Author: Memphis Flyer Staff

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MAS’ 12 Hours of Christmas Adoption Event

Gabby (MASA30028) is a delightful 5-month-old mixed-breed girl with a heart full of love. Her foster parent says she is great with kids and gets along well with other dogs, showing only a friendly curiosity towards cats. (Photo: Courtesy Memphis Animal Services)

Santy Claws has been making a list and checking it twice, and wouldn’t you know, all the kitties and pups at Memphis Animal Services (MAS) have been put on the nice list. With so many good boys and girls at the shelter, MAS has no choice but to host their third annual 12 Hours of Christmas Adoption Event on Saturday, December 16th, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For the event, the shelter will extend their normal hours and will waive all adoption fees, which typically range from $20 to $80. All adoptions at MAS, regardless of adoption fee, include spay/neuter, microchip, vaccines, collar, leash, customized ID tag, and heartworm testing and treatment medications if needed (dogs). This Saturday, every adopted dog and cat will go home with a $50 pet supply store gift card and a gift from under the Christmas tree (while supplies last). Hot chocolate will be available for human guests, and adopters can take their first family photo in front of a holiday backdrop. 

At last year’s event, 152 pets got adopted in the 12 hours, said Katie Pemberton, marketing and communications supervisor at MAS. A list of MAS’ currently adoptable dogs and cats can be found here. (Again, all of them are good boys and girls. Santy Claws said so.)

(Photo: Courtesy Memphis Animal Services)

“This is the most joyful event of the year for our staff and volunteers as they watch dozens of dogs and cats find loving families in time for the holidays,” said MAS director Ty Coleman in a press release. “It’s a heartwarming day that fills us with gratitude for the support of our community.”

“This year, we have even more to be thankful for since 12 Hours of Christmas falls during [Bissell Pet Foundation’s national] Empty the Shelters,” added Coleman. Bissell’s initiative has allowed MAS to reduce adoption fees to just $10 from December 1st to 17th. “The support from Bissell Pet Foundation allows us to continue our mission of making Memphis a safe place for people and pets; keeping pets with the families who love them; and caring for and saving the lives of pets who enter the shelter.”

(Photo: Courtesy Memphis Animal Services)

If you are not in the position to adopt at this time, you can still support the shelter by donating supplies, volunteering, or fostering. Foster field trips are also a great way to give back by taking a pup out of the shelter for a day. (Pro tip: If you hoard copies of print Flyers in your house, the shelter will always take newspapers to line the bottom of cats’ kennels. Reduce, reuse, recycle!)

Memphis Animal Services is open daily from noon to 4 p.m. Follow Memphis Animal Services on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X @AdoptMAS, where you’ll also find cute dog and cat content daily.

(Photo: Courtesy Memphis Animal Services)
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Arts Groups Get $1M in Operating Support Grants

ArtsMemphis has announced $1 million in grants through the nonprofit’s fiscal year 2023 cornerstone Operating Support program.

The grants have been awarded to 46 local arts organizations. (See the list here.) In a statement, ArtsMemphis said it has been “intentional in our approach to equitable funding and commitment to diversity in this process.”

In analyzing the arts organizations that are recipients of the grant, ArtsMemphis said that “57 percent operate with budgets below $500K, and 35 percent are led by a person of color with a board composed of majority people of color.”

The Midsouth Philanthropy Network’s Equity Audit has provided data collected through grant applications across ArtsMemphis grant programs for the past five years. The audit shows that grants to organizations that serve audiences that are majority people of color have jumped from 19 percent in 2017 to 50 percent in 2022, and dollars awarded have increased from 12 percent to 48 percent.

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901 Day, Here At Last

(Photo: Terrance Raper | Unsplash)

It’s the first of September, and you know what that means — it’s 901 Day! And because of that, we’ve rounded up some special events to celebrate your Memphis pride on this very special day.

Events to Check Out

901 Fest 

Some of Memphis’ most talented artists are taking the stage for this four-day music festival at Railgarten, featuring Star & Micey, Marcella & Her Lovers, Dead Soldiers, Lucky 7 Brass Band, Lord T & Eloise, Neighborhood Texture Jam, Devil Train, Cedric Burnside, and The Wilkin Sisters. Single-day tickets cost $15-$20. Arrow Creative will also be hosting its Marketplace in Motion at Railgarten, bringing the art shopping to you, September 1-3.

