It was a sunny, mild November Saturday. I was on South Idlewild Street, stopped at the corner where it intersects Madison, waiting for traffic to clear so I could pull out and turn left. I was headed to Home Depot to get a couple of keys made and pick up some paper towels. A big day, no doubt.
Madison was busy, and I’d been idling there a bit before I noticed the man in the red jacket and khaki pants sitting on a low wall by the intersection. It appeared he was trying to pull himself upright using the nearby wrought-iron fence and was having no luck at it.
After watching for a moment, I lowered my window and said, “Do you need some help?”
“Yes, I do,” he said.
There was no one behind me, so I backed up a little, parked at the curb opposite from him, and crossed the quiet street. He had a stout wooden walking stick in his right hand, and I took his left hand in both of mine and pulled him to a standing position.
“I got to be careful. It’s my knee,” he said. “It gives out after a while and I have to sit down. But then, getting up can be a problem.”
“Where are you going?”
“Walgreens. I need to pick up my prescriptions.”
“Well, let me give you a ride.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”
As we made the short drive to the pharmacy, he told me his name was John A ___ and spelled it out for me, and that he lived at St. Peter Manor, a few blocks away. He said he’d been to the doctor the day before and had been prescribed some new meds.
As I dropped him off at Walgreens, I said, “I’ve got to run to Home Depot but I’ll swing back by here in 20 minutes or so, and if you’re here I’ll take you home.”
“That’s kind of you. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
I got to Home Depot, went in, and grabbed a jumbo package of paper towels. They were on sale, stacked right by the front door. But when I got to the key-making machine, there was a line and it took a while. Afterward, I drove back to Walgreens and cruised the lot but saw no sign of Mr. A. On a hunch, I turned off of Union onto South Idlewild, and there he was, slowly limping along by the Goodwill store, not too far from where I’d picked him up earlier. I stopped next to him, lowered the passenger-side window, and said, “You want a lift, John?”
“Boy, I sure do,” he said. “Can you come around and open the door for me?”
“No problem. I got you.”
On the short trip back to St. Peter Manor, John asked me if I’d ever been inside the place. “It’s pretty nice,” he said.
I told him I had and that at one point several years ago, I’d looked into getting my mother a place there, but that she’d decided she wanted to stay in New Mexico, where one of my brothers lives.
“Oh, she’s smart. New Mexico is beautiful,” John said. “I remember the sun and the desert … and the mountains and sky. Everything is so big. I loved New Mexico. And I like the West a lot. Plenty of room to move around out there.”
“It really is beautiful,” I said.
“Well, thank you again for the ride,” John said, as we pulled up to his home base. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Glad to do it,” I said. And I was. I got out and went around to the passenger side and helped him get to a standing position.
“Hey,” he said. “Let me give you my phone number, in case you want to get ahold of me.” So he told me his seven digits (I assumed the “901” was a given), and I entered them into my phone as he headed toward the glass doors of St. Peter Manor.
I don’t know that I’ll call him, but I texted him my number, and you never know. We didn’t get into how or why John lived out West, but I suspect he might have some good stories. Meanwhile, happy Thanksgiving, y’all. Count your blessings.
We, the writers of the Memphis Flyer, promise we’ve been good boys and girls. Really good. We only made fun of The Commercial Appeal once this year — just one time — well, one time this month. Sure, we misspelled Gannett while we were at it. Maybe that was karma; maybe that was you, Santa. But we’ve been good. We started showing up to meetings, occasionally on time. We’ve learned about spell-check — who knew that existed? We even got on Bluesky. We’re keeping up.
Oh, Santa, we only have a few things on our list this year, and we put them all in our gift guide for our readers. We’re sure they’d like some things from our list, too. They like to support local businesses. So you don’t mind that we put it all in print, do you? And that we tell our readers to also get their gifts for their loved ones from these shops and makers? We can only write so much; being so good these days has made us so tired. So, yes, Santa, your letter and our gift guide will have to pull double-duty. Take it or leave it. And, readers, please do take it; don’t leave it.
Flashback
Millett and Gene Vance describe their well-known emporium on Central Avenue as a “vintage department store,” and that’s a very good description. They should know. The couple opened Flashback in 1984, just in time for Christmas that year. Forty years later, they’re still at it. Describing the kaleidoscope of merchandise inside is a challenge because there’s just so much of it. It’s a world-class vault of collectibles — everything you could imagine, and much you couldn’t begin to. You’ll find clothes from several eras, hats of all kinds, kitchenware and glassware, posters and paintings, groovy new mobiles, funky furniture, fun-house mirrors, and even a giant mounted swordfish. Go in and poke around. There’s probably something at Flashback for everyone on your gift list, no matter your budget. Get funky. — Bruce VanWyngarden 2304 Central Avenue, (901) 272-2304, flashbackmemphis.com
9906 Candle Co.
Candles and fragrances are key to setting the perfect vibes. Whether you’re trying to curate the ultimate homey experience or looking to mimic the ambience of that luxurious getaway you find yourself slipping back to, scents can help you achieve that goal. This holiday season, instead of setting an alarm to stand in line at a mass-market retailer, consider supporting a local Black-owned business that specializes in hand-poured, coconut soy candles and skin-safe room and linen fragrance mists.
9906 Candle Co. is a Memphis-based brand founded by Denise Weary. Weary’s brand is driven by “the philosophy of providing luxurious yet affordable home fragrance.” The founder goes on to say that her products reflect her commitment to simplicity and elegance with her minimalistic and charming packaging.
