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News News Blog News Feature

Stand for Children Tennessee Joins ACLU in Request for MPD Records

Photo: Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

National and statewide organizations are prompting the Memphis Police Department (MPD) to be transparent and accountable on documented practices.

Stand for Children Tennessee (Stand TN) joins the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other agencies across the nation to launch the Seven States Safety Campaign. Stand TN is leading the charge in Memphis, as the ACLU has submitted a public records request to MPD regarding “misconduct and civil rights violations.”

“As the federal government pulls back on police oversight, local communities are stepping up and calling for transparency and real reform,” the organizations said in a statement.

The ACLU submitted a request to MPD’s records office today asking for copies of records “concerning MPD’s use of force and stops.” They cited 50 separate incidents closest to April 30th regarding “uses of force by any specialized unit.”

Other requests included Blue Team incident and weapon reports, field investigation memos, and reports on juveniles injured by officer force.

Should the MPD deny any of these requests, they are required by Tennessee law to provide written notice as to why they declined to provide their response within seven business days.

This news comes as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the closure of its investigation of MPD. In December, the agency found that MPD uses excessive force; conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; unlawfully discriminates against Black people when enforcing the law; and unlawfully discriminated in their response to people with behavioral disabilities.

At the time the investigation opened, former President Joe Biden controlled the DOJ. Today, the department announced they would be retracting “the Biden Administration’s findings of constitutional violations on the part of” the MPD and other police departments.

The campaign is demanding that similar changes be filed in Massachusetts, New York, Mississippi, and more, where similar federal civil rights investigations had been reported.

A statement from Stand TN condemned the local government for not taking “meaningful action” in the aftermath of the DOJ’s findings. The group also criticized Mayor Paul Young’s “integrity” regarding the city’s policing task force citing lack of clarity, transparency, and community accountability.

Several organizations urged Young to enter a consent decree with the DOJ after the findings were released. Organizations such as the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), and Just City suggested “independent monitoring,” despite the mayor’s concern for the financial risks a consent decree would impose.

“The DOJ’s findings confirmed what Memphis communities have said for years: MPD’s abuse, excessive force, and lack of accountability are systemic, not isolated,” Cardell Orrin, executive director of Stand TN, said. “While city leaders chase an arbitrary ‘magic number’ of police, they’ve failed to invest in what truly keeps us safe: youth programs, mental healthcare, housing, transit, and more. This request for records will give us and other partners more power to push for the bold changes Memphis needs.”

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News News Blog News Feature

DOJ Ends MPD Investigation

Credit: U.S. Department of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will close its investigation of the Memphis Police Department (MPD). 

In December, the DOJ found that the MPD uses excessive force, conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests, unlawfully discriminates against Black people when enforcing the law, and unlawfully discriminates in their response to people with behavioral health disabilities.

The DOJ was then controlled by President Joe Biden, and the announcement came after the election of President Donald Trump. Speculation at the time figured Trump would likely drop the investigation.

The DOJ said Wednesday it will also retract ”the Biden Administration’s findings of constitutional violations on the part of” the MPD and other police departments across the country. 

”The department is confident that the vast majority of police officers across the nation will continue to vigorously enforce the law and protect the public in full compliance with the Constitution and all applicable federal laws,” reads a statement from a news release issued Wednesday morning. “When bad actors in uniform fail to do so, the department stands ready to take all necessary action to address any resulting constitutional or civil-rights violations, including via criminal prosecution.”

Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Tyre Nichols, said the move is “attempting to erase truth and contradicting the very principles for which justice stands.”

“This decision is a slap in the face to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tyre Nichols, and to every community that has endured the trauma of police violence and the false promises of accountability,” Crump said in a statement. “These consent decrees and investigations were not symbolic gestures, they were lifelines for communities crying out for change, rooted in years of organizing, suffering, and advocacy.

“These moves will only deepen the divide between law enforcement and the people they are sworn to protect and serve. Trust is built with transparency and accountability, not with denial and retreat.”

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Food & Drink

Magnolia & May: Five and Alive

Chip and Amanda Dunham (Photo: Michael Donahue)

Magnolia & May restaurant opened on May 26, 2020. Smack dab during the pandemic lockdown. No vaccine. People were sheltering in place.

She and her husband, executive chef Chip Dunham, got customers, but general manager Amanda Dunham says, “There were times Chip and I would sit on the patio and we would be pretty empty: ‘Why are we doing this?’”

When they opened their restaurant at 718 Mt. Moriah Road, Chip and Amanda did curbside and to-go orders until they were allowed to do 50 percent capacity dine-in service.

