Memphis Flyer 4/30/20

FRESH STORIES DAILY AT MEMPHISFLYER.COM VIRTUAL BLUES MUSIC AWARDS P14 • THE BUSINESS OF LOVERS P16 • BEASTIE BOYS AND CLONE WARS P20

OUR 1627TH ISSUE 04.30.20

CHAINA | DREAMSTIME.COM

FREE

Poverty in a Pandemic

How COVID-19 is ravaging our disadvantaged communities.

SPRING INTO

CORDOVA I N T E R N A T I O N A L

FARMER’S MARKET

April 30-May 6, 2020

FOR THE BEST SELECTION & PRICES in PRODUCE, MEAT and SEAFOOD in the Mid-South!

2

Open everyday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

1150 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova, TN 38016 901.417.8407 •

CARRIE O’GUIN Advertising Operations Manager/ Distribution Manager JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive JASMINE GARNER Advertising Coordinator DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MOLLY WILLMOTT Special Events Director TABITHA WADKINS Events Coordinator LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

National Newspaper Association

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director RACHEL LI, BRYAN ROLLINS Graphic Designers

CONTENTS

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER Senior Editor TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor JULIA BAKER, MICHAEL DONAHUE MAYA SMITH, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor, Staff Writer JULIE RAY Calendar Editor JEN CLARKE, LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, AYLEN MERCADO, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

OUR 1627TH ISSUE 04.30.20 “One of the worst things is you can’t tell if people are smiling.”

“Well, I’m smiling,” I said, from behind my mask. “Hope you have a good day.

And thanks.”

“Oh, I will. At least I have a job.”

I’ve got one, too. But my co-workers and I are working from our homes, unlike the checker at Fresh Market, who’s on the front lines, toiling with rubber gloves and a mask behind a plastic shield. But, truth be told, all of us who are still working in this current situation are lucky.

The economy is tanking. At last count, 26 million Americans had filed for unemployment. And for many of those folks, no job means no health-care insurance. Which means they’ve joined the approximately 44 million other Americans who have no health insurance — in the middle of the worst health crisis in memory. A Gallup poll released this week reported that one in seven Americans wouldn’t seek care for coronavirus symptoms due to worries about the possible cost of treatment.

Nationally, COVID-19 crisis “management” is still an unholy, disorganized mess. While steps are being taken in some states to “reopen the economy,” just across a border, another state is still battened down. Germs don’t recognize borders, last I heard. But coherent leadership from the top of the political foodchain is quite obviously not going to happen.

Most indications are Or coherent anything, for that matter. that things won’t truly Most indications are that things won’t truly return to “normal” until a vaccine is return to “normal” until discovered, and that’s likely many months a vaccine is discovered. away. Most projections I’ve read predict a second surge of the virus. It could happen soon, if we reopen the economy too fast. It could happen this fall, even if we bring down the infection rate this summer. Everyone appears to be shooting in the dark to some extent.

What we do know is that in two months, nearly 60,000 Americans have died. And that’s just the official number. Higher general death rates in some parts of the country suggest that many probable COVID deaths have not been attributed to the disease.

I was chatting with a group of journalists via Zoom this week. There was some talk about covering “other stories” besides the virus, but the fact is there is almost no story you can report on that isn’t impacted by the COVID crisis: politics, education, government, voting rights, food, the arts, sports, social justice, wage and income disparity — you name it.

Unsurprisingly, as Maya Smith reports in this week’s cover story, the disadvantaged among us — the poor, the homeless, the undocumented, certain African-American communities — are disproportionately affected by COVID. It’s an eye-opening story.

And those folks’ lack of access to health care affects everyone, even those fortunate enough to have it. More people walking around with the disease means more people getting infected, which sustains the shutdown and stay-at-home orders. If millions of Americans can’t get — or can’t pay for — medical care, all of us pay the price.

If there’s an upside to all of this, it’s that it’s given us a chance to see what’s truly broken, to understand what needs to be changed to get this country back on track.

COVID has exposed major faultlines in our civic and social foundations. We have a long list of problems and disparities that need to be addressed. But at the top of that list is health care.

What the United States calls a health-care system is an insult to the word “system.”

It’s bloated, inequitable, inefficient, greed-driven, and unsustainable. The current situation has made that blindingly clear. Vast numbers of Americans are one medical crisis away from bankruptcy. Vast numbers of Americans avoid seeking medical care because they can’t afford it. In so doing, their treatable conditions become emergency room crises, their deaths are often premature and unnecessary, and their communicable illnesses needlessly infect others.