“Are you ready to treat your nose, treat your space? We’re out here changing atmospheres,” the company asserts.
Some of the “best smellers” include the Coco and Cedar candle with scents of jasmine, vanilla, coconut, and sandalwood, and the Sweet Stones mist with notes of citrus, cranberry, champagne, musk, praline, and caramel. Other scents include Lure, Floral Cacti, and Mandarin Escape.
You can purchase an item directly from the website at 9906candleco.com, or you can shop a local pop-up this holiday season, such as the Lightfoot Farm Market in Millington on Saturday, December 7th, or the Holiday Market at the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturday, December 14th. — Kailynn Johnson 9906candleco.com
River City Records (Photo: Chris McCoy)
River City Records
The vinyl records boom shows no sign of slowing down. This year, the hot records are all by women artists, says Chris Braswell, owner of River City Records. “A lot of the new pop artists are women, like Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, [Charli XCX] Brat, and Chappell Roan. She was on Saturday Night Live three weeks ago, I believe. I didn’t see it, but I had several people come in Sunday saying, ‘Did you see Chappell Roan last night?’”
Now entering its fourth year of operation at 101 S. Main, River City Records has a huge selection of music, and the equipment to play it on. “Our turntables have been really popular,” says Braswell. “People are still getting turntables for Christmas, and we’ve got several to choose from.”
If you don’t know what to get, don’t despair. “People sometimes don’t know the right album to buy for somebody, or if they’ve already got that particular album of a certain artist. Gift cards are really popular here, so they can stroll through the store and decide what record they want.”
River City Records’ Dave Anderson says there’s even more to choose from. “We’ve got vintage T-shirts, and then we’ve got our own brand, and other studios. Our T-shirts are really popular.”
Braswell says to be on the lookout for specials this holiday season. “We’re gonna have a big $2 record sale. We’ll have 12 to 14 crates of $2 records. That’s a good way for people to add to their collection on the cheap.” — Chris McCoy 101 South Main, (901) 359-5597, rivercityrecordshop.com
Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market (Photo: Alex Greene)
Memphis Arts Collective Holiday Market
Feeling a little disgruntled with the standard corporate online shopping options, I decided to gift locally made art to friends and family this holiday season. And as soon as I stumbled upon their unassuming holiday-only storefront in Gattas Plaza, near the Knowledge Tree, I knew I’d found the right place. Through those double doors, a world of color opened up like I’d landed in Oz, as I surveyed the booths of nearly three dozen craftspeople and their wares, with all manner of pottery, glass, jewelry, metal, fabric and fiber, mixed media, and photography on display before me. What’s more, the vibe was pleasant and welcoming, perhaps because of a kind built-in camaraderie among members of the Memphis Arts Collective, organizer of the holiday market.
Cat Snyder, a glass sculptor who’s selling her work there, as well as helping to produce the event, was just as enthused about the other members’ handiwork as her own. “Oh, you’ll love Brian Maness’ stained glass over there! And there’s an incredible potter next to him,” she exclaimed. I was drawn in by both the conviviality and the vivid artwork, from objets d’art to paintings to prints to hats to cards, all fresh out of the artists’ studios, looking for the perfect wall, shelf, or wardrobe to call home. — Alex Greene Gattas Plaza, 4998 Summer Avenue, through December 24th, Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | Sunday, noon-5 p.m. | closed Thanksgiving Day | Christmas Eve, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | silent auction to benefit Miracle League of Memphis, memphisartscollective.com/holiday-artist-market
Photo: Courtesy Hound Dog Apparel | Facebooks
Hound Dog Apparel
You’ve seen someone wearing that bright yellow T-shirt from the old Buccaneer Lounge and thought you’d been out-Memphised.
It must be the best thrift store find of all time, you thought. But it looks so new. How did …? But you push the question away before allowing yourself to truly consider the person might be a time traveler.
While not a traveler, per se, Rachel Ford does have a time machine. Her Hound Dog Apparel can transport Memphians back to an age when lemongrass tofu flowed freely from Pho Binh, browsing at Bookstar was an option, and birthdays were made for Celebration Station.
The small, locally owned and operated clothing company specializes in reproductions and reimaginings of some of your favorite bygone Memphis establishments stretching all the way back to the ’70s. If you’ve spent any time in Memphis over the last few decades you’re sure to find a solid dose of nostalgia browsing through their tees.
Hound Dog is not a one-trick pony, though. (Though, you can find a design from The Pony, iykyk.) There’s a Barbie/barbecue mash-up you never knew you needed. There’s also plenty of Grizz and Tigers shirts to make you stand out in the crowd. Only the truly enlightened Memphian will grasp the timely nostalgia of Hound Dog’s “Knuc-ee’s” tee. *chef’s kiss*
Hound Dog can be found at most major festivals around town — just look for the booth with the giant crowd around it. But if you can’t make it to town, place your order by December 5th to ensure it’s on time for the holidays. — Toby Sells hounddogapparel.com
Jimmy Crosthwait’s clocks and chimes (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Jimmy Crosthwait’s Clocks and Chimes
Give people more time for the holidays. As in a Zen clock made by Jimmy Crosthwait.
The puppeteer, artist, and musician (who co-founded Mudboy and the Neutrons and now plays with Sons of Mudboy) is again offering his Zen clocks and Zen chimes as well as his candlestick sculptures at WinterArts. He also will be featuring new pieces which he calls “Karmic Wheels.”