Five years later, Magnolia & May, unlike other restaurants that bit the dust, is still open. To honor the occasion, Chip and Amanda are holding a five-day anniversary celebration at the restaurant.

“It’s just kind of something fun to do,” Amanda says, adding, “Five years isn’t super long, but it feels long to us sometimes.”

During those lockdown days, their Magnolia Farms Box was a hot item. It included the recipes for a meal and a cocktail as well as the ingredients, so people could whip up a Magnolia & May meal and drink at home.

The cocktail was a Magnolia & May Manhattan, which included bourbon, dark vermouth, and amaro.

It wasn’t easy operating a new restaurant in those days. “We joke we never got to what we call the ‘romance phase’ when everybody flocks to see what’s going on on,” Amanda says. “By the time we got back to normal, we were already around about a year.”

Chip began his culinary career as a pantry cook, making cold salads and appetizers at The Grove Grill, which was owned by his dad, chef Jeffrey Dunham. He met Amanda while he was going to school at The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. He worked at Slightly North of Broad Restaurant, Butcher & Bee, and The Glass Onion in Charleston, South Carolina, before he moved back to Memphis with Amanda.

His father and mother, Tracey Dunham, were thinking about adding a second location of The Grove Grill, so they decided to convert his grandfather’s insurance company into a restaurant, which became Magnolia & May. The Grove Grill closed in March 2020, and Chip and Amanda along with Chip’s parents, opened Magnolia & May about two months later.

Explaining why they opened when they did, Chip said in a 2022 Memphis Flyer interview, “We were ready to go and our employees were ready to go. There was no sense in waiting anymore.”

They began planning their Five Days of Magnolia & May about two months ago, Chip says. 

Wednesday, May 21st, will feature a $5 cocktail. Children can eat off the kid’s menu for $5. The cocktail will be the Barely Making It, a play on the Magnolia & May Manhattan. “We are partnering with Old Dominick to create a fifth-anniversary bottle of Tennessee whisky,” Chip says. Children can get burgers, chicken tenders, and hot dogs along with an ice pop. Today, that would cost $12.

On Thursday, May 22nd, Chip says, “We’ll take a trip down memory lane by bringing back our 2020 menu prices.” Instead of today’s price of $17, people will be able to get a hamburger for $13. They can get the restaurant’s popular shrimp and grits for $23 instead of $28.

Friday, May 23rd will feature live music on the patio. And, Chip says, “On Saturday, we’ll host a brunch featuring Crosstown Brewing [Company], which will be bringing some of its THC seltzers for our guests to sample during the meal.”

The fifth night, May 24th, was going to be a trivia night, but they’re hosting a wedding reception at the restaurant that night, so they’re moving the trivia event to Sunday, June 1st. “It’s just general trivia,” Chip says. “It’s always been something we wanted to do, but we just finally decided to pull the trigger on it. I think we’re going to do it once a month going forward.”

Customers also will be able to get limited edition fifth-anniversary Magnolia & May T-shirts and stickers.

Food wise, over the past five years, they’ve “kind of stayed the same,” Chip says. They describe their concept as “a country brasserie.” As Chip said in the 2022 interview, “We present ourselves in a rustic way, but while we’re a restaurant based in the American South, we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves as that.”

Influences include Asian and Middle Eastern, but everything is “rooted in that classic French technique.” And now, Chip says, “We actually made more connections with local farms.”

They get chicken and duck from Riley Family Farms in Holly Springs, Mississippi; local beef and pork from Home Place Pastures in Como, Mississippi; mushrooms from Bluff City Fungi in Memphis; and fruit and vegetables from Jones Orchard in Millington, Tennessee.

“When we opened, we wanted to be able to do this,” Amanda says. “We wanted to be using more local farms, more neighborhood purveyors, but we weren’t really able to. Everyone was operating at such an odd time.”

Magnolia & May still offers the same friendly hospitality, Chip says. Amanda visits tables and chats with customers. “The closeness of the community is what we always wanted,” he says.

In short, Chip says, “You can get a very well executed, nutritious chef-driven dish in a casual and approachable environment.”

They achieved one of their goals last year, Amanda adds. “We bought Jeff and Tracey out of the business. Chip and I are the owners.”

A second location of Magnolia & May isn’t on their radar, but they “always joke around” that they might open a coffee shop. “You never know with us,” Amanda says. “It will be where the wind takes us. We’ve always talked about doing a coffee shop.”

That’s on their “bucket list for another five years down the road.”

