Jaylen Wells shoots the ball during the game against the Sacramento Kings on January 3, 2025 (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
On Friday night at Golden 1 Center, the Memphis Grizzlies fell to the Sacramento Kings, 138-133. With the loss, the Grizzlies are now 23-12 on the season.
The Kings came out firing, dropping 46 points in the first quarter – the most the Grizzlies have surrendered in a single quarter all season. That explosive start gave the Kings a commanding 14-point lead, 46-32, by the end of the period.
The Grizzlies came back and made a game of it, though, staying competitive until the very end, when Sacramento made the necessary plays in the clutch to pull away and secure the win.
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins expressed disappointment after the loss, praising the Kings’ strong start. He cited excessive turnovers and defensive lapses as key issues, emphasizing that allowing 46 first-quarter points on the road is unacceptable. Jenkins lauded his team’s resilience in overcoming a 15-point deficit but still was upset about their defensive standard.
He said, “Great fight, but we’ve got to set a different tone, especially on the road in the first quarter, and we can’t be bleeding points like this. Defensively, you give up 138 points and score 133 – you can be like, Yay, on the offense, but defensively, that’s not our identity.”
Rookie Jaylen Wells, a Sacramento native, had a memorable homecoming with a career-high 30 points, highlighted by an impressive 8-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Despite his outstanding performance, the Grizzlies fell short, moving to 2-2 on their five-game road trip.
Jaren Jackson Jr. delivered another strong game with 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists before fouling out — with all six fouls assessed in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Desmond Bane chipped in with 22 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, providing a solid all-around contribution.
To round it out, Scottie Pippen Jr. contributed 16 points and 5 assists, while Luke Kennard had a strong showing off the bench with 11 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, narrowly missing a triple-double.
The Grizzlies are wrapping up their five-game road trip tonight against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, with a tipoff at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Timothée Chalamet wears a polka dot shirt as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. (Courtesy Searchlight Pictures)
There’s one detail that everyone who was at the 1965 Newport Festival seems to agree on: Bob Dylan wore a polka dot shirt.
Dylan’s three-song set at the annual music festival was one of those moments where an artist challenged their audience so intensely that it broke brains. In 1913, the Paris premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring caused a literal riot in the theater. Fifty years later, when Dylan takes the stage in the sleepy Rhode Island town armed with a Stratocaster and backed by Chicago electric blues disciple Mike Bloomfield, the audience which had made him a star shouts “Judas!” in this film. It is a moment that has become fraught with meaning. Depending on which side of the Great Folk Divide you fall on, it was either a rejection of the folk movement’s New Deal ideology or a declaration of artistic independence from hidebound tradition.
The Newport set is the climax of Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric, which James Mangold has adapted into A Complete Unknown. Timothée Chalamet is the latest in a surprisingly long list of actors who have played Bob Dylan onscreen — including Bob Dylan himself.
If you want a film that uses Dylanesque artistry to explore the mythic aspects of Bob Dylan, it’s Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There. This is a music biopic by James Mangold. His Walk The Line, which was filmed in Memphis, set the standard for the genre. It was skewered so effectively by Walk Hard: The Dewy Cox Story that many people have become allergic to the basic beats that appear in every musician’s story.
Dylan onstage (Courtesy Searchlight Pictures)
Mangold and his star overcome self-parody by sheer force of execution. His actors sing all of the songs live on set, a Herculean task that is a bit easier for Chalamet, who must growl like Dylan, than it is for his co-star Monica Barbaro, who must sing like Joan Baez. The contrasting grit and glamor of the folk movement’s two greatest stars is what made their pairing palatable, and gave it a hint of danger. Baez recognizes Dylan’s talent as soon as she hears him sing in a cramped Greenwich Village basement. But she’s one of the few people who doesn’t immediately worship him, which makes her irresistible to him. The self-possessed Baez never gives an inch; when he betrays her onstage in front of a crowd of restless proto-hippies, she calmly sings on without him.
Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) sing in A Complete Unknown. (Courtesy Searchlight Pictures)
Joan didn’t need Bob, but Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) does. Based on the real Suze Rotolo, who appears with her then-boyfriend on the cover of The Freewheeling Bob Dylan, Sylvie is the New York sophisticate who introduces the weird boy from Minnesota to the big city. Dylan takes first the bohemian folk scene, then the cocktail party circuit by storm.
