It’s a great time to be alive if you live in Memphis, like to browse Facebook Marketplace, and love weird figurines.
Consider this “drunk pirate figurine” posted by Boula Baskhairoun from Olive Branch.
Surly with a pistol, sword, and holding a chimp’s hand, this guy is just $29. How Boula knows the pirate is drunk, though, was not disclosed.
Posted to Facebook by Mary D. Wasson
Since you’re already down that way, swing a little further south to Hernando for Mary D. Wasson’s “Talking Trumpinator” figurine. He says, “I’ll be back … in 2024” and “hasta la vista, Biden.” Timeless fun. Only $40.
Facebook by Nea Antiques
Complete your figurine road trip in beautiful Blytheville, Arkansas, for the guy above. From a ’70s-era Lewis and Clark Expedition collection, he’s also a decanter. The drunk pirate will love him.
Posted to Facebook by Zach Runyon
If none of that interests you, Zach Runyon has 20 barrels of peanut butter back in Memphis that he’ll let go for $50 a pop.
According to 2024’s “The Infinite Dial” report by Edison Research, 47 percent of the U.S. population, 12 and older, listened to at least one podcast in the span of a month, up 12 percent from the year before. What can we say? People like their podcasts. So much so that there are millions of them. We tried Googling the exact number but got bogged down in the AI of it all, so we landed at millions … or at least hundreds of thousands.
What we can say with certainty is that a decent number of podcasts are being created right here in Memphis. Check out what a few local podcasters had to say in this week’s cover story, and take a peek at the sidebar to discover even more podcasts to add to your playlist.
Verbally Effective
If there’s a go-to expert in podcasting in Memphis, it’s Ena Esco. She’s the host of Verbally Effective, innovator in residence at Cossitt Library, founder of the PodBox Memphis Podcast Festival, and the wearer of many more hats in this new media landscape.
With a background in radio since graduating from LeMoyne-Owen College in 2001, Esco started her podcast in 2018. “With radio, you only have so many minutes that you can have a conversation,” she says, “and I wanted to extend those conversations through podcasting. And so I wanted it to be a podcast that intersected art, culture, politics, entertainment, with a Memphis focus.”
Ena Esco, host of Verbally Effective (Photo: Courtesy Ena Esco)
Her Verbally Effective became home for just that, with each episode, over 300 in total, in conversation with a Memphis changemaker — from National Civil Rights Museum president Russell Wigginton to Grammy Award-winning Crystal Nicole to therapist Brandy J. Flynn. “You just never know what people have gone through to be where they are today,” she says, “and to hear their stories lets me know that the type of work that I’m doing with podcasting is important because I know that their stories will resonate with other people.”
Esco’s goal, she says, is to elevate voices, whether that’s in her own podcast or through helping others create theirs. “So much is going on right now, especially right now, with people trying to silence voices, but we can utilize the new media platforms to get our messaging across.”
“With podcasting, anything is on the table,” adds Esco. “In podcasting, you can create your own situation. You can format your show however you want to format your show. You can monetize. You can build relationships with people that you probably never would.”
After building her audience with Verbally Effective, Esco drew the attention of Memphis Public Libraries’ leadership and before too long became its first-ever innovator in residence, coordinating free podcast programming at Cossitt Library, developing workshops, curating panels and shows, and working with podcasters individually. In her nearly three years at Cossitt, Esco has helped podcasters in a gamut of genres, from sports to lifestyle to travel. “When you get [people] into podcasting, you’re really building up their confidence in making them a stronger speaker, a better storyteller,” she says. “It just gives me joy to see people transform in their way.”
For her work through the library system, Esco earned an honorable mention from the Urban Libraries Council Innovation Awards in 2024. “It was a big deal because it afforded [the Memphis Public Libraries] the opportunity to receive a grant to bring in more innovators [in other areas],” she says.
This coming year, Esco hopes to produce 10 podcasts, with a focus on community podcasting. “It’s going to be quite the undertaking,” she says.
Also in 2025, Esco will lead digital radio, podcasting, and TV broadcasting programming for the recently reopened Lowery Communication Center at LeMoyne-Owen College. “This is a full-circle moment for me because I started my media career as a senior, and now I’m back at my alma mater, seeing the students in this particular subject matter, so I’m just blessed. I am really blessed.”
In September, she’ll host the PodBox Memphis Podcast Festival, an annual event with industry experts, panels, mixers, and more. She’ll also host quarterly meetups with established and potential podcasters throughout the year.
Find Esco on social media @enaesco. Verbally Effective, in addition to being available for streaming, is aired on WXYR on Tuesdays at noon. — Abigail Morici
Cemetery Row
A deep and ominous bell tolls over the cold, lonely, windswept graveyard.
It’d be pretty scary, but the hosts of Cemetery Row are there to hold your hand and tell you it’s all okay. Then they start telling you the stories of some of the folks buried there and — before you know it, champ — you’re starting to have fun.
“Cemeteries are not scary places,” says Sheena Barnett, one of the podcast’s three hosts. “They’re not sad places. They can be, obviously if you’re going to where a loved one is buried. But I see them as places of love, places full of stories, places that need to be preserved.”
The sentiment is shared by hosts Lori Pope and Hannah Donegan. The trio of “spooky girls” met as Ole Miss journalism students, kept tight after school, and wanted to stay that way when Donegan moved to Chicago. Barnett volunteered at Elmwood Cemetery cleaning headstones and told the others about all the great stories out there. Cemetery Row became a way for them to connect and to hone their haunted proclivities.