“The Wheel of Karma is a Hindu and Buddhist concept of just life and rebirth and death and rebirth,” Crosthwait says. “How you live this life will determine your status in the next life. … I’m taking a certain artistic license when I design these.”
The wooden pieces are about 21 inches across, he says. “And have, for the most part, ceramic centers with spokes radiating out to the rim.”
The spokes are metal wires onto which Crosthwait threads beads. Some of the pieces, which are stained, have appliqués around them. Others are etched into the wood around the hub with a laser printer. “Some are cut out of a Masonite-like material,” he says. “And I will glue that to the wood and stain it.”
Crosthwait, whose clocks have no hands or moving parts, says the pieces essentially look like clocks. They’re round and they have a pendulum. But there are no hands.
This year, Crosthwait’s clocks are a little bit different. “I was mostly putting them on serving trays, platters. And I would have pendulums hanging down that were usually some sort of metal or tinsel. This year, I’m doing, essentially, a lot of wooden pieces that have either appliqué on the rims or are etched with the laser printer. Just carved into the wooden circles.”
Some feature spoons containing “a little ceramic orb to complement the ceramic centers of the clock.” — Michael Donahue WinterArts, The Shops of Saddle Creek, 7509 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, November 30th-December 24th, winterarts.org
Five in One Social Club (Photo: Abigail Morici)
Five in One Social Club
For those who like to get crafty — whether the gifter or the giftee — Five in One Social Club is the place to go. For starters, it’s full of stationery, crafting supplies, embroidery kits, felting kits, and locally made goods from Memphis-y T-shirts to Baby Creep’s creepy baby vases, all of which have great gifting potential.
But the shop also offers a whole calendar of craft workshops, including Stained Glass Ornaments on December 10th and Woodburning Ornaments on December 28th. Now, the options with these workshops and gift-giving are endless, kinda. You can a) make something in one of these workshops to give to your recipient (throwback to childhood DIYs you gave to your parents; these will look better though, hopefully, depending on your skill level); b) you can bring your fellow crafty giftee to a workshop with you (quality time = the gift a lifetime, as long as your presence isn’t god awful); or c) you can get your loved one a Five in One Social Club gift card to choose a workshop they can attend with someone whose company they actually enjoy any day of the year — well, mostly, there’s a calendar and all.
Five in One Social Club is also featured in the Women-Owned Passport, through which shoppers who visit certain women-owned businesses can collect stamps and receive a special offer with purchase between now and December 31st. If you collect stamps from every shop, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of three prizes valued at over $300. The best part? You’ll be supporting women-owned businesses! There are 17 businesses participating, but I’ve reached my word limit, so … I can’t list them all. Sorry! I recommend you Google “Women-Owned Passport Memphis” or follow this link here. Happy shopping! — Abigail Morici 2575 Summer Avenue, (901) 308-2104, fiveinonesocialclub.com
Pile of Threads (Photo: Courtesy Pile of Threads)
Pile of Threads
Everyone loves a bit of embroidery to add just the right amount of pizzazz to any garment, and Pile of Threads does it best. With recycled, hand-dyed, neon-embroidered totes proclaiming “I Love Memphis Women” and cheeky “F Around & Find Out” baseball caps, Pile of Threads has something for just about anyone. Especially because you can also get customized work. That includes monograms, lettering, pet portraits, pennants, custom patches, small designs, embroidered jeans, wall art — just about anything you can think of. All you have to do is fill out the form provided on pileofthreads.com and allow three to four weeks for owner Whit Washington — the self-proclaimed “Stitch Bitch in Charge” — to work her magic on her 100-year-old embroidery machine.
Washington also has items available for purchase at Stock & Belle and Falling into Place. And she’ll be hosting a pop-up shop during WYXR’s Raised by Sound Fest’s after-party on December 7th, with vintage goodies on hand for you to get embroidered — or you can bring your own. Items should be 100% cotton, non-stretch material like denim or canvas. Prices begin at $30 for this service. Sounds like the perfect stitchuation. — AM pileofthreads.com, Stock & Belle, 387 South Main | Falling Into Place, 2613 Broad Avenue | Raised by Sound Fest’s After Party, Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse, Saturday, December 7, 9-11 p.m.
Tennessee’s State Funding Board approved conservative growth rates Thursday as revenue flags in the wake of a major business tax reduction.
The board, which is made up of the state’s three constitutional officers and finance commissioner, set a growth rate in general fund revenue of 1 percent to 2 percent and total tax growth at 1.25 percent to 2.15 percent for fiscal 2025-26.
With this year’s overall budget at $52.8 billion, the board maintained the total growth rate projection for fiscal 2024-25 at negative-1.68 percent to negative-1.34 percent. The board was forced to roll back projections at mid-year because of weak revenue.
Economic experts told the board earlier this month that the economy is in good shape but that growth is slowing after double-digit revenue two years ago. The state also is facing a $1.9 billion business tax reduction over several years after lawmakers approved a request by Gov. Bill Lee to eliminate the property portion of the state’s franchise and excise taxes. That came on the heels of a business tax break the previous year.
The Department of Revenue has processed nearly $900 million in rebates this year, and more are expected.
Tennessee’s growth rate usually lies between 3.5 percent to 5 percent, but staff expected revenue to slow down and built in a cushion over the past two years, Budget Director David Thurman said.
