It’s unclear whether or not Governor Bill Lee ever used the governorbilllee.com URL. But someone found it unused, bought it, and built a scathing site on it that surfaced last week.
The top banner icon reads, “Governor Bill Lee: Equality for a Few.” The site’s topics range from Lee’s stances on education, anti-LGBTQ bills, Lt. Governor Randy McNally, and more. Owners promise a live drag queen reading on the site on May 7th.
The Elvis ’68 Comeback Special recently got the Lego treatment by artist Paul Hetherington. It will debut this weekend at the BrickUniverse Lego Fan Convention at Agricenter International.
Le Le, one of the Memphis Zoo’s giant pandas, has died.
The zoo announced the death Friday morning, calling the news “devastating.” The cause of death has not been determined. But a medical investigation is pending.
Here’s the zoo’s full announcement:
Memphis Zoo is devastated to announce the passing of giant panda “Le Le.”
Le Le was born July 18th, 1998 and was 25 years old at the time of his passing. Le Le came to Memphis Zoo in 2003. Le Le’s name translates to “happy happy”, and his name perfectly reflected his personality.
Le Le was a happy bear that enjoyed apples, engaging with enrichment, and relaxing while covering himself with freshly shredded bamboo. He had an easy-going personality and was a favorite of all who met and worked with him over the years.
Le Le was adored by his keepers, all of the staff at the Memphis Zoo, as well as the city of Memphis. Over the last 20 years Le Le has delighted millions of guests, served as an exemplary ambassador for his species and remains a shining symbol of conservation partnership with the People’s Republic of China.
At this time, a cause of death has yet to be determined as medical investigation is pending.
The Memphis Zoo recently announced that the pandas Ya Ya and Le Le will make their journey back to China within the next few months.
According to the zoo, their loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens will end after two decades.
In a Facebook post, the Memphis Zoo said, “Ya Ya and Le Le have been integral parts of the Memphis community for the past 20 years and we are grateful for the time we were able to spend with them.”
The Memphis Zoo also said that “Ya Ya and Le Le helped pioneer research and conservation projects to teach others about the importance of their species.”
Ya Ya and Le Le arrived at the Memphis Zoo in April of 2003. In a video exploring the China Gardens at the Memphis Zoo, CEO Matt Thompson, said that this was the first time that people in the city were able to see giant pandas, and “experience the culture of China.”
Thompson said that many zoos around the world would like to have giant pandas but have been unsuccessful.
In 1987, a panda named “Shuwa” stayed at the Memphis Zoo, but this was only for 31 days. A large number of guests had come to see her, and wondered why there were no pandas at the zoo.
“At the time, pandas were very rare animals and an endangered species with only about 1,000 remaining in the wild,” said the Memphis Zoo.
In 1996, the Memphis Zoo began having conversations about hosting giant pandas. In this same year, Jim Sasser of Tennessee became the United States ambassador to China.
According to the Memphis Zoo, Sasser began to have conversations with Chinese government officials in March of 1999 about panda research being conducted at the zoo.
The zoo also said that in these conversations, then-president Jiang Zameen said that while Chinese people knew a lot about American culture, it seemed as if Americans knew “very little” about Chinese culture. This is how the idea sparked of having pandas at the Memphis Zoo would serve as an educational experience.
The Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens signed a letter of intent in April of 1999,and in the summer of 2001, crews began working on the 16-million dollar exhibit.
While many have enjoyed seeing the pandas for years, many have also voiced their concerns for the well-being of the pandas as well.
In April of 2021, Memphis Flyer reporter Toby Sells said that “A change.org petition and a letter-writing campaign by Panda Voices, a group “brought together by the ongoing mistreatment of pandas Lele (sic) and Yaya (sic) at Memphis Zoo,” has mobilized thousands across the globe.”
According to Sells, mistreatment concerns ranged from Ya Ya’s “four abortions” that cause “irreversible damage to her body,” and claims that Le Le had “dental problems over the years.”
