A GOP-created task force to “end” childhood hunger in Tennessee started work this week, while state Democrats criticized GOP cuts to food assistance programs.
The “End Childhood Hunger Act” was passed unanimously by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year. It created a task force to broadly review ”the challenges of affordability and accessibility of high quality nutrition in this state.”
More narrowly, the group would review programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Summer Food Service Program. The task force would look to build partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits for solutions to “the state’s childhood hunger challenges.” It would also look at challenges with Electronic Benefit Cards (EBT), like theft and fraud.
“I have had some concern once the task force was authorized that the name of the task force may suggest that there are children who are currently going hungry in Tennessee.”
“I have had some concern once the task force was authorized that the name of the task force may suggest that there are children who are currently going hungry in Tennessee,” Carter said to kick off the meeting. ”I would say we do all that we can across a number of different state agencies to ensure that’s not the case.”
State Rep. Mary Littleton (R-Dickson) co-sponsored the legislation to create the task force. She said during the meeting Tuesday that the goal is to “figure out how a child is going hungry and stop it.”
State government program leaders then outlined the many ways Tennessee is helping to feed hungry children, including the state and federal programs mentioned above.
Commissioner Carter said food production “is not the issue,” and that America produces enough to “actually feed the world.” Even Tennessee “produces enough health and nutritious foods.” Carter said getting that food to the right people — distribution — was the main issue.
While Carter wondered at the beginning of the meeting whether or not there were hungry children in Tennessee, data say there’s no doubt. Feeding America, the national nonprofit, said the child food insecurity rate in Shelby County was nearly 28 percent in 2023, according to its latest data. The group said it would cost an additional $106 million to feed those 65,140 food-insecure children here.
“Tennesseans with children report more often that the food they purchased did not last in the last 12 months,” ETSU said. “When asked specifically about food lasting, 31 percent of those with children reported that it was often true that the food they bought did not last long enough compared to 13 percent of those without children.”
Credit: ETSU
State Democrats criticized Republican lawmakers saying they “have only made hunger worse,” according to Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville). For this, they point to Gov. Bill Lee’s recent decision to reject federal funding for a food assistance program that would have fed 700,000 Tennessee children this summer. Lee said the $3 million to administer the program was too costly. Instead, Lee implemented a state-run summer food assistance plan to feed kids in 15 counties. Shelby was not one of them.
”We wouldn’t need a task force if Republicans stopped making policies that deepen the crisis,” Oliver said in a statement. “I welcome any serious effort to feed hungry children. But let’s be real: no task force can undo the harm being done in real time.
”We wouldn’t need a task force if Republicans stopped making policies that deepen the crisis.”
Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville)
”If lawmakers want to end childhood hunger, they can start by reversing their own damaging decisions.”
Further, Democrats said federal legislation passed earlier this year in President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will further cut food assistance programs.
Nancy Keil, the president and CEO of Middle Tennessee’s Second Harvest Food Bank, called Trump’s law the “largest rollback of hunger relief in U.S. history.” She said the bill will eliminate 300 million meals for Tennesseans over the next decade.
“Even more, SNAP brought $1.9 billion in federal food dollars into Tennessee last year, supporting more than 6,600 local grocery stores and farmers’ markets,” Keil said.
Posted to X by Greater Memphis Chamber in June 2024.
Grok spewed hate against Jews (and more) out of its artificial brain in Memphis, and then a leader in the company stepped aside, but it’s unclear if the two things are related.
Catch up: Elon Musk, CEO of xAI, promised a new Grok in mid-June. He disagreed with a Grok tweet that said “right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly” than violence from the left.
Credit: Grok via X
“Major fail, as this is objectively false,” Musk said. “Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.”
Grok 4 came out earlier this week. That version included system prompts to not shy away from politically incorrect claims as long as they are backed up, according to Business Insider.
Grok did not shy away. Those tweets (now deleted) were everywhere this week. The Memphis-based AI brought out those well-worn tropes that Jews run Hollywood, Wall Street, and (a new-ish one) the Biden administration cabinet.
“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” the Grok account posted to X early Wednesday. “Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.”
Musk seemed to take it pretty seriously, responding with emoji to this tweet:
xAI, the artificial intelligence company, bought X, the social media platform, back in March. That was a $33 billion deal ($45 billion valuation minus $12 billion in debt). So xAI is the parent company of X. And Yaccarino resigned as the leader of the social media platform Wednesday. Confused? Too many Xs? Yes.
To Yaccarino, Musk tweeted Wednesday morning, “Thank you for your contributions.”