Pope’s dad would tease her about “Rosie the ghost,” who was said to roam an old family cemetery on her grandparents’ farm. Barnett grew up on Unsolved Mysteries and going to cemeteries with her mother and grandmother. A “Jane Doe” headstone mystified a younger Donegan when seen in a graveyard in plain view of her Olive Branch Middle School.
That ominous bell really does toll to open each episode of Cemetery Row. The hosts introduce themselves, banter, connect, tell a few inside jokes, and they cuss … like a lot. The meat of the show, though, is true stories of the dead.
“Just like most people from history, she has parts of her life where she’s a total relatable badass, and then there’s parts where she kind of sucks a little bit,” Donagen says of occultist, ceremonial magician, and novelist Dion Fortune in an October episode called “Occultists, Psychics, and Cryptids.” “She was a rich, white lady in early 20th-century England. So, what are you gonna do?”
That episode also featured the stories of Simon Warner, a psychic and crime doctor, known as The Seer of Shelbyville (Tennessee), and some spooky tales from Idaho (a bit outside of the cemetery, strictly speaking, but right next door).
The hosts laugh, bomb each other with bon mots, and keep things casual. But they flex those journalism degrees in well-researched stories, written with a straight-ahead newspaper eloquence. Not every episode has a theme but some have featured athletes, LGBTQ folks, Black excellence, and more. One featured people named Dick.
Dial up Cemetery Row wherever you find podcasts. Pope, Doengan, and Barnett will have you skipping through the headstones in no time. — Toby Sells
Night Classy
Have you ever been curious about the deep intricacies of society that our history books never dreamed of covering? You know, like the 1950s quiz show scandal that unearthed rigging and resulted in congressional hearings? Or have you or a loved one been approached by a charming Nigerian prince who only needs your entire life savings to help him out? If you’re looking to dive more into his origin story (and the many ways he presents himself), or just looking to satiate your hunger for obscure knowledge, class is in session on the Night Classy podcast.
Hayley Madden and Katja Barnhart are two educators by day, taking their aptitude for knowledge from the classroom to the mic. Both women met through Teach For America (TFA) and bonded over The Office — facilitated by the “TFA experience,” which Madden explains is like an “extension of college.”
Katja Barnhart and Hayley Madden host Night Classy. (Photo: Alec Ogg)
Madden says the podcast was originally Barnhart’s idea, which she says stemmed from her “obsession” with podcasts, and after moving to a new place, this seemed like the perfect new hobby to take up. Barnhart remembers thinking, “This is it; this is going to be good.”
The podcast’s future was further solidified when Barnhart met her longtime boyfriend Alec Ogg, who’s a podcast producer by trade and offered to produce the podcast.
As a child, Madden says she liked to experiment with different things such as making mud pies and catching frogs. “Maybe not researching like I do now as an adult, but just getting into things is something I’ve always been into,” she adds.
Barnhart says she’s always been obsessed with history, always finding herself engrossed in historical fiction. She then found herself obtaining a history degree, but ended up teaching math.
“[I] didn’t really have an outlet to read about the kind of things I wanted to aside from my spare time, so the podcast has been a good way to scratch that itch,” Barnhart says.
During each episode, the hosts pick two stories that they’ve each researched with detailed notes about topics that can be defined as “oddities and curiosities you’ve never learned in school.” As they approach their 250th episode on their main feed, the ladies have covered brain eating amoebas, the lore of America’s Next Top Model, and the Ant Hill Kids Cult to name a few.
“It had to be something we wanted to research,” Madden says. “If it’s not fun on the front end, then it’s not going to be fun for us to actually do, execute, and listen to later.”
Barnhart also adds that they didn’t want to limit themselves to true crime, paranormal, and reality TV. While they’re interested in all of these things, diversifying their content keeps the experience fresh.
“I feel like if you have to read about it every single week, you’re going to hate it,” Barnhart explains. “We wanted options.”
“We were like, ‘What’s our hook?’” Madden adds. “Well, we’re teachers.” — Kailynn Johnson
Sonosphere
Sonosphere is more than just a podcast, and had been even before it became a radio show on WYXR (every Monday at 4 p.m.). More than most podcasts, perhaps, it was founded with a mission: fostering more appreciation of unconventional music in Memphis. As co-founder Amy Schaftlein says, the goal of Sonosphere was “highlighting the sort of experimental bands that don’t really fit into a genre, but have always brought intriguing and interesting sounds. Not everybody could tell if they liked or not. You know, like when you try a new food, you’re kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I like that.’ But you might start to like it a lot more as you try it in different ways.”
Realizing this would take more than a mere podcast, Schaftlein started the nonprofit Sonosphere Inc. with then-fellow president/CEO Christopher Williams in 2017, intent on programming live performances and lectures, music festivals, and audio documentaries. Thus, right from the beginning, Sonosphere the podcast had a parallel production series known as Sound Observations. “A lot of the Sound Observations series that we brought to Memphis back in 2017, ’18, and ’19 highlighted experimental artists like Wu Fei, who plays a very ancient Chinese instrument.”
Amy Schaftlein and Jenny Davis of Sonosphere (Photo: Amy Schaftlein)
At the time, Schaftlein says, Crosstown Arts had not yet leaned into the kind of adventurous programming that they’re now known for. But as Crosstown Arts evolved, with Memphis Symphony Orchestra flutist and Blueshift Ensemble member Jenny Davis taking on music programming for a time, there was less of a need for the Sound Observations series, and Sonosphere the podcast came to the fore. When Williams moved away, Schaftlein, after hosting solo for a while, thought that Davis would be the perfect partner.