Railgarten, September 1-4

901 Day Celebration

Choose901 will host its first 901 Day Party since the pandemic began, and the party will be poppin’. Memphis Made has brewed up a batch of special beers for the occasion, and Old Dominick Distillery will have cocktail stations. Guests can enjoy tasty bites from TACOnganas, StickEM, Central BBQ, and Mempops. Plus, Stax Music Academy, the Lucky 7 Brass Band, and DJs, Travi$, Breezye, and Shelby will provide live entertainment, and WeTightKnit, Amurica Photobooth, Mane Wilding, RotoBrothersArt, and Neighborhood Print Company will set up shop as vendors.

The Ravine, September 1, 5-11 p.m.

901 Day Grizz Bash

Grizz Nation is invited to FedExForum for an afternoon and evening celebrating the 901, with something for all ages. Throughout the event, attendees can enjoy fare from Dynamic Duo, El Mero, AD’s, and StickEM, plus local brews and more. There’ll be music by 8Ball & MJG, Big Boogie, Duke Deuce, Royal Studios House Band, and DJ Mic Tee; a Jookin’ Battle Championship; a Wrestlin’ Throwdown featuring Mads Krugger, The GunShow, and Dustin Starr; a kids zone complete with inflatables and face painters; and the Sneak Fest, which will have free sneaker cleaning and will give fans the opportunity to buy, sell, or trade for an exclusive pair of sneakers. This event is free.

FedExForum, September 1, 5-8 p.m.

Rockwalk

The Edge District is has announced the launch of Rockwalk, a free event series that highlights local businesses and talents. Catch live performances by Amy LaVere, DJ RMZI, DJ Bizzle BlueBland, DJ Ayo Tunez, and DJ Alpha Whiskey, and check out the new businesses and restaurant specials in the area. 

The Edge District, September 1, 5-9 p.m.

901 Day Market

Overton Square will have live performances by 901 bands, including Raneem and Better in Color. Guests can also shop local 901 artisans, including 17Berkshire, Dave’s Bagels, The Tea Bar 901, and more. 

Chimes Square, Overton Square, September 1, 6-9 p.m.

Tigers on Tour

Enjoy inflatables, lawn games, food trucks, food and drink specials, and free beer for the first 50 guests. All flights, six-packs, and Arbo’s combos will be $9.01, and there will be yoga at 5:30 p.m. and two free brewery tours at 6 and 7 p.m. Plus, Tigers head football coach Ryan Silverfield will address the crowd at 6 p.m. and will be joined by head women’s basketball coach Katrina Merriweather and head baseball coach Kerrick Jackson. Members of the Memphis men’s basketball program are also scheduled to attend along with additional Memphis head coaches and staff members.

Grind City Brewing Company, September 1, 5-7 p.m.

Taste of Memphis

This free event will feature neighborhood booths, live music and performances, food, children’s activities and entertainment for all, and a friendly competition that will allow 901 neighborhoods to display their greatness. This year’s theme is “Neighborhoods Are Back.”

Tiger Lane, September 1, 5-10 p.m.

K-901 Day

Celebrate K-901 Day with your dog and a few rounds of trivia at Hampline Brewing. There will be free dog treats and bonus prizes for the top teams with dogs.

Hampline Brewing, September 1, 7-8:45 p.m.

Mighty Lights

You won’t want to miss the lights on the M-bridge this 901 as Mighty Lights plans to run Memphis content after sundown, including scrolling Memphis text, Grizz eyes, Tigers stripes, and more.

Riverside Drive, September 1, after sundown

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Seminary Receives $1 Million Grant for Black Church Studies

Memphis Theological Seminary (Credit: Memphis Heritage).

Memphis Theological Seminary (MTS) has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the House of Black Church Studies at MTS.

MTS president Jody Hill said, “With the addition of the House of Black Church Studies, Memphis Theological Seminary can now celebrate that we have houses of study dedicated to equipping leaders in our student body’s three largest congregational settings: the African American Church; the Cumberland Presbyterian Church; and the Methodist Church.”

The House of Black Church Studies will enhance MTS’s capacity to carry forward its efforts to prepare and support pastors and congregational lay ministers primarily of the African-American Baptist and Pentecostal traditions to serve their local congregations.

The project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. It is a three-phase initiative designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.

Dr. Karren Todd, program director for the House of Black Church Studies, says, “As an alum of MTS, I am excited to be a part of this new and necessary work for the Black Church. Our mission is to ensure an ongoing commitment to enrich the work and witness of Memphis Theological Seminary as a theological and spiritual resource for the Black Church Context.”