Assuming some sort of electoral purging of the current power structure happens this November — a big assumption, I know — Job One has to be fixing health care. The United States is the only — only! — first-world country that doesn’t provide some sort of universal health care for its citizens.

No one goes bankrupt due to a medical N E WS & O P I N I O N bill anywhere else in the civilized world.

THE FLY-BY - 4 Nowhere else do people avoid seeing NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 5 a doctor because they can’t pay for it.

POLITICS - 6 Health care is the most essential and basic COVER STORY human right. And if anyone is concerned “POVERTY IN A PANDEMIC” about the “cost,” remind them of the $5.6

BY MAYA SMITH - 8 trillion (and counting) the federal govWE RECOMMEND - 12 MUSIC FEATURE - 14 ernment has just thrown at the economy BOOKS - 16 in the past month.

FOOD - 18 We may be wearing masks for a BREWS - 19 while longer, but it’s time to take off FILM - 20 the blinders.

C L AS S I F I E D S - 21 Bruce VanWyngarden LAST WORD - 23 brucev@memphisflyer.com

3

THE

fly-by

MEMernet

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

Closing Time, Airports, & the Virus

A R E D D IT G R AB BAG The Memphis subreddit brimmed with internet gold last week. For example, u/bballin1204 captured the iconic Windows XP screen at Shelby Farms.

Researchers warn of another shutdown, Cohen questions funding, and tracking coronavirus.

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/DISGRACEDLAND

April 30-May 6, 2020

Edited by Toby Sells

A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

C O LD H U M O R Y’all heard the news about MEMpops?

Their assets are frozen!

4

{

Questions, Answers + Attitude

SAM P LE TH E M I X If you’re looking for some true Memphiana, look up reddit user u/goldchainnightmare’s “big list of Memphis soul songs and the hiphop songs that sampled from them on Spotify.”

An example from the list includes, “As Long As I Have You”

by The Charmels, which WuTang Clan sampled for “C.R.E.A.M.” Jay-Z and Kanye West sampled Otis Redding’s classic “Try a Little Tenderness” for their song “Otis.”

VI R US LAN E Unfortunately, u/chris922001 had to take his wife for COVID-19 testing at Tiger Lane last week. Fortunately, it was a smooth process.

“She went through the questionnaire online yesterday and was called within 30 minutes, an appointment was made for this morning. We arrived a little early and we [were] out of there in 20 minutes.

Everything and everyone we had contact with was extremely polite and professional. Now we wait!”

O P E N AN D C LOS E New research from Vanderbilt University researchers shows when the state may have to close again after it opens this week.

If orders are lifted and virus rates spike again, it could trigger a “circuit breaker.” Stay-at-home orders could return to save hospitals and health-care systems from becoming overwhelmed.

If the transmission rate continues to slow, for example, the economy could remain open indefinitely. If the state opens on May 1st and virus rates spike above 1.5, the new model says the economy would need to close again in 46 days.

The state’s transmission rate remained the same over the last two weeks, according to the reClockwise from top left: Governor Bill Lee ends Safer at Home, police want searcher. However, it’s unknown if social media surveillance, a very Flyer coloring book, Cohen questions airport the current virus transmission rate funding, and tracking the virus in Tennessee will change after the governor’s Safer at Home order is lifted. But the Vanderbilt researchers is shrinking. Tennessee’s number was at 1.16 over the said “we do know that the number of social contacts among weekend.

Tennesseans will increase — even if certain aspects of physical distancing at businesses, mask-wearing, and hygiene A F LYE R C O LO R I N G B O O K practices continue.”

The Memphis Flyer is now accepting art from locals to produce a Memphis coloring book. Proceeds from the book WATC H I N G YO U will help soften the paper’s financial blow in the wake of City leaders want changes to the 1978 Kendrick consent decoronavirus and will be split with artists. Print versions of cree on police surveillance, and the court is asking for public the coloring book will cost $35, or you can get a printable comment on the changes.

PDF version for $20.

Those changes would allow Memphis Police Department Art submissions are due Thursday, April 30th. Send them investigators to gather intelligence on social media, use unto anna@memphisflyer.com. dercover social accounts, share the information with other law enforcement agencies, and more.

SAF E R AT H O M E E N D S Governor Bill Lee announced last week that his order for AI R PO RT D I S PAR ITY Tennesseans to remain at home will expire April 30th, with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) pointed out a disparity in the “vast majority of businesses in 89 counties allowed to CARES Act funding for airports. Memphis International reopen on May 1st.”