“Jenny worked with Chris and I on our Sound Observations when she was at Crosstown Arts,” says Schaftlein. “And she also created the Continuum Fest [a local celebration of New Music and avant garde classical compositions], which she invited Sonosphere to ‘sponsor’ — which really meant we covered it for them — and we came up with some content for the fest. We’ve always worked with Jenny through Crosstown Arts, and so she’s been a part of the podcast, tangentially, for a while. And so it just seemed like a really good fit.”
This was also a good way for Davis to keep her hand in experimental music as she moved on to become the executive director of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program (MYSP). A recent episode of the podcast, for example, focused solely on last year’s Continuum Fest, staged at the Beethoven Club.
Meanwhile, the podcast evolved into a radio show when WYXR began broadcasting in October 2020. And while that slowed the podcast production a bit, it’s really all of a piece. Indeed, as Schaftlein says, “I actually worked for WEVL when I was in college and I had a show on the station. That’s part of what prompted Sonosphere. I really wanted a radio show on WEVL, and they took a while to get back to me, and so I just kind of started it. I was like, ‘We can do this from home!’ You know, podcasting was a thing. It wasn’t as big as now, but it was still a thing then. So we just went ahead and did it ourselves.” — Alex Greene
For your listening pleasure:
Astronomica Join a group of nerds as they crew the definitely-not-piloted-by-a-rogue-AI ship The Admiral Grace in a science-fiction OSR actual play podcast using the Stars Without Number RPG system.
Black Is America Dominic Lawson highlights little-known African-American figures and stories.
Champions of the Lost Causes Marvin Stockwell talks to folks across the country about their success and setbacks.
Got Points Podcast Ashling Woolley and Tiffani Denham teach listeners how to build up travel points quickly, how to keep a high bank of points, and how to use these points to maximize every benefit.
Grits and Grinds: Memphis Grizzlies Keith Parish covers the Grizzlies year-round with in-depth analysis.
Like You: Mindfulness for Kids Noah Glenn uses breathing, affirmations, music, and imagination to support social-emotional health and mental wellness for kids.
Memphis Flyer Video Podcast Oh, hello, that’s us! Each week, Chris McCoy and a co-host take you through the paper and give you insight into the madness that goes on at the Memphis Flyer.
The Permanent Record Just City’s podcast features conversations about the criminal justice system and how individuals can work to make it smaller, fairer, and better for everyone.
This image of Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid was just too good not to share. Memphis Memes 901 titled it “the beautiful, snow-capped mountains of Tennessee.”
Records Request
Posted to Facebook by Steve Mulroy
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy fulfilled a “burdensome” records request from state Sen. Brent Taylor recently. Taylor, of course, is seeking Mulroy’s ouster from the job during the legislative session this year.
The request included 4,000 documents, 16,000 pages, six boxes, and more than 150 staff hours to complete, Mulroy said. “Things like this are a distraction from the real work that our office has to do. But we will fully cooperate with legislators.”
GIF Level
Posted to Reddit by u/Melodic-Frosting-443
Reddit user Melodic-Frosting-443 took the Memphis-Shelby County Schools situation to GIF level with a photo of the board surrounding Marie Feagins, overlaid with Stealers Wheel lyrics, “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right …” (You could see it above. But we’re not The Daily Prophet.)
With over 30 years’ experience in researching, reviewing, and selecting Top Doctors, Castle Connolly is a trusted and credible healthcare research and information company. Our mission is to help people find the best healthcare by connecting patients with best-in-class healthcare providers.
Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors on both the national and regional levels. Its online nomination process is open to all licensed physicians in America, who are able to nominate physicians in any medical specialty and in any part of the country, as well as indicate whether the nominated physicians are, in their opinion, among the best in their region in their medical specialty or among the best in the nation in their medical specialty. Then, Castle Connolly’s research team thoroughly vets each physician’s professional qualifications, education, hospital and faculty appointments, research leadership, professional reputation, disciplinary history, and, if available, outcomes data. Additionally, a physician’s interpersonal skills such as listening and communicating effectively, demonstrating empathy, and instilling trust and confidence are also considered in the review process. The Castle Connolly Doctor Directory is the largest network of peer-nominated physicians in the nation.
Through the nomination process, Castle Connolly also identifies female physicians for their annual Exceptional Women in Medicine award. This award was created by Castle Connolly in order to recognize female physicians who are often underrepresented among award recipients in the medical community. Physicians selected to be recognized for this honor are a subset of the female Top Doctors on their website who are the best in their specialties, in their communities and throughout the nation, delivering exceptional patient care. This award not only recognizes physicians who have greatly contributed to healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education, and leadership, but who have also improved healthcare outcomes for issues specific to women. Physicians do not pay and cannot pay to be selected and profiled for Exceptional Women in Medicine award.
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To keep in tip-top shape and health, sometimes a professional medical opinion is in order, whether you have an achy back or what may be the flu. Fortunately, Memphis and the Mid-South is burgeoning with clinics and hospitals on the cutting edge of medical care and research.
Finding a doctor who fits your needs and who you can trust — now — can be the hard part. So, let this year’s list of Exceptional Women in Medicine be your guide while searching for the care that’s right for you. After all, these are women who have dedicated their lives to improving their patients’ health, no matter the ailment or stage of life. Whether it’s allergies, dermatology, pediatric cardiology, or ophthalmology, these doctors are ready to listen to and care for you.