And that’s where his polka dot shirt comes in. Dylan’s appearances at the 1963 and 1964 Newport Folk Festival brought him to national attention, and his album sales took off like none of the other folkies who he emulated and idolized ever did. By 1965, he had turned the Beatles on to marijuana and was dressing like a Soho hipster instead of wearing the populist work shirt uniform favored by his mentor, Pete Seeger (Ed Norton). For the folkies, it was the first sign that their standard bearer was going to betray them.
I keep using the word “betray” in this review. Mangold and Gangs of New York writer Jay Cocks’ screenplay may not please Dylan pedants. Great as he is, Bobbie didn’t write “Masters of War” in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, debut it in a Greenwich Village coffee shop, and bed Joan Baez all in one night. But Chalamet’s dead-on Dylan impression papers over the holes, and the film captures the essence of the time. A Complete Unknown is not a hagiography. Dylan might be a musical genius, but he’s a toxic boyfriend, and by the end of the film, both of his prime paramours know it. He is beloved by millions, but he is alone. As he rides off on the motorcycle that will almost kill him a few weeks later, he does not yet know the price he had paid for his freedom.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scores against the Suns. (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)
With just nine available players, the Memphis Grizzlies took on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns to close out the year and came away with a 117-112 victory. Despite how close the game felt in the second half, the Grizzlies led wire-to-wire.
After getting dog-walked by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Grizzlies came into this matchup down another rotation player.
Jake LaRavia suffered a right ankle sprain during the game against the Thunder. He became the latest addition to the injury report, plus two-way guard Yuki Kawamura, who was sidelined due to left shoulder soreness.
That left the Grizzlies with nine healthy and available players, including two-way players Colin Castleton and Cam Spencer.
But as he has done so many times for this Grizzlies team, Jaren Jackson Jr. stepped up and put the team on his back, this time to secure the final win of 2024. He had a game-high 38 points total, with 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal during the first quarter, when Memphis built a 12-point lead.
Desmond Bane was the other half of the dynamic duo responsible for this victory, along with a few supporting characters: Jaylen Wells, Luke Kennard, and John Konchar.
Bane and Jackson Jr. combined for 69 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists.
JJJ & Bane put in WORK to get the Grizzlies a hard-fought road W 😤
There was a familiar face in Phoenix: former Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones is now the starting point guard for the Suns. Jones has led the league in assists to turnovers several seasons, including some of his years in Memphis. We’ve seen games where Jones doesn’t commit a single turnover, which makes the five turnovers he was forced into extra special, with three coming in the first quarter.
Notorious Grizz adversary Kevin Durant led the Suns offensively with 29 points, followed by Jones with 21 points, along with Devin Booker’s 16 points and Mason Plumlee’s 12 points.
Turnovers and missed free throws have been a particular thorn in the Grizzles’ side this season, and unfortunately, this game was no exception.
Collectively, Memphis committed 17 turnovers and shot an abysmal 66.7% (22 of 33) from the free-throw line, where Jackson Jr. uncharacteristically struggled, shooting just 10 of 17.
This was a wire-to-wire win for Memphis, but Phoenix cut the lead several times in the second half. A clutch three-point play from John Konchar with 1:05 remaining slammed the door on the Suns. Konchar finished with seven points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
John Konchar makes a bucket in Phoenix. (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)
Desmond Bane scored a season-high 31 points, and added five rebounds and seven assists.
Jaylen Wells added 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Luke Kennard led the second unit with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.
I would like to wish all our readers a Happy New Year. Here’s to more Grizzlies dominance in 2025.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will continue their road trip on Friday when they visit Sacramento to take on the Kings. Tip-off is at 9 PM CST.
Desmond Bane handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
John Konchar drew the start at power forward, pairing with Jaren Jackson Jr. as the Grizzlies battled the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the league’s top squads. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies, 130-106.
Memphis came out with great energy to take a 9-0 lead but it went downhill from there quickly. The Thunder took a 34-31 lead after the first period and never relinquished it. OKC took control of the game with a dominant second quarter, outscoring the Grizzlies 42-19 to build a commanding lead.
The Thunder also capitalized on Memphis’ miscues, converting 21 Grizzlies turnovers into 33 points.
Desmond Bane led Memphis with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Jay Huff added 17 points off the bench followed by Luke Kennard with 16 points and 5 rebounds as the Grizzlies fell to 22-11 on the season.
