Month: April 2025

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News News Blog News Feature

xAI Air Permit Decision ‘Could Take Weeks’

Elon Musk. Photo by Trevor Cokley / Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Shelby County Health Department’s (SCHD) decision as to whether or not they will grant air permits for xAI’s gas turbines could take weeks, officials said.

During Wednesday’s Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting, Kasia Smith-Alexander, deputy director of SCHD, said that as the public comment period closes, the agency’s next step is to respond to the comment. 

“To give you a timeline on when or if a decision will be made on that permit — probably weeks out, I don’t want to put a date on it,” Smith-Alexander said. 

She noted that on Friday the health department held a public hearing regarding the permits, and since then they had received about 300 additional comments.

Officials said the permit is only for 15 permanent turbines, and not 35, which the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) brought attention to in a letter to Michelle Taylor, director and health officer for the Shelby County Health Department.

At the commission’s  hospitals and health committee meeting, Commissioner Erika Sugarmon sponsored a resolution that asks for an update from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) regarding the “remaining steps and time necessary to connect xAI to the local utility grid.” 

The resolution requests that this update be given by June 1

Smith-Alexander said the permanent turbines are supposed to go on the grid “at some point in time.”

The commissioner said her original intent was to have a six-month moratorium for the operation of the turbines, but was informed this would be a request and not a requirement of the health department.

Megan Smith, a staff member of the county attorney’s office, said there is no legal definition of moratorium “in this process as defined by law.”

“This body only has authority that is granted to it by law,” Smith said. “There is no authority to issue a moratorium on this process.”

Sugarmon went on record and requested that the public comment period be extended as TVA, MLGW, and the Chamber of Commerce have not come before the commission to provide updates on the grid. She also asked for a list of people who signed NDAs

While elected officials are working to stop the turbines, this has not stopped the public from asking the health department to deny the permits.

“We call on Shelby County Health Director Dr. Michelle Taylor and Mayor Lee Harris to deny the permit and shut the xAI plant down,” Rep. Justin J. Pearson said before a “Deny the Permit Rally” held Wednesday. “xAI is poisoning our air, and we are organizing to stop it. We want less pollution, not more. Our health is not for sale.”

Orion Overstreet, a University of Memphis student organizer, said they are watching and researching and promised to keep showing up on the issue.

“The young folks in the city are coming together around this issue,” Overstreet said. “We have all eyes on this right now.”

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

FOOD NEWS BITES: Tops Now Offers Bar-B-Que Quesadillas

Tops’ new Bar-B-Que Quesadilla hits the spot. (Photo: Devin Clegg)

Tops Bar-B-Q & Burgers is becoming known for more and more items. Over the years, they’ve added everything from turkey burgers to fire-braised chicken to smoked bologna.

Now the Memphis-based chain, which began in 1952, has a new slogan: “We put the que in quesadilla.”

Tops recently introduced it’s Bar-B-Que Quesadilla. And, trust me, it’s incredibly delicious. I tried the pork quesadilla as well as the chicken quesadilla the other day. I’ve still got to try the beef brisket one. I can’t wait.

I asked Tops executive Hunter Brown to describe their quesadilla. “It’s a flour tortilla put on our flattop,” he says. “We added our smoked chopped barbecue pork shoulder, diced onions, diced tomatoes, a generous portion of melted cheese, and our Sweet and Saucy sauce. And a little bit of some of our barbecue rub on that.”

The sandwich comes with a cup of Tops original Smokehouse Ranch. “We have two types of sauce that go with the quesadilla,” says Tops executive Randy Hough. “Smokehouse Ranch is one that includes ranch, but we blend it with our hot sauce and some other spices.”

Hough describes the Tops quesadilla as “a fresh hand-held option that resonates with today’s diners.”

They came up with the idea a couple of years ago, he says. “It was in the early planning stages. We weren’t ready for that yet. There were other things we had to do. Get things out. Like chicken.”

About six months ago, they went full throttle on the quesadilla.

In addition to its delectable flavor, I like the fact this Tops offering is so big. The two halves of the quesadilla really filled me up. I also ordered it as a combo with beans and slaw. That was a lot of food. I feel like I had a feast.

“It’s not our first venture into creative offerings,” Hough says. They’ve also introduced, among other things, the fire-braised chicken sandwich and smoked barbecue bologna. “Both are receiving positive feedback.”