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A PRIVILEGE WITH A TOLL
Dr. Dina Marie Filiberto is grateful to treat some of the toughest cases at Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center.
by Toby Sells
Imagine working under “incredible stress, sometimes with limited resources” while still providing world-class care for most of the Mid-South’s gunshot wounds, stabbings, car accidents, and more.
Dr. Dina Marie Filiberto calls it a privilege.
Filiberto joined Regional One Health as a trauma surgeon in July 2017. The hospital’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center is designated as a Level 1 Trauma Center in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. That means the center offers the highest level of care possible for patients with severe and complex injuries. It’s the only Level 1 Trauma Center within 150 miles of Memphis.
Dr. Dina Marie Filiberto (Photo: Regional One Health)
Before joining Regional One, Filiberto attended medical school at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn in New York and completed her general surgery residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. She completed her surgical critical care fellowship at University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). She said she wanted to go into medicine “for as long as I can remember.” She believes doctors provide a critical service to patients and help them improve and live the healthiest lives possible.
Filiberto said she chose surgery because she enjoys the technical aspect of operating. More specifically as a trauma surgeon, she is immediately able to address a patient’s life-threatening injuries in the operating room or the emergency room. Much of the time in Memphis, this includes gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and car accidents.
“The biggest challenge is the mental, physical, and emotional toll of caring for critically injured patients,” Filiberto said. “Seeing adolescents involved in gun violence, taking care of patients with severe traumatic brain injuries who don’t improve, and telling family members their loved one has died are all challenges.
“Sometimes, I spend hours taking care of someone, spending a great deal of time and resources, and they die despite maximal life-saving efforts. Then I have to move on to the next trauma like it didn’t happen because we need to focus on taking care of the next patient. And then I try to go home and compartmentalize it, so I can spend time with my family. But how can you not think about it?”
Filiberto teaches surgery courses at UTHSC and trains residents and fellows in trauma and surgical critical care. She publishes regularly in journals such as Injury, Journal of Surgical Research, and Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open. She is also chair of Regional One’s ICU Operations Committee and director of its Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
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Allergy & Immunology
Nora Daher
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Daher Asthma & Allergy Clinic
2136 Exeter Road
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 203-6055
Christie F. Michael
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Bariatric Surgery
Virginia Weaver
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Methodist University Hospital
UTMP Weight Management and Wellness Center
57 Germantown Court, Suite 204
Cordova TN 38018
(901) 758-7840
Cardiovascular Disease
Jennifer S. Morrow
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Stern Cardiovascular
8060 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 271-1000
Maureen A. Smithers
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Sutherland Cardiology Clinic
57 Germantown Court, Suite 100
Memphis, TN 38018
(901) 763-0200
Neeraja Yedlapati
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Stern Cardiovascular
8060 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 271-1000
Child Neurology
Tanjala T Gipson
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(866) 870-5570
Amy L McGregor
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists Neurology Clinic
848 Adams Avenue, Suite L400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Namrata S. Shah
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Dermatology
F. Gwen Beard
Memphis Dermatology Clinic
1455 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6655
Luella G. Churchwell
Dermatology East
1335 Cordova Cove
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 753-2794
Robin H. Friedman-Musicante
Memphis Dermatology Clinic
795 Ridge Lake, Suite 200
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 726-6655
Frances K. Lawhead
Memphis Dermatology Clinic
1455 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6655
Purvisha J. Patel
Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Associates
7658 Poplar Pike
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 759-2322
Malika Tuli
Mid-South Dermatology
6644 Summer Knoll Circle
Bartlett, TN 38134
(901) 372-4545
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
Toni M. Whitaker
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist University Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
Lisa M. Myers
Endocrinology and Diabetes Specialists
1920 Kirby Parkway, Suite 120
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 334-5464
Gynecologic Oncology
Linda M. Smiley
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist University Hospital
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center – East Campus
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
Hematology
Marquita N. Nelson
Regional One Health
Regional One Health Sickle Cell Center
880 Madison Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 545-8535
Infectious Disease
Shirin Mazumder
Methodist University Hospital
Methodist Medical Group
1325 Eastmoreland Avenue, Suite 370
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 758-7888
Internal Medicine
Joan Michelle Allmon
Allmon Internal Medicine (AIM)
526 Halle Park Drive
Collierville, TN 38017
(901) 910-3246
Natascha S. Thompson
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
The University of Tennessee Medical Center
UT Internal Medicine BMG
8040 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 102
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 227-7900
Catherine R. Womack
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
UT Internal Medicine BMG
8040 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 102
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 227-7900
Medical Oncology
Sylvia S. Richey
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist University Hospital Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center – East Campus
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
Carmel S. Verrier
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist University Hospital Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center – East Campus
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
Neurology
Violiza Inoa Acosta
Methodist University Hospital
Regional One Health
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Semmes Murphey Clinic
6325 Humphreys Boulevard
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 522-7700
Barbara Cape O’Brien
Neurology Clinic
8000 Centerview Parkway, Suite 500
Cordova TN 38018
(901) 747-1111
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Lanetta Anderson
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Women’s Physicians Group
681 South White Station Road, Suite 111
Memphis, TN 38117
(901) 276-3222
Heather Pearson Chauhan
Exceed Hormone Specialists
7512 Second Street
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 312-7899
Claudette J. Shephard
Regional One Health
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Regional One Health Outpatient Center
880 Madison Avenue, Suite 3E01
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 515-3800
Ophthalmology
Lauren C. Ditta
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
University Clinical Health
Hamilton Eye Institute 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 200
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Mary E. Hoehn
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
University Clinical Health
Hamilton Eye Institute 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Natalie C. Kerr
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
University Clinical Health
Hamilton Eye Institute
930 Madison Avenue, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Otolaryngology
Victoria L. Lim
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Collierville
Shea Clinic
6133 Poplar Pike
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 761-9720
Courtney B. Shires
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist University Hospital
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
West Cancer Center – East Campus
7945 Wolf River Boulevard
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 683-0055
Pediatric Cardiology
Karine Guerrier
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 2
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Jennifer Kramer
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 287-7337
Nithya Swaminathan
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 2
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Rebekah K.H. Shappley
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-5437
Pediatric Dermatology
Teresa S. Wright
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist University Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Pediatric Endocrinology
Alicia M. Diaz-Thomas
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Pediatric Infectious
Diseases
Bindiya Bagga
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 3
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Pediatric Nephrology
Margaret C. Hastings
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Rima Zahr
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Pediatric Otolaryngology
Rose Mary Stocks
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 1
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Pediatric Pulmonology
Patricia J. Dubin
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
UT Le Bonheur Pediatric Specialists
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Tonia E. Gardner
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 3
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Catherine D. Sanders
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 3
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Pediatric Rheumatology
Terri H. Finkel
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Department of Pediatric Rheumatology
50 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(866) 870-5570
Linda K. Myers
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Rheumatology + Dermatology Associates, P.C.