So, why do they call their restaurant, Magnolia & May? “We have a tradition in my family of, before a baby is born, giving them a nickname,” Chip says. Amanda was pregnant with their daughter, Maddison, whose nickname is Baby Magnolia, and his sister was pregnant with their niece, Marilyn Lamey, who is called Baby May.

“So, now we have to open a restaurant after our son,” Chip says. Their son, Hudson, was born during the past five years. His nickname is Monkey Grass. Which, actually, sounds like a good name for a coffee shop. 

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News News Feature

Where to Retire

Photo: Matijn Palings | Unsplash

When planning for retirement, people often focus on how much money they need to save, when they’ll retire, and how to spend their free time. An often-overlooked retirement planning consideration is where to retire — and the decision can have a significant impact on your finances. Here are some factors to consider when deciding where to retire:

• Income tax implications 

Let’s go ahead and start with the elephant in the room. Sadly, even after you finish working, you’ll still owe taxes. Taxes can have a significant impact on your retirement, and different states have different tax rates for retirement income. Some states have more favorable tax policies than others, which can allow retirees to keep more of their retirement income. In addition, some states don’t tax Social Security benefits or other types of retirement income, which can help you further maximize your retirement savings. 

• Retirement income

Social Security benefits — While most states don’t tax Social Security benefits, there are a few states that impose some form of taxes on them. Regardless of where in the U.S. you live, up to 85 percent of your Social Security income may be subject to federal income tax. 

Retirement plan distributions — Many people hold most of their retirement savings in tax-deferred accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s. While these vehicles provide a great way to save in a tax-deferred manner, retirement distributions from these types of accounts are subject to ordinary income tax at the federal level. However, some states don’t tax retirement plan distributions, which can help you maximize your funds available for retirement. 

Pension income — Some states differentiate between public and private pensions and may tax only public pensions. Other states tax both, while some states tax neither. Again, the amount of state tax you pay on this retirement income source can have a big impact on your lifestyle. 

• Estate taxes 

In 2025, the federal government allows individuals to pass on up to $13,990,000 without any federal estate tax ($27,980,000 for married couples filing jointly). However, depending on where you live, you may need to pay state estate taxes. It’s important to understand the estate tax requirements of your current state as you’re planning your legacy, especially since some states’ estate tax limits may be lower than you would expect. 

• Capital gains 

Long-term capital gains are taxed by the federal government at more favorable rates than ordinary income. However, this is often not the case for states that charge state income tax. Many states don’t differentiate between earned income and capital gains, which means depending on the state in which you live, you may have significant tax liabilities on investment income. 

• Cost of living 

Cost of living can differ widely between various cities and states, making it essential to choose a retirement location you can afford. Some cities have a much lower cost of living than others, which allows you to do more with your retirement savings. By choosing a location with a lower cost of living, you may be able to afford a larger home, travel more often, or pursue hobbies and interests that may be out of reach if you were paying more for daily living expenses. 

• Healthcare costs

When choosing where to retire, it’s important to find a location that offers access to high-quality healthcare facilities. Having convenient access to healthcare can help keep your costs down. 

• Housing costs

Housing costs can vary widely between different cities and states, which is why it’s important to choose a retirement location that aligns with your housing budget. It’s also important to consider what property taxes you’ll be responsible for paying, as these too can vary widely. 

As you begin planning for your retirement, keep in mind it’s important to understand how where you live can impact your retirement finances. This knowledge allows you to choose a location that fits within your retirement budget and can help you live the lifestyle you want. 

Katie Stephenson, JD, CFP, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.

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Opinion The Last Word

Just City at 10

Josh Spickler (Photo: Chip Chockley/Just City)

Ten years ago, things weren’t looking good.

A group of defense attorneys (including myself), business leaders, and community advocates found ourselves having the same discussions over and over again about our criminal justice system. Things were broken: Taxpayers were being asked to fund a system that was costing them more money every year, but public safety wasn’t improving and our economy was sputtering. These problems weren’t unique to Memphis, and they’re far from resolved today. The difference is that we decided to do something about them. Just City was born, not out of frustration, but out of conviction. We believed then — as we believe now — that a system that treats everyone fairly, decently, and humanely can keep us safe and make smart use of our tax dollars. A system like this isn’t built or maintained on its own, however — people have to demand it. Just City was one of the first voices making those demands. 