Distinction time: Grok is a product of xAI. But it works really well with X, though it does have standalone version. Even still, the two are tightly intertwined. However, this doesn’t mean Yaccarino resigned because of Grok’s mad, racist romp on X recently.
Neither entity has said so publicly. But the two things happened so close together, so it’s easy to see why news stories include the Grok stuff in stories about Yaccarino’s resignation. We might only really know if Yaccarino admits anything publicly. Time will tell.
Riverboat operations could move half a mile upstream into the Wolf River Harbor in a city project aimed to protect the historic cobblestones landing.
The Downtown Memphis Commission’s (DMC) Design Review Board will have its first look at the project in a meeting Wednesday. The project, called the Lonestar Paddleboat Landing, will build a switchback from the top of Bass Pro Drive down to the river’s edge.
The Lonestar Paddleboat Landing project is part of a larger preservation effort for the historic cobblestone landing in Memphis,” said DMC staff officials, who recommended the project’s approval to DMC decision-makers. “The proposed site lies roughly half a mile upstream from the historic cobblestone landing site and is intended to provide a new location for Riverboat operations.
“This relocation will improve visitor flow to the city while protecting historic infrastructure and providing safer facilities for boat operators and guests alike.
As the Memphis Flyer reported in a recent cover story, the historic cobblestone project — nearly three decades in the making — is expected to be finished sometime this fall. The landing is still in daily use by the many riverboat companies who operate out of the harbor. It is used to load guests onto boats, for parking, and more.
Credit: Toby Sells
The “Lonestar” name of the project calls back to the former Lonestar Industries Inc. concrete company facility that stood on the site. The facility’s massive silos with an enormous “Memphis” sign on them once greeted visitors and served as a sort of civic landmark. The facility was demolished in 2021 to make way for the entrance of Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.
The new switchback there will connect to an existing sidewalk on the site. The walkway will be eight feet wide and feature 16 landings as it snakes its way down the bank. Safety railings will line both sides of the walkway.
Credit: Downtown Memphis CommissionCredit: Downtown Memphis CommissionCredit: Downtown Memphis CommissionThe site along Bass Pro Drive would connect to an existing sidewalk and snake its way down the bank.
No landscaping or signage from the city is expected for the project. However, lighting will be added throughout. The project is on land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“… this block of Downtown is particularly well suited for a tourism-adjacent use, increasing activity and enhancing visitor experience,” reads the staff report for the project. “Locating this new infrastructure in the area between the Pyramid and the Welcome Center will ensure that those traveling by riverboat to Memphis are immediately met by defining features of the city, both physically and culturally.”
Just days after a frightening car crash destroyed Celtic Crossing’s enormous outdoor patio, the Cooper-Young restaurant is ready to greet visitors again.
Celtic Crossing announced on Facebook Wednesday that it would re-open on Thursday at noon.
Here’s what the bar and restaurant said on social media:
“When we first opened Celtic Crossing in 2005, the Celtic knot became a symbol woven into our identity. Each knot holds unique meaning, and the past few days have been a profound reminder of its unbrokenness, resiliency, and, above all, love.
“The outpouring of support and kindness we’ve received from our incredible community and neighbors has been nothing short of overwhelming. We’re eternally grateful to the city of Memphis, our amazing first responders, dedicated contractors, tireless staff, and our supportive family and friends for their unwavering efforts in getting the pub back on its feet.
“Structurally, things may be a little different as we continue to clean up and enter the rebuilding process, but you can expect the same Celtic atmosphere you know and love. We’re thrilled to welcome you back and serve all of our friends and community!
“It’s because of you that we’re able to open our doors tomorrow at noon! Come on down and celebrate with us. “Céad Míle Fáilte” – a hundred thousand welcomes once again!”
In the best audio dramas, the writing, story, and acting will all click.(Photo: BBC)
Audio dramas have been described as television for your ears.
If you’ve never heard of audio dramas before, you may have heard the term audio fiction, fiction podcast, radio play, or full-cast audio drama. They have a full cast of voice actors, sound effects, and a score. So, yeah, like television for your ears.
If this still sounds like a foreign concept, remember the original Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” that had everybody in an uproar? That was an audio drama. Remember how Ralphie in A Christmas Story listened to Little Orphan Annie on the family radio? That was an audio drama, too.
But before you start thinking audio dramas hum only from wooden, old-timey radios, a resurgence of the form has made the last few years a sort of golden era for them. Why? Some have speculated that audio dramas were easier to produce when everyone was home during Covid. The pandemic shut down much of the entertainment world, so really good writers, producers, and actors turned to audio dramas to keep themselves busy (or keep themselves afloat).