”I assure you that both pandas are monitored by keeper and veterinary staff daily,” said Jessica Faulk, a zoo spokeswoman said in a statement. “We are also in constant communication with our colleagues in China, as well as [the Association of Zoos and Aquariums], and send them monthly updates.”
Light of my life, fire of my roasted chestnuts. My spirit, my cheer, ’tis the season of approaching the light, not the light — this isn’t a Charles Dickens’ story — but the twinkling lights. And boy, oh boy, does Memphis have the twinkling lights for you, but time is ticking.
For starters, the Memphis Botanic Garden has brought back its Holiday Wonders, this year with an updated layout covering eight acres and featuring larger-than-life characters from the “Alice’s Adventures” exhibition. Only this time, the large sculptures will be covered with lights, instead of greenery and flowers. Guests will also enjoy interactive activities, and on December 22nd, dogs are welcome to take in the spectacle, too. Holiday Wonders lasts through December 23rd.
Meanwhile, the zoo is hosting its annual Zoo Lights, on select nights through January 1st, with gorgeous displays, new and old, from the classic Twinkle Tunnel to the brand-new Chinese lanterns. Guests can take a ride on the Ferris wheel and a spin on the ice rink. Plus, Magic Mr. Nick will make an appearance or two, and so will some of the animals for meet and greets.
And, of course, no Memphis holiday would be complete without a drive through Shelby Farms Park’s Starry Nights, where millions of lights will dazzle you in creative displays. The event also happens to be Shelby Farms’ largest fundraising event, with proceeds going to support daily operations at the park and the Shelby Farms Greenline. On Tuesday, December 27th, the attraction will be closed to cars for a Walk + Bike the Lights Night, where guests can take a walk or ride their bikes through the glowing nights. Starry Nights runs through December 30th, concluding with the annual BuffaGLO run. The BuffaGLO run is a family-friendly 2.25-mile fun run, with strollers and leashed dogs welcome. For more information, visit shelbyfarmspark.org.
2021 was twice as deadly as 2020 for Covid-19 in Shelby County. In 2020, 903 died of Covid here. In 2021, 1,807 passed from the virus.
A consent decree forced Horn Lake leaders to approve the construction of a new mosque.
Family members wanted $20 million from the city of Memphis; Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW); and the Memphis Police Department (MPD) for the 2020 beating death of a man by an MLGW employee.
New DNA testing was requested in the West Memphis Three case for recently rediscovered evidence once claimed to be lost or burned.
February
An ice storm knocked out power to nearly 140,000 MLGW customers.
The new concourse — in the works since 2014 — opened at Memphis International Airport.
Paving on Peabody Avenue began after the project was approved in 2018.
Protect Our Aquifer teamed up with NASA for aquifer research.
A prosecutor moved to block DNA testing in the West Memphis Three case.
March
A bill before the Tennessee General Assembly would have banned the sale of hemp-derived products, like Delta-8 gummies, in the state. It ultimately provided regulation for the industry.
The project to fix the interchange at Crump Ave. and I-55 resurfaced. Bids on the project, which could cost up to $184.9 million, were returned. Work did not begin in 2022 but when it does, it could close the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (the Old Bridge) for two weeks.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee temporarily cut sales taxes on groceries.
April
The Mississippi River ranked as one of the most endangered rivers in America in a report from the American Rivers group.
Critics lambasted decisions by Memphis in May and Africa in April to honor Ghana and Malawi, both of which outlaw basic LGBTQ+ rights.
The federal government announced a plan to possibly ban menthol cigarettes.
Lawmakers approved Gov. Lee’s plan to update the state’s 30-year-old education funding plan.
Tom Lee Park (Photo: Memphis River Parks Partnership)
May
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi prepared for the likely overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision, ending legal abortions in the state.
The Greater Memphis Chamber pressed for a third bridge to be built here over the Mississippi River.