It’s easy to get discouraged by the amount of work that’s still ahead of us, particularly (waves hands at everything) these days. Still, I remind the Just City team as often as I can that there is an enormous amount of joy in this work. At its core, our work is about taking action so that everyone can live in a city that is free and safe, with less surveillance, less waste, and more humanity. What could be more joyful? So as we look to the future, here are 10 things we’ve accomplished so far with the community’s help. We’re grateful for each one and excited about what they mean for the future of this movement.

1. We helped end the jailing of kids in solitary confinement.

Keeping children in isolation isn’t tough love — it’s trauma. Just City worked with state and local lawmakers to change the so-called “safekeeping law” and bring an end to this barbaric practice.

2. We eliminated the expungement fee.  

We built a bipartisan alliance to eliminate the filing fee for clearing criminal records all across Tennessee. Thousands of people can now more easily move forward with their lives as a result.

3. We launched a bail fund (actually, we launched two).

We didn’t ask permission — we just paid bail for people who hadn’t been convicted of any crime to get them out of jail and return them to their families and jobs. The money comes back when people show up to court so we can help the next person. 

4. We launched a podcast. 

It’s called The Permanent Record, and it’s very good.

5. Our Court Watch volunteers showed up.

We’ve trained over 250 volunteers to sit in criminal courtrooms and take notes. Judges and prosecutors take notice when someone’s watching — especially when they see Just City Court Watchers with their notepads.

6. We filed a bunch of lawsuits. 

We sued the state of Tennessee for its wealth-based driver’s license suspensions. We sued Shelby County government for embarrassing IT failures that lost people and caused them to be locked up unlawfully. We sued the sheriff for ignoring vulnerable people during Covid. And we sued the county (again) for the way it implemented a clearly unconstitutional state law passed in response to changes to the bail system.

7. I got personally insulted by the mayor. 

Mayor Jim Strickland called me “the leading disseminator of false information” after I dared to criticize an ineffective — but extremely expensive — new law that he wanted.

8. And a state senator. 

State Senator Brent Taylor called me a “restorative justice schemer” on the floor of the legislature and in the press. I don’t know what that means either.

9. We built a movement.

What politicians don’t realize is that this work isn’t about me at all. It’s about thousands of people — volunteers, donors, partners, and neighbors — who believe that our criminal justice system should do more than punish indiscriminately. Every year for 10 years, we’ve drawn more support from more parts of our community, and we’re just getting started.

10. We planned a party, and you’re invited.

On Sunday, June 8th, we’re bringing Emmy-nominated comedian Roy Wood Jr. to Minglewood Hall. We’ve got Representative Justin J. Pearson, Kontji Anthony, DJ Cozmo, and a whole lot more. It’s called Stand Up With Just City and tickets are on sale now at justcity.org/standup.

Here’s to the next 10 years of justice and joy. Things are looking better all the time. 

Josh Spickler is the executive director of Just City. 

Categories
At Large Opinion

The Ring of Truth

Harriet Tubman (Photo: Horatio Seymour Squyer | National Portrait Gallery | Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons)

“Revised National Parks Web Page Describes Harriet Tubman as Human Trafficker.”

That was the headline of an email I got a few days ago. I opened it immediately, thinking surely it was a joke. And I was right. The email was from The Onion, a satirical publication that’s been around since 1988 and that is somehow still alive and kicking and sending out funny material in 2025.

You have to admire their spunk. Satire can’t be easy these days. Just last month, for example, in a story about the hundreds of changes and cuts the Trump administration had made to federal government websites, the Washington Post reported that the National Park Service had revised a web page about the Underground Railroad to remove a quote and image of Harriet Tubman, and to remove the word “slavery” from the opening paragraph.

See, it’s just one small step from satire to reality. Or vice versa. And it’s often hard to tell the difference. Here’s another example: “RFK Jr. Says He Swam with Grandkids in a Creek Known for Raw Sewage.” Oh, those crazy kids at The Onion, I tell ya. Oh wait, that’s a real headline from MSNBC.com. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, actually did swim in sewage-infested Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., with his grandkids last week. No word on whether they also spotted a dead bear cub.

Here’s another tough one: “Trump Announces SEAL Team Six Kills U.S. Protester in Daring Overnight Raid.” Not quite true. At least, not yet. He is, however, having people abducted off the street and shipping them to prison without arresting them or giving them legal due process, which is horrifying enough.

How about this headline? “Trump Renames Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America.” Yes, of course, it’s real, but by any rational measure that should have been an Onion headline, don’t you think? Since it was already taken, The Onion came up with “Trump Renames Eric ‘Eric of America.’” See, satire is hard. 