In recent budget hearings, state departments and agencies requested more than $4.2 billion in funding increases for fiscal 2025-26 to deal with inflation and improvements in state services. But the revenue forecast isn’t expected to come close to matching that figure, even with federal funds covering some of the costs.
The weak budget outlook could affect lawmakers’ decisions on providing funds to flood-ravage counties in East Tennessee and the governor’s proposed private-school voucher program, which was not approved this year but has $144 million in unused funds in the budget.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and X.
The holiday classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is now the official Holiday Song of Tennessee and its singer is set to be recognized next week.
The song was officially designated as a state song earlier this year, with legislation filed in December 2023 by Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville). The bill was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in April. The song’s performer, Brenda Lee, a longtime Nashvillian, is set to receive a proclamation on the designation next week.
The song was recorded in the heart of Nashville’s Music Row at Quonset Hut Studio and produced by Owen Bradly. It was written by Johnny Marks, who seemingly had no connection to Tennessee. He specialized in Christmas songs, although he was Jewish and did not celebrate Christmas, according to Wikipedia. Marks wrote “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver and Gold,” and many others.
Lee is the first woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. She was 13 when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958.
When Powell filed the legislation last year, the song had just topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the very first time, 65 years after its initial release. That’s the longest stretch ever between a record release and it’s hitting No 1. “Rockin’” remained at No. 1 for three weeks.
Lee also became the oldest female ever to hit No. 1 on the chart. She also now holds the record for the longest gap between an artist’s first and most recent week at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Her first No. 1 single was “I’m Sorry” in 1960.
“Brenda Lee is a music icon and a true Tennessee treasure,” Powell said in a statement. “‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ has spread holiday joy throughout the world for decades and we are proud her No. 1 song was made in Nashville. I am thrilled that my legislation made the beloved ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ by Brenda Lee the first official holiday song of Tennessee.”
Brenda Lee will receive the proclamation in a ceremony at the Tennessee State Capitol on Monday, December 2nd.
Tennessee has 10 official state songs, including “Rocky Top,” “A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996,” and “Smoky Mountain Rain.” Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” was made an official state song this year. However, until now, Tennessee has had no official state holiday song.
Enjoy cocktails and festive spirits at Holiday Spirits: A Christmas Cocktail Affair. (Photo: Courtesy Willmott Events)
Holiday Spirits: A Christmas Cocktail Affair The Kent Friday, November 22, 6 p.m. Have yourself a merry little cocktail this weekend at a holly, jolly cocktail festival. You’ll enjoy sweet treats and jingle along to holiday tunes. Each ticket includes 12 sample-sized signature cocktails. Food and full-sized drinks will be available for purchase as well. This event supports Volunteer Memphis, so every sip gets you closer to the nice list. Purchase your ticket(s) here for $54. Door tickets are $65 and are not guaranteed.
Starry Bazaar Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Saturday, November 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. To celebrate the newest temporary addition to the Brooks’ landscape — Greely Myatt’s Winter Art Garden installation — the museum is hosting a Starry Bazaar where art and culture meet seasonal charm. This enchanting event transforms the museum into a winter wonderland filled with local artisans, handcrafted goods, and unique treasures. Enjoy music, warm beverages, and holiday-themed activities for the whole family. Register here for this free event.
On The Street: Memphis. A Streetwear Vendor Market Experience Renasant Convention Center Saturday, November 23, noon-6 p.m. Shop the hottest trends from top clothing vendors while enjoying live DJ sets in a vibrant atmosphere where fashion meets music and community. Admission is free.
NutRemix Cannon Center for the Performing Arts Saturday, November 23, 5:30 p.m. | Sunday, November 24, 2:30 p.m. New Ballet Ensemble’s NutRemix returns to the stage this weekend, bringing its take on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. With a story set on Beale Street, this performance, presented by Nike, blends ballet, hip-hop, flamenco, Memphis jookin, and West African dance. For it, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Big Band puts a fresh spin on the original score, mixing in Duke Ellington’s and Booker T. and the M.G.’s classics. Since its conception in 2002, the show has become a beloved tradition for Memphis. Get your tickets ($29-$64) for the show here.
Nikki Glaser – Alive and Unwell Tour Orpheum Theatre Saturday, November 23, 7 p.m. The host of FBoy Island comes to Memphis. She’s known for other stuff, too. But you know a woman who can come up with the catchphrase “FBoy, FBye” has a good stand-up show in store. Tickets are $39.75 to $69.75. Get them here.
Marcella Simien ft. Infinity Stairs Off the Walls Arts Saturday, November 23, 7 p.m. Get a sneak peek at the new live experience built around Simien’s new album To Bend to the Will of a Dream That’s Being Fulfilled. Video synth artist Graham Burks immerses you in visual delights while Marcella performs the songs live. (Oh, and read about the album in Alex Greene’s column this week.) Get your tickets ($28.52) here.
Justin Timberlake – Forget Tomorrow World Tour FedExForum Saturday, November 23, 7:30 p.m. He brought sexy back when it apparently went missing. He didn’t cry a river. He just wants to rock your body. He can’t stop the feeling. It’s Justin Timberlake if you haven’t caught on yet. Tickets to his show can be purchased here. It ain’t no lie.