8143 Walnut Grove Road
Cordova TN 38018
(901) 753-0168
Pediatric Urology
Dana W. Giel
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 287-7337
Pediatrics
M. Michelle Bowden
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Le Bonheur Children’s Outpatient Center
51 North Dunlap Street, Floor 3
Memphis, TN 38105
(866) 870-5570
Emilee Dobish
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(866) 870-5570
Janet D. Geiger
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
River City Pediatrics
1717 West Massey Road
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 761-1280
Elisha M. McCoy
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(866) 870-5570
Dawn H. Scott
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Le Bonheur Pediatric Downtown
51 North Dunlap Street, Suite 310
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 523-2945
Ellen J. Stecker
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
River City Pediatrics
1717 West Massey Road
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 761-1280
Plastic Surgery
Devra Becker
The University of Tennessee Medical Center
University Plastic Surgeons
1068 Cresthaven Road, Suite 500
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 866-8525
Patricia L. Eby
Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis
Cosmetic Surgery Specialists of Memphis
6401 Poplar Avenue, Suite 360
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 752-1412
Radiation Oncology
Martha Tibbs
Methodist University Hospital
Methodist University Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology
1265 Union Avenue, Shorb Tower, Floor 1
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 478-7367
Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility
Amelia Bailey
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Fertility Associates of Memphis
80 Humphreys Center, Suite 307
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 747-2229
Surgery
Dina M. Filiberto
Regional One Health
Regional One Health Elvis Presley Trauma Center
877 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 545-7100
Alyssa D. Throckmorton
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital
Baptist Medical Group
7205 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 200
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 227-8950
Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery
Val Y. Vogt
Methodist University Hospital Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis
The MEMernet was wild for the white stuff last weekend. It was that “good snow,” making snowmen, snowballs, and snow sledding all easy and fun and driving not so dangerous.
“These children give added meaning to ‘birdie’ while taking flight Saturday above the Overton Park golf course,” said Tom Bailey on Facebook.
The Memphis Zoo’s socials were blown up last weekend. Reels showed tigers playing, a grizzly bear rolling in the snow, and Babu, a mandrill, knocking over a snowman.
Posted to Facebook by Memphis Zoo
There was also lots of love out there for the often-maligned city and Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW). Redditors tipped their hats to MLGW’s tree-trimming efforts, which helped to keep the lights on, and to the city for keeping the roads clear. Wow.
CA for Arts?
Posted to Facebook by Jay Etkin
Art gallery own Jay Etkin wants to turn the former Commercial Appeal building on Union into the Flow Museum of Art & Culture. Etkin said he is in talks with city, county, and state leaders on the idea.
The building is on the auction block at the end of the month. Another idea would turn the building into a vocation training center for youth (see here).
Elmwood Cemetery has announced its annual Snowden Spirit Series Writing Contest, asking for historical fiction short stories about Elmwood’s residents.
Entrants can choose to write about an individual, a couple, or a group, so long as they are buried at the cemetery. Prizes will be awarded to first through third place, with third place receiving $500, second $750, and first $1,000. Winners will be announced on Facebook and Instagram, and all three winning entries will be published on the cemetery’s blog. The winning stories will also be read aloud at a reception on a date to be announced.
Entries are due February 14th at 4 p.m. Stories are to be 1,500 words at maximum, with no more than two submissions per applicant. A $20 donation is required (donate here). Email your submission to amanda@elmwoodcemetery.org.
Read 2023’s winning stories by Jeffrey Posson, Katherine Fredlund, and Beverly Cruthirds here.
The Snowden Spirit Series is sponsored by the Snowden family in honor of the creative spirit of Memphis.
Memphis Light, Gas & Water last week invited customers to play bingo with a card holding squares that said, “bragged about my low utility bill,” “didn’t lose power during a storm,” and more.
Commenters (not so gently) reminded MLGW of the impending 4-percent energy rate increase this month and that their power can still be unpredictable. Many said the post was “tone-deaf,” with some suggesting that it was proof of MLGW’s “toxic” relationship with customers.
New Year’s Tear
Posted to Facebook by Moth Moth Moth
Drag artist Moth Moth Moth was on a Facebook tear New Year’s Eve morning, saying, “Understand this. I will rip this town apart and sew it back together myself if I have to.”
