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Rally to Raise Awareness of Period Poverty this Weekend

CREDIT: Ainsley Feeney

Period., Inc. and its local chapter Period at 901 Memphis will host a rally this Saturday to address the issue of period poverty and advocate for making menstrual products accessible for all and ending the tampon tax.

For Ainsley Feeney, 16-year-old leader of Period at 901 Memphis, it all started when she saw a YouTube video talking about how homeless women often have to improvise and use cardboard and trash to take care of their periods.

Ainsley Feeney

Ainsley Feeney (front) with her crew at the bake sale that made their donation of the period packs possible.

“It was kind of a gut punch to me because that was never something I thought of before,” she says. “I’ve always been privileged to have access to menstrual products.”

A month or two after her realization, she found out about Period, Inc. and jumped at the chance to start a local chapter. She started with a bake sale and donation drive, putting together 120 period packs to be donated to the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center.

Now, Feeney wants others to be aware of and join the cause.

“We have access to toilet paper,” she says. “I use the example that if public bathrooms didn’t supply toilet paper, there would be riots in the streets. But why is it any different with menstrual products?”

Tennessee is one of 35 states that charge tax for what should be considered an essential, untaxed item, and with 46 percent of low-income women having to choose between period products and meals, Feeney thinks it’s certainly time for a change.

“We’re not going to stop until every single menstruator has access to menstrual products and can feel confident and clean on their period,” says Feeney.

Tennessee National Period Day Rally, Overton Park, Saturday, October 19th, 2-4 p.m., free.

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News News Blog

Emergency Hearing to Halt Council Media Campaign on Referenda

UPDATE: Chancellor Kyle issued a temporary injunction against spending of public money, pending an opportunity for him to study the parties’ respective briefs. He will reconvene the case on Tuesday at 10 a.m. DETAILS TO COME

An emergency hearing has been set for 4 p.m. Friday in the courtroom of Chancellor Jim Kyle to hear a request by a group of plaintiffs for a temporary restraining order and injunction against the expenditure of $30,000 to 40,000 in taxpayer funds by the Memphis City Council to advocate publicly for the passage of three referenda on the November 6th ballot.

By a vote of 5 to 3, the council passed a previously unannounced add-on resolution by Councilman/County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. on Tuesday to provide the sum for “a public information campaign concerning the referenda” to explain their “potential benefits to the citizens of Memphis.” After passage, the council hastily voted for a “same-night minutes” process to safely embed the vote in the permanent record.

The referenda, which have been and remain controversial, ask voters to nullify previous actions approved by the city’s electorate — including a two-term limit for mayor and council members, which would be increased to three terms, and the repeal of a prior referendum calling for instant runoff voting (IRV). Another referendum proposes to nullify the district-runoff provisions of a 1993 court decree.

The request for injunction alleges that the expenditure of public funds for such a one-sided propaganda campaign would constitute “distinct and palpable injury” upon the “general citizenry.”

The plaintiffs also allege that the council’s action lacked proper mayoral authorization or opportunity to veto and that state law does not authorize the use of public funds to advertise on behalf of either side of a ballot referendum. The request for declaratory judgment further states that emergency judicial action is needed to forestall the proposed advertising campaign because voting on the aforesaid referenda is already under way.

Plaintiffs are Erika Sugarmon, John Marek, Sam Goff, and Save IRV, Inc.

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News News Blog

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday

CREDIT: Mighty Lights

via GIPHY

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday (5)

Officials will officially unveil Mighty Lights on Saturday at the end of RiverArtsFest in a ceremony they’re calling “Recharge the River.”

A private donor funded the project, which is managed by the nonprofit Memphis Bridge Lighting Inc. and includes the lighting on Big River Crossing.

The grand reveal is scheduled for around 6:30 p.m. at the festival located on Riverside Drive between Union and Jefferson. The festival will open its doors for free after 5 p.m.

We got our hands on some test videos, sped ’em up, and turned them into gifs for you — gifts for you.

So, let’s see what this puppy can do:

via GIPHY

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday (3)

via GIPHY

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday (4)

via GIPHY

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday (5)

via GIPHY

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday (6)

Now that your attention span can’t handle anything but a gif now, we gif-i-fied the event reminder, too. Here ya go:

via GIPHY

Mighty Lights to be Showcased Saturday (2)

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News News Feature

Shop Local Midtown

This holiday season, we’re encouraging our readers to support local businesses by shopping right here at home.