Jackson Jr. had a rough shooting night ending in just 13 points (3-of-17), five rebounds and four assists while Konchar had a season-high 15 rebounds, four points, three steals and two blocked shots. Rookie sensation Yuki Kawamura had a season-high 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Grizzlies were definitely facing an uphill battle against the Thunder without some of their key players. With Ja Morant, Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke all sidelined due to injury, it was a tough ask for the rest of the team to step up and fill the void.
And let’s not forget that the Grizzlies were already missing some other important pieces, including Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama, Vince Williams Jr., and GG Jackson II.
Looking ahead, it’ll be interesting to see how the Grizzlies’ rotation shakes out when everyone is healthy. The game was ugly from a Grizzlies standpoint and I’m not even sure what positives to convey after that. But, I will try.
For now, it’s just one game, but the Grizzlies desperately need to get some of their injured players back on the court. The biggest concern is Ja Morant’s AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, and everyone is anxiously awaiting an update on the severity of the injury.
The fact that it’s the same shoulder that cut his season short last January is certainly concerning. However, fortunately, initial indications suggest that the injury might not be as severe as it initially appeared. Here’s hoping that’s indeed the case, for Morant’s and the Grizzlies’ sake.
The injury woes and Ja Morant’s uncertain status may feel eerily familiar to Grizzlies fans, but it’s worth noting that the team is in a stronger position now than they were last season when faced with a similar rash of injuries. Despite the current challenges, there’s reason to be optimistic.
Jackson Jr., Bane, and the rest of the squad will need to step up and hold down the fort until the injured players return. With their collective talent and determination, they can keep the Grizzlies afloat and poised for a strong push when the reinforcements arrive. Like the players always say, “One game at a time.”
The Grizzlies will continue their five-game road trip with a New Year’s Eve showdown against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Tuesday, December 31, at 8 p.m. CT.
Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey (14) shoots the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at FedExForum on Dec 26, 2024 (Wes Hale / The Memphis Flyer)
If Santa didn’t bring you what you wanted for Christmas, the Memphis Grizzlies have got you covered with an epic win in their last home game of 2024.
After a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Clippers the day before Christmas Eve, the Grizzlies returned to their home court for a Boxing Day beatdown of the Toronto Raptors of astronomic proportions.
With a final score of 155-126, the Grizzlies set a franchise-record and the highest-scoring game of any NBA team this season.
The Grizzlies took the floor like a raging bull in the first period, countering every Raptors attempt at an offensive run while exploiting Toronto’s defensive weakness, forcing their defenders into shooting fouls that sent them to the free throw line five times.
Ja Morant earned all four of his first-quarter points from the charity stripe.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at FedExForum on December 26, 2024. (Photo: Wes Hale)
Memphis was outshot 60.9 percent to 55.6 percent from the field and 45.5 percent to 30 percent from beyond the arc in that first quarter, but the Raptors’ foul trouble led to a 10 to three free throw disparity that the Grizzlies used to close out the first quarter with a 43-35 lead.
Their perfect 10 of 10 free throw shooting made the difference in the score, but Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey were the stars of the show, combining for 24 points in the first quarter.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at FedExForum on December 26, 2024 (Photo: Wes Hale)
Despite Toronto overcoming a 19-point deficit to tie the game at 66 with less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Grizzlies never allowed the Raptors to take the lead. Memphis pushed back in the final minutes of the period and took an eight-point lead into the second half.
A 43-point third quarter propelled the Grizzlies to a franchise-record 121 points through three quarters. Unlike in the first quarter, Memphis had only one free throw attempt, scoring the remaining 42 points the old-fashioned way — by stomping the Raptors hard into the ground on every possession, destroying them on the boards (21-13), limiting their shot attempts (37-29), and outscoring them 18-6 from beyond the arc.
The fourth quarter went off the rails quickly for the Raptors after Toronto head coach (and former Memphis assistant coach) Darko Rajaković was ejected for a heated outburst at a referee.
There was 10:29 left on the game clock when Rajaković exploded over the lack of a foul call, charged onto the court, and had to be restrained by members of his staff. There will no doubt be a fine coming for Rajaković from the league, and he certainly got his money’s worth, as seen in the video below:
The remainder of the game was mostly the Grizzlies bench playing with their food.
Three of the five starters (Jaylen Wells, Desmond Bane, and Ja Morant) sat for the fourth quarter.
Luke Kennard scored 12 of his 15 points in the final frame, shooting three of four from the field, two of three from beyond the arc, and four of four from the free-throw line. John Konchar scored six of his nine points in the fourth, finishing the night with a perfect three-of-three shooting from three-point range.