Sweet Tea Social: Gratitude Edition Ugly Art Co. Sunday, November 24, 3-8 p.m. Enter the season of gratitude with this Sweet Tea Social. Here’s what’s on the agenda: bottomless sweet teas (no additional cost), live DJs (Chief Rifa, SOUTHMEMPHISJEFF, and NyceLyfe), a botanical bar (non-alcoholic, adaptogenic, herb-infused beverages crafted for wellness, available for purchase), art viewing (duh, it’s at a gallery), flower bar (build your own floral arrangement, courtesy of Mama’s Sundry), and flash tattoos (Lana’s Lines and Ink Therapy will offer flash tattoos for purchase). Tickets are $13.73.
Memphis Turkey Trot First Horizon Foundation Visitor Center at Shelby Farms Park Thursday, November 28, 9 a.m. Trot like a turkey at Start 2 Finish and Campbell Clinic Foundation’s Turkey Trot, where 2,000 participants of all ages can complete a 4-mile course or a 2-mile relay. Runners can expect stunning views of Shelby Farms Park, complimentary coffee from Biggby Coffee, a finisher medal, post-race snacks, a T-shirt, and more. Sign up here.
There’s always something happening in Memphis. See a full calendar of events here.
Hemp flower is still set to disappear from store shelves on December 26th after state lawmakers left a new rule in place this week, one that cannabis industry leaders say could decimate their businesses.
Cannabis farmers and retailers already adhere to a state law that limits products to a maximum of .3 percent THC. The new rule, set not by lawmakers but the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDOA), includes new testing for THCA levels, which can rise in products on store shelves or after purchase by being heated.
The new rule would stop the sale of smokeable hemp flower, those recognizable green nuggets that can be crushed, rolled in a joint, or lit in the bowl of a bong. Pushback on the sale of hemp flowers comes largely from GOP members of the Tennessee General Assembly. Their objection being, basically, that smoking dry flower can get users high from legal products.
On his way to Wednesday’s joint House and Senate hearing on the TDOA’s new cannabis rules, Soddy Daisy cannabis farmer and Farm to Med retail owner Chris Sumrell, said he passed two groups of people smoking cannabis. Public consumption is a problem, he said, even noting that if “someone that looked like me [with long hair and a beard]” was smoking cannabis next to his family in a park, he’d move away from them. But lawmakers should not take the product away form retailers.
“What do people do with the flower? They smoke it,” Sumrell testified. “We can’t stop them from doing that. If we take this off the counter, and don’t regulate it, and tax it, they’re gonna go to the black market or take their business across state lines.”
Sumrell’s testimony on his cannabis use was one of the clearest public delineations between smokeable products and edibles given to state lawmakers in years of debate. The new rules would test products at or after the moment of decarboxylation. This process, usually done with heat, converts THCA into THC, releases psychoactive compounds, and gets users high.
Here’s how Sumrell described the nitty-gritty:
”Anybody that uses cannabis will tell you that eating cannabis and smoking cannabis are two completely different things. I don’t eat it at all. I don’t like it because that’s the Delta 9. That’s the psychoactive narcotic. The walls can melt if you take on too much of that stuff, okay?
“But smoking it, it’s a different property altogether. That’s combustion, not decarboxylation.
“So, that’s where the wall is very confusing because say we’re talking about decarboxylation to somebody that’s a scientist. They’re gonna say, ‘well, they’re talking about cooking with it.’ No, they’re talking about using this to take the [hemp flower] off of the table. Well, that’s combusting it. That’s a different chemical process. This is science.
“THCA flower does not turn into a psychoactive narcotic until you cook with it through decarboxylation. Decarboxylation’s prime temperature is 200 to 250 degrees, but starts at 98 degrees. So, just leaving that flower in the window can turn it to Delta 9. But if I’m striking a lighter to it, that’s combusting it into a [non-psychoactive] CBN and not a Delta 9.”
House Speaker Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) sponsored the overarching cannabis regulation bill two years ago. He worked closely with farmers, retailers, and government officials in drafting the bill. The bill put cannabis products behind many store shelves, and issued labeling requirements and THC limits. It also gave control of the state’s cannabis program to the TDOA, which added the rule that would ban THCA flower.
On Wednesday, Lamberth pushed to keep the department’s rule in place for now so businesses could still operate. But he said he anticipated legislation on the matter in next year’s legislative session, which, perhaps, left the door open to smokeable products in the future.
Jeff Sullivan, a former Memphian, and now vice president of sales with Chattanooga-based Snapdragon Hemp, pushed the debate from science, intoxication, and governance to straight economics.
“Chris [Sumrell] will lose his farm,” Sullivan said. “Chris will lose his retail industry along with many, many other companies in Tennessee if their particular rules stay in place. It eliminates that much of their total business, their bottom line.”
Tennessee leaders continue to push legislation they say would protect kids online, but civil rights groups say promotes censorship.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a group of 31 attorneys general from red and blue states earlier this week urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bill is sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee).
The law would require some mandatory safety protections for minors on social media sites such as TikTok and Facebook. These would be the strongest settings available up front, said Skrmetti, “rather than burying these features behind opt-in screens.”
The KOSA would also take away what Blackburn called “manipulative design features and algorithmic recommendations that keep children endlessly scrolling.” It would also give parents new tools “to identify harmful behaviors and improved capabilities to report dangerous content,” Blackburn said in a statement.
In the letter to Congress this week, Skrmetti was joined by AGs from conservative states such as Alabama and Mississippi but also such progressive states as New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
“As the chief legal officers of our states, we’ve seen firsthand how social media companies prioritize profits over our kids’ safety,” Skrmetti said in a statement. “KOSA provides additional tools to protect children’s mental health from the harmful effects of social media.”