But whatever happened, audio dramas are back and seem back to stay. Market research firm Digital Bulletin valued the U.S. audio drama market at $2.7 billion last year and projected growth to $6.1 billion in 2033.
All of this is to say: There has never been a better time to listen to audio dramas. I’ve been a fan for years and I listen to shows when I work out, work in the yard, cook, walk, or whatever. If I can put my brain on pause for a minute, I can stick a show in there and be whisked away while my body cuts the grass.
To get started, find the fiction section of your favorite podcast app. It’s just called “fiction” in Apple Podcasts. Then scroll until you find something you like. Or hit up the audio drama subreddit for recommendations.
Big warning here, though: The quality of shows varies greatly. In some, the acting will suck (like, really suck). In others, the writing and story will suck. But in the best ones, it all clicks, and while you do the dishes, you’re transported to the deck of the Pequod hunting Moby Dick.
Here are three recommendations to, hopefully, help you find your first (or next) audio drama favorite.
Photo: Sundance Now
Exeter
Jeanne Tripplehorn (The Firm) and Ray McKinnon (Deadwood; O Brother, Where Art Thou?) play detective partners in the small South Carolina County of Exeter in 1995.
In the first season, detectives Colleen and Pruitt follow evidence and hearsay to unravel a string of grisly murders: a woman found in the woods, mauled to death by a pack of dogs; a local preacher’s head found in the middle of the road placed on a collection plate. The second and third seasons continue the taut storylines laid out in the first season.
Exeter mesmerizes and never forces you to suspend your disbelief, especially on its Southernness.
The Lovecraft Investigations
I didn’t know I loved H.P. Lovecraft (his stories, anyway) until I heard The Lovecraft Investigations for the first time.
In its first season, podcasters Matthew Heawood (Barnaby Kay) and Kennedy Fisher (Jana Carpenter) set out to discover how a young man named Charles Dexter Ward went missing from his locked room at a Rhode Island asylum. They pull at any loose thread they can find until they uncover a powerful cult that has worshipped (and kept alive) a Mesopotamian god for 1,000 years.
This thread continues through seasons two, three, and four. In them, Matt and Kennedy find friends, chase UFOs, and watch as an entire town vanishes before their eyes.
Photo: Audible
Treat
The audio drama format is perfect for horror. If that’s your thing and you’re looking to dip a toe into the audio fiction world, find Treat.
Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, Twisters) stars as an unpopular teenager in a quiet town that holds a killer secret. Can she save her town, her family, or even herself from this evil from the past? Listen to Treat (billed as a hour-and-a-half audio movie). Dun-dun-DUNNNN!
Big projects come and go in Memphis — new buildings, new street designs, new public amenities.
For some of them, leaders eventually grab big scissors and cut oversized ribbons, smile into cameras while a crowd applauds. Some fade, like The Clipper. Remember The Clipper? It was to be a huge skyscraper hotel/office/retail project near the FedExForum. It was announced on its website in February 2019. Then news about The Clipper on that site stopped in July 2019.
Some projects, though, make us ask, “What ever happened to XYZ?” A few years ago, we ran an occasional series called “What Ever Happened To …,” in which we updated some of those projects, especially splashy bike and pedestrian projects that every Memphian could enjoy.
It turns out that after our updates then, we still need updates now. For them, we asked city and county leaders for help. They got to work over a week and a half, checking in with many different departments that then had to check in with so many contractors. In the end, they provided us with a pretty good update to satisfy our burning question: “What Ever Happened To …”
We’ll start with a couple of examples of completed projects.
The I-55/Crump Boulevard Interchange was opened to traffic this May after being in the works for over a decade. (Photos: Tennessee Department of Transportation)
The Flyer started writing about the I-55/Crump Interchange project back when it was announced in May 2015. (Though public hearings on the idea began in 2009.) By the end of July 2015, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) officials punted the plan for a year. Opposition rose as the plan called for the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (the Old Bridge) to be closed for nine months, redirecting all of its traffic to the Hernando DeSoto Bridge (the New Bridge).
The old cloverleaf design was built in the mid-1960s. It was meant to handle 28,500 vehicles daily, with 8 percent truck traffic, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In 2015, traffic averaged 60,330 vehicles daily, with 26 percent trucks. By 2035, the interchange will see 84,500 vehicles per day, according to FHWA projections.