By that afternoon, though, Mothy softened: “I’m not feeling grumpy anymore! I just needed to eat some toast.”
“Distinctive Weapon”
Posted to Facebook by WREG
Comments went wild-larious on two WREG posts about the search for and arrest of Jayden Burns. He allegedly robbed Midtown stores, using an old-timey, long-barreled pistol. Steve Clarke said, “Hear ye! Hear ye! Unhand thy currency!”
So it begins — 2025 has arrived. A new year, a new horizon, a new spectacle to behold. We don’t have much to say about 2025, not yet. But we do have our hopes and resolutions, which we must share with you in our “New Year, New You” issue because our editor said so. And since this is the new year and a new us, we’re actually listening to her. And, hey, maybe, you’ll listen to us and adopt a few of our resolutions.
Put Down Your Phone
We all love our smartphones. They help us connect with each other. They’re windows to the world. They serve us dank memes. We can’t go to a game or the club without taking video and sharing it with friends and strangers on the internet.
But these days, it’s easy to feel that you have too much of a good thing. You might have already guessed from your weekly average screen time reports that smartphone addiction is real. In many cases, that’s because your apps are working as designed. Social media platforms are designed to keep you engaged as long as possible. They don’t care if that engagement makes you mad, sad, or happy. A public, friendship-splintering fight sparked by an Instagram post is actually a win as far as Meta is concerned. Other apps are designed to deliver a steady drip feed of dopamine, a chemical your brain associates with rewards, like a slot machine.
If you think your smartphone use is out of control, try deleting the most problematic apps. Maybe you only need to access X on your laptop instead of on your phone — or maybe you don’t need to access it at all. iPhones have features that can help you decrease your dependency, such as Focus settings which limit your notifications. On Android systems, the Digital Wellness settings can also be helpful. If that doesn’t work, consider getting a “dumb phone” — that is, an old-fashioned flip phone that will send and receive calls and T9 text messages. — Chris McCoy
Photo: Jon Tyson | Unsplash
Cook Some Barbecue
You’re Memphis AF. We get it. You’re a Stax scholar, an Overton Park zen master, Midtown shortcut navigator, and a top-rated commentator on r/Memphis.
Take that AF-ness one step further this year: Add pitmaster to your Memphis CV.
Barbecue is a mysterious art. Tough pork cuts tenderize in a dark sauna of smoke and low heat. To watch this process spoils the magic, a sin immortalized in the phrase, “if you’re looking, you’re not cooking.” It emerges hours later, dark, rustic, supple to the touch, and maybe hissing but still needing a rest — a tiny dose of extra magic — to make it Memphis barbecue.
But they sell everything you need for this so-called magic at nearly every grocery store in town. So, how hard can this be?
Folks on barbecue subreddits and YouTube say you’re probably overthinking it. Folks on barbecue subreddits and YouTube say you’re not thinking about it enough. Do I wrap ribs? How long should I rest a pork butt? Should I use yellow mustard to hold a dry rub? Will sauce anger the Memphis barbecue gods?
It can be tough to cut through the noise. The only way to know what is going to work is to do it yourself.
You probably already have the gear. All you need is an outdoor, low-heat source (around 225-275 degrees) and some wood chips. Almost any grill can smoke, yes, even most gas grills. (Google “aluminum wood packets for smoking” for help here.)
Pork cuts for smoking are usually cheap, too. Ribs run around $15 a slab. Feed a crowd with a pork butt for about $20. Also, a shaker of dry rub can start as low as $5.
The low cost helps take the sting out of a bad batch (ask me how I know). A pro tip here, if you’re just getting started, and your barbecue is the star dish of a get-together, have the pizza man on speed dial in case things go south. — Toby Sells
Photo: Michael Donahue
Plant the Seeds
Your New Year, New You could be “Johnny Appleseed” in 2025. Or some other seed.
Plant some seeds this spring and watch what happens. Not only will you see something green grow into a plant that (a.) blooms, (b.) turns into something you can eat, or (c.) both; it’s also one of the oldest head-trips.
I’m talking about seeds that are easy to grow. Each year I plant seeds I know I’ll get results from. As somebody once said, if you grow a lot of something that’s easy, people will think you know what you’re doing.
I feel great all over the rest of the day after I plant some balsam, tomato, marigold, or other easy seeds. I don’t buy boxes of already blooming plants or already growing herbs and vegetables. That’s not fun. I want to watch the growing process from the time the seeds sprout until they’re fully grown.
I wait until mid-May to plant most of my seed because the soil is warm and it doesn’t take long for the seed to sprout.
These are what I plant every year. And you can get seeds for all of these at nurseries or online:
• Balsam, or “touch-me-not.” After the blooms on the side of the stem fade, they will produce seed pods. When the seeds are ripe, the pods will burst open when you touch them.
• Gomphrena, or “globe amaranth,” is my favorite. I started them from some little round purple flower globes I snipped off some plants one summer. In mid-May, I crush the dried blooms and just plant the flat seeds in shallow rows.
• Tithonia, or Mexican sunflower, is one of the most fun for me. The plants, which bear vivid orange daisy-looking flowers, can grow over 7 feet tall.
• Celosia, or “cock’s comb,” are very easy to grow and they also reseed. These have the velvety red blooms that look like rooster combs.
• To round out your garden, plant the super-easy sweet basil seed. They come up fast and last all summer until frost.
Just make sure you water your plants. Don’t let them dry out. I plant my flower, vegetable, and herb seed in big pots and just keep them there. They’re a lot easier to manage. — Michael Donahue
Free Jazz: Just What the Doctor Ordered
If you should find yourself asking, “New year, new me, sure — but how?” this January, try my surefire way of dusting off the mental cobwebs, shaking up old habits, and finding a fresh perspective: free jazz.
Of course, very few free, out, experimental, or avant-garde musicians would use that antiquated term anymore. I still like it, even as a punch line, but let’s just call it improvisatory music. By any name, it can be the perfect catalyst for rethinking your own personal big picture.
Ra Kalam Bob Moses and one of his most recent works (Photo: Courtesy Ra Kalam)
Because it grows from extemporized thought, such music stays unpredictable, making it a sure tonic for anyone stuck in a rut. Yet it’s not incoherent. Just listen to one of last year’s finest releases, one of many emerging from our city’s thriving improvisatory scene: Sonic Alchemy Suprema, featuring a world-class improvisational drummer now based in Memphis, Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Technically, the album is by Alma Tree, a group that includes Ra Kalam, Vasco Trilla, and Pedro Melo Alves — all drummers. And though three horn players also join them, the sheer richness of the percussive tones alone will keep your ears fascinated. Give the album a few minutes and, as the virtuosic players speak to each other through sound, the tales they seem to spin emerge organically, sewing dramatic threads of thought and imagination.
At times meditative, at times frenetic, the moods they conjure will surely get you thinking outside of the box — or the algorithm. On the surface, it sounds like a punch line: Hey, try rethinking your life to the sound of bells, gongs, ratchets, drums, and horns on a free jazz album. But really, it’s a matter of “kidding on the square,” as the old jazzers would call it: a joke that tells the truth. — Alex Greene
(The Young Actors Guild is known to improve graduation rates. Photo: Craig Thompson)
Be a Part of the Solution
With my job requiring me to be tuned in to how current events affect specific communities, I’m also inclined to research how citizens grapple with solutions to certain problems. It doesn’t take a deep dive into the city to show that people are concerned about our youth and their trajectories. For decades there’s been a heavy emphasis on law enforcement to intervene aggressively on youth crime and intervention. While enhanced conversation on the relationship between law enforcement and young people is always encouraged, there are ways for the community to be proactive as well.
For 2025, I’d like to see more community engagement and involvement in nonprofits and organizations that focus on improving the lives of youth in Memphis. Crisis and crime intervention are always at the forefront of community involvement; however, at-risk youth are not monolithic and don’t exclusively occupy these spaces. As a community we can consider volunteering and supporting arts organizations who seek to provide an outlet for our youth. Organizations like the Young Actors Guild have prided themselves in improving graduation rates and college enrollment by cultivating an interest in the arts for young people. Not to mention the plethora of schools that are always looking for tutors to help students in need.
Improving the lives of young people requires involvement from all sectors. Youth need to know that the people in their community are invested in their well-being and interests. This can lead to confidence and improved outcomes in so many areas, which can positively impact Memphis as a whole. — Kailynn Johnson
Consider paring back your media intake or completing your to-do list. (Photo: Pexels | Pixabay)
No Spin New Year
I’m cable news sober since November 5th. Not one second of MSNBC, CNN, Fox, or any other network’s “news analysis” has crossed my eyes. Yet, I’m better informed than ever because I’m no longer consuming the garbage I used to watch every night — the garbage that fed my outrage machine and my confirmation biases. Instead, I’ve signed up for AP News, which is ranked the most down-the-middle news site. Also good are Reuters, BBC, The Guardian, and the straight news reporting by the major dailies. They all send links to your phone through the day, so you don’t miss anything.
Sometimes on social media a teaser will spin its way through to my attention. Last week, CNN wanted me to watch a clip where apparently resident troll Scott Jennings was trashing the legacy and integrity of former President Jimmy Carter on the day of his death. No thanks. The more clicks that stuff gets, the more they publish it. I’m out. For good. I’m getting my news the old-fashioned way; I’m reading it on my phone. — Bruce VanWyngarden
Photo: Pexels | RDNE
Get to It!
The only task any of us should be concerned with as we enter yet another new year is that of cooking the seeds. That is, finishing the leftover business we’ve put aside or not gotten around to.
Cases will differ from person to person, but for most of us, that entails a lot of catching up to do. Dust off that incomplete manuscript and finish the book. Patch up that broken friendship. Stop griping about how slow the boat is going and put your own oar to work. And, since you’re not really going to be an expatriate, swallow your disappointments about the public weal and find some volunteer organization that can use your two-cent’s worth.
Instead of wishing you’d said this or that to him or her, go ahead and say it now. Even though it’s no longer timely, it may well clarify the outcome.
None of this should preclude any new initiatives on your part. In fact, clearing off the cluttter will give you a clean new desk and good ideas for filling it up again. You’ll likely discover that this process can begin at once.
And don’t worry about getting it all done and having to face some terrifying void. You’ll never get through. That’s kind of the idea.
Oh, and if you’re that rare individual who’s always caught up on everything, here’s an idea: Learn a new language; you’ll confront the same old world, but with a wholly different way of looking at it. — Jackson Baker
• A state report found “out of control” inmates, drug overdoses, staff shortages, and more in Tennessee state prisons, especially at Tiptonville’s Northwest Correctional Facility.
• Cannabis industry leaders began working against new state rules that would remove smokeable products from their shelves and damage the industry.
• Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis kept her job but on an interim basis.
• SmokeSlam BBQ Festival was introduced.
• We got to the bottom of the “Dicc Dash” car that had been seen all over Memphis.
• Winter Storm Heather left five dead in Shelby County, pushed a record-breaking demand for electricity, and put all residents under a boil-water advisory.
