Wizard’s will close next month.
The “world famous” Memphis head shop announced the news on Instagram Thursday morning.
“After many decades of serving Memphis and the Mid-South, it’s time for us to close our doors,” reads the post. “Thank you for all of your support over the years. Come see us for our closing sales every weekend now through February 4th. EVERYTHING MUST GO!”
A phone call to Wizard’s was unanswered Thursday morning.
This story will be updated with details as they emerge.
Memphis on the internet.
Mayor Young
Paul Young took the city’s top job last week in an uplifting inauguration ceremony.
“The past doesn’t matter,” Young said after he was sworn in. “The future is all we’re thinking about right now. Partisanship doesn’t matter. The future of our young babies is all we’re thinking about right now.”
Big (But Fun) Typo
Mighty Lights was busy this holiday season with tributes to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, police officers, and more. Its year-end message was to read “HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024.” Deadrick DeShoun Moring Sr. posted a video showing it read 2023 instead of 2024. We’re like same same.
Tsunami
Tsunami owner Ben Smith toasted Kevin Sullivan’s last shift at the Cooper-Young restaurant this week. Sullivan started as a dishwasher at Tsunami in 2002 and worked his way up to head chef. He’s leaving the restaurant to start his own restaurant, Ki Kitchen, in the Edge District.
Memphis on the internet.
The winner
Reddit user u/notanotheraibot wins the MEMernet this year with a high-quality meme featuring Hitler finding out his favorite Memphis pizza place was not treated well in a Reddit poll.
Runner up
Richie Esquivel posted a sad/hilarious photo of a dead raccoon painted over by a road crew laying new traffic stripes on Getwell. The Facebook post went around the world, picked up by The Guardian, the New York Post, and more.
“#notmyjob,” he wrote. “Memphis, Tennessee, baby. But Getwell Road looked real nice, tho.”
Tyre’s Memphis
Hundreds of thousands found the photography website for Tyre Nichols.
“My name is Tyre D. Nichols. I am an aspiring photographer,” he wrote. “Well, I mostly do this stuff for fun but I enjoy it very much. Photography helps me look at the world in a more creative way. It expresses me in ways I cannot write down for people.”
Memphis on the internet.
Happy holidays!
The holiday season is in full bloom all over Memphis. Events across town — new and old — celebrated with bright lights and merry made.
Crosstown Concourse celebrated with tubas playing host to the 50th anniversary of TUBACHRISTMAS. It sounds exactly like you think.
Zoo Lights drew throngs to the Memphis Zoo for wonder, s’mores by the fire (like above), and a walk through the giant tunnel of lights.
Speaking of wonder, Memphis Botanic Garden brought it again this year with its Holiday Wonders exhibit. Yes, it did make the season merry and bright.
Deck the Diamond is a brand-new entrant to the Memphis holiday spectacle. It brought so many to AutoZone Park for lights and all the rest but also ice-skating on the field and fireworks.
A bill filed for the 2024 session of the Tennessee General Assembly would make “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” the first official holiday song of Tennessee.
Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville) filed the bill Wednesday morning to mark the official designation of the Christmas staple by Brenda Lee. She was a longtime Nashvillian, and the first woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Lee was 13 when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958.
The song was recorded in the heart of Nashville’s Music Row at Quonset Hut Studio and produced by Owen Bradly.
However, the song was written by Johnny Marks, who seemingly had no connection to Tennessee. He specialized in Christmas songs, although he was Jewish and did not celebrate Christmas, according to Wikipedia. Marks wrote “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver and Gold,” and many others.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” topped the Billboard Hot 100 this week for the very first time, 65 years after its release — the longest stretch ever between a record release and hitting No. 1, according to Powell. This made Lee the oldest person ever to hit No. 1 on the chart.
“Brenda Lee is a music icon and a true Tennessee treasure,” Powell said in a statement. “Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ has spread holiday joy throughout the world for decades and we are proud her No. 1 song was made in Nashville.
“I am thrilled to introduce my legislation to make the beloved ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ by Brenda Lee the first official holiday song of Tennessee. I look forward to passing ‘Rockin’’ around the Capitol floor in 2024.”
Tennessee has 10 official state songs, including “Rocky Top,” “A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996,” and “Smoky Mountain Rain.” Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” was made an official state song this year. However, Tennessee has no official state holiday song.