Despite bipartisan support, KOSA has drawn criticism from civil rights groups such as the ACLU, which argues the bill could infringe on First Amendment rights. Critics contend that provisions requiring platforms to prevent harm could lead to censorship of legitimate and educational content, particularly around sensitive topics such as sexual health and mental wellness. The group heavily criticized the bill when the Senate passed it in July.
“KOSA compounds nationwide attacks on young peoples’ right to learn and access information,” said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. “As state legislatures and school boards across the country impose book bans and classroom censorship laws, the last thing students and parents need is another act of government censorship deciding which educational resources are appropriate for their families.”
The ACLU said that the list of design features outlined in the bill are defined so broadly that platforms would likely have to censor any content that was found objectionable by the government. That content could include anything from sexual health resources to information about gender identity, or how to get help for an eating disorder.
Anjali Verma, a 17-year-old student, also voiced concerns about the legislation’s potential to harm rather than protect youth. “It’s called the Kids Online Safety Act, but they have to consider kids’ voices, and some of us don’t think it will make us safer,” Verma said in a statement. “We live on the internet, and we are afraid that important information we’ve accessed all our lives will no longer be available. We need lawmakers to listen to young people when making decisions that affect us.”
The AGs’ letter says social media platforms target minors, know their products are addictive, but only care about the bottom line. “Many social media platforms target minors, resulting in a national youth mental health catastrophe,” reads the letter. “These platforms make their products addictive to minor users, and then profit from selling minor user data to advertisers.
“These platforms fail to disclose the addicting nature of their products, nor the harms associated with increased social media use. Instead, minor users receive endless tailored and toxic content. Further, increasing evidence suggests these platforms are aware of the negative mental health effects social media burdens its underage users with, but choose to continue these practices.”
A Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck photographed at Town and Country Ford in Madison, Tenn. President-elect Donald Trump’s policy could negatively impact both production and sales of electric vehicles. (Photo: John Partipilo)
Uncertainty over President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for federal tax credits and loan programs supporting American electric vehicle manufacturing could stall Tennessee’s fast-growing electric vehicle and clean energy industries, analysts say.
Tennessee has seen an estimated $12.6 billion in investments in new clean energy projects since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act under President Joe Biden in 2022, according to an October Washington Post analysis of data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and energy think tank Rhodium Group.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created more than 20 tax incentives for clean energy and manufacturing, marking one of the largest climate investments in American history. No Republican lawmakers voted for the act, but the Post’s analysis found “red” states – including Tennessee – have so far received the lion’s share of investment dollars following its passage.
Low-cost federal loans and tax credits for U.S.-produced batteries and battery components have helped companies stand up more cost-competitive electric vehicle plants in the United States, said Harrison Godfrey, managing director of clean energy industry association Advanced Energy United. The IRA also changed consumer electric vehicle tax credits to incentivize the industry to anchor in the United States; For the credit to apply, vehicles must have batteries made in the U.S. using materials sourced from the U.S. or some allied nations, Godfrey said.
But Trump’s transition team is reportedly planning to scrap the $7,500 tax credit for buyers who purchase new electric vehicles, Reuters reported Friday. And the fate of Biden-era clean energy programs remains unclear.
This is not a red state, blue state economic development story. This is an all of America economic development and manufacturing resurgence story, and Tennessee is a great example of how this resurgence, this growth, is serving ‘red’ America.
– Harrison Godfrey, Advanced Energy United
Energy industry analysts worry such a rollback would stymie the balance of producer and consumer-facing incentives.
“The fundamental thing to understand about that is that the two work in conjunction,” Godfrey said. “It’s not enough just to have one side of that policy … it’s great if we’re standing up factories, but if there’s nobody buying at the end of the assembly line for those components, for that finished vehicle, because we haven’t also helped support that consumption side of the equation … we see great investments that do not actually bear fruit.”
Dozens of bills seeking to rescind parts of the IRA have been considered in the House of Representatives in the last two years, but 18 members of the House Republican Conference wrote in favor of maintaining the IRA’s energy tax credits in an August letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“Prematurely repealing energy tax credits, particularly those which were used to justify investments that already broke ground, would undermine private investments and stop development that is already ongoing,” the letter states. “A full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return.”
Jack Conness, a policy analyst at energy and climate think tank Energy Innovation, points to the letter as an example of the difference between rhetoric and reality in discussions about repealing parts of the IRA. The reality, he said, is that post-IRA investments have had “significant impact on economic growth and jobs” in red Congressional districts.
“Businesses have been operating under the assumption and making large investments in places like Western Tennessee on the assumption that this policy survives,” Conness said. “So when you want to potentially shake this up, it causes total chaos and havoc on the private business side.”
Electric vehicle and battery industries flock to Tennessee
These policies helped boost projects like Ford’s BlueOval City and the BlueOval SK battery plant in West Tennessee. The companies announced the plant’s development in Haywood County 2021. The U.S. Department of Energy approved a conditional loan of up to $9.2 billion to BlueOval SK under the IRA to build three battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky last summer.
Godfrey said the future of the Loan Programs Office and its low-cost loan programs for EV and EV component manufacturers is a “big outstanding question.”
“If you deconstruct that, if you shutter the office or if you greatly reduce the size, shift that mission, I think there’s risk there that we don’t see additional projects like this funded in the future,” he said.
But while some factories have secured their IRA loans, the ink isn’t yet dry on loans like BlueOval SK’s, which is still in the conditional phase.