FEBRUARY
• Artis Whitehead was exonerated 21 years after he was convicted of a 2002 robbery at B.B. King’s Blues Club.
• Governor Bill Lee pushed for more school vouchers and big business tax cuts in his State of the State address.
• The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board picked Marie Feagins as its new superintendent.
• Data showed that Black residents got four times as many traffic tickets than whites.
• A bill was filed to mandate gun safety training for every Tennessee school student.
Tyre Nichols (Photo: Dakarai Turner)
MARCH
• American Queen Voyages closed.
• Eighteen anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced from GOP lawmakers in the state legislature.
• State House members voted to stop the Memphis City Council from a proposed ban on pretextual traffic stops, which came in the wake of the beating death of Tyre Nichols by MPD officers.
• The Overton Park Conservancy (OPC) gave an early look at new trails on land ceded to the park by the Memphis Zoo.
• Memphis ranked as most dangerous city for pedestrian deaths.
• Renting a home in Memphis became more affordable than buying one.
• Elon Musk announced Memphis would be the new home for his supercomputer, Grok.
• New census data said nearly half of Tennesseans could not afford the basic cost of living in their counties.
• Tina Sullivan announced she would step down from the OPC.
• The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) asked the city council for $30.5 million after revealing a $60 million deficit.
• A federal judge blocked some protections of transgender people in Tennessee allowed by new Title IX rules.
JULY
• Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi said more than 10,000 people had left Tennessee for an abortion in the two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
• The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
• The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s new Memphis Art Museum project was allowed to move ahead after a judge denied a challenge from Friends for Our Riverfront.
• City council members asked for more transparency from MATA after the announcement of its big budget deficit.
• New state laws went into effect including a death sentence for child rapists, one against “abortion trafficking,” a declaration of the Bible as a state book, one against “chemtrails,” and another for singers’ protection from AI.
• A court denied former state Senator Brian Kelsey’s (R-Germantown) request to rescind his guilty plea for campaign finance violations.
• The former leader of Shelby County’s Covid vaccine rollout lost a bid to declare she was wrongly blamed for allowing hundreds of doses to expire.
• A court ruled transgender Tennesseans cannot change the gender marker on their birth certificates.
• Memphis International Airport was green-lit for a $653 million modernization of its main terminal.
• The school board settled with the Satan Club for $15,000 and a promise to end its discriminatory practices.
• A court ruling allowed a ban on drag shows in public places.
• Tennessee tourism hit a record spend of more than $30 billion in 2023.
AUGUST
• Environmental groups asked Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) to deny an electricity deal for xAI’s supercomputer.
• The Links at Audubon Park opened.
• Memphis cases of HIV and syphilis spiked 100 percent over the past five years.
• Leaders warned of a tax surge coming after property reappraisals next year.
• Black Lodge closed.
• Serial scammer Lisa Jeanine Findley was arrested in Missouri for her attempt to steal Graceland from the Presley family.
• MATA suspended trolley service.
• Kaci Murley was named OPC’s new executive director.
• The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) raised electricity rates by 5.25 percent.
SEPTEMBER
• Carol Coletta stepped down as CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership.
• A state land deal could protect the Memphis Sand Aquifer.
• Cannabis industry leaders sued the state over new rules that would ban smokeable products.
• Tennessee ranked near the top for arresting people for cannabis.
• For the third year in a row, water levels were down in the Mississippi River after Midwest droughts.
• AG Skrmetti proposed warning labels for social media.
• Social media threats made for a turbulent week at local schools with disruptions and some lockdowns.
OCTOBER
• Lawmakers want to replace the now-fallen statue of racist newspaper editor Edward Carmack at the State Capitol Building with David Crockett.
• A court decision mandated schools offer “reasonable accommodation” for transgender students to use bathrooms of their choice.
• Three MPD officers were convicted in the beating death of Nichols.
• Memphis Mayor Paul Young replaced every member of MATA’s board.
• State Democrats pressed for financial reforms to address the state’s “crumbling transportation infrastructure.”
• Judges blocked discipline for doctors who provide emergency abortions.
NOVEMBER
• Atomic Rose closed.
• A new school voucher bill was filed.
• The Memphis-area crime rate fell.
• Tuition at state schools looked likely to rise again next year.
• TVA approved xAI’s request for power.
• Teachers scoffed at Lee’s $2,000 bonus as a “bribe” to go along with school vouchers.
• 901 FC left Memphis for Santa Barbara.
• University of Tennessee Health Science Center began a plan to demolish the “eyesore” former hotel building on Madison.
• Gun Owners of America sued the city of Memphis to block the gun referenda approved by voters from ever becoming law.
• A new $13 million plan will help redesign the intersection of Lamar, Kimball, and Pendleton.
• Crime fell Downtown in 2024 compared to 2023.
• Cannabis industry leaders filed another suit against the smokeables ban after lawmakers left it in the final rules.
DECEMBER
• Buds and Brews, a restaurant featuring cannabis products, opened on Broad.
• Blended sentence laws could usher hundreds of kids into the adult criminal justice system.
• State revenue projections flagged on big business tax breaks.
• A blistering report from the U.S. Department of Justice found that MPD used excessive force, discriminated against Black people, and used “harsh tactics” against children.
• Houston’s abruptly closed.
• The SCOTUS heard Skrmetti’s case against gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
• The former Velsicol facility in North Memphis could enter into a state-run environmental response trust.
• Feagins narrowly survived the board’s ouster move but the situation will be reviewed in 2025.