Memphis on the internet.
Marathon Weekend
The St. Jude Memphis Marathon drew throngs to the streets here last weekend with unbelievable sights like the one above on Riverside Drive.
More than 20,000 from 50 states and 75 countries ran this year. The marathon raised a record $15 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and brought an estimated $43 million in economic impact for the city.
Ribs? Yes, but …
X user @slow_school posted this piece of AI art with the caption, “Who wants some ribs?” It’s cool but disturbing in a way that’s hard to explain.
Meteor?
Over the weekend, many Memphis Reddit users reported seeing “a very bright white flare that shot straight down and turned more greenish as it fell.” It was most likely a meteor, according to the consensus in the comments. Redditors said they saw it from Arkansas, Midtown, and the Memphis Botanic Garden.
“The spaceship was found in a parking lot near 4th and Beale,” joked u/FedexRebel, “but it’s already been stripped of its landing gear, rocket boosters, and luggage.”
Memphis in May International Festival (MIM) president and CEO Jim Holt will retire January 31st, 2024, the festival announced Tuesday.
MIM Chief Financial Officer and executive vice president Mack Weaver will assume the role on an interim basis on February 1st, 2024.
Holt took the reins of the organization as executive director in October 1998, helming MIM for more than 25 years.
“I have been contemplating retirement for a few years, but I wanted to help guide the organization through the unforeseen challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as our displacement and eventual return to Tom Lee Park and the riverfront,” Holt said in a letter to MIM chairman Al Gossett. “Having turned 65 this year and with a clear path forward for Memphis in May, it seems like the right time to pass the baton to our next leader.
“It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve Memphis in May. Together with our remarkable team, board leadership, and the hundreds of dedicated volunteers and supporters throughout this organization, we have achieved significant milestones and navigated both challenges and triumphs.
“I am incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished together. I have full confidence in our capable team and leadership, who will continue to guide Memphis in May toward even greater success in the future.”
Holt’s retirement comes after attendance and revenue slumps for the organization’s 2023 events, which MIM blamed largely on the renovated Tom Lee Park. MIM put the Beale Street Music Fest on hold for 2024. But it plans to bring the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest to Liberty Park next year.
Forward Momentum, the group behind Mempho Music Festival, announced earlier this year it would bring a three-day music festival and a barbecue cooking contest to Tom Lee Park next year.
A press release says Holt began leading the non-profit organization “during a challenging period marked by financial difficulties” but grew its signature events “to national and international acclaim.” He also oversaw the the introduction of the Great American River Run, the direction of 22 international honored country salutes, and the production of the 2019 Bicentennial celebration for the city of Memphis and Shelby County.”
“Jim’s expertise and dedication have played a pivotal role in shaping Memphis in May into a renowned month-long celebration and a destination for Memphis and the entire Mid-South region,” Gossett said in a statement. “He has built a highly capable and experienced team, and we are deeply grateful for his contributions.”
Neighbors of the Central Gardens neighborhood are waiting to hear from law enforcement regarding an armed man walking “on Peabody (near Cooper)” Monday morning.
Members of the Central Gardens community on the popular neighborhood app, Nextdoor, have been buzzing about a post made by a user named Catherine Goode, who shared a photo of an armed man on the aforementioned street, and said that police had been called around 10:45 a.m.
Shortly after the post was made, some users posted that Grace-St.Luke’s Episcopal School (GSL) had gone on lockdown. A user named Michael Pongetti posted that the “school went on lockdown and sent an alert out to all families with children enrolled that the man was in custody by MPD (Memphis Police Department.)”
Another user, Allie Battle, commented that “GSL sent us a notification that the man was apprehended by the Memphis Police.”
However, the most recent update from a user named Rachel Hildebrand said that they had received a notification from GSL that “he was NOT apprehended.”
Many of the Nextdoor.com posters have questioned Tennessee’s permitless handgun policy. According to the Memphis Police Department’s website, the Tennessee Supreme Court “has previously held that simply being armed in public alone is not a legal basis for officers to detain someone.”
At this time, there is no official statement from the school or the Memphis Police Department.
Two West Tennessee officials were recently indicted after a state agency found they stole thousands of dollars from an animal shelter in one instance and from jail inmates in another.