“Immigrants Criticize Swimsuit Competition Portion of U.S. Citizenship Test.” Okay, yes, that’s The Onion. But just barely. The reality is almost as bizarre. It was announced last week that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, headed by cosplaying Border Barbie, Kristi Noem, is reportedly considering a reality TV show in which immigrants would compete in American-themed challenges for a chance to win U.S. citizenship. 

The show, pitched by Rob Worsoff, the producer behind Duck Dynasty, would be called The American, and would feature immigrants competing in challenges such as gold mining, balancing on logs, and assembling cars, to win a fast track to citizenship and potentially be sworn in as citizens on the steps of the Capitol. No, it’s really not from The Onion. I swear. You can google it.

So, how about this one? Real or fake? “Trump Orders Government to Stop Enforcing Rules He Doesn’t Like.” Sorry, that’s a real headline from the Washington Post. From the story: “Trump recently ordered Energy Department staff to stop enforcing water conservation standards for showerheads and other household appliances. And at one Labor Department division, his appointees have instructed employees to halt work related to anti-discrimination laws.” The story adds that at the Environmental Protection Agency, “Trump has ordered officials to scale back enforcement of rules intended to curb air and water pollution from power plants, oil refineries, hazardous waste sites, and other industrial facilities.” Argh.

So, here’s an easy one … I think: “Sean Combs Asks for Quick Trial So He Can Get to Part Where Trump Pardons Him.” A quote from Diddy: “With all due respect, your honor, can we skip some of the preamble and jump to when Trump gets all these sex trafficking and racketeering charges thrown out?” Yeah, it’s satire, unlike Trump’s pardon of 1,500 people convicted of various charges in the January 6th insurrection, but does anyone doubt Trump would actually pardon Combs? I don’t.

Okay, I’ll stop now, but here’s one last headline that has the bitter ring of truth to it. “Pope Leo XIV: ‘There Couldn’t Be a Better Time to Get the Fuck Out of America Forever.’” Real or fake? Hard to tell, and it hurts to laugh. 

Categories
Music Music Features

Luke White: In Memoriam

Luke White (Photo: Tommy Kha)

There were no breaking news articles about it in Rolling Stone or Billboard on April 18th, yet on that day a pivotal figure in Memphis music passed away. After only two days in hospice care, William Luke White succumbed to the glioblastoma brain cancer he’d been struggling with since experiencing a seizure in July of 2019. And, as was clear in Bob Mehr’s reporting in the Commercial Appeal that day, there was a great cry of grief from the local music community.

The affable White had connected with the city’s musically-inclined through multiple bands for decades, including Snowglobe, The Pirates, Spiral Stairs (Pavement’s Scott Kannberg), Colour Revolt, James and the Ultrasounds, Clay Otis, Jeffrey James & the Haul, The Coach and Four, Sons of Mudboy, Harlan T. Bobo, and Rob Jungklas.

Most were aware of White’s health issues; indeed, he boldly foregrounded his condition after the brain surgery he underwent just over a year after his first seizures and diagnosis. Tommy Kha’s photograph of White’s post-operative shaven head, complete with skull stitches, graced the cover of an EP, William Luke White, released in October 2020. Yet it seemed he’d passed through the worst of it then, and White seemed to slowly recover his musical dexterity.

As lifetime friend and bandmate Tim Regan explains, “In August 2020, he had brain surgery and got the tumor removed, and was doing all sorts of recovery and doing things. Then, last January or the November or December before that [in 2023], he had a second brain surgery. After that one, he never totally got back over the big hump.”

Yet he continued to stay as active as possible, doing occasional studio sessions and even following Pavement on the South American leg of their reunion tour last spring. That trip grew in part from Regan and White’s tenure in Kannberg’s band, Spiral Stairs, touring the U.S. and Europe until White’s first seizure, but was also down to Regan and White’s love for the Northern California band. “Tommy Kha, myself, and my buddy Drew Arrison took Luke to four Pavement shows in South America,” says Regan. “We got to go on tour with our favorite band since we were growing up. So that was really great. That was a really big thing that we wanted to do.”

Still, White’s health began to decline. Toward the end, “there were times where you could see the old Luke peeking through,” says Regan, “and other times it was tough for him to get some words out. Just kind of a rough situation all around that was very unfair.”

While there’s an injustice to cancer curtailing the life of any 45-year-old, this tragedy was amplified by the powerful playing White brought to his musical projects. White was known as a careful listener whose guitar lines always served the song in question, yet who could also bring strong statements to recordings he worked on, throwing down bold, blazing solos, full of sonic surprises. “Luke definitely was a very gentle soul, very loving,” says Regan, “but he was also very confident. If there was something that wasn’t good in a piece of music, he would let you know. And the most powerful thing was that, in all his singing and playing, he was completely 100 percent focused and present on making those things as good as they could be.”