Cooper-Young landlords sued to evict the owners of Heaux House for “specializing in pornographic images.”
The Memphis City Council wanted another review of Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) plan to remove coal ash from the shuttered Allen Fossil Plant.
June
New research showed Memphis-area women earned 83 percent of their male counterparts income in the workplace from 2000-2019.
Gov. Lee ordered schools to double down on existing security measures in the wake of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
MPD arrested four drivers in an operation it called Infiniti War Car Take-Over.
A key piece of the Tom Lee Park renovation project won a $3.7 million federal grant, which was expected to trigger nearly $9 million in additional funds.
Tennessee Republican attorney general fought to keep gender identity discrimination in government food programs.
Jim Dean stepped down as president and CEO of the Memphis Zoo and was replaced by Matt Thompson, then the zoo’s executive director and vice president.
Locals reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
July
Memphian Brett Healey took the stage at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Eating Contest.
One Beale developers returned to Memphis City Hall for the fourth time asking for financial support of its luxury hotel plans.
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board placed Superintendent Joris Ray on paid leave as they investigated whether he violated district policies with relationships with co-workers and abused his power.
The project to forever eliminate parking on the Overton Park Greensward got $3 million in federal funding.
Tennessee’s attorney general celebrated a win after a federal judge blocked a move that would have allowed trans kids to play sports on a team of their gender.
Tennessee’s top Pornhub search was “interracial” in 2021, according to the site.
August
A panel of Tennessee judges did not give a new trial to Barry Jamal Martin, a Black man convicted in a Pulaski jury room decked out in Confederate portraits, flags, and memorabilia.
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert caught flak from the Tennessee Comptroller after traveling to Jamaica while her offices were closed to catch up on the controversial backlog of license plate requests from citizens.
MSCS superintendent Joris Ray resigned with a severance package worth about $480,000. Finance chief Toni Williams was named interim superintendent.
Officials said the Memphis tourism sector had made a “full recovery” from the pandemic.
A new bail system unveiled here was touted by advocates to be “one of the fairest in the nation.”
Eliza Fletcher (Photo: Memphis Police Department)
September
Memphis kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher was abducted and murdered while on an early-morning run. Cleotha Abston, out of jail early on previous abduction charges, was arrested for the crimes.
MLGW’s board continues to mull the years-long decision to, possibly, find a new power provider.
Ezekiel Kelly, 19, was arrested on charges stemming from an alleged, hours-long shooting rampage across Memphis that ended with four dead and three injured.
A Drag March was planned for the “horrible mishandling” of a drag event at MoSH. Event organizers canceled the show there after a group of Proud Boys arrived armed to protest the event.
October
Workers at four Memphis restaurants, including Earnestine & Hazel’s, sued the owners to recover alleged unpaid minimum wage and overtime.
Shelby County was largely unfazed by an outbreak of monkeypox with only about 70 infected here as of October.
Animal welfare advocates called a University of Memphis research lab “the worst in America” after a site visit revealed it violated numerous federal protocols concerning the care of test animals.
While other states have outlawed the practice, Tennessee allows medical professionals and medical students to — without any kind of permission — stick their fingers and instruments inside a woman’s vagina and rectum while she is under anesthesia.
Joshua Smith, a co-defendant in the election finance case against former state Sen. Brian Kelsey, pleaded guilty in court.
The Environmental Protection Agency told South Memphis residents little could be done to protect them from toxic emissions from the nearby Sterilization Services facility.
West Tennessee farmers struggled to get crops to market because of the record-low level of the Mississippi River.
November
Groups asked state officials for a special investigator to review the “very real failures that led to [Eliza] Fletcher’s tragic murder.”
A group wanted state officials to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park.
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were unconstitutional.
A plan to forever end parking on the Overton Park Greensward was finalized by city leaders, the Memphis Zoo, and the Overton Park Conservancy.