Memphis had eight players finish the night in double-digits, including all five starters.
Zach Edey scored a career-high 21 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
Jaren Jackson Jr. got 21 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.
Desmond Bane put up 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting three of six from beyond the arc.
Jaylen Wells finished the night with 17 points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal while shooting a game-high five of 10 from three-point range. Wells has been shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc and has made more three-pointers (58) than any other rookie this season.
Ja Morant added 15 points, two rebounds, and nine assists.
From the second unit:
Luke Kennard scored 15 points, eight assists, and one steal.
Scotty Pippen Jr. added 15 points, two rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
Brandon Clarke finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and one block.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are back at it tonight, facing off against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of a five-game road trip. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CST.
Tennessee Democrats recently unveiled legislation they’ll push in January’s session of the Tennessee General Assembly on issues of jobs, universal pre-K, and roads — and they issued questions on repealing the state sales tax on groceries.
Universal pre-K
Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) and Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville introduced a bill to provide free, universal pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds in Tennessee. The proposal aims to reduce childcare costs, boost family incomes, and improve educational outcomes statewide.
The bill would require all school districts to offer pre-K, using a new funding mechanism: a 9.5 percent tax on social media advertising by major tech companies operating in Tennessee. Universal pre-K increases parental earnings by 21 percent and delivers $5.51 in benefits for every dollar invested, according to the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research.
“Every child deserves access to a great education, and universal pre-K is the best way to ensure that opportunity begins at the earliest stages of learning,” Oliver, a working mother of three, said in a statement. “This isn’t just an investment in our kids; it’s an economic lifeline for working families. Universal pre-K reduces childcare costs, boosts family incomes, and strengthens Tennessee’s workforce. It’s time to deliver real relief to families who are stretched too thin.”
Only 20 percent of Tennessee’s 4-year-olds are enrolled in state pre-K programs, according to the nonpartisan National Institute for Early Education Research. Oliver and Behn argue their plan will close this gap and bolster Tennessee’s economy.
“Working families are the backbone of Tennessee, but far too many struggle to afford high-quality preschool for their children,” said Rep. Behn. “This legislation cuts costs, gives families a raise, and ensures every child gets a strong start in life. The research is clear: when families have access to free pre-K, parents can work more, earn more, and build a more secure future for their children. It’s a win for families, businesses, and the state economy.”
Waste to Jobs
Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) introduced the Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act, a bill to transform the state’s waste management system by expanding recycling access, reducing landfill waste, creating over 7,700 jobs, and having packing producers to pay for it.
Under the legislation, the producers who create product packaging would join a statewide Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), which will work with local governments to manage and fund recycling programs using an innovative extended producer responsibility model. Producers will finance recycling services based on the type and volume of packaging they produce, freeing local governments from bearing these costs.
The network would also work with local governments to implement programs to educate consumers, reduce waste, and expand recycling access underserved areas. Counties with a population of less than 200,000 would have to opt into the program.
Campbell said the bill could divert and repurpose 950,000 tons of waste bound for landfills.
“Tennessee is at a crossroads,” Campbell said in a statement. “We can continue to watch our landfills overflow, and our resources go to waste, or we can lead the Southeast in building a robust recycling economy that works for our families, businesses, and future.
“The Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act creates over 7,700 jobs, brings $300 million annually into our state, and ensures local governments save millions while providing access to recycling for every community that opts in to the program.”
Tennessee fell one spot on Ball’s annual recycling report. The state recycles 5 percent of its waste. This is down slightly from 2021 to earn Tennessee a 48th ranking of 50 states.
Read more about Tennessee’s recycling trends from Ball here:
Tennessee Democrats are also expected to push an infrastructure plan next year to battle the state’s “growing traffic crisis,” and “crumbling transportation infrastructure,” laying blame at the feet of the Republican supermajority.
In a Nashville news conference in October, lawmakers launched the “Rocky Top, Not Rocky Roads” campaign, highlighting road conditions and traffic congestion. They pointed to an annual state infrastructure audit that said the state now faces a $34 billion backlog in transportation projects.
The plan would have Tennessee’s government issuing debt rather than relying on in-hand revenues to increase the state’s ability to invest in large-scale infrastructure programs, the lawmakers said.
Grocery tax cut
Democrats have pushed the GOP supermajority to cut the taxes on groceries in Tennessee. When Gov. Bill Lee paused the tax for 30 days back in 2017, Democrats said they’d pushed the idea for a decade.