That’s apparent in his work with Snowglobe, with whom he began working early on; in early recordings by James and the Ultrasounds; with Sons of Mudboy (as he and Steve Selvidge were particularly simpatico); and many other bands. Speaking of Snowglobe’s 2024 album, The Fall, largely recorded before the pandemic, Regan said of White, “his song ‘Willow Tree’ is so damn beautiful. And it’s also the first one that Luke’s written [with Clay Qualls] for us. Not that he hasn’t been a big part of our recordings before, but with this one, he brought it to the table and said, ‘I’ve got a song.’ We were all like, ‘Let’s do it!’ It’s his first writing credit with Snowglobe.”  

Regan also fondly recalls work White did outside of Snowglobe. “‘Girl Arms’ is probably my favorite song. I still remember him playing that for me before The Coach and Four did it. That must have been in 2002 or so.”

Toby Vest, producer/engineer at High/Low Recording, also worked with White for years. “Sometimes you meet a musical soulmate, somebody who you don’t have to say everything to,” Vest reflects. “They just understand what you’re looking for. We really hit it off in that context. When you work in intense, creative situations, it bonds people together. And I haven’t made a record of my music that doesn’t include Luke as a guitar player, singer, confidant, or co-writer. In fact, I have a new record that’s going to come out in the fall that includes his last studio performance. He was one of the most unbelievable male background singers I’ve ever seen. He could blend with anybody and sing any harmony you wanted.”

White kept chasing such creative situations right up to the end. “In early 2023, me, Luke, and my brother Jake decided to do some co-writing, like a Traveling Wilburys kind of thing,” says Vest. “And we made this record that hopefully will be released soon. There are three songs that Luke wrote, three songs that Jake wrote, three songs that I wrote, and then one song that Luke and I wrote together. Those were the last songs he recorded.”

On those tracks and everything he worked on, it was clear that White made music the way he lived his life — with great empathy. “He really did understand how to support people in his real life and in his musical life,” says Vest. “It was an intrinsic trait that he had, that translated into whatever he was doing: his empathy for other creative people. He understood how to get you where you wanted to go.” 

The Luke White Celebration of Life will be held at Memphis Made Brewery on May 24th, 2 to 7 p.m., and will include live music by Snowglobe, Circle Birds, Toby Vest, Jeff Hulett, Mark Edgar Stuart, Steve Selvidge, Ellsie Day, Kait Lawson, Pepper & the Sausage Boys, and others.

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We Recommend We Saw You

WE SAW YOU: Memphis Greek Festival

Alex Lerides, David Tashie, Patrick Koplin, John Tashie, Sarah Tashie, and Dimitri Staursky (Photos: Michael Donahue)

If you felt like dancing at, say, around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, you were in good company at the Memphis Greek Festival. Groups of dancers performed at designated times each day at the festival, which was held May 9th and 10th at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Guests were invited to jump in after they finished and try their hand — or feet — in a dance.


Dosha White and Jerome Max

Walker Davis and Sydney Rowan

Roman and Pierce Browning

Elpinike Thomas and
Vasilios Ekimogloy

Tony and Kathryn Walker

Julian Cullen and Cheyenne Hammonds

Aisha and Danielle Gulledge

More than 10,000 attended this year’s event, estimated Kathy Zambelis, who co-chaired the event with Maria Moore. Admission was only $3 or three cans of nonperishable food.

Traditional dance, shopping, and a kids zone were featured. Food included made-in-house spanakopita and Greek pastries. “We start months in advance to get everything out there,” Zambelis says. “We’re pretty much a well-oiled machine.”


Campbell Sandlin and
Cole Capocaccia

Demetri Thomas and
Father Simon Thomas

Will Levy and Sarah Murphy

Don Ross, Eric Richmond, Delbert Polk,and Reginald Copeland

Kathy Zambelis, Maria Moore, and
Demetri Thomas

Matthew Butler, Faith Hause, and Sandra Veyo

“Biftekia,” a tantalizing concoction, was advertised in front of the booth as “Deliciously Seasoned Meat Sticks Made With Ancient Recipe.” It was served with pita bread and tzatziki sauce.

Reverend Simon Thomas, the parish priest, led church tours. His son, Demetri Thomas, who wore a traditional Greek fisherman’s cap, was one of the dancers. 