December
The Commercial Appeal dodged layoffs in the latest round of news staff reductions by Gannett.
Federal clean-energy investments will further ingrain Tennessee in the Battery Belt and help develop a Southeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (H2Hubs).
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee criticized Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) for canceling gender affirmation surgery for a 19-year-old patient.
State and local officials investigated an alleged milk spill into Lick Creek.
MLGW rejected Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) 20-year rolling contract but will continue to be a TVA customer “for the foreseeable future.”
Former state Senator Brian Kelsey’s law license was suspended after he pled guilty to two felonies related to campaign finance laws last month.
Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
“Shout-out to whoever grew this at the Memphis Zoo,” Jimmy Cassidy wrote on Facebook last week. The post blew up with 274 comments and 889 shares as of press time. The “um, actually” crowd jumped in hot to point out the plant is “a weed, not the weed you think lol.”
Holy Weather
Posted to Facebook by WREG
Facebook commenters loved and hated WREG for using a Bible verse in a weather report last week.
Evan Hurst asked why a news station was posting Bible verses, to which Rich Martin replied, “Because we can. Now go f.” Hurst responded with, “Go ‘f’? You can type the word, big guy. Jesus already knows you thought it.”
Memphis AF
Posted to Twitter by Kollege Kidd
“Ja Morant’s rookie card got Young Dolph and Key Glock on it,” tweeted Kollege Kidd. Yes, that was way back in May but it’s still [fire emoji]. H/T to MemphisAsFuck.
City leaders, the Memphis Zoo, and the Overton Park Conservancy made final Monday a parking plan that came after years of protests, battles at Memphis City Hall, and a host of proposals. It’s a plan that will forever end parking on the park’s Greensward.
Credit: Memphis Zoo, city of Memphis, Overton Park Conservancy
The zoo has parked cars on the Greensward for decades (at least since the 1980s) in a handshake agreement with city. Grumbling about the deal and the cars goes back at least as long as the deal has been in place.
Vehicles periodically cut deep, hard, muddy ruts on a northern edge of the Greensward, rendering it useless for recreation. Sometime around early 2014 an ad hoc group blocked-off the greensward with orange traffic cones and sat around their barrier in camp chairs, daring anyone to pass. This was the opening salvo of what would be a nearly nine-year battle between park advocates and the public, the zoo, members of the Memphis City Council, and two mayors.
Flyer columnist Bruce VanWyngarden deftly summed up the next few years in a 2021 column.
”Things started getting really heated in 2014. Park lovers formed groups: Get Off Our Lawn (GOOL) and Citizens to Preserve Overton Park (CPOP). Activists stood on nearby street corners urging zoo patrons to park on nearby streets, rather than despoiling the Greensward. Aerial photographs were taken that showed just how much of the people’s parkland was being taken over by a private entity. The pictures got national attention. Protestors were arrested. Houses all over Midtown bore signs urging Memphis to Save the Greensward.
savethegreensward.org
“Then the zoo cut down some trees. [Activists held a second line for them and planted some new trees in protest.] Some activists threatened to begin spray-painting cars. A zoo sign at the park entrance was defaced. Things were tense.
“And then, in the winter of 2016, newly elected Mayor Jim Strickland managed to get both sides into mediation. After months of costly negotiation, a compromise was struck. The zoo would be allowed to enlarge its lot to 415 spaces, taking some of the Greensward, but with the great majority of the land being preserved. The zoo subsequently announced that it would build a parking garage on nearby Prentiss Place and wouldn’t need to expand its lot. Huzzah! Parking on the Greensward was a thing of the past. Peace reigned in the Kingdom.
“At least it did until last Friday night at 5:06 p.m., when the zoo and city issued a joint press release stating that the Prentiss garage project was being scrapped because it was too expensive and that the zoo would go back to the lot-expansion plan, and, oh, while it was being expanded, the zoo would once again be letting its customers park on the Greensward. Enjoy your weekend. Nothing to see here.”
No work was done, however, and not an inch of the Greensward was taken. Winter weather was rightfully blamed at the time.
Credit: Memphis Zoo
In 2018, Zoo CEO Chuck Brady — seen as a zoo-first hardliner and unrelenting negotiator — resigned. He was replaced in 2019 by Jim Dean, a native Memphian who had served as president of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.
Credit: Memphis Zoo
Dean was largely seen as a diplomatic compromiser who helped lead the zoo, park, and city through to the new plan that got the final approval Monday. Dean was replaced this year by Matt Thompson, the zoo’s former executive director and vice president (and the Zoo Dude personality on the zoo’s social channels).
Here’s how the zoo, park, and city described the new plan in a rare joint statement after Monday’s signing of the new memorandum of understanding:
“The new plan, which has been approved by both the conservancy and zoo boards of directors, would move the zoo’s current maintenance area to the park’s southeast corner, making use of existing buildings in the northern portion of what is now the city’s general services area.
Credit: Overton Park Conservancy
“The zoo’s existing maintenance area, located along North Parkway, would then be converted into parking. Along with some re-striping of the zoo’s main lot, this reconfiguration would add the 300 spaces the zoo needs without carving out a portion of the Greensward.
“Following the creation of the zoo’s new parking lot, the Greensward will be permanently closed to overflow parking. The conservancy is exploring the creation of a walking path around the perimeter of the Greensward to make the space even more accessible and increase its recreational potential. Overton Park will also look to remediate soil damage and install some landscaping that serves as a visual barrier between the Greensward and the zoo parking lots.
“Both organizations celebrate this historic day as they announce a permanent solution to the zoo’s parking needs that not only preserves the entire Overton Park Greensward, but restores 17 acres of mostly forested parkland that has been inaccessible for decades.”
Felicia Knightly at the Memphis Zoo animal hospital. (Photo Credit: Memphis Flyer)
The Memphis Zoo’s animal hospital recently received an $800,000 donation from Tommie Dunavant in honor of her husband, the late cotton entrepreneur Billy Dunavant.
“This is Billy’s gift. This is Billy’s request, and I am making it to that hospital,” she said.
“Billy made me the head of his foundation. He asked that I not give anything until the year after his death,” said Dunavant. “My Billy loved animals. The one thing that he always kept important was medical care for these animals.”
This donation was announced shortly after the Memphis Zoo announced a campaign to raise $1.5 million dollars for the zoo’s animal hospital.
The hospital was built in 1998, and according to the Memphis Zoo, the animal hospital “serves as a homebase for everything from check-ups and evaluations to major surgery.”
According to Matt Thompson, president and CEO of the Memphis Zoo, animals are at the forefront of what they do, however he said something that is not always at the forefront is “what happens with our animal health.” Thompson said this is the most important thing to them.
The Zoo said the animal hospital services more than 3,500 animals, encompassing 500 different species. As the number of animals began to increase, so did the needs of the hospital. According to the Zoo, some of the equipment that was used when the hospital first opened is still in use today.
“The customers, the patients here at the Memphis Zoo don’t have insurance, they don’t carry cash. We can’t always afford to upgrade things the way that we should,” said Thompson.
There are a number of major equipment needs of the hospital. At the top of the list is an OmniTom-Samsung 16-Slice Premium Small Animal CT Scanner that the zoo said costs $565,000. The Zoo also needs an LED lighting for their operating room, which comes in at $100,000. The hospital is also in need of facility upgrades that are totaled at $664,000, including a floor crane to lift large animals, and other pieces of equipment such as a veterinary dental X-ray system.
Felicia Knightly, senior veterinarian at the Zoo’s hospital, said that when they are conducting things such as scheduled wellness exams, they have an elective procedure schedule, and “they have to keep up with these kinds of things.” This also means that the Zoo needs consistent and reliable equipment.
“You have to maintain that conservation-minded wellness,” said Knightly. “When we bring an animal in here for a physical exam, I need to know that I have delivery of anesthesia.” Knightly said that the animals do not come on their own, and that they are not on a leash. Most of the time the animals are sedated, and Knightly said that she needs equipment that is “absolutely reliable.”
“Anesthesia is always a risk, but boy it’s a worse risk if you’ve got dated equipment, or equipment that isn’t up to snuff. For me, it’s just having things that aren’t dry-rotted, that haven’t been used for years and years and years. Some people say ‘just buy a new one,’ but we just can’t buy a new one. We’re a non-profit organization, and a lot of these things are quite expensive in the medical field.”
Zootoberfest kicks off this weekend. (Photo: Courtesy Memphis Zoo)
Let’s just get in here and talk about the elephant in the room: The Memphis Zoo has a menagerie of events for folks of all ages this October, and like the many too cute animals there, it’s hard to pick a favorite.
On October 1st, the zoo will host its 11th annual Art for Elephants, where Gina, the matriarch of the elephant herd, will flex her creativity and paint a canvas with her trunk. Her masterpieces along with other items will be up for auction throughout the day, with the proceeds going to the charity Elephants for Africa.
“Gina is pretty talented,” says Rebecca Winchester, the zoo’s communications specialist. “She likes to blow a lot of air out of her trunk. Apparently, Gina does more abstract art and the other ones do more straight lines.”
In addition to painting that day, the elephant herd will enjoy “spooky Halloween-themed enrichment.”
And if you can’t get enough of the elephants, the zoo is also hosting its first Conservation & Cocktails on October 8th. At this adult-only, semi-formal event, also in support of Elephants for Africa, guests can enjoy live entertainment, elephant-themed cocktails named after the herd, a silent auction, and more.
Also, in October, the zoo will celebrate Zootoberfest on Saturdays and Sundays. Guests can purchase a $12, 17-ounce commemorative stein while supplies last. “We have tons of different local breweries that set up shop, including Crosstown, High Cotton, Meddlesome, Memphis Made, Wiseacre, Grind City, and Ghost River,” Winchester says. “You can go to each booth and get refills for $6. Then you can walk around the zoo and have beer.”
With so much going on this month, you’ll want to check out memphiszoo.org for more information on these events and others, including Penguin Palooza on October 8th, the Stranger Things-themed Zoo Boo beginning on October 14th, and Pancakes for Primates on October 15th.
Art for Elephants, Memphis Zoo, Saturday, October 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., included with admission.
Zootoberfest, Saturdays and Sundays, October 1-31, included with admission.
In the wake of the recent tragedies impacting our city, our feeling of safety, and our wellbeing, Memphis’ community spaces are doing what they do best — being there for us. Whether you need to meditate in a serene garden or watch penguins be penguins so you don’t have to think, the organizations you support are here to support you.
♥️ Memphis Botanic Garden is offering free regular admission on Friday, September 9th, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., to help Memphis heal and to offer a safe outdoor space for all to enjoy and find comfort and light in.
♥️ MoSH recognizes that Memphis needs some love and is offering free admission to all exhibits, movies, shows, and to the Lichterman Nature Center on Friday, September 9th, 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
♥️ Friday, September 9th, Memphis Zoo is offering free general admission to the community to reflect and relax and just exist with the animals. The zoo’s hours are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., last admission at 5 p.m.
♥️ The Dixon Gallery & Gardens always has free admission and wants to remind us to take advantage of the oasis of safety, calm, and beauty there.
♥️ Memphis Rox will offer free admission on Friday, September 9th. No reservation or special equipment needed.
♥️ The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will offer free admission Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so that people may reflect, find constancy, and experience the beautiful possibilities of humanity.
We have included all the local sites we know are offering free admission tomorrow, but we may have missed a few. If you are associated with or know of another venue that should be included, please email calendar@memphisflyer.com.