U.S. Rep. David Kustoff’s West Tennessee district has seen $7.9 billion in investment since the IRA’s passage, according to the Post analysis, followed by U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles’ Middle Tennessee with $2.9 billion.
Both voted against the IRA. Neither could be immediately reached for comment.
Kustoff said in 2022 that the “radical spending bill” would “hurt energy producers” and “certainly worsen inflation,” among other things. Ogles called it a “gross waste of taxpayer dollars.”
Both have said BlueOval City and BlueOval SK will be transformational for the region.
Since 2022, EV component supplier Magna announced it would build the first two supplier facilities in BlueOval City’s Stanton supplier park, and a stamping and assembly facility in Lawrenceburg. NOVONIX Anode Materials announced a new $1 billion battery plant in Chattanooga. Ultium Cells announced a $275 million expansion of its plant in Spring Hill.
According to the Post’s analysis, post-IRA investments have spanned multiple Congressional districts in Tennessee:
Diana Harshbarger (R), District 1: $17 million Charles Fleischmann (R), District 3: $746 million Scott DesJarlais (R), District 4: $146 million Mark Green (R), District 7: $672 million Steve Cohen (D), District 9: $189 million
“This is not a red state, blue state economic development story,” Godfrey said. “This is an all of America economic development and manufacturing resurgence story, and Tennessee is a great example of how this resurgence, this growth, is serving ‘red’ America.”
Industry Turbulence
The EV industry’s expansion in Tennessee — and the United States — has not been without setbacks.
Ford announced it would push back production of its new, all-electric pickup truck from 2025 to 2027 as part of its response to heightened competition in the EV market and slowing demand. But BlueOval SK is expected to begin producing battery cells in late 2025.
Nissan announced it will cut 9,000 jobs and 20% of its global manufacturing capacity in November after a drop in profit. It’s not clear if the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant will be impacted.
General Motors announced it will lay off 1,000 employees — mostly from its global technical center in Warren, Michigan — on Nov. 15. The company’s largest facility in North America is in Spring Hill.
Godfrey said all industries see “waxes and wanes” during growth, and the EV industry has been under a microscope in recent years. Progress doesn’t tend to be illustrated quarterly, but over years or decades, he said.
Conness said flirting with the idea of a repeal of IRA programs causes uncertainty to flare.
“The private market wants to know what’s happening on the policy side, and the private market has been pretty outspoken about keeping IRA,” he said.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, who has become a close associate of Trump, has spoken in favor of stripping the tax credit.
Musk wrote, “Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla. Also, remove subsidies from all industries!” on his social media site X in July. In a Tesla earnings call that month, he mused that ending the tax credits would be “devastating” for Tesla competitors but “long-term probably actually helps Tesla.” (Tesla has reaped some benefits from federal loan programs, tax credits and carbon credits).
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation — which represents 42 U.S. automotive companies including GM, Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen — penned a letter to Republican lawmakers in October asserting that the IRA’s EV tax credits are “critical to cementing the U.S. as a global leader in the future of automotive technology and manufacturing.”
“We think about the recent decades where we’ve seen much of the heartland of America, and particularly some of the industrial cities that were really prosperous and vital in the 20th Century collapse on themselves. It’s about the shrinking and departure of these anchor tenants … the major manufacturers there,” Godfrey said. “So the real risk is … if we see a pullback on the industrial policy that is helping support that resurgence, I think we could see a replay of what we’ve seen in a lot of these towns over the past 40-plus years, admittedly for slightly different reasons.”
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and X.
One Tennessee school district’s list of nearly 400 books removed from library shelves, including titles by authors ranging from Dr. Seuss to Toni Morrison, is being used by other school systems as a possible template to follow.
Administrators for Wilson County Schools directed the district’s librarians to pull the books a month ago. This week, leaders with Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools sent its librarians the same list to consider when reviewing their collections.
A third large suburban district, Rutherford County Schools, instructed its librarians this week to remove around 150 titles — 51 of which overlap with the list in neighboring Wilson County.
The removal there came at the request of school board member Frances Rosales, who told Chalkbeat that she used the Wilson County list and reviews on the website Book Looks as the basis for her request.
The purges come under Gov. Bill Lee’s 2022 “age-appropriate” school library law, which lawmakers expanded this year to prohibit public school libraries from having books with “nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual content, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse.”
Sponsors of the changes, enacted amid national “culture wars” fueled in part by pro-censorship websites, say their goal is to protect students from obscene content and give families more control over their children’s education.
But the changes have also created a climate of fear, confusion, and self-censorship for school leaders and librarians, prompting some to revise or ignore their own review processes and preemptively pull titles from their shelves.
Graphic novels and books containing LGBTQ+ topics for high schoolers are among the casualties, as are classics like Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, about a young African-American girl who longs for blue eyes, and popular children’s picture books like David Shannon’s No, David! and Seuss’ Wacky Wednesday.
“This law was designed to catalyze book banning,” said Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program. “We should not be surprised now that we are seeing the mass removal of books in response to this censorial legislation.”
Tennessee law likely faces a constitutional challenge
Tennessee’s original 2022 law, championed by the governor, required districts to publish the list of materials in their library collections and periodically review them to make sure they are “appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials.” Each community was to define what is considered age-appropriate based on local standards.
This spring’s revisions by the legislature added a definition of what’s “suitable” — including verbiage about sexual content, nudity, and violence that could be interpreted to prohibit literary classics like Romeo and Juliet, historical novels such as All Quiet on the Western Front, and encyclopedias containing photographs of nude statues.
The law is expected to be challenged in court over its vague wording, a lack of compliance guidance from the state, and the uneven way the law is being applied across Tennessee.
Among groups tracking its implementation are the ACLU of Tennessee and some publishing companies.
In Florida, several large publishers sued education officials there in August over a 2023 state law prohibiting sexual content in school libraries. They argued that the law had ignited a wave of book removals in violation of the First Amendment.
‘Creating an unofficial statewide book ban list’
A survey conducted this fall of members of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians found that more than 1,100 titles had been pulled statewide under the revised law during the first few months of the academic year.
“I’ve removed 300 books in the first month of school,” one librarian anonymously told the organization.
Since the survey, the number of titles pulled across Tennessee has ballooned “from a trickle to a tidal wave,” said Lindsey Kimery, a Nashville school library supervisor who is one of the group’s leaders.
“If Wilson County’s list is being shared around, and district leaders see it as a cheat sheet so that they don’t have to conduct their own reviews, it’s creating an unofficial statewide book ban list,” Kimery said.
A spokesman for the Clarksville-Montgomery district, which serves about 38,000 students near the Kentucky border, emphasized that Wilson County’s roster was being used “as a resource, not a mandate” for its own librarians.
“We are not directing you to immediately remove all of these titles from your library collection,” curriculum leaders told principals last week, according to talking points from the meetings that the district shared with Chalkbeat.
“However, we are providing this list as an example of books already vetted by Tennessee educators and strongly encouraging you and your library-media specialists to review the list and consider, if you have these titles in your collections, whether these materials violate state law.”
Books in violation must be removed, the principals were told.
In Rutherford County, where 150 books were removed this week, the school board voted Thursday night to give librarians time to review the titles and come back with a formal recommendation on whether they should be permanently removed or returned to the shelves.
“I don’t believe we intentionally have pornography in our schools, but I do believe that some books with questionable content have trickled in,” said Rosales, who told Chalkbeat that she “put a lot of thought and research” into her request to remove 150 titles.
She added, however, that “our librarians are experts, and we need to give them time to review these books and give us a report.”
Other school systems conducting library reviews reported that Wilson County’s list isn’t factoring into their work.
A spokesperson for Knox County Schools said the East Tennessee district is collaborating with its librarians and legal team to identify books for possible removal and will provide its schools with a list in the weeks ahead.
Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who never lets a chance to try to steer public funding to private schools pass him by, is having a good week. State Senate and House majority leaders filed identical bills to create “Education Freedom Scholarships” that would give $7,075 in public funding for a private education to 20,000 Tennessee students, beginning in the fall of 2025. The plan would grow in scope in subsequent years.
The bill has been opposed by the state’s large city school systems and by legislators in many rural districts, where there are often no private school options, and where getting adequate funding for public schools is often difficult. The voucher bill is also opposed by the vast majority of the state’s public school teachers.
That’s bad enough, but later in the week, Voucher Bill (see what I did there?) got more good news. In case you haven’t been paying attention, GOP luminaries of all stripes are now urging the abolishment of the federal Department of Education. See, that way, supporters say, the money from the feds would come directly into the state’s coffers, to be dispensed under the supervision of, well, Bill Lee. Shocker, right? It should come as no surprise that Lee is all for killing the education department.
“We know Tennessee. We know our children,” Lee said. “We know the needs here much better than a bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., does.”
No you don’t, Bill. What you know how to do — and what you have tried to do for years — is slide public tax dollars into the coffers of private education firms that will then grease the palms of pols such as yourself. If you cared about Tennessee’s children, you wouldn’t want to funnel our tax dollars to well-off Tennesseans who will use it for tuition fees for little Bradley’s third-grade year at Hillbilly Bible Kollege.
Lee and the GOP have been fighting for vouchers to become law for years, and this time around, given the upcoming change in the White House, they might have the juice to pull it off. If the last election proved anything, it is that the average American is anything but well-informed and well-educated. One of the most googled questions on Election Day was, “Did Joe Biden drop out?” Lawd, help us.
Here are a few numbers to ponder (and weep over): 21 percent of adults in the U.S. are illiterate; 54 percent of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level; 45 million read below a 5th grade level; 44 percent of American adults do not read a book in a year. So yeah, let’s fix that by cutting public school funding and giving people money to send their kids to private schools.
My parents weren’t rich, but I grew up privileged. Only we didn’t call it privilege back then because it was so ordinary. In the small Midwestern town where we lived, everybody I knew — Black, white, brown, poor, middle-class, or wealthy — went to the same public schools and attended the town’s single public high school.
It was a great equalizer, and kids learned — sometimes the hard way — not to get too snooty. I’m not so naive as to think that my Black classmates didn’t suffer negative experiences that were beyond the experiences I had, but we did all manage to get along. And we all had the same opportunity to learn with the same teachers, using the same facilities in the same classrooms, no matter a family’s income level. That is a great and powerful thing about public education — it’s an equalizer. But it needs to be funded and nourished. An investment in educating our youth is one of the best possible uses of our tax dollars. Instead of destroying the Department of Education, we should be funding it better and putting it in the hands of someone with creative ideas to support teachers and inspire students.
I’m not holding my breath, though. I’d put the odds at 50-50 that the Education Department survives the coming administration. And if it does, given the clown-car level of cabinet appointments thus far, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Trump appointed the My Pillow guy to the job.