Bill and Savannah Bannister

A.J. and Charles Salameh
Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 05/22/25

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I think you’re ready to establish new ways of nourishing and protecting what’s valuable to you. Your natural assertiveness will be useful in setting boundaries and securing resources. Your flourishing intuition will guide you to implement adjustments that safeguard your interests while remaining flexible enough to permit legitimate access. Be extra alert, Aries, for when you need to balance security with accessibility. Your best defenses will come from clever design, not brute force. Do what you need to feel secure without feeling trapped.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In July 1971, 26-year-old Taurus poet Bernadette Mayer kept a scrupulous diary. Every day, she shot a roll of 35 mm film, wrote about the day’s events, and recorded herself reading her accounts. By August 1, she had accumulated 1,100 photos and six hours of readings. One of her goals in doing the project was to learn more about how her memory worked. What was worth remembering, and what wasn’t? She also hoped to gain an objective perspective about her routine rhythm. Years later, she acknowledged that though this was a narcissistic experiment, she had no shame about it. Inspired by Mayer, and in accordance with astrological omens, you might find it worthwhile to lovingly and thoroughly study the details of your daily life for a while. It’s an excellent time to get to know yourself better.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini writer Raymond Carter (1938–1988) established a reputation as a master of terse minimalism. One critic noted that he practiced the “Theory of Omission” — an approach to writing fiction that mandates the elimination of superfluous narrative elements. But it turns out that Carver’s editor Gordon Lish had a major role in all this. He deleted half of Carver’s original words and changed the endings of half his stories. Years after his death, Carver’s widow, Tess Gallagher, published the original versions, with the omitted material reinstated. I believe the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to make comparable restorations, Gemini. In every way you can imagine, tell the full story, provide the complete rendition, and offer elements that have been missing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Even if you don’t regard yourself as a psychic or prophet, I suspect you now have an uncanny knack for deciphering future trends. Your intuition is operating at peak levels, especially when you focus it on the big picture of your long-term destiny. As long as you’re not overconfident about this temporary bloom of expansive vision, you can trust your ability to see the deep patterns running through your life story. To make the most of this gift, take a loving inventory of where you have been and where you are going. Then devote relaxed meditations to adjusting your master plan.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): River deltas form where rivers meet the sea, creating fertile and complex ecosystems that nourish abundant life. Some of my favorites are the Rhône River Delta in France, the Po River Delta in Italy, and the Shinano River Delta in Japan. In the coming weeks, Leo, I will visualize you as the metaphorical equivalent of a river delta. I’ll call you the Leo Delta, trusting you will be inspired to celebrate and cultivate the rich intersections that characterize your life — areas where an array of ideas, paths, and relationships converge. Be open to synergizing different aspects of your world: integrating emotions and logic, connecting with diverse people, blending personal and professional goals.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your natural inclination is to solve problems through detailed planning and careful analysis. On occasion, that process dead-ends in overthinking, though it often works pretty well. In accordance with current astrological omens, however, I suggest an alternative approach for you in the coming weeks. Instead of trying to figure everything out, how about if you simply create a relaxed spaciousness for new things to emerge? Experiment with the hypothesis that progress will come not from doing more, but from allowing more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As they climb, mountaineers carefully assess every handhold and foothold. Unfailing concentration is key. I recommend adopting their attitude in the coming weeks, Libra. You are entering a phase when ascension and expansion will be among your main assignments. The best approach to your adventures is to make steady progress with precision and thoughtfulness. Rushing rashly ahead or taking needless risks could be counterproductive, so be scrupulous about planning and preparation. Trust that the most efficient path to the summit will be via small, deliberate steps. Your winning combination will be ambition leavened with caution.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): At age 42, Scorpio painter Georgia O’Keeffe left her busy New York art career and traveled to New Mexico for the first time. The landscape’s beauty overwhelmed her. She wandered around the desert for three months, creating no art at all. A few critics accused her of wasting time. She rejected their ignorant misunderstanding of her process, replying, “To see takes time. I had to learn the country first before it would let me paint it.” Her most iconic paintings emerged after this phase of pure observation. I’m recommending a similar period for you, dear Scorpio. While your instincts may tempt you toward a flurry of activity, I believe now is a time to wait and see; to pause and ponder; to muse and meditate.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): By the 20th century, the 483-mile-long Seine River in France was so polluted that most of its fish were gone. But clean-up efforts have been successful. Now there are 32 fish species, including the Atlantic salmon. The Seine is also very close to being completely safe for humans to swim. I would love it if you were inspired by this success story to undertake a comparable project in your own life, Sagittarius. What would you most like to see revived and restored? Now is a good time to begin the effort.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Until she reached her 70s, Capricorn visual artist Louise Bourgeois was a peripheral figure in the art world, modestly respected but not acclaimed. Then New York’s Museum of Modern Art presented her work in a major show. In response, The New York Times reviewed her work, saying it was “charged with tenderness and violence, acceptance and defiance, ambivalence and conviction.” I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because I suspect the coming months will also bring you recognition for labors of love you’ve been devoted to for a while — maybe not in the form of fame, but through an elevated appreciation by those whose opinion matters to you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The name of the old Talking Heads album is Stop Making Sense. One of its many implications is that we periodically derive benefit and relief from being free of the pressure to sound reasonable and be consistent. According to my detailed, logical, in-depth analysis of your astrological omens, now is a perfect time to honor this counsel. I hope you will give yourself a sabbatical from being sensible, serious, and overly sane. Instead, please consider a sustained pursuit of pure pleasure, fun foolishness, and amazing amusement.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be on high alert for fleeting intuitions that flow through your awareness. Really good ideas may rise up only briefly and only once, and you should be ready to catch them in the ripe moment before they fade away. Do you hear my urgency? Pay special attention to passing thoughts or sudden insights. They may contain more value than initially apparent. I will even speculate that seemingly ephemeral inspirations could become foundational elements in your future success. Document your hunches, even if they seem premature. 

Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

News of the Weird: Week of 05/22/25

Surprise!

When a babysitter in Great Bend, Kansas, helpfully looked under the bed to check for “monsters” on March 24, she actually found one, NBC News reported. The Barton County Sheriff’s Office was called to the home, where the babysitter had come face-to-face with a man hiding under the child’s bed, around 10:30 p.m. After a short altercation with the babysitter, the man fled the home. The suspect, who was captured the next morning, was Martin Villalobos Jr., 27, who once lived in the house. Villalobos was under a protection order and had been warned to stay away from the home. He was arrested on charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, child endangerment and other offenses and held on $500,000 bond.

Alarming Headline

Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, 38, of Queens, New York, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 28 after a medical procedure at his home went south, CBS News reported. According to police, a 31-year-old woman went to Hoyos-Foronda’s home to have her butt implants removed. When the woman suffered complications, he called EMS and then took off, intending to flee to Colombia. First responders found the woman unresponsive. The criminal complaint said Hoyos-Foronda admitted to performing the procedure without a license and administering lidocaine, “causing her to go into cardiac arrest.” Officials said the victim was hospitalized with no brain activity, and she showed signs of lidocaine toxicity.

Animal Antics

Mail carrier Wayne White was on his route in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on March 28 when he ran into a flock of troublemakers, WHDH-TV reported. As he got in and out of his truck and delivered mail, three wild turkeys followed and harassed him while he tried to fend them off with a box. “Every time I moved the truck, the turkeys followed,” White said. One encounter with the birds was caught on a home’s surveillance video and showed White trying to do his job as they gobbled at him. “I do a lot of stuff on Nantucket, so I see deer all the time, but this is my first time with turkey,” he said.

A Cautionary Tale

Minot, North Dakota, mayor Tom Ross resigned on April 1, which some might find a fitting date for his ignominious downfall. KMOT-TV reported that Ross was the subject of a complaint made in late January by the city attorney, Stefanie Stalheim, who said she had received a sexually explicit text from Ross. Ross admitted he had made a video of himself masturbating during his lunch
break, intending to send it to his romantic partner. “I do take responsibility for this mistake,”
Ross said. “I tried to immediately correct it and was unable.”

Least Competent Criminal

Crush Comics in California’s Castro Valley was burglarized on March 22, CBS News reported. The thief took a display of the store’s most valuable comic books, said owner Josh Hunter. He figured they were gone for good, but then, just 12 hours later, one of his employees stumbled upon an eBay listing for a very specific comic book from the store. “I’m just going to buy that and see what happens,” Hunter said. When he got the seller’s name and address, he searched on Instagram and saw the burglar’s offer to buy, sell, or trade Lego sets. Next, Hunter called another comic shop and a toy store that had also been broken into and shared his findings. When the sleuths turned their results over to police, Alameda County Sheriff’s officers served a search warrant at the home of Noorullah Amiri, 29, of Livermore, where they found tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of comic books, collectibles, and Lego sets. Amiri was taken into custody on March 27.

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NEWS OF THE WEIRD
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