Airport saw 4.4 million passengers in 2018 and got $24.6 Lee said he will work with officials in Shelby, Madison, million. Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson saw about 2.5 million Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Sullivan counties to help passengers and got more than $25.8 million. them plan their reopenings.

I N STAG R AM FO U N D E R S O N TH E VI R US Instagram’s founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched a new website this month to track an important number to check the spread of the coronavirus. Rt.live tracks the effective reproduction number of the virus to show how much it can spread in communities.

States need a number below one to show the virus

AB O RTI O N S ALLOWE D A federal district court in Tennessee blocked the governor’s attempt to temporarily ban abortion because of the coronavirus. A federal judge blocked the move saying “abortion is a time-sensitive procedure.”

Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

For Release Mo

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, August 9, 2018

Crossword

Sex and Drinking

Edited by Will Shortz

27

52 53

1

29

4 8

15

17 20

33

56

24

34

57

27

58

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

41

42

16

18

19

21

22

23

61

43

62

19 20

44 46

1

22

47

24

2

49

3

25 26

4

50

6

S N E E R

A L B P E A T E N G B R U L O P A D J N E O C O B

A M N O N N N U M O B O O R P V A S E E I T R L R I D E O O R A N N O M A E D H A P A L E M E A

S A B E R T V S

R I P E N

P A R R I A E R S P I M E C E D E T E R D O O I S N S T P O D Y F O F I T

S U S H I R O L L

S T A Y E D O N O K U R N A A S

C R E A M

I N A W E

U D T A E S T I T L E

E T H E R

7

31

32

37

34

38

40

44

46 50

35

39

43

47

45

48

49

51

52

53

54

57

58

59

60

61

62

55

56

PUZZLE BY RANDOLPH ROSS

23

35

25

37

28

38

44 45 47

39

8

29

40

9

48

51

32

10 11

26

29

33

36

5

S E V E R

25

28

30

36

60

40

18

Drinking on the Job Tennesseans are drinking on the job. So say the folks from Fishbowl, a website for professionals to discuss workplace issues. A Fishbowl survey found that nearly 43 percent of Tennesseans were boozing while working from home.

The stat goes along with other, sadder national stats. Fifty-four percent of workers fear losing their jobs right now.

Teachers report that less than half of students are showing up for remote classes.

About 62 percent of working parents say they cannot juggle childcare while working from home.

To, perhaps, lighten the mood, Fishbowl asked professionals, “Do you ever drink alcohol while working from home?” The survey included companies like EY, Deloitte, Accenture, Amazon, Edelman, Nike, Google, KPMG, and thousands of others. The answer from them was yes, but not a resounding yes.

Of the 12,895 surveyed across the country, nearly 42 percent said they did drink on the clock. North Carolina had the highest rate at nearly 47 percent. Oregon, Connecticut, Colorado, and Washington posted similar numbers.

Arkansas had the lowest drinking-onthe-clock rate with about 29 percent saying they did imbibe while on the job. New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, and Missouri followed closely behind Arkansas.

Advertising and marketing agency employees had the highest percentage (49 percent) saying they did drink on the job.

4

15

59

39

17

Daria,” and “male doll, Lucas.”

3

54

31

36

Sex Doll Genie’s “Frankie” doll (left); Flyer beer writer Richard Murff drinks on the job.

2

14

30

16

A L E V E

1

32

14

Sales of sex dolls are through the roof, and American workers are drinking on the job.

That sentence was brought to you by the coronavirus.

Sex Doll Genie, which bills itself as the “largest sex doll store in the world,” reported a sales spike in February and March. Demand from single males of all sexual orientations more than doubled in the company’s first quarter of 2020, with a 51.6 percent increase in sales between February and March. Orders placed by single females grew 15.8 percent in the same period, according to the company.

“We are seeing the sex doll industry go through a revolution during the COVID-19 pandemic with a huge increase in orders from both couples and male and single females,” said Sex Doll Genie CEO Janet Stevensen, who co-founded the company with her husband, Amit.

“Couples who have been quarantined together seem to be much more open to trying something new after possibly experimenting more during the lockdown.

“We are also seeing more single men and women placing orders for the first time; we think this is because they view solo play as a safer alternative to dating apps like Tinder right now.”