With this and more, John Schroer, the TDOT commissioner at the time, called the interchange “the worst interchange we have in the state of Tennessee.” Then-Memphis Mayor AC Wharton called it “malfunction junction.” They remained resolute to fix it.
The plan returned in 2022 and would only close the Old Bridge for two weeks. Construction began that year. And, as we know now, the new interchange opened to traffic in May.
We reported back in 2018 that “the city has plans to give the 1.7-mile stretch of Peabody from Bellevue to Cooper a makeover that includes fewer lanes for cars. … The street will be resurfaced and bike lanes, along with traffic-calming configurations, will be installed.”
At the time, public meetings were scheduled to present two different designs. One design would have put the bike lanes right against the curb and parking spots on the road to act as a buffer to protect cyclists. As we know now, the design that won put bike lanes out against moving traffic.
Questions and opposition to the plan slowed the process somewhat. The plan put Peabody on a “road diet,” reducing its two car lanes to one and adding the bike lane. Residents worried the plan might congest traffic and add confusion.
The paving project was completed in 2022. Aside from smoothing out the rough road deck, its bike lanes were to help connect bike lanes to Martin Luther King, which it did, and to Cooper, which did not have bike lanes at the time. It did that, too, once Cooper’s bike lanes opened in 2022.
However, all of those bike lanes were hoped to reach farther east to, one day, connect Downtown and Shelby Farms Park. To do that, though, the city had to build “the Shelby Farms Greenline bridge that will extend the Greenline to Tobey Park.”
Construction for “The Last Mile” of the Greenline could begin in the first half of 2026 if plans are approved. (Photos: City of Memphis)
Greenline Connector from Tillman to Cooper • Announced: 2016 • Status: Construction could begin in 2026
This is a three-project endeavor that aims to finally connect the Shelby Farms Greenline to Midtown and beyond, with improvements to what one city planning map calls “The Last Mile.”
The first project would connect the Greenline where it now ends at Tillman to the end of Flicker Street at Union. To do this requires a second project, a new bike and pedestrian bridge over train tracks. The third project would connect that bike and pedestrian path from Flicker to Cooper Street, which then hooks up to bike lanes all the way to Downtown, Big River Crossing, and, eventually, Arkansas.
Since this idea was announced, three different people (and one orange guy twice) have occupied the White House, Kanye West came out as a Nazi (and recanted his Nazism), and Elon Musk, who publicly gave the Nazi salute twice, built a supercomputer on President’s Island.
Here’s how the first two projects were described by the City of Memphis Bikeway and Pedestrian Program’s website in October 2016: “The scope of this project is from the Greenline’s current terminus at Tillman Street to Flicker Street. Due to the necessity of crossing an active railroad, the city will construct a bicycle and pedestrian bridge in between the Union Avenue and Poplar Avenue viaducts.”
When I checked last week, the Greenline still ended at Tillman, where a grassy patch leads to a wall of dense, green brush. No signs of construction were apparent on the Flicker end, either. However, it’s likely that city officials are waiting on word about the bridge project before they start clearing that connecting path.
When we checked back in on this project in 2022, a city official said the federal funds for the project came with a lot of red tape. Nicholas Oyler, then the manager of the city’s bike and pedestrian program, said the feds required a ton of environmental review for the project. Because the bridge would go over those train tracks, it added another level of scrutiny and boxes to check. Back then, planning and design was underway thanks to some environmental clearances. Oyler predicted construction could begin as soon as 2023.
Now, however, city officials said they hope to submit plans for the bridge to TDOT by year’s end. If approved, construction could begin in the first half of 2026, they said.
Once that project is complete, the final project — the Shelby Farms Greenline Midtown Connector — would then pick up at a trailhead on Flicker and run west to Cooper.
Originally, this connector would have pushed through Tobey Park and into Liberty Park (what was called the Mid-South Fairgrounds when the plan was announced). A city website said in 2021, though, that officials were mulling other possible routes in a larger area that spans Cooper to Flicker and Avery to Central.
One rendering from the City of Memphis Bikeway and Pedestrian Program website shows a neat-o bridge over East Parkway (using the rail line there) to connect at Harbert. But it’s unclear if it’ll ever materialize.
City officials did not give any dates or solid timelines for this project.
“This project is still in the early concept and design stages, and the city is waiting for the go-ahead from TDOT to officially get started,” city officials said. “It would extend the Shelby Farms Greenline from Flicker Street to a spot in Midtown that’s still being decided.”