Lilly Endowment launched the Pathways initiative in January 2021 because of its longstanding interest in supporting efforts to enhance and sustain the vitality of Christian congregations by strengthening the leadership capacities of pastors and congregational lay leaders.

“Theological schools have long played a pivotal role in preparing pastoral leaders for churches,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Today, these schools find themselves in a period of rapid and profound change. Through the Pathways Initiative, theological schools will take deliberate steps to address the challenges they have identified in ways that make the most sense to them. We believe that their efforts are critical to ensuring that Christian congregations continue to have a steady stream of pastoral leaders who are well-prepared to lead the churches of tomorrow.”

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Peter F. Buckley to be Chancellor of UTHSC

Dr. Peter F. Buckley (Photo courtesy UTHSC).

Peter F. Buckley, MD, will become the 11th chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). A unanimous confirmation vote by the University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees was made Monday. His appointment is effective February 1, 2022.

Buckley, most recently dean of the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and executive vice president of medical affairs for the VCU Health System, succeeds Steve J. Schwab, MD, who has served as UTHSC chancellor for about 12 years. 

“I am delighted to follow the great legacy of my colleague and friend, Dr. Schwab, and to build on that legacy and all the great work of the faculty, trainees, and staff, not just in Memphis, but all across the state,” Buckley said. 

The pandemic has given the public a greater awareness and appreciation for academic health science centers like UTHSC, Buckley said. “They understand that science brings hope, science can change lives, science can save lives, and that science can do that in a very rapid way when we all work really well together,” he said. “There’s also a greater appreciation for the compassion and the skill of our clinicians, as well as an appreciation of the need to build up our clinical workforce all across the state, and of course, that is the hallmark of UTHSC.”

The chancellor is the chief executive officer of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s statewide operation, which includes six doctoral-degree-granting health science colleges — Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Graduate Health Sciences, and Health Professions — as well as major regional clinical health science locations in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville. 

“As you look at the Health Science Center, while our home is in Memphis, our footprint through our campuses is really all across the great state of Tennessee,” he said. “And so, that’s what I see as the opportunity, the opportunity to maximize that community relationship within Memphis, while also being the health sciences provider of the clinical workforce for the entirety of Tennessee, to have our science impact the health of all Tennesseans, and to maximize the cohesion across all elements of our Health Sciences programs within its broad footprint across this great state.”

UTHSC and its clinical practice plans employ about 4,000 people statewide. The university is the largest educator of healthcare professionals in the state and operates Tennessee’s largest residency and fellowship programs.

While his focus is statewide, Buckley sees opportunity to continue to strengthen the university’s role in Memphis, home to its main campus.

“I think Memphis is on an amazing trajectory,” he said. “I think there is an opportunity for us to engage more with the business community, particularly with the biomedical device community. There are many firms located in Memphis that any other academic center across the country would absolutely be delighted to have that degree of resources and talent and support right in their own backyard.”

A native of Ireland, Buckley, and his wife, Leonie, emigrated to America in 1992. “Six years after that, we had the amazing joy of becoming American citizens,” he said. The couple have two adult sons, John and Brian, and enjoy raising Great Danes. 

Buckley describes himself as a servant leader. “Doctors are trained with the immense privilege of providing care to people, and that is a very noble service,” he said. “I have tried to cultivate that physician service model into being a servant leader, which is very important when your administrative job is to help faculty, trainees, and staff in their great work and to advocate for them, as well as to celebrate their accomplishments.”

Buckley served as the dean of the VCU School of Medicine since 2017. Prior to that, he was the dean of the School of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta for seven years, overseeing regional campuses across the state of Georgia. He chairs the Administrative Board of the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and is on the AAMC’s Board of Directors. Buckley also serves as vice chair of the board of Intealth, an integrated organization that includes the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), which is dedicated to advancing the global healthcare workforce.

A psychiatrist and expert in schizophrenia, Buckley is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and sits on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board of the National Institute of Mental Health. He has served on numerous boards and committees related to his clinical specialty and is a member of the Board of Schizophrenia International Research Society. With a background of studies in brain imaging and neurodevelopment, he has published more than 360 articles and more than 80 book chapters, and has received numerous awards for his academic, clinical, and research work.

A 14-member committee, along with an executive search firm, began the search process for a new chancellor in mid-summer, following Schwab’s announcement to step down. Buckley was one of two finalists who came to the Memphis campus for open forums in November. 