The Tops quesadilla “continues this trend.”

They’d like to introduce a new item “every few months if possible. Create some buzz.” They want to encourage customers to “try something new.”

They wanted a “a hand-held option you can grab and go” as well as sit down and eat it at the restaurant, Hough says.

Tops’ new Bar-B-Que Quesadilla (Photo: Jay Adkins)

I’ve eaten many a jumbo pulled pork sandwich dripping with sauce in my truck. As Tops likes to say, “If you’re not using a napkin, we probably didn’t do something right,” Hough says.

Lately, I’ve been ordering the jumbo Tops pulled chicken sandwich. I ask for it with slaw and mild sauce, just like a pulled pork sandwich. And since I’ve been going to Tops since the 1950s, I remember when all you could get really was barbecue and hamburgers.

I asked Hough if they might consider introducing other ethnic foods, like maybe something from India, now that they have quesadillas. “We don’t want to stray too far from who we are and what guests know us for,” he says.

The Tops Bar-B-Que Quesadilla “is designed to appeal to everyone. But I’d say the reason quesadillas do so well is we can still stay true to our core. To barbecue. Our smoked meats. We’re using our barbecue sauce. Our rub. And you can’t do that with every food group.”

But, Hough adds, “I don’t think I’d say no to that.”

Tops introduces its Bar-B-Que Quesadilla. (Photo: Courtesy Tops Bar-B-Que & Burgers)
Categories
News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Clayborn Temple, He Did It, Zoom Over the Zoo

Posted to Facebook by Jerred Price / Courtesy of Raymond Chiozza Photography

Memphis on the internet.

Clayborn Temple

Clayborn Temple was lost to flames Sunday. The church was a civil rights landmark undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation. The cause of the fire was not yet shared with the public as of press time. 

He Did It

Posted to Facebook by Benny Elbows

Comedian Benny Elbows broke the world record for longest stand-up comedy show at the Hi Tone last weekend. He started close to 6 a.m. last Friday and told jokes for 40-plus hours, ending his show after 10 p.m. last Saturday. Sunday night, Elbows said on Facebook, “I’m awake and I went to Costco.” 

Zoom Over the Zoo

Posted to Instagram by Memphis Zoo

The Memphis Zoo’s new Zoomazing Race: Predator vs. Predator, a thrilling dual zip line ride, opened last weekend.

“Like many leading zoos across the country, we are evolving to offer dynamic experiences that appeal to all types of guests, from wildlife enthusiasts to thrill seekers,” the zoo said in an Instagram post.

A single ride is $10 but rides are also available in certain ticket and membership packages. 

Categories
Fun Stuff Metaphysical Connection

Metaphysical Connection: This Year’s Numerology

The number nine is humanitarian at heart. (Photo: Irinayeryomina | Dreamstime.com)

This year — 2025 — is a nine year. In January, I wrote a column that touched on some of the astrological and numerical predictions for 2025. One of the things I do to help me “get a read” on the year is to find out what the tarot card for the year is and learn about the Chinese astrology for the year ahead. I’ve been thinking about this year’s tarot card and numerology for a long time — long before 2025 was here. And like most things in life, it is a mixed bag.

This year marches to a different tarot beat than 2024 did. The tarot card for 2024 was Strength, but 2025 will be ruled by The Hermit card. The Hermit is card number nine in tarot. This card invites introspection. Instead of pushing forward, it advocates for a strategic withdrawal, a pause for self-reflection and understanding.

The energy of the number nine represents completion, but not necessarily finality. Think of it more in a cyclical sense; it’s about the ending of one cycle and the potential it creates for another cycle to begin. The nine in numerology acts as an usher in this process of transition or transformation, guiding and empowering us with its wisdom.

This number is humanitarian at heart. It is compassionate, kind, and intent on putting its efforts toward creating the greatest good. In numerology, nine has gone through its fair share of hardship and is wiser, stronger, and more aware as a result. These first-hand experiences make it especially understanding of others who are struggling and willing to provide valuable support.

The number nine in tarot brings all of the energies of the previous numbers to a culmination. The transformation from the spiritual to the tangible that took place in the number eight finally settles itself into something real. This is where we see the consequences of all the energies that were set into motion. Nine is typically seen as a trinity of threes: the first stage of creation was established in three, then consciousness was harmonized in six, and finally we see the realization in the nine.