Oliver and Behn worked this past legislative session to eliminate Tennessee’s sales tax on groceries. The effort was thwarted and the two said, “Republicans in the state legislature opted to pass a $5.5 billion tax handout for large corporations instead.”
But the GOP seems poised to review the tax cut next session. House Bill 21 says it would exempt “from the state sales and use tax the retail sale of food and food ingredients.” Its sponsors are state Rep. Elaine Davis (R-Knoxville) and House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland).
Democrats said, based on this year’s review of cutting the tax, it would leave a $755 million hole in the state budget. So far, Republicans have not said how they’d replace that money.
My mother died from cancer in the spring of 2023 at the age of 86. I was her only child, 55 and heartbroken. While she lived many years with chronic arthritis pain, my mother Earline Duncan was joyful, energetic, and always eager to share with others. I called her “Mama.” But she was more than that to me. Earline Duncan was my good friend.
December 25th will be my second Christmas without Mama. To avoid debilitating woe, I look grief in the face. Nobody will escape. Life is death, and loss is love’s inheritance. I hug my anguish tightly and let tears wash over me like a flood. When I cannot cry another drop, I am refreshed. Then I rise from the couch and clean my house.
Mama’s death wounded my soul. I own a scab that Mercurochrome cannot heal. However, in the time since her death, besides crying, cleaning house, and writing for the Memphis Flyer, I have discovered another way to recalibrate. I call on Mama’s circle of octogenarian friends, who traveled this life with her from childhood to womanhood, and finally to the elevation of elder. I ask her lifelong friends to share their personal memories of Mama.
Earline Duncan with Snowden School students in the early ’70s (Photo: Courtesy Alice Faye Duncan)
Just like Earline Duncan, Dorothy Rozier, Claudette Lacey, Hollye Shotwell, and Verna Vaughn survived the humiliation of second-class citizenship in Jim Crow Memphis during the 1940s. They grew up and went to church in North Memphis’ Greenlaw Community. They graduated from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and they each served Memphis students as “Negro” schoolteachers until the vernacular changed to “Black” during the 1960s.
Once while I was collecting memories, Dorothy Rozier, who is 86, recalled my mother’s unmitigated boldness. When they were girls in middle school, Mama rode her bicycle to Dorothy’s house. At the time, Dorothy’s granddaddy sat on the porch in need of a shave because he was unable to do it himself. When little Earline arrived, she hopped off her bike and volunteered for the task. As a kid, my mother was given a straightedge razor. And according to Dorothy, “Earline shaved my grandaddy like she was a bona fide barber.”
Claudette Lacey and Hollye Shotwell are daughters of the late Lucille Martin Hinton. The sisters were frequent visitors in my mother’s childhood home on N. Third Street. Hollye is 84. Claudette is 88. As classmates, Claudette and Mama went to school together from first grade at Grant Elementary until they graduated from Manassas High in 1954. When I ask about Mama’s personality as a teenager, Hollye says, “Earline liked to read books and she loved to talk.”
When we speak on the phone, Claudette tells me, “Alice Faye! You sound just like Earline.” It pleases me very much that some audible part of my mother resides with me.
As for Verna Vaughn’s friendship with Mama, their herstory intersected through girlhood, fellowship at St. James AME Church, and their employment in the Memphis schools. Mama was eight years older than Verna, who recently turned 80. As children, Verna and her sister Carol deemed Mama to be an “authority figure.” Verna says, “Earline was the big girl who walked the little children to Sunday School. She would fuss and make us behave in church.”
When segregation was abolished in the Memphis schools, Mama and Verna joined a cohort of Black teachers who integrated the faculty at Snowden School. Verna was the librarian and Mama taught 6th grade. As her coworker, Verna discovered that my mother’s intolerance for foolishness was unchanged. She tells me often, “I would walk to her classroom to chitchat and socialize. But Earline would stop me at the door and say, ‘No-no, Verna!’”
Do you miss somebody this holiday season? An old adage says that we live forever if people continue to speak our names. Therefore, gather with others and call to mind your special person. Giggle, gush, and luxuriate in the glow of who they were. Raise your voice and speak many names. Remember love. Happy holidays!
Earline Duncan served as a Memphis teacher for 39 years. To hear her speak about the integration experiment in local schools, visit Rhodes College at vimeo.com/279358197. Alice Faye Duncan is a Memphis educator who writes for children. Learn about her books at alicefayeduncan.com.
• 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.