The chancellor serves as a member of the UT System leadership team, reporting directly to UT president Randy Boyd, and is the chief academic and administrative officer for UTHSC.

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Rudd to Step Down at University of Memphis in 2022

CREDIT: University of Memphis

University of Memphis

U of M President M. David Rudd

The University of Memphis has announced that President M. David Rudd will be leaving his position in May 2022. He plans to transition to faculty in 2023 for research and teaching. Here’s the official announcement from the U of M:

Dr. M. David Rudd, the 12th president of the University of Memphis, will be leaving his position in May 2022. He will transition to faculty in 2023 to continue his research, after a year sabbatical abroad.

“We are deeply grateful for the tireless service and dedicated leadership President Rudd has given to the University of Memphis, the City of Memphis, the UofM Lambuth campus and all of West Tennessee,” said Doug Edwards, chair of the University of Memphis Board of Trustees. “His innovative efforts have advanced the University educationally and financially, positioning the UofM to compete at the highest levels nationally. The UofM will continue its commitment to research and attaining Carnegie 1 status; development of a diverse and inclusive campus community within faculty, staff and student populations; a comprehensive, successful athletic program; and fiscal responsibility.”

The Board of Trustees will have a special-called meeting today at noon to discuss the presidential search process which may include the search committee composition and the use of an executive search firm. Additional information on the meeting can be found at https://www.memphis.edu/bot/meetings/. The successful candidate will be named before May 2022; therefore no interim will be appointed.

Rudd is completing his seventh year as President of the University of Memphis, a position he has held since May 2014. He came to the UofM the previous year and held the position of Provost. As a Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, he also continues funded research and maintains his affiliation with the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah as co-founder and scientific director.

Student success, research growth and community partnerships have been critical goals during his tenure in Memphis, with record-breaking improvements in student retention and graduation rates coupled with significant growth in research expenditures, along with community partnerships to support students. He spearheaded efforts to create a new division of Student Success; developed the University’s first integrated enrollment, retention and graduation plan; created a one-stop admissions center; launched UofM Global, developed targeted degree pathways for all majors; implemented an Academic Coaching for Excellence initiative; and offered need-based funding for the first time in UofM history.

Efforts to grow community partnerships and engagement have been successful during his tenure. Initiatives include corporate partnerships with UofM Global and FedEx (LiFE: Learning inspired by FedEx), Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MAAP) and the City of Memphis (COMPETE and RISE). These unique programs allow employees to overcome academic and financial barriers to receive their degrees. Additionally, the UMRF Research Park and the launching of UMRF Ventures, a private company held by the UofM Research Foundation, has led to many new partnerships with companies. Ventures hosts several FedEx Call Centers, a data analytic center and an IT Command Center. It employs more than 450 students and gross revenue approached $5.3 million in only its third year. Other innovative partnerships include the City of Memphis, Tennis Memphis and the UofM Leftwich Tennis Center expansion and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in Residence at the UofM, which offers a series of world-class symphonic music on campus.

A total of more than $660 million in new University resources has been generated over the last seven years, including $260 million in fundraising, $55 million in new maintenance funds, $249 million in new capital investment and improvements and operational increases of more than $100 million. From an operational perspective, the UofM currently contributes nearly $1.1 billion in economic activity annually, supports nearly $500 million in wages and salary payments for local workers and is directly or indirectly responsible for roughly 9,900 Memphis-area jobs.

More than $500 million is being invested on campus and in the University Neighborhood District, with more than $140 million in private funds. Under Rudd’s leadership, the campus has been enhanced significantly while expanding rapidly. The Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center and the Indoor Football Practice Facility have provided Tiger Athletics with two of the top facilities in the country. The Hunter Harrison Memorial Pedestrian Cable Bridge, parking garage, plaza and Alumni Mall Amphitheater have greatly improved the campus both functionally and aesthetically. Further, the forthcoming Scheidt Family Music Center, R. Brad Martin Student Wellness Center and Plaza, and Mike Rose Natatorium will provide students with state-of-the-art facilities to further support their growth. A new STEM building is currently in the planning phase and was funded this past year by the Tennessee legislature and set to break ground in 2022.

Rudd has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and master’s and PhD degrees in psychology from the University of Texas.

The University of Memphis Board of Trustees extends their sincere gratitude to President M. David Rudd for his exemplary leadership and his varied and lengthy list of extraordinary accomplishments.