Nine is three times three, thrice the power of creation, bringing the process of creation to its result. It is a number that brings the beginning and the end together. Nine is actually where the journey of numbers in tarot wraps up.

The four nines of the minor arcana represent the final stage of action, reflection, thoughts, and deeds of the four suits. It heralds the end of a cycle and the natural winding down or closing stages of a period of your life. This does not mean that the situation is over and done with or gone forever. It means that it has run its natural course and is the peak of all you have done.

The four minor arcana suits enter a spring cleaning mode when you get to the number nine. This is a time to carefully sift through all that they have accumulated on their journey or cycle. You must be quite ruthless about certain things because not everything can be taken forward into their new cycle. You should only take what you discovered to be useful and valuable, and of course what has extreme sentimental or emotional attachment. There must be a thorough cleansing of the mind, body, emotions, and spirit before moving into the next cycle.

Many people do not like change. As humans, we have a tendency to fear the unknown and we never know what is on the other side of change. I hate it as much as the next person, but change is necessary. Change is the only constant. Without change, without endings, life would be very stagnant. Even when we don’t like change, even when we fight it, it can be good for us. Perhaps now is the time to let go of the things you’ve been fighting to hold on to. If we can let go, and embrace the change, something good will come of it. Easier said than done, I know. But it’s going to happen anyway, so we might as well make it easy on ourselves. 

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Take It From an Old Friend: Papa’s Pimento Cheese 

Trey Jordan with his Papa’s pimento cheese (Photo: Courtesy Trey Jordan)

If you don’t know already, Papa’s pimento cheese is one of your old friends. And it’s also a friend of Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson, who just announced his endorsement.

It’s the old Holiday Deli & Ham Co. — “Holiday Ham” for short — pimento cheese, says Trey Jordan, founder, president, and CEO of Pimentos Brands, which makes the cheese.

“Papa” is his dad, Don Jordan, his Holiday Ham co-founder. “Dad and I started it together in 1993. … We had four sandwiches on the menu to start with: mom’s tuna fish salad, dad’s pimento cheese, a ham sandwich, and a turkey sandwich. And we sold spiral sliced hams.”

Their first store was located at Poplar Avenue and Perkins Road, but the business quickly grew. “At one time I had as many as 10 stores.” That included the since-closed Pimento Burgers Bar & Grill.

Willie Robertson and Trey Jordan (Photo: Courtesy Trey Jordan)

They chose the name “Holiday” because they celebrated a lot “around the Jordan house,” Trey says. “We used to say, ‘Make everyday be a holiday.’”

Holiday Ham became a Memphis institution. It was “around for a long time and had good success and a great run until Covid hit.”

Their customer base had been “people going to the office and going to lunch. Moms would come by, back in the day. We were the first fast-casual restaurant in Memphis.”

Customers still came by after they locked their doors during the pandemic. “We had people banging on our doors [for pimento cheese]. So we figured it out and slid it through the window.”

Everything changed after Covid. “Office workers didn’t return,” he says. “We had to close all our stores down and close the business after a 30-year run.”

But they soon discovered Holiday Ham pimento cheese wasn’t going down without a fight. A group of local business people told him, “You’re a Memphis legacy we don’t want to see stopped.” 

Papa’s pimento cheese evolved from the simple type of pimento cheese his dad knew as a child. “My dad grew up in rural Kosciusko, Mississippi. He grew up with pimento cheese, but he was born in 1929. Pimento cheese back then was a poor man’s food.”

People made it out of “some cheese in the fridge, some mayonnaise.” The idea back then was, “Let’s extend the food we had on the shelves.” But he and his dad thought, “There might be a better way to make pimento cheese.”

They now use two premier aged cheddar cheeses along with their secret spices. Kroger added Papa’s pimento cheese in 2020. They’re now in about 100 Krogers as well as other grocery store chains, including Albertsons, Tom Thumb, and Central Market. “We’re in eight states and growing. We’ve had some huge meetings. People are really excited about us.”

They currently sell three types of pimento cheese: Original, Jalapeño, Fiesta, and the soon-to-be released Smokehouse.