A bike-and-pedestrian-friendly crossing was announced in 2014 for Cooper across Poplar and into Overton Park. There’s no construction timeline for the project. (Photos: (left) City of Memphis, (right) Toby Sells)
Cooper-Poplar Connector to Overton Park • Announced: 2014 • Status: final design due in September, no construction timeline
Announcements for the Cooper-Poplar Connector — the project to make a bike-and-pedestrian-friendly crossing from Cooper across Poplar and into Overton Park — came as early as 2014, the same year (spoiler alert) Joffrey was killed off on Game of Thrones.
The need for the connector arose in a 2013 study that said “it is dangerous and uncomfortable for pedestrians” walking to, from, or along the perimeter of the park. It was also “difficult” for cyclists to cross North Parkway, East Parkway, or Poplar to get to the park. Bike and pedestrian improvements, the study said, “are long overdue for the most prominent park in the city park system. These improvements are also driven by the inconsistent condition of bike/pedestrian facilities in the park vicinity and strong community interest in this project.”
City officials said the project got officially underway in 2016, when Harambe memes were inescapable online. A design consultant began work in 2017, the year that sparked the #MeToo movement. And the federal environmental review of the project was completed in 2020, when everyone was talking about Tiger King.
When we checked in on this project in 2022, the city was prepping Cooper for bike lanes. Those were to connect Poplar to crosswalks, a protected bike crossing at the traffic signal, a new landing pad on the park side for bikes and pedestrians, and a new path that was to connect to the park’s trail system.
“Once this plaza and that connection goes in, it will be made more seamless and it’ll feel a lot safer getting across,” Oyler said at the time.
Here again, he said the federal funds tied to the project and a surprise environmental review from the state slowed the work. At the time, he expected to break ground on the project in mid-2023.
In 2025, officials said the final roadway design is due to TDOT in September. They didn’t expect any new right-of-way to be acquired. Also, utilities for the project and TDOT approval should only take two or three months, they said.
But it hasn’t just been the slow-turning gears of government that has held up the Cooper-Poplar Connector to Overton Park project.
“The project was effectively on hold from 2020 to 2022 due to Covid-19 impacts and staff transitions within the city of Memphis,” officials said. “During this period, the consultant’s contract expired. In 2023, with the arrival of the new [project manager], the contract was renegotiated and subsequently extended in 2024, allowing design work to resume in July 2024. Several environmental permits had expired and were resubmitted in fall 2024.”
Once the Wolf River Greenway is complete, it will connect 22 neighborhoods over 26 miles. (Photo: Courtesy Wolf River Conservancy)
Wolf River Greenway Final Gaps • Announced: 2024 • Original project began: as early as 1985 • Status: Construction could be finished by 2029 or 2030
“Good things take time,” reads a quote from author and life coach Sanhita Baruah. “Great things take a little longer.” It’s a quote recently used often in Downtown Neighborhood Association’s emails on its many projects, including bringing music back to Mud Island.
Here, though, everyone knew the Wolf River Greenway would take a little longer. The thing was ambitious from the jump.
Almost as soon as the Wolf River Conservancy was formed 40 years ago, its leaders envisioned a 12-foot-wide trail across Shelby County that would roughly follow the river and eventually connect Mud Island to Germantown and Collierville. Phases of the trail have opened over the decades, and once it’s complete, it will connect 22 neighborhoods over 26 miles. The project is a partnership with the conservancy, the city, and the county.
The Flyer has kept up with the project over the years. Bianca Phillips wrote about the groundbreaking of the John F. Kennedy Park extension in 2015, 10 years ago. Abigail Morici wrote about a temporary public art exhibit along the trail in 2023.
Nearly every story we’ve written about building the project, though, has included a dollar figure. Great things, turns out, take money, too. The “final gaps” project got some big money help last year from the state and federal government.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), through the Tennessee General Assembly, granted the conservancy $10.3 million to build out 3.9 miles of the greenway that conservancy leaders call “the critical link” connecting Kennedy Park to the Shelby Farms Greenline.
Shortly after that award was announced, city officials told the conservancy it had been granted $21.8 million for the greenway project through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.
“This RAISE grant will fund construction costs for two remaining sections of the Greenway in historically disadvantaged communities in North Memphis,” the conservancy said at the time. “The project will navigate over and under major transit infrastructure (a railroad and state highway) that are barriers to parks, neighborhoods, and everyday destinations.”
City leaders said some final designs were delayed from May 2024 through April 2025. Parts of the design had construction on or near the levee, which meant the project needed permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to make sure it was safe.