Rudd also shared a personal message to the UoM campus on his Twitter page.

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Council Wants Review of City Employees at Capitol Attack

CREDIT: Tyler Merbler | Wikimedia | Creative Commons

Tyler Merbler | Wikimedia | Creative Commons

United States Capitol, 2021


The Memphis City Council members want to know if any of the city’s public safety employees were present at the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.

A resolution on the council’s Tuesday agenda will request the Memphis Police Department (MPD) to “investigate whether any city of Memphis public safety employees participated in the U.S. Capitol riot in Washington, D.C.”

Council members then want Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration to “develop and present a plan to the council” revealing those employees and creating a “process to ensure former city of Memphis public safety employees re-hiring status reflects participation in [the] U.S. Capitol riots.”

City of Memphis

The resolution is sponsored by council members Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Martavius Jones, J B Smiley Jr., and Dr. Jeff Warren.

The resolution comes as “several sworn police officers from departments across the nation now face federal criminal charges as a result of their participation in the insurrection,” it reads. That becomes important, it says, to further “address concerns about the need for increased oversight and accountability within public-safety-based departments, especially in light of 2020’s international call for reform within the criminal justice system.”

While the council members say the council “supports the lawful expression of free speech, as well as the right to peacefully assemble, and is committed to upholding the tenets of democracy” that the “acts of violence and insurrection … do not align with the principles or
freedoms upon which our nation is based” and that the council condemns the actions of the rioters.

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Best of Memphis Special Sections

Best of Memphis 2020 Arts & Entertainment

CREDIT: Photographs by Justin Fox Burks

Best Casino

★ BOM 1. Southland Casino Racing

2. Horseshoe Tunica

3. Gold Strike Casino Resort

Many identify Southland Casino with its grandest feature: a world-class dog racing track. But this West Memphis institution has much more, including slots, table games, and a high-limit room.

Best Gallery

1. Brooks Museum

2. Crosstown Arts

3. Metal Museum

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is truly the jewel of Overton Park, with ever-captivating curation that both spans the world and honors local visionaries. Beyond that, in safer times, its performance space brings music and other events, like chamber ensemble concerts or special film events.

Best Park

Shelby Farms Park

★ BOM 1. Shelby Farms Park

2. Overton Park

3. Tom Lee Park

Shelby Farms Park offers a true escape from the city’s pavement, glass, and steel with its 4,500 acres of green space. But the sheer variety of activities, from kayaking to axe throwing to the Treetop Adventure zipline course, offers escape from the mundane as well.

Best Dog Park

1. Shelby Farms Dog Park

2. Overton Bark

3. Sea Isle Dog Park

The dog park at Shelby Farms, aka The Outback, is a paradise for pups with its 100 acres of open fields, ponds, unpaved trails, and other off-leash areas. But your pooch might think it’s a spa as well, with its doggie bowl/water fountain and dog-wash station.

Best Family

Entertainment

1. Memphis Zoo

2. Levitt Shell

3. Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium

The Memphis Zoo has so many nooks and crannies, kids can explore it for hours. Where else can you turn a corner and find yourself face to face with an inquisitive gorilla? The habitats are brilliantly designed, and their inhabitants help us forget the petty squabbles of Homo sapiens for a while.

Best Festival

1. Cooper-Young Festival

2. Memphis in May

3. Memphis Italian Festival

Missing it this year only made C-Y Fest that much more dear. What other festival combines the charm of its neighborhood with the panache of the entire city’s food, arts, and musical fare?

Best Local Band

1. Lucero

2. Almost Famous

3. Lucky 7 Brass Band

Lucero captured the hearts of many Memphians over 20 years ago. As they’ve grown old with us, they haven’t lost the plot. Bleak tales from Among the Ghosts continue to resonate with the times.

Best Local Singer

1. Joyce Cobb

2. Amy LaVere

3. Austin Carroll

Joyce is a soul and jazz institution, but she’s surprisingly eclectic. Her first record was a minor hit on the country charts. With that inclusiveness in her radio show, she represents the best of what we can be.

Best Museum

★ BOM 1. National Civil Rights Museum

2. Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium

3. Stax Museum of American Soul Music

“We are talking about the continuation of the struggles that take place in the realm of civil and human rights,” Terri Lee Freeman, president of the National Civil Rights Museum, has said. That spirit of continued relevance shapes the ever-evolving exhibits and perspectives of this globally recognized institution.