Jordan wanted Robertson to endorse Papa’s pimento cheese. “I think Willie has a tongue-in-cheek way about him. But Willie is all about family, all about his faith. And they’re always sitting around eating together. … When he tasted our product, he loved it.”

In a press release, Robertson is quoted as saying, “I tasted their pimento cheese, and I was sold on it immediately. This has that perfect Southern kick with every bite.”

Trey’s dad is 95 years old. “Still doing great. But, of course, he’s not in the business anymore.”

As for branching out into other products, Trey says, “We’re going to go in the ‘Dips, Spreads, and Sauces’ category, so a chicken salad spread potentially is down the road. Anything that fits in that bucket as we expand.”

Trey has no intention of opening a Papa’s pimento cheese restaurant. But he might partner with an existing chain. “I’ll sell it to Chick-fil-A and let them put it on their sandwich.”

For now, Trey really wants everyone to try Papa’s pimento cheese. “I think it’s the best cheese out there,” he says. “Most people say, ‘What do you put in this stuff? It’s an addiction.’ … People just love it. After you eat it the first time, you generally stick with us.” 

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

A Tragic Loss

(Photo: Jack Boucher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

As I do every morning, I checked my phone on Monday for early-morning messages and overnight news. To say I was shocked by one piece of news would be an understatement. The venerable Clayborn Temple, where we then-serving members of the Rotary Club of Memphis shifted our weekly meetings for the run-up year to the 2018 MLK commemoration, was gone, consumed by fire. 

The sense of devastation and irredeemable loss was widely shared. One of those reacting was Anasa Troutman, the founder and executive director of Historic Clayborn Temple and founder and CEO of The Big We. Here is an excerpt from a statement she issued: “Early this morning, our beloved Historic Clayborn Temple — a sacred landmark in our city and our nation — suffered a devastating loss due to a fire. Our hearts are heavy with grief. For decades, Clayborn and the iconic I AM A MAN signs born in its basement have stood as an international beacon of resilience, faith, and the work to build beloved communities. It is a living testament of our past sacrifices and our future hope.

“Clayborn’s true spirit was never in the walls alone. It lives in us. Even as we mourn, we must remember: Resilience is our birthright, but so is the space to grieve. Our ancestors endured, grieved, rebuilt, and transcended unimaginable losses. We will do the same.”

Troutman’s statement is followed here by another, recovered from a time of hope, this one including excerpts from a press release written by me in 2017 for the Rotary Club’s imminent venture to inhabit the church, then undergoing restoration, for a season of remembrance and resolve. It explains much about both the club’s purpose and the importance, bordering on sacred, of the venue:

With the MLK commemoration then only months away, Arthur Oliver, Rotary’s then-president, explained: “Our move is meant to help bring attention to the historical importance that Clayborn Temple played in the Civil Rights Movement as our city approaches the 50th anniversary of the sanitation workers’ strike in April.”

That vintage press release continues: “At 124 years old [now 131 years old], Clayborn Temple is already listed as a local architectural treasure on the National Register of Historic Places. Earlier this year [again, in 2017], the temple received additional national recognition from the National Park Service for its historical importance as the central meeting place for the sanitation workers during their strike that took place in February through April of 1968.

“Located at the northeast corner of Hernando and Pontotoc, the temple sits just south of the FedExForum. Second Presbyterian Church constructed the building in 1893. ‘When it first opened, it was the largest church building in America south of the Ohio River,’ explained Rob Thompson, with Clayborn Reborn, a nonprofit group then working on Clayborn Temple’s restoration. 

“As the Memphis city limits moved eastward in the 1930s and 1940s, so did the church’s congregation. When Second Presbyterian decided to move to its present location in east Memphis, it sold the building in 1949 to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. The new congregation then renamed the building after their bishop, Jim Clayborn.

“During the 1960s, Clayborn Temple continued as a house of worship for its congregation but it also began to serve as an important central meeting place for the Civil Rights Movement. But it was during the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike that Clayborn earned its recognition as a place of national significance for the part it played as the headquarters for the striking sanitation workers and their supporters and as a starting point for the strikers to assemble before their solidarity marches. Dr. Martin Luther King visited the temple on multiple occasions during the strike, and it was at Clayborn that the ‘I AM A MAN’ signs were indeed first distributed.”

This week’s catastrophe may have gutted the structure, but the spirit housed within survives and the work continues. 

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We Recommend We Saw You

We Saw You: Love Food Hate Waste

Marie Dennan, Mike Larrivee, and Cristina McCarter (Photos: Michael Donahue)

People helped the environment by attending Love Food Hate Waste, which was held Friday, April 11th, at Memphis Made Brewing Co. at The Ravine.

Gary and Barbara Sysaka

Chad, Albert, Oscar, and
Leah Getchel

Winston, Will Smith, and
Ilaria Pisoni
Dreisy Aguilera, Lindsey Jenkins,
Lance Willinger, and Alex Smith
Amber Lipford

George Abbott and
Shaleen Ragha

Kimberly Bolan and
Kurt Kaiser
Brian and Ali Manning

The event, hosted by Project Green Fork during Food Waste Week, included food trivia, prizes, and two food trucks, Flipside Asia and Good Groceries. Project Green Fork notes on their website that “we waste up to 40 percent of food grown for human consumption. Most of this food ends up in landfills where it gives off methane gas that is driving climate change. Additionally, in Memphis nearly one in five residents is food insecure. We’re throwing away the solution to two problems and creating new ones.”

Lance and Traci Denton
Gerald Jarrett
Danielle and Jordan Trask

Marie Dennan and
Patrick Gridley

Steph Rollan,
Kathleen Quinlan, and Caroline Norris
Natasha Mayton

According to information sent by Project Green Fork program consultant Ali Manning, Love Food Hate Waste is “a free, interactive event designed to engage the community in fun, educational activities focused on reducing food waste. The event will feature three rounds of food waste trivia, a culinary demo using surplus ingredients, and a volunteer recognition.”

Categories
At Large Opinion

A Toenail Is Better

Photo: Spiroview Inc. | Dreamstime.com

“‘Stink for a dime’ is an idiom that means to be extremely bad, unpleasant, or worthless. It’s often used to describe something that is so poor in quality or value that it’s not even worth the low cost of a dime.”

Who among us has not fallen back on that popular saying, “stink for a dime”? It comes in handy now and then, right? What? You’ve never heard anyone say that? Well … okay, you got me. No one ever says that. My friend and former Flyer colleague Chris Davis made it up, along with several other original “idioms,” including “A toenail is better,” “Too foggy to fart,” and “All nines and 14s.” 

Davis decided to challenge Google’s AI capabilities by typing random phrases in the search bar and asking what they meant. Like an unprepared seventh-grader called out in class by his teacher, Google’s AI just started, well, making up total crap. 

Take AI’s response to another of Davis’ invented idioms — “All nines and 14s” — which according to Google’s AI, is “a common expression used to describe a situation where all the digits or a percentage are either 9 or 14. It’s most commonly used in the context of high availability and reliability.” What? A toenail is better!

Imagine relying on this resource to do research or to write a term paper. Unfortunately, it’s being done all the time. Recently, I had a conversation with an Ole Miss professor who told me it’s an endemic practice among students, most of whom soon find out that their professors are easily able to catch them at it. There’s too much “AI slop.”

What’s AI slop? Funny you should ask. I typed that phrase into Google’s search bar and got this: “AI slop is essentially mass-produced, low-quality content that floods online spaces like social media, blogs, and search results. It often lacks substance, is generic or repetitive, and may not be harmful but is of little value. In essence, ‘AI slop’ highlights the potential downsides of relying on AI for content creation, particularly when speed and quantity are prioritized over quality and purpose.” In other words, it’s too foggy to fart.

Even so, it’s projected that $644 billion will be spent globally in 2025 to further develop artificial intelligence technologies. Companies such Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Google, and xAI are in a frantic race to build and expand AI data centers and infrastructure. Here in Memphis, Elon Musk’s Colossus AI development is using unpermitted gas turbines with little to no pushback from local authorities. And it’s not just in Memphis. Similar construction projects from other AI developers are stressing water resources and power grids all around the planet.

So what is the ultimate prize in this expensive and environmentally destructive contest? Why are companies spending such enormous amounts of money on AI development? AI systems are designed to analyze data, identify patterns, and automate processes, the aim being to create intelligence that can adapt and learn from its environment, much like humans. But where’s the profit going to come from? None of these companies are developing AI for altruistic reasons.

As AI currently exists, it can automate certain tasks and processes and automate customer service (whether the latter is “progress” is debatable), manage inventory, and even drive vehicles. Google says AI has also been useful in the fields of medicine, engineering, and materials science. But costs still far outweigh profits for AI developers.

Some analysts say the big payoff could potentially come from AGI (artificial general intelligence), a still-hypothetical evolution of AI that would have human-level cognitive abilities, allowing it to solve problems in a wide range of domains without specific training and adapt to new situations and contexts — presumably without making up crap, which is what happens now when AI encounters a problem for which it hasn’t been “trained.”

Musk calls his xAI chatbot “Grok,” a term coined by Robert Heinlein in his 1961 novel, Stranger in a Strange Land. It’s from a mythical Martian language and means to “empathize or communicate sympathetically.” Which is ironic, since Musk recently said that “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy,” while likening Social Security to a “Ponzi scheme.” That’s also a term some critics have used to describe the burgeoning investments in AI. If you ask me, it all sounds like it might stink for a dime. 

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Memphis Is My Boyfriend: Clubbing in Memphis

From tasting rum to sewing, these clubs offer fun for everyone. (Photos: Patricia Lockhart)

I am deviating from our regularly scheduled program to tell you all about some fantastic clubs I’m involved in. As an adult, I feel it is extremely important to not give up on the concept of play. Our daily lives can be bombarded with responsibilities and adulting, even to the point of forgetting that we are grown and don’t have to ask our mommies for permission to play with our friends. I refuse to settle for a life that keeps me so busy that I cannot enjoy thriving. So here are a few clubs I’m involved in and a short list of clubs that I wish existed! 

Memphis Rum Club

Yes, you read that right and it is NOT a typo. I am a member of the Memphis RUM Club. We do not run, whatsoever! I was in the middle of a hypnotic scroll on Instagram when I came across one of their posts and was immediately intrigued. I clicked on their profile and soon found myself signing up to join. My first meeting was at Mary’s B.O.T.E. in Midtown. I had an opportunity to sample the highlighted rum of the night, ask a ton of questions (because I knew next to nothing about rum), and even got some really nice swag. Ever since, I have not missed a meeting! And why would I? I get to learn about new rums and sample them. I’ve also made two new friends, Kelly and Michael. Hi, y’all!

The 901 Readers’ Collective, aka Silent Book Club, and the Raleigh Library Book Club

I am a member of several book clubs in Memphis, and I read all of their books. I do not, however, actually attend many book club meetings. I’m easily irked when I attend a book club meeting and we spend less than 15 minutes discussing the book. I’m also easily irked when I am at a book club meeting and end up reading another book or searching for my next book because no one is talking about the book we gathered to discuss. (Oh, and leaving once the book discussion is completed is also frowned upon.) So, yeah, I only actually attend two book clubs: 901 Silent Book Club and the Raleigh Library Book Club. 

At the Raleigh Library Book Club, we actually talk about the book the entire time! A full hour of book discussion! Each member gets a chance to take the lead on selecting our next book and leading the discussion. Recently, we’ve read The Troop by Nick Cutter, Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill. We even had a Book Bachelor event and added 3D-printed roses to our books! This club is awesome. Our next meeting is May 20th. For more information, check out the Memphis Public Libraries website.

Sometimes, I want to be in the presence of people, but not “peopling” with them. I know I’m not alone in feeling like this. The 901 Readers’ Collective, aka Silent Book Club, is the perfect club. This club meets at different locations around the city, and there is no assigned reading. You simply show up with your book, sign in, and begin reading. There’s a brief break where you can share what you’re reading with those around you, but it’s not necessary. It’s the perfect opportunity to be social while quietly reading your book. Heaven.

Sidenote: I also enjoy the Fit4Mom Book Club, but I haven’t been able to attend a meetup due to scheduling. 

Other clubs I’m a part of:

• Sewing and Crochet Club: I love to sew, knit, and crochet. My kids sometimes call them my old lady crafts. We meet on Saturdays at the Raleigh Library. All information can be found on their website. I’m also thinking about hosting a Summer Beginner’s Sewing Club class. Thoughts?

• Supper Club Memphis: I’ve recently joined them and can’t wait until my first meetup. I love a well-dressed, good time with food!

Clubs I wish existed:

• Tea and Biscuits Club: We meet and drink a variety of teas paired with cookies.

• Cozy Video Game Club: We meet and discuss the current cozy video games we’re playing. We also share any tips and tricks we might have. Those with portable gaming devices are welcome to bring them and play, too.

• Nature Walk Club: We take nature walks through the woods. But the walks shouldn’t be too long; otherwise, it’ll become a hiking club and I’ll be tempted to quit.

• Painters’ Club: We bring our painting supplies to a location and paint whatever we want. We can also share techniques with each other. 

• Kickball Club: Let’s be clear, I am not good at kickball. But I will be a freaking delight to have on your team! 

Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. By day, she’s an assistant principal and writer, but by night … she’s asleep.

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 05/01/25

It’s Good to Have a Hobby?

After authorities in Keene, New Hampshire, arrested Kelli Tedford, 23, on Feb. 21 for urinating on a variety of grocery products at the Monadnock Food Co-op, they discovered that her odd hobby goes back at least four years. NBC News reported that Tedford tainted produce and other items to the tune of $1,500 for the groceries and cleanup. Then police found online videos dating back to 2021 depicting Tedford in multiple locations, relieving herself on produce, surfaces, and other objects. She was charged with felony criminal mischief and released on her own recognizance — so she was able to piddle in public until her April 7, court date. [NBC News, 2/25/2025]

Alarming Headline

Mitchell Ring and his wife Jennifer Colin were flying from Melbourne, Australia, to Doha, Qatar, in mid-February when another passenger on their flight collapsed and died, The New York Times reported. The crew tried to revive the woman, but eventually opted to put her body in a wheelchair and tried to move it to business class, Ring said — but the chair wouldn’t fit up the aisle. That’s when Ring, who was sharing a four-seat row with Colin, was asked to move over so they could place the deceased woman in the seat next to him. Colin ended up moving to a different row: “I’m not a great flyer at the best of times,” she said. Ring endured the four remaining hours of the flight sitting next to the corpse, which was covered by a blanket. The International Air Transport Association confirmed that the flight attendants did the right thing; the deceased should be covered and strapped in with a seatbelt. [New York Times, 2/26/2025]

Least Competent Criminals

• Some people just can’t shut up. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Feb. 25 that it had settled a case of illegal possession of remains of an endangered species, KCRA-TV reported. The investigation began in late 2023 when two plainclothes CDFW officers were on a flight and struck up a conversation with a couple seated near them. The couple admitted to having a green sea turtle skull in their luggage — a species that is endangered and illegal to possess and transport in the U.S. The couple went on to brag about having taken a mountain lion, protected in California, and a family member’s possession of multiple taxidermied mountain lions, a wolverine, and wolves. After landing, the officers filed search warrants on the couple’s home in Chico, as well as the family member’s home in Napa. The searches turned up more illegal species. All three defendants reached plea deals and were convicted of various violations. [KCRA, 2/26/2025]

• Evelina Fabianski, 18, was looking for revenge (and the return of $700 she said she was owed) on Feb. 26 when she “decided to spray-paint and throw eggs at what she thought was [her ex-boyfriend’s] car,” said Volusia County (Florida) Sheriff’s deputies. Unfortunately, ClickOrlando.com reported, the car she and a minor friend covered with bright yellow paint belonged to a neighbor. Damage to the car amounted to about $5,000; Fabianski was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of alcohol under age 21, and DUI. [ClickOrlando.com, 2/26/2025]

Crème de la Weird

In early February, the BBC reported on Feb. 26, doctors at the AIIMS hospital in Delhi, India, removed a 15kg parasitic twin from the abdomen of a 17-year-old boy. Parasitic twins form when one fetus partially develops while attached to the other. The young man had two fully formed legs, a pelvis, buttocks, and external genitalia protruding from his abdomen. Because of his condition, he had not been able to travel or do any physical activity, and he dropped out of school at the eighth grade. “A new world has opened up to me,” he said. The parasitic limbs were able to feel pain and changes in temperature. It took a team of doctors just two and a half hours to complete the surgery, and the patient has not experienced any complications. Dr. Asuri Krishna, who led the surgery, said, “Only 40 to 50 cases of parasitic twins have been documented in world medical literature.” [BBC, 2/26/2025]

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