The Tennessee State Comptroller, Jason Mumpower, recently announced indictments in the cases after investigators from his office discovered the fraudulent schemes.
In one, Christopher Sikes, the former director of Hardin County Animal Services, was found to have stolen $12,117. The funds were stolen from shelter collections while Sikes led the organization from January 2019 until he was fired in January 2023.
Sikes used two different methods to carry out the misappropriations of the funds.
For one, he improperly voided receipts totaling $8,459 in the shelter’s accounting software. Voided receipts could occur when a refund is issued. However, shelter services are nonrefundable, and numerous customers who had their receipts voided confirmed that no refunds were ever received. Investigators verified that these collections were neither put back on the books nor deposited.
Sikes also failed to deposit at least $3,658 in fees collected at the shelter. During the time span of the invesitgation, shelter collections totaled $24,618. But Sikes only deposited $20,960 in collections.
Investigators found that Sikes was the only shelter employee authorized to void receipts, access collections from the safe, prepare shelter collections for deposit, and deliver deposits to the trustee.
Earlier this month, the Hardin County Grand Jury indicted Sikes for one count of theft of property over $10,000, one count of forgery over $10,000, one count of computer crimes over $2,500, one count of destruction of and tampering with governmental records, and one count of official misconduct.
“Hardin County officials should ensure that one person is not given exclusive control over key financial processes,” Mumpower said in a statement. “Separating financial duties reduces the risk that errors or misappropriations will go undetected.”
Earlier this month, the Lake County Grand Jury indicted Neina Ceaser, the administrator of that county’s jail.
Investigators found that Ceaser stole at least $35,158 of inmate commissary funds and cash deposits from January 2018 through July 2023. Lake County jail inmates use their commissary funds to purchase items such as snacks and toiletries. Ceaser was responsible for overseeing the inmate commissary accounts, which includes making cash deposits.
The investigation began after Lake County officials discovered the sheriff’s department commissary account was out of balance and inmates could not pay for commissary products.
The investigation revealed that Ceaser failed to deposit cash that was collected from two kiosk machines located at the sheriff’s department. The kiosks are used to collect money for placement in an inmate’s commissary account. If an inmate has any cash or coins on their person when they are booked, the funds are also placed in their commissary account, using the kiosk.
Investigators compared the cash collections in the kiosks to the department’s cash deposits and discovered that Ceaser failed to deposit $35,158.88 of inmate funds into the inmates’ commissary bank account. Ceaser concealed her misappropriation by falsifying general ledger journal entries and deposit slips.
For this, Ceasar was indicted by a grand jury for one count of theft of property over $10,000, one count of destruction of and tampering with governmental records, and one count of official misconduct.
“Sheriff’s department officials must provide adequate oversight and implement effective internal controls over cash collected in the kiosks,”Mumpower said. “One person should not be responsible for collecting the cash, counting it, depositing it, and posting the journal entries. I’m pleased to note the department is already taking steps to address this issue.”
Memphis Starbucks workers will strike today at Poplar and Highland, joining the national “Red Cup Rebellion.”
The movement demands the coffee company to bargain with baristas over staffing, scheduling, and other issues, reads a news release from Starbucks Workers United.
The strike comes on Red Cup Day, when the company hands out tens of thousands of free reusable cups, one of its busiest customer traffic days of the year, the union said. Earlier this year, workers filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board for the company’s refusal to bargain around these high-traffic promotion days.
Customers flood stores on promotional days, like Red Cup Days, without any additional staffing to cover the influx of orders, the union said. On those days, “workers are left to handle angry customers” who have to wait longer than usual or are disappointed when those supplies of red cups run out and “often take their anger out on workers.”
“We’re inviting all Starbucks baristas and shift supervisors to join this year’s Red Cup Rebellion and walk out in solidarity alongside thousands of Starbucks Workers United baristas to protest Starbucks unfair labor practices,” reads the event’s website.
Over the last two years, around 9,000 Starbucks employees have unionized at 360 stores. The union said the company has responded with “a coordinated, scorched-earth campaign” from its corporate labor office to stall bargaining. The union said the company has also given special treatment to non-union stores, like offering credit-card tipping and raises to non-union workers.
An event map shows 233 Red Cup Rebellion events are scheduled today, from Boston to Miami and San Diego to Seattle. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Memphis event was not listed on the site.