Stevensen said attitudes about sex dolls are changing. People stuck at home are open to trying new things. This is bringing the sex doll industry into the mainstream.

Average customers now are the “highly educated, single males and females between 30-40 years old and with highincome, heterosexual married couples looking to add a new dimension to their sex life together.”

Sex Doll Genie carries more than 2,600 sex doll designs from 16 different brands.

The store’s three best-selling dolls are the “adventurous, survivalist Frankie,” “H-cup

No. 0705

Crossword 35 ___-Man ACROSS 61 December 24 Outlet for the Even though ACROSS (shrinking Marvel and 31, e.g.

Loire J. R. Ewing, e.g.

Lee 1Director Foggy mental Give in Heroine of Humdrum superhero) Tennessee Ain’t right?

62 One probably no World’s largest states Williams’s This pulls a bit peninsula “Summer and with the jocks a 36 Hit musical set in Smoke” Ways to a 6Response goodPlay meme, a role Corn site Not much the lunch table Argentina maybe Derisive Figure in onstage Many a staffer Milton’s A couple of “Paradise Lost” bucks? 38 Something the “She” went 63 Practices boxin a huge T or F, Give a zero-star 9through Wild hog breakup in frequently: review eco-conscious Abbr.

1984 64 Watered down, Ride provider Weatherspoon bring to a grocery Canyon Subj. of arms 13Hells Atlantic or Pacific of the W.N.B.A. as coffee locale: Abbr. talks Big jerk Stooge ___ de combat 39 “I.e.,” spelled out Wash. setting, draw 14LowSoothing (out of action 65 Verizon Fios or in the winter due to injury) Something substance Comcast’s Xfini good to be Clear speaking 42 Vaper’s device DOWN under Chest thumper, for short event at for short? woodcutter 15Spring Bullets and BBs Poor 43of A-list group at an a nursery Clothing folklore Successor to portmanteau 66 Striped cat Lumpy event the Cutlass Map of México, 16Intended Italian food Pleasant glance e.g.

Frank Loesser’s Long, long time Driver’s license in Love Weeitem wee?

Foughtcan in public that 44 It “Once may allowAnimal a house Early diet drink information Maximally With ___” Iceberg’s cousin ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE Tart document beTOstuffed and Hoot text to Some cuts, DOWN Flap Gallery owner Rhyme for Hercule Poirot, be “thee” in baked displayed on a later Still packing, e.g.

“America the say 1 Kangaroo Beautiful” of Subject of an web page What the four Neighbor South Sudan Italian aria It may follow a 18 Doesn’t stop undercover movements dot Big Pharma orgs. in this Jolly Roger expense 47 Once puzzle might do Lead prosecutor ___ while talking pirate in the O. J. “… sting like Things that are 2 Berry marketed Simpson case ___” voted on Grace period?

Stubborn one 48 No room at the 19 Common canineProtein-rich as a superfood Means of picnic dish identification Be against Rural expanse “It doesn’t hurt ___ (problem command that bad” Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 3 past Lemon rind in puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Gene mutation once results Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

20 Militia of farmers, 4 Consume Bethlehem) Miracle-___ e.g.

5 Get testy with 49 3, 5 or 7, but 22 ___ Solo of not 9 6 Lager 2018’s “Solo” alternatives 55 Guerrilla ___ 23 Corn unit Guevara 7 ___ wars 24 “He’s so polite” (longtime 58 “Today” co-host advertising battl Kotb 32 Sir’s counterpart 8 Early computer this 33 What poi is made 59 “Keep connection between us” … from protocol or hint to this puzzle’s circled 34 What a plane’s 9 Where San letters hold holds Francisco and Oakland are ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 10 Actor Epps toggle A G E D W A R A C E B R R 11 12-hour on clocks D R A W B R O T O X Y A O 12 Flushed, as M A T E O C T A N E J I B cheeks I N A L L H E R S N O S E 14 “Eureka!”

R O L L E D R I T S O V E R 17 Its members E L I A R I D A P T E S T serve six-year terms A V A D U V E R N A Y 21 Barber’s powde E C I G A R E T T E S U N C L E M I L T I E 22 Nonkosher sandwich meat F A J I T A K A N E D X C E D I T O R S R E S P E C T 24 “A Fish Called ___” (1988 L O G Y T E A R E R N I E comedy) O R S F E L L I N I O T A 25 Jealous critic, 1636 UNION AVENUE 901.276.6321 N B A A L Lartcentermemphis.com I E S S T E M informally 5 S S W A S S T D A M E D S 26 Judge’s mallet 41

33 34

52

42

55

12 13 21

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

The coronavirus has us drinking up and buying sex dolls.