That review brought design changes for the trail. Those changes will have to be approved again. If they are, that could mean new land acquisition to build the actual trailway.
City officials said final plans will be sent to TDOT for review in September. Planning work will continue next year. Bids on the construction of the project are expected to go out in February 2027. Leaders expect construction to be finished by 2029 or 2030.
“Better Jefferson” Road Project • Announced: 2020 • Status: Design could be finished in 2026, no construction timeline known
“A two-mile stretch of Jefferson is targeted for a $4.2 million makeover to help increase transportation options in the heart of Memphis,” the Flyer wrote in 2020. “The goal is to move Downtown, the Medical District, and Midtown together.”
The Better Jefferson project was to help cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists with resurfacing and striping, sidewalk and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) upgrades, enhanced pedestrian crossings, traffic signal modernizations, bicycle facilities, traffic calming, and landscaping elements.
Five years after it was announced, Jefferson is still the same old Jefferson. However, city officials said the design phase of the project could be wrapped up in 2026. The timing of that process will inform a construction start date and, maybe, a completion date.
Memphis Cobblestone Landing (Photo: Toby Sells)
Memphis Cobblestone Landing • Announcement date: 2015 • Status: Construction could be complete by November
Those cobblestones at the river’s edge have vexed leaders here for decades.
They’re uneven, treacherous, especially for any tourist traversing them from a big tour bus to a river boat. But they’re historic, too, the oldest intact cobblestone port in the United States. If the Mississippi (or the Platte, or the Missouri) is “too thin to plow, too thick to drink,” the cobblestones are too rough to keep and too cool to throw away.
A 2008 Flyer story had a river boat pilot bitching about the stones. A 2009 story had two disparate riverfront groups agreeing that “the riverfront’s historic cobblestone landing is in dire need of repair.” In a 2014 timeline of Beale Street Landing, a 1987 Center City Commission plan called to restore the landing. A 2015 Flyer story said a $6 million plan was emerging that would keep the cobblestones’ history but make them easier to walk upon.
“That plan would create the Cobblestone Landing Accessible Trail, a sidewalk that will run along the wall below Riverside Drive,” the story said. “It will stretch from Court to Monroe with handicap-accessible ramps on both sides. The walk will feature two bump-outs for viewing and will be even with the cobblestones in the center.”
Any “new” plan for the cobblestones really began three decades ago. In the summer of 1994, the city built a foundation at the foot of Beale Street to be used for the relocation of the Tom Lee monument. For it, crews removed a large section of cobblestones, and the project was halted by the USACE for historic preservation. A number of government agencies have piled onto the cobblestone project over the years. But in all that time, the cobblestones themselves have largely remained untouched.
In 2025, city officials said, “At this point, the project is 95 percent complete. River stage permitting, work is expected to resume in September, with completion targeted for November 30, 2025.”
South Main’s Active Bolt & Screw Co. is famous for their unique logo. Have you ever wondered how in the world that winking, grinning, pose-striking screw got to be so … sexy?
We figured this minor Memphis mystery was worth a question to the owners and perfect for our occasional series here: Minor Memphis Mystery.
Active Bolt & Screw is a privately held distributor of fasteners and industrial hardware in the Mid-South. That means bolts, screws, nuts, and more. The company’s website says it’s been “doing it right and keeping it tight for over 60 years.”
The business started in 1959 with Robert Collie Sr. selling these products out of his station wagon. He eventually bought the old post office building on South Main in 1986.
Memphis fun-seekers weren’t likely an ordinary sight there back then. But anyone now heading to Ghost River Brewing Co., Loflin Yard, or even Central Station may glimpse that warehouse and its iconic sexy screw.
Turns out “The Screw Lady” was invented by Collie’s wife, Betty, who laughed to hear people thought her design was sexy.
Active Bolt & Screw is still owned and operated by the Collie family. Dave Collie, Robert Collie Sr.’s grandson, returned our email about the design, saying, “We get asked about the logo quite a bit.”
Here’s what he said:
“The original artist is my grandmother, Betty. When the business was first started my grandmother had three kids under 3 but would stay up to help with clerical work once the kids were in bed.
“One night my grandfather, Bob, asked her to come up with a company logo and that is what she designed. The logo has never had a name but always just referred to loosely as ‘The Screw Lady.’
“As for why she is striking that pose, you’d have to ask my grandmother … Haha. I told her that people that it was ‘sexy’ and she fell out in laughter. She said she never really thought of it that way. ‘Maybe eye-catching,’ [she said], but that’s a grandmother for you.
“In my opinion it is probably a bit of a self-portrait. From the photos I’ve seen, our grandmother was always dressed to the nines. High heels, mini-skirts, and lipstick. At 90, she probably still has her makeup and lipstick on while at the retirement center. They finally got her out of wearing high heels in her 80s.”
Calzone at Memphis Filling Station (Photos: Toby Sells)
There was a time that Memphis breweries and food trucks were like peanut butter and jelly or a light lager and a summer beach.
But times have changed for these seemingly inseparable pals at many — but certainly not all — local taprooms. In several places now, a trip to a brewery doesn’t immediately beg the question — “What’s the food truck tonight?” — that sends you tapping away on your phone, searching socials, and hoping the answer is Soi Number 9 or El Mero Taco.
So many Memphis breweries now make and serve their own food, instead of relying on a (sometimes unreliable) food truck. When Wiseacre Brewing Co.’s Downtown location opened in 2020, for example, its space for an in-house restaurant was a new-ish concept for new-ish Memphis breweries. (Boscos has brewed its own beer and served a full menu since it opened in 1992. But it was always intended as a brewpub, never meaning for its beers to be packaged for wholesale.)
Okay, but why the change? Flip your Memphis beer history books back to around 2013, an era we refer to as the Memphis Craft Beer Boom. Back then state law mandated that any place that served alcohol on the premises also had to have a kitchen.
That was a real bummer for beer folk who could whip up a batch of Hefeweizen easier then laying down a plate of barbecue nachos. This law also put Tennessee behind the larger craft boom happening all over the country. (Crazy to think some state law kept Tennessee behind the times, right?) So the Memphis City Council stepped in.
“No brewery with a tasting room shall be required to serve food, maintain kitchen facilities, or conform to any requirement relating to the percentage of sales attributable to food so long as it …,” reads the city rule, which then rattled off a list of must-dos for breweries to drop the kitchen requirement.
With that barrier down, beer entrepreneurs dove in to create businesses, spaces, and beers that would become local favorites and even city icons. But they knew thirsty patrons would be hungry, too. To keep them on-site and drinking more beers, brewery owners teamed up with food truck operators.
At the time, food trucks were another new-ish notion to Memphis. Less costly than a brick-and-mortar, enterprising chefs found a big barrier to market down, too. Together, breweries and food trucks would create a revolving lineup of new beers and new dishes to new spaces all across Memphis. But that changed over time.
“When we opened the brewery, I think beer was enough to really draw people in,” said Crosstown Brewing Co. co-founder Clark Ortkiese. “Then you could have food trucks, and food wasn’t our focus.”
But Crosstown leaders noticed the taproom was thin at meal times, and started to hear why people were leaving, which “you could see in our busy hours,” Ortkiese said. Some food trucks weren’t dependable, he said. Some would even cancel the day they were scheduled. Then Crosstown would just not have food that evening, Ortkiese said, noting they never had trucks seven days a week.
To ensure reliability and fight to keep more customers, Crosstown opened a kitchen last year. Planning the food menu came down to sticking with Crosstown’s ethos for beer-making — precision and solid execution that leads to a reliably quality product. They also wanted to keep the food menu simple.
Soft pretzel at Crosstown Brewing Co.
“We’re making foods that we know,” Ortkiese said. “We’re making burgers, making wings, making Philly cheesesteaks. They stick to the ribs. They make you feel good. They’re delicious, but they are not overly complicated. They’re not haute cuisine and I don’t think that’s for our brewery anyway.”
This trend for food reliability has led many Memphis breweries to develop their own food programs. Wiseacre’s Little Bettie got a visit from Guy Fieri. Memphis Filling Station opened with its pizza oven cranking out delicious calzones the size of regulation footballs. Hampline Brewing Company’s food program, which they call Franco’s Italian Kitchen, features charcuterie, panini sandwiches, and pasta. Flyway Brewing Company opened with a full menu (including Mississippi Pot Roast, tater-tot poutine, y’all) as its space also included the former Edge Alley kitchen and dining hall.
But not every Memphis brewery has gone to solid food. Soul & Spirits Brewery, for example, still loves food trucks like Smoke & Toast, Ritzie’s Barbecue and Fine Foods, and Tacos Mondragon as essential components to their community-based hospitality.
“We like to use food trucks for two reasons: one, to support other local small businesses, and if we do not have food being prepared inside the taproom, then we can still be dog-friendly,” said Blair Perry, CEO and co-founder of Soul & Spirits.