Best Performing Arts Venue

1. Minglewood Hall

2. Playhouse on the Square

3. GPAC | Germantown Performing Arts Center

With a capacity of 1,600, Minglewood Hall is one of the premiere mid-sized venues that can consistently draw national acts. It’s especially on-point with its hip-hop shows but has always programmed eclectic artists, from Steve Earle to the late Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.

Best Live Theater

Photographs by Justin Fox Burks

The Orpheum

★ BOM 1. The Orpheum

2. Playhouse on the Square

3. Hattiloo Theatre

From Alvin Ailey to Elvis Costello to Wicked, the Orpheum brings world-class performances to Memphis time and time again. Who could resist taking the stage within that classic gilded interior? Hard to believe that only a citizens’ movement, including the late Jim Dickinson, saved it from demolition in the ’70s.

Best Place to See Live Music

1. Levitt Shell

2. Live at the Garden

3. Lafayette’s Music Room

The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation restores classic bandshells across America, and this one in Overton Park is one of their gems. Aside from the family-friendly space and the well-curated music programming, outdoor venues like this may be the key to enjoying live music as we adapt to COVID-19.

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Best of Memphis Special Sections

Best of Memphis 2020 Media & Personalities

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Best Podcast

1. Chris Vernon Show

2. Night Classy

3. Verbally Effective Podcast

Chris Vernon took his popular sports talk show from FM radio to the internet a few years ago. Listeners managed to follow him and make him the top vote-getter for Best Podcast.

Best Columnist

1. Geoff Calkins, Daily Memphian

2. Wendi Thomas, MLK50

3. Michael Donahue, Memphis Flyer

Geoff Calkins is a perennial winner in this category. Leaving the Commercial Appeal and moving to the online Daily Memphian hasn’t hurt his following among Flyer readers. Sports or human interest, Geoff is the best.

Best Reporter

1. Kontji Anthony

2. Joe Birch

3. Jeremy Pierre

Kontji Anthony takes the prize in

this new category. She’s smart, she’s

on top of her game, and she’s on top of the Flyer‘s poll. Get your news clues from Kontji!

Best Radio Personality

1. Ron Olson

2. Drake Hall

3. Gary Parrish

A longtime and much-traveled veteran of Memphis’ radio wars, Ron Olson moves into the No. 1 slot as Flyer readers’ favorite radio personality. Perseverance pays off!

Best Local Radio Show

1. Gary Parrish Show

2. Ron and Karen

3. South Main Soul Club on WEVL

Gary Parrish’s blend of humor, entertainment, insight, and the occasional political opinion has landed him at the top of the radio dial for hosting the Best Local Radio Show.

Best Sports Radio

1. 92.9 ESPN

2. Chris Vernon Show

3. Gary Parrish

It’s clear that Flyer readers think 92.9’s lineup is the best sports programming in town from dawn to dusk — talking Tigers, Grizzlies, SEC, and smack.

Best Radio Station

Justin Fox Burks

WEVL-FM 89.9

★ BOM 1. WEVL-FM 89.9

2. The River 104.5

3. WKNO

Listener-supported and listener-programmed, WEVL takes this category year after year. And this year is no exception. Tune in for an eclectic mix of music — from hip-hop to bluegrass to Celtic.

Best TV News Anchor

1. Joe Birch

2. Kontji Anthony

3. Mearl Purvis

What can you say about perennial Best News Anchor Joe Birch. He’s won this award so many times we ought to name it after him. Congrats for the millionth year in a row!

Best TV Sportscaster

★ BOM 1. Jarvis Greer

Tie 2. Doc Holliday

Jessica Benson

3. Pete Pranica

Jarvis Greer is another of WMC-Channel 5’s year-after-year winners. The former Memphis Tiger has a great attitude and stellar reporting chops, plus that ever-present upbeat hometown spirit.

Best TV Weatherperson

★ BOM 1. Chelsea Chandler

2. Ron Childers

3. Brittany Bryant

Chelsea Chandler steps up to the green screen and talks about the weather better than anybody in town, say our Flyer voters. She’s definitely on the radar these days.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Lucky Cat Ramen Announces Closure

In a Facebook post today, the owners of Lucky Cat Ramen announced the restaurant’s closure.

Lucky Cat kicked off in Memphis with a series of pop-ups in 2017 before opening its original brick-and-mortar location at 247 Cooper. The restaurant moved to 2583 Broad in 2018.

Read the full Facebook announcement below: