enjoy.”

“R & R: Rhythm and Revolution: Expressions of Struggle, Collaboration, and Peace,”  available on the Stax Music Academy’s website starting February 17, 2021. Register as an “Educator” in the EventBrite Link for access to study guides.


Categories
News News Blog

Memphis Leads Nation as Most Stressed-Out City Nationwide

Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

On the tail of a rather stressful 2020, a report from RetailMeNot found that Memphis was the city with the most stressed-out citizens nationwide.

RetailMeNot found that nationwide, those in the Southeast scored the highest across the board in terms of stress. In Memphis, 17.9 percent of the population reported having poor mental health and 17.6 percent reported poor physical health, trumping the national average of 12.9 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively. Memphis also had an alarmingly high poverty rate that spiked at 21.7 percent, nearly double the national average of 12.3 percent.

Memphians were also found to have trouble sleeping and taking leisure time outside of work. 47.8 percent of Memphians reported sleeping less than seven hours a night, and 35.5 percent stated that they had no time for leisure. On the national scale, 36.2 percent of the population reported sleeping less than seven hours a night, and 23.6 percent stated that they had no time for leisure.

According to the report, chronic stress disturbs the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive systems, and increases susceptibility to serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes. To score the various U.S. cities, researchers factored in mental and physical health, housing costs, poverty rates, and health insurance coverage to develop a unique stress score.

Though Memphis fared worse than others nationwide, the RetailMeNot report shows that the general level of stress across the nation was higher than average. While the report does not mention specific factors as the sole reason, it does state that complications stem from COVID-19, transitioning to work, and schooling.

To see where other states stack up, read the full report on RetailMeNot’s website.

Categories
News News Blog

Total Virus Cases Rise Above 85,000

COVID-19 Memphis
Infogram

Total Virus Cases Rise Above 85,000

New virus case numbers rose by 278 over the last 24 hours. The new cases put the total of all positive cases in Shelby County since March at 85,076.

Total current active cases of the virus — the number of people known to have COVID-19 in the county — fell to 3,291. The number reached a record high of more than 8,000 recently. The figure had been as low as 1,299 in September and rose above 2,000 only in October. The new active case count represents 3.9 percent of all cases of the virus reported here since March.

The Shelby County Health Department reported that 978,412 tests have been given here since March. This figure includes multiple tests given to some people.

The latest weekly positivity rate fell again for the fourth week in a row to 9.1 percent. That’s down from the 9.8 percent rate recorded in the previous week and down from the record-high 17.5 percent in late December.

The total death toll now stands at 1,379. The average age of those who have died in Shelby County is 74, according to the health department. The age of the youngest COVID-19 death was 13. The oldest person to die from the virus was 103.

Categories
Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday: A Weirdo From Memphis

CREDIT: A Weirdo From Memphis

A Weirdo From Memphis

Screengrab from ‘Kerosene Heater.’

Music Video Monday is a dumpster fire.

2020 was a bad year for all musicians, but A Weirdo From Memphis (AWFM) had it worse than most. He lost his job, his first big tour was canceled, and he had both his identity and his car stolen. So, he did what he had to do: he wrote a song about it.

“’Kerosene Heater’ is what I felt like after one of the worst months of my life,” he said. “Sometimes you arrive at a turning point of realizing things aren’t going to be for a long time, and then living in that and embracing it and turning that feeling into art. Thats what making music turns into for me lately.”

Rapping over a Kid Maestro beat, AWFM speaks for all of us as he tells the world where to shove it. Now, the video — shot by Unapologetic collaborator 35 Miles and cut by Troy the Editor — is ready for a turn on the Catwalk.

Music Video Monday: A Weirdo From Memphis

If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com. 

Categories
From My Seat Sports

A Heart Story

This is a sports column, so let’s start with this: The best athlete I know over the age of 50 happens to be my wife. Sharon has run a pair of marathons since hitting the half-century mark, the second one faster than the first. We’ve run dozens of 5Ks, Sharon always patiently waiting for me — her sweat nearly dried — at the finish line. And this isn’t a recent development. Sharon was an all-state soccer player during our high school days in Vermont and helped our Northfield Marauders win a state championship as a senior. High school boys challenged Sharon to races when she was in middle school. Her list of names taken while kicking ass is, shall we say, lengthy.

But back to the present. Sharon will cross the finish line of her next marathon with a pacemaker in her chest.

I’m with you. Huh?!?

During Sharon’s annual physical last year, an EKG revealed abnormalities in her heart rate: too high at times, too low at others, and without a pattern. She wore a monitor home for 24 hours and the larger sample size revealed the same troubling data. Most concerning: As Sharon slept, her heart would pause — yes, her heart would stop — for as long as two seconds. Fortunately, our brains are wired to recognize such a “glitch” and wake us when it happens. Sharon would wake up, if slightly, catch her breath, and gradually fall back to sleep. It wasn’t painful or violent. But concerning to her cardiologist? Absolutely.

Last week, Sharon checked into Baptist Memorial Hospital for an electrophysiological study (EPS), a procedure involving very thin wire electrodes that, traveling through a vein, approach and measure the heart’s function. And sure enough, my wife’s heart was not beating properly. It’s called tachy-brady syndrome: sometimes too fast, others too slow. The risk of such a condition isn’t necessarily a heart attack (she has no blockage; the mechanical function and blood flow from Sharon’s heart is strong). The risk involves the possibility of Sharon losing consciousness — even briefly — while driving, while swimming, while riding a bike. A catastrophic event may have been waiting for Sharon, one directly connected to tachy-brady syndrome.

So my wife of 26 years is now wearing a pacemaker in her chest. The size of a silver dollar — with two thin wires, or “leads,” snaking their way to her heart — the pacemaker will moderate her heart rhythm if it threatens one extreme or another on the scale of human heartbeat. The pacemaker won’t prevent her heart from relaxing with a glass of wine or a night’s sleep. It won’t prevent her heart from speeding up when she hits mile 25 of her next marathon, knowing the race is nearly complete. This life-improving, life-lengthening device will simply make sure her heart “remembers” the proper range of beats. Among Sharon’s many skills, dancing is not one. So there’s a slice of humor in all this.

Why Sharon? Why tachy-brady at a still relatively young age? I’m not an M.D. and I’m not a biology professor, so I’ll do the best I can at relaying what I’ve been told by Sharon’s cardiologist. We’re all born with a bundle of cells — millions of them — tasked with charging our heart for every beat so we don’t have to consciously instruct this vital organ to do its thing. Well, some of us are born a few cells shy, and we reach a point where that bundle of cells is overworked, sometimes dangerously so. Modern science has provided an answer, a delightfully tiny device that will almost certainly help my wife live happier and longer than she would have without one.

The irony squeezes me. “Sharon Murtaugh’s faulty heart” is an oxymoron. She is the kindest person I’ve ever known. She’s my Valentine, and so much more. To paraphrase Lady Gaga, the part of me that’s her will never die. And among her myriad attributes, Sharon’s heart has always stood out. She laughs with vigor. She cries at the right times. And her devotion to our daughters is immeasurable. And Sharon runs. My god, you need to see Sharon run.

Valentine’s Day will feel different this year. My favorite person will be nearby. And my heart will race.

Categories
Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 66, Pirates 59

CREDIT: Memphis Athletics / Joe Murphy

It’s been some time since Memphis could claim a “big win” over the East Carolina Pirates, but the Tigers earned one Saturday afternoon at FedExForum. After coughing up a nine-point halftime lead, the Tigers responded with some clutch shooting over the game’s final five minutes to earn their second straight win and improve to 12-6 for the season. Sophomore guard Lester Quinones drained a three-pointer from the left corner with 26 seconds to play that gave the Tigers a five-point lead (64-59) and secured the victory.
Memphis Athletics / Joe Murphy

DeAndre Williams

The Pirates started slowly and found themselves down 11 (21-10) merely 12 minutes into the game. But three days after upsetting the 5th-ranked Houston Cougars, ECU found a groove and, thanks to a pair of 9-0 runs, led the game (54-53) with fewer than four minutes to play.

After Landers Nolley hit a free throw to tie the score, D.J. Jeffries connected on a runner from the left baseline to give Memphis a 56-54 lead. Jeffries also contributed a dunk and three free throws to the Tigers’ late-game surge. Alex Lomax dropped in a floater in traffic to make the score 58-54, Memphis, with 2:15 to play.

Jayden Gardner scored the Pirates’ final five points of the game and finished with a game-high 23. But the Tiger defense forced a pair of misfires from long range to seal the win. Memphis is now 8-3 in the American Athletic Conference while ECU falls to 8-7 overall and 2-7 in league play.

The Tigers hit seven of their first 11 three-point attempts, but only one of their next 11. Nolley and Jeffries led Memphis with 12 points each while Lomax stuffed the stat box with 10 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and five steals. The Tigers shot 38 percent from the field while the Pirates hit 43 percent of their shots. (ECU was one for 13 from three-point range.)

Next up for Memphis will be Cincinnati. The Bearcats (4-7) visit FedExForum Thursday night to complete a four-game home stand for the Tigers. The Tigers will then travel to Houston for a Valentine’s Day meeting with the AAC’s top team.

Categories
News News Blog

TDOT Releases Aviation Economic Impact Report

CREDIT: Source: Tennessee Department of Transportation

Source: Tennessee Department of Transportation

Aviation is a key part of Tennesse’s annual GDP

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has released the results of a year-long Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study. The report, which began as a partnership between Kimley-Horn and TDOT, zeros in on the economic impact of public-use airports statewide.

In the report TDOT revealed that public-use airports contribute $40 billion to the state’s economy, comprising 11 percent of Tennessee’s GDP. Around $12 billion annually is brought in by the airports throughout the state with visitors spending comprising $8.6 billion annually. The vast majority of the $40 billion in revenue comes in the form of freight and cargo, which makes up a little over $19.2 billion.

“A safe, secure, efficient, and resilient aviation system is essential to our state’s physical, economic, and social health,” said Michelle Frazier, director of TDOT’s Aeronautics Division. “This report recognizes aviation as a driver of the economy, including economic recovery.”

Throughout the state, TDOT found close to 7 million out-of-state visitors traveled through one of Tennessee’s 78 airports. The airport system statewide supports 220,936 jobs and 450 businesses.

“Tennessee’s 78 public-use airports are critical components of the state’s transportation network, linking and providing access to regional, national, and global transportation systems,” said TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright.

For their report TDOT divided the state into four sections. Memphis International Airport falls into region 4, which was the second most profitable out of the four total regions. The Memphis International Airport alone brought in $6.4 billion, while the General DeWitt Spain Airport in north Memphis brought in another $31.6 million for the state. The Memphis International Airport is also the nation’s busiest cargo airport due to housing FedEx’s Express Global Hub.

Memphis International Airport is undergoing a remodel and modernization project that would add in much-needed consolidation and structural improvements.

The full report can be read on TDOT’s website.

Categories
News News Blog

UTHSC Sued in First Amendment Case on “Sexual” Social Posts

CREDIT: Kimberly Diei UTHSC Student Courtesy of FIRE

Kimberly Diei UTHSC Student Courtesy of FIRE

A University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) pharmacy student sued the university in federal court this week, alleging it violated her First Amendment rights for “crude” and “sexual” social media posts. 

Kimberly Diei filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the school Wednesday with help from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). The move came after the student was reprimanded by the school for some of her social posts, including comments on a trending discussion on Twitter about the song “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

In September 2019, a month after enrolling at UTHSC, the school received an anonymous complaint about Diei’s Instagram and Twitter accounts — and that she was now under investigation for that content, according to FIRE.

Diei went before the college’s Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). Although her accounts are operated under an alias, the committee said that she violated university policies because her posts were “crude” and “sexual.” The Professional Conduct Committee never told Diei exactly which school policies she violated nor which posts were in question, according to FIRE.

Kimberly Diei UTHSC Student Courtesy of FIRE

“It’s just a matter of time before they come back for another investigation into my expression on social media,” said Diei, who is seeking her doctorate in pharmacy with an emphasis on nuclear pharmacy. 

Diei is backed by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).  Diei’s suit argues that colleges cannot arbitrarily police a student’s personal expression outside of school and by doing so, violates her First Amendment rights.

“UT spied on my social media activity — activity that has no bearing on my success as a pharmacist or my education. I can be a successful and professional pharmacist as well as a strong woman that embraces her sexuality. The two are not mutually exclusive,” says Diei. 

Diei was required to write a letter reflecting on her behavior. She agreed, although she had reservations about the policy violating her First Amendment rights.

“It’s so important to me to just have my voice, because people that look like me are often told ‘be quiet, stay in the back,’ and that just does not suit my personality,” Diei said. “I’m not asking for approval. I’m asking for respect.”

August 2020, less than a year later, the committee investigated Diei again. They presented screenshots from her social media accounts. In one tweet, Diei contributed to a trending discussion on Twitter about the song “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, suggesting lyrics for a possible remix. In another, Diei referenced a popular Beyoncé song.

“The First Amendment protects the right of students to suggest lyrics for a Cardi B remix on Twitter and Instagram. Period,” said FIRE attorney Greg H. Greubel. “Kim is an authentic and successful woman, and FIRE believes that it is important to show the public that students like Kim are capable of being successful professionals while also being free to personally express themselves on social media. Kim is standing up for every American who hopes to have a personal life in addition to their professional life.”

A UTHSC official said Friday the school does not comment on pending litigation.

Categories
News News Blog

Pay It Forward Campaign Boosts Hospitality Worker Relief Fund

The six-week-long Pay It Forward Mid-South campaign, which raised $473,721 for restaurant, hospitality, and service industry workers, has ended.

The volunteer driven effort sought contributions to the Mid-South COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.

All donations from December 21, 2020 through January 31, 2021 went directly to financial assistance for hospitality and service industry workers. The proceeds were split evenly between Welcome to Memphis and the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association.  

The volunteer leaders were Dr. Reginald Coopwood, president and CEO of Regional One Health, and his wife, Erica Stiff-Coopwood. The campaign was supported by 244 individual and company donors. 


Since it was started last March, the Fund has given $4.9 million to 138 distinct organizations for relief, recovery, and resiliency efforts. It continues to take donations for these other efforts. More information is here.