Credit: Screenshot from "Adult Best Friends" trailer.
Nearly two weeks ago in the Memphis subreddit, the eagle-eyed u/theunnamedban spotted a Memphis University School (MUS) Owls T-shirt worn by a character in the movie, Adult Best Friends.
They wondered why. We figured we could, at least, try to solve this Minor Memphis Mystery. We did.
Delaney Buffett co-wrote, directed, and stars in the 2024 film. Her character, also named Delaney, is seen wearing the Owls T-shirt.
Credit: IMDB
Reddit user u/UofMtigers2014 laid out some totally plausible reasons for the shirt’s appearance in the film.
“Two possible reasons: (1) it was filmed in Mississippi so maybe someone on crew in responsible,” reads the comment. “(2) It was filmed in with HBO, who shares a studio with Warner Brothers (WB). If there’s nobody on the crew responsible for this, maybe it was in their costume department as a donation from Henry Gayden, who went to MUS, and wrote the two ‘Shazam’ movies, distributed by WB.”
Other Reddit users thought there might be a connection with Buffett’s dad, Jimmy Buffett, and his time spent in Nashville early in his career.
Turns out the answer is not so satisfying.
“There is zero connection except I borrowed it from my mom’s friend who has a vintage T-shirt collection,” Buffett said in an email. “But amazing to know the origins of it :).”
Adult Best Friends is now streaming on Max, or HBO Max, or HBO, or whatever HBO is calling itself these days.
If you have an idea for Minor Memphis Mysteries and you think we can help, please send an email to toby@memphisflyer.com.
Shelby County is more reliant on federal safety net programs — and more sensitive to cuts — than any other county in Tennessee, according to a new study by the Sycamore Institute.
In 2024, Shelby County residents received nearly $2 billion in funds from federal safety programs Medicaid, TANF, WIC, and SNAP, according to the Sycamore Institute study.
President Donald Trump has promised deep cuts to these programs, meant to support low-income people and families. The federal budget bill enacting these cuts is now progressing through Congress.
In Memphis, the cuts could have an outsized effect on Black children, the largest collective group living here below the poverty line. The 2024 Poverty Fact Sheet from the University of Memphis says 27 percent of the city’s Black population lives below the federal poverty level. It says 36 percent of its impoverished population is under age 18.
The biggest of these safety net cuts are promised for Medicaid, a healthcare block grant to help states pay for health care benefits for low-income populations. It’s called TennCare in Tennessee.
The cuts could mean thousands of citizens of Memphis and Shelby County would lose their access to healthcare.
The Sycamore Institute, a Nashville-based policy think tank for Tennessee, said 26.6 percent of Shelby County’s population is enrolled in TennCare. As of March, that was 241,804 people, the highest number of enrollees of any Tennessee county. Shelby County also has the largest population of any Tennessee county, outpacing second-ranked Davidson County by about 200,000 people.
Credit: Sycamore Institute
Cuts to TennCare could also means hundreds of millions of dollars might leave the Shelby County economy. Last year, TennCare paid health care providers $1.4 billion for claims for these Shelby-County enrollees. It paid hospitals $175 million for uncompensated care for these patients and those without health insurance.
Cuts to TennCare could strain the budgets of Memphis and Shelby County hospitals and healthcare providers, forcing them to make tough choices. Tennessee’s refusal to expand the state’s Medicaid budget has brought the closure of several rural hospitals in the state.
That decision, made by the Tennessee General Assembly, was a political, Obama-era decision by the state GOP to oppose the Affordable Care Act. That decision leaves $1.4 billion on TennCare’s table each year even through the Trump presidency.
The Tennessee Justice Center says more than 300,000 Tennesseans are uninsured, with no access to healthcare. Medicaid expansion would cover this population, support 15,000 new jobs, lower uncompensated care costs for hospitals, and offer better long-term health outcomes.
Sycamore Institute’s report showed Shelby County also has the largest statewide enrollment in other federal safety net programs including SNAP, TANF, and WIC.
Here’s a look at each of those:
SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
This program provides food benefits for low-income families.
March 2025 enrollment: 149,551 (16.4 percent of Shelby County population)
2024 federal expenditures: $370 million
TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
This program provides temporary cash assistance and other benefits for low-income families.
2024 enrollment: 66,017 (7.3 percent of Shelby County population)
2024 federal expenditure: $9.9 million
WIC: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
This program provides food benefits and other nutrition support for low-income mothers and young children.
2024 enrollment: 26,266 (2.9 percent of Shelby County population)