NEWS & OPINION

{

CITY REPORTER B y To b y S e l l s

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Deus Ex Machina Stalled by anti-climax, will the voting-machine question be resolved anytime soon?

NOW HIRING

Watco Companies, LLC - Osceola, AR Watco Companies, LLC is looking to hire for a variety of positions in Osceola, AR! These openings range from entry level labor to management positions.

Here at Watco, we offer competitive pay, industry leading benefits, and on the job, paid training.

If you are interested in a lifelong career with unlimited growth potential then visit

www.watcocompanies.com today & submit your application!

FREE RENT

April 30-May 6, 2020

ASK US HOW

· Apartment Style Living

· No Long Term Lease

· Fully Furnished

· We’re Pet Friendly

· FREE Utilities & Cable TV

· Siegel Rewards Program

W E E K LY & M O N T H LY R AT E S

6

901.245.2672

7380 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38133 | www.siegelselect.com

Now it appears that erly frazzled: “Don’t get upset with me,” he our next round said. “It’s not my fault it didn’t work. But I of local and state can say I’m not going to participate in any elections — the more of these audio-visual conferences. ones scheduled for … I’m just not gonna. I’m not gonna do August — could be anything other than meet in person.” in jeopardy.

A consensus had already developed Governor Bill that the sequence originally planned — Lee, who was Phillips’ announcement of her choice relatively late in imposing shelter-in-place (complete with the relevant specs) at the rules for Tennessee, has now put himself executive-committee session, followed in the vanguard of the nation’s state execuby public discussion from some 50-odd tives in casting them aside, allowing resinterested virtual attendees (most of them taurants and other formerly public places favoring hand-marked paper ballots as to begin re-opening — though there is no against ballot-marking devices), followed evidence so far that the ominous coronaby a formal vote of selection by the Elecvirus epidemic has sufficiently spent itself tion Commission — had to be scrapped. or even begun to plateau.

Phillips herself had offered that she Though the Shelby County Commiswanted to make some changes before a sion, meeting via webinar, has formally public presentation; it later developed that requested a loosening of the regulations the “changes” may have had to do with the regarding absentee ballots, there is no costs involved. indication that the governor nor the After a good deal of back-and-forth, General Assembly, its sessions indefinitely it was agreed that the public discussion suspended, will approve such a process. about the generalities of voting-machine So the specter presents itself of lengthy, selection would be heard but that the thinly populated, and distanced voter administrator’s announcement of her lines like those we saw in the recent Wispreference, followed by what was expected consin elections — followed, to be approval on a party-line as we now know, by a spike in basis, would be delayed until a COVID-19 infections. second meeting of the ElecAnd, even should cirtion Commission — this one cumstances clear to the point to be in a public space where of allowing some sense of social-distancing could be relative comfort in going to practiced — would be held this our accustomed physical votweek, whereupon public sentiLinda Phillips ing locations, Shelby County ment could be revisited. Cart is experiencing delay after before horse before cart again, delay in replacing the now discredited as it were. Word was that the meeting, Diebold voting machines that virtually involving commission and staff, originally nobody trusts. Election Administrator scheduled for this Thursday, April 30th, Linda Phillips last year set a goal of having at the EC’s Shelby Farms headquarters, new machines in time for the August 6th might be postponed until Monday or primary for county general election and Tuesday of next week. The public’s end of primary for state/federal offices. things would apparently still be virtual.

Accordingly, Phillips sent out an RFP The essential choice comes down to the (request for proposals) to various vendors, aforementioned one of hand-marked paand, with the resultant bids in hand, last per ballots coupled with scanning devices week revealed her preference to a closed versus ballot-marking machines, with executive-committee meeting of the most of the public zeal expressed so far county’s five official election commissionon the side of the former — the reasons ers. Only four of the commissioners were ranging from cost to concerns about elecpresent — two Republicans, two Demotronic hacking to fears that ballot-marking crats of the body required to tilt to the devices would retain coronavirus spores. state’s official majority party (Republican).

Meanwhile, there is rampant speculaThe fifth, GOP member Brent Taylor, tion about compromise solutions involvwas a late arrival, having tried in vain ing a mix of devices and even reports that to get connected to the webinar from the Shelby County Commission, which his home and a second location before is charged with footing the bill and which arriving finally — and connecting — at a has voted a preference for hand-marked computer in the Election Commission’s paper ballots, is empowered by state law Shelby Farms location. to make its own decision and can order By that time, Taylor himself was propwhatever kind of machine it pleases.