Five in One Social Club

This “Kindergarten for Grown Folks” hosts creative workshops — casting, wood-burning, and more — for small groups. Its retail shop showcases work by local artists, with a focus on one-of-a-kind pieces. Also available are household goods, T-shirts, and jewelry. Miniature food jewelry, like these earrings, handcrafted with polymer clay by Funlola Coker ($24), can be found within. Visit Five in One Social Club at 2535 Broad Avenue or fiveinone.org.

Outdoors, Inc.

Since 1974, Outdoors, Inc. has outfitted outdoor enthusiasts with the best in activewear and sporting gear. Their knowledgeable team can help you find the perfect piece for the men, women, or children in your life — from camping gear and hammocks to shoes and accessories. This Arc’teryx Men’s Atom LT Hoody ($249) is a popular choice. Visit Outdoors, Inc. at 5245 Poplar, 1710 Union, 833 N. Germantown Parkway in Cordova, 3421 Summer Avenue (outlet) or outdoorsinc.com.

Falling Into Place

Home-and-lifestyle boutique owner Mary Claire White opened Falling Into Place in 2015, with a focus on featuring work by independent artists and designers. White handcrafts small-batch soy wax candles infused with natural essential oils. Your gift recipients can relax with soothing aromas like Candied Saffron Ginger or White Tea + Berries, available in 7.5-ounce jars ($24). Visit Falling Into Place at 2613 Broad Avenue or fallinginto place.net.

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News News Blog

Father and Sons Indicted in $18 Million “Mystery Babylon” Scheme

Larry Bates

Larry Bates, a former Tennessee state legislator, and his sons Charles “Chuck” Bates and Robert Bates were indicted on multiple charges this week for allegedly defrauding victims of more than $18 million in a bizarre end-times scheme.

Larry Bates was CEO of First American Monetary Consultants (FAMC), Inc., a financial company engaged in buying, selling, and trading gold and silver coins. He was also the CEO of Information Radio Network, Inc. (IRN), a radio network that provided listeners with information and advice on politics and the world economy. Charles Bates was executive vice-president and news director for IRN, and Robert Bates was an economist with FAMC.

Between May 2002 to October 2013, the Bates’ ran advertisements on IRN encouraging listeners to purchase gold or silver to protect themselves from something called “Mystery Babylon,” which they touted as an economic, political, and religious downturn. Their financial company and radio network primarily targeted Christians and the elderly.

More than 300 customers who attempted to purchase gold or silver through the Bates’ company would receive an invoice and confirmation in the mail. But after the Bates’ received payment, they allegedly didn’t fill the orders or would only partially complete the orders. When contacted by customers, they reportedly delayed returning calls or emails and wouldn’t answer at all. 

“As the indictment alleges, the defendants defrauded unsuspecting victims of more than $18 million by promising to purchase gold and silver coins on their behalf,” said U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III. “Unfortunately, hundreds of these victims never received the coins they purchased. Instead, their money was used by the defendants to fund lofty salaries and exorbitant lifestyles.”

They’re being charged with wire fraud and mail fraud. If convicted, they will each face up to 20 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines.

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Flyer Flashback News

Looking Back at the Flyer’s $50,000 Giveaway

Over the course of several months in 1999, Flyer staffers were more than simply newspaper reporters, designers, and ad salesmen. They were also philanthropists.

For the paper’s 10th anniversary, a donor known only as Mr. Anonymous gave the Flyer $50,000 to dole out to nonprofits in the form of $1,000 grants. The “Making a Difference in Millennial Memphis” contest was announced, and nonprofits were encouraged “send a proposal on the organization’s stationery.”

“The whole idea was to encourage ‘good works’ — little things that improved the quality of life here. The program was open only to nonprofit corporations within Shelby County, which were invited to submit applications for projects that needed funding. Once a week, the Flyer would announce which grant had been approved,” read Michael Finger’s first story on “Making a Difference in Millennial Memphis.”

The first $1,000 grant went to Park Friends, Inc. to help produce a self-guided trail brochure for the Overton Park’s Old Forest. The brochure “would locate about 20 stations along the dirt trails that run through the interior of the forest. These would point out record-size trees, wildflowers, plants to avoid, signs of forest animals, climate and drainage features as well as historical features within the forest. Also highlighted would be the dark side: intrusive plants that crowd out the native plants and damage done by humans, intentionally or not.”

Other grants recipients included:

* Crime Stoppers of Memphis, Inc. to purchase 100 rolls of crime-scene tape.

* Voices of the South theater troupe to create a scenic design for their production of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans at Theatre Memphis.

* Vollintine-Evergreen Community Association Community Development Corporation to build a bridge across two creeks along the V&E Greenline.

* Memphis Symphony Orchestra to pay for materials for its ART ATTACK! campaign, which provided six free symphony programs at popular locations visited by Memphians during their day-to-day activities. (Wrote Finger: “We don’t usually think about the arts in connection with our daily lives — we think it’s a pursuit for rich people with too much time on their hands. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra wants to change that perception through a new program called ART ATTACK!”).

* The Lamplighter, Cooper-Young’s community newspaper, to expand its coverage to include more young adults and minorities and to publish a neighborhood history.

* The Overton Park Shell (now the Levitt Shell) to allow artist Dan Zarnstorff to airbrush portraits of Memphis musicians, such as Furry Lewis, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Sid Selvidge, and Lee Baker, over the shell’s five windows.

* Germantown Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) to create a public art project in which the “gardens of colorful flowers on the GPAC property will be cleverly juxtaposed with enormous paintbrushes, paint rollers, and paint cans to create the illusion that some giant hand was responsible for such beauty.”

* Elmwood Cemetery to display flags representing every United States war since the Revolutionary War for their Veterans Day observance.

* MIFA to recruit “an army of volunteers to install storm doors and windows, patch roofs, caulk holes, insulate homes, and distribute new blankets and hats to [elderly and low-income] people in qualified homes.”

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Letter From The Editor Opinion

Letter from the Editor: The Flyer’s 25th

A friend and I were having lunch … he’s a restaurant owner, and he was picking my brain about the best ways to get media coverage.

“I see stories all the time about new places, new chefs,” he said. “I’ve been here 16 years, and I feel like I get ignored.”

“You need to give the media an angle,” I said. “Last year would have been perfect: You had a 15th anniversary. Now you have to wait until your 20th.”

I was being facetious, but it’s also undeniably true that anniversary years divisible by five are seen as more note-worthy — by the media and everyone else. Twenty trumps 19 or 21. Twenty-five years? That’s a biggie. A quarter-century! Break out the bunting and fireworks.

Which is what we’re doing around here this week, as we celebrate 25 years of the Memphis Flyer with a lollapalooza of an issue, filled with nostalgia and looks back at the paper’s early days. Much of it is pretty funny stuff. And much of it provides the kind of perspective that only comes with the passing of time: seeing some of the issues that once seemed so important, and now thinking, “What was the big deal about that?”

You’ll see lots of familiar faces in this issue’s story “25 Who Shaped Us,” a roster of folks who’ve left an indelible mark on us in the years since 1989. And you’ll see lots of familiar advertisers — Doug Carpenter, First Congo, Outdoors, Inc., TJ Mulligan’s, Wizard’s, Shangri-La, Otherlands, the Beale Street clubs, to name a few — who have been with us from the start.

And though I can’t name-check them all here, we also owe thanks to the dozens of folks who’ve passed through these offices since 1989, and to the many who continue to work here. It’s always been a great place to come to work every day.

And I believe — as all here do — that we’re fortunate to have this city to call home. Memphis is full of energy and spunk and opportunity, an outlier, an American original, a place where individuals can still make a difference. There’s no other place like it. Really, there isn’t.

Memphis has changed and Memphis hasn’t changed at all. It’s like the Mississippi: never the same river twice but always there, always familiar, a big messy, sprawling force of nature. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

So here’s to Memphis, here’s to the Memphis Flyer, and here’s to us — all of us. Onward.

Bruce VanWyngarden

brucev@memphisflyer.com

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News News Blog

Florida T-Shirt Company Creates Shirt to Benefit Flood Victims

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“Believe Memphis” may have started as a motto to build support for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Playoffs, but the words have taken on a life of their own as parts of the city grapple with yet-undetermined flood damage.

Florida-based t-shirt company Encore Select Inc. has created a shirt to benefit the Red Cross relief efforts in Memphis. The blue tee features the words “Believe Memphis” in bold letters, positioned under “Memphis Pride.”

“We are your neighbor south in Florida and we are familiar with devastation caused by Mother Nature and the resulting trauma on a community,” says Richard Moore, president of Encore Select, Inc. “BELIEVE … says it all.”

The shirts may be ordered on Encore, Select Inc.’s website. They’re $19.99, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Red Cross.

The first round of printing begins tomorrow, Friday, May 13th, at JnJ Graphic Solutions in Memphis.