Shelby County has received a special allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. This allocation was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Public Law 116-136, which was signed by President Trump on March 27, 2020, to respond to the growing effects of this historic public health crisis. The CARES Act made available $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBGCV) funds. Of this amount, the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is immediately allocating $2 billion based on the fiscal year 2020 CDBG formula. The remaining $3 billion shall be allocated based on needs using best available data, in the following tranches: $1 billion shall be allocated to States and insular areas within 45 days of enactment of the Cares Act, and $2 billion shall be distributed to states and local governments at the discretion of the Secretary. Up to $10 million will be set aside for technical assistance. Given the immediate needs faced by our communities, HUD has announced the first allocation of funds. Shelby County’s allocation is $704,206 in CDBG-CV funds to address the needs in low- to moderate- income areas of Shelby County outside of the City of Memphis.

On April 1, 2020, HUD released a memorandum on Availability of Waivers of Community Planning and Development (CPD) Grant Program and Consolidated Plan Requirements to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Mitigate Economic Impacts Caused by COVID-19. Two waivers were made available in relation to consolidated plan requirements and are detailed below.

Shelby County Government proposes amending the Citizen Participation Plan in order to use the two waivers to consolidated plan requirements through the end of program year 2020 which is June 30, 2021.

Citizen Participation Public Comment Period for Consolidated Plan Amendment Requirement: 30-day Public Comment Period.

Citations: 24 CFR 91.105(c)(2) and (k), 24 CFR 91.115(c)(2) and (i) and 24 CFR 91.401 Explanation: A CPD grantee may amend an approved consolidated plan in accordance with 24 CFR 91.505. Substantial amendments to the consolidated plan are subject to the citizen participation process in the grantee’s citizen participation plan. The citizen participation plan must provide citizens with 30 days to comment on substantial amendments.

Justification: Given the need to expedite actions to respond to COVID-19, HUD waives 24 CFR 91.105(c)(2) and (k), 91.115(c)(2) and (i) as specified below, in order to balance the need to respond quickly to the growing spread and effects of COVID-19 with the statutory requirement to provide reasonable notice and opportunity for citizens to comment on substantial amendments concerning the proposed uses of CDBG, HOME, HTF, HOPWA or ESG funds.

Applicability: This 30-day minimum for the required public comment period is waived for substantial amendments, provided that no less than 5 days are provided for public comments on each substantial amendment. The waiver is available through the end of the recipient’s 2020 program year. Any recipient wishing to undertake further amendments to prior year plans following the 2020 program year can do so during the development of its FY 2021 Annual Action Plan.

Explanation: As noted above, the regulations at 24 CFR 91.105 (for local governments) and 91.115 (for States) set forth the citizen participation plan requirements for recipients. For substantial amendments to the consolidated plan, the regulations require the recipient to follow its citizen participation plan to provide citizens with reasonable notice and opportunity to comment. The citizen participation plan must state how reasonable notice and opportunity to comment will be given.

Justification: HUD recognizes the efforts to contain COVID-19 require limiting public gatherings, such as those often used to obtain citizen participation, and that there is a need to respond quickly to the growing spread and effects of COVID-19. Therefore, HUD waives 24 CFR 91.105(c)(2) and (k), 24 CFR 91.115(c)(2) and (i) and 24 CFR 91.401 as specified below to allow these grantees to determine what constitutes reasonable notice and opportunity to comment given their circumstances.

Applicability: This authority is in effect through the end of the 2020 program year.

Implementation in Shelby County: Effective May 11, 2020 through June 30, 2021, reasonable notice and opportunity to comment will be provided via public notice and at least one virtual public hearing. Public notices will be published the Memphis Flyer, La Prensa Latina (a bilingual publication serving the Hispanic population), and in the New Tri-State Defender or the Silver Star News (publications serving the African American population). The County will also distribute public notices through the Department of Housing website and the City of Memphis main library listserv. The public notices will include date/time and access information on the virtual public hearing where citizens can provide comments and ask questions.

As a result of the special allocation of CDBG-CV and waivers to consolidated plan requirements, SCDH proposes amending the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan to reflect the $704,206 in CDBG-CV funds to be used for Public Service Activities. Also proposed is an amendment to the Citizen Participation Plan to make use of the two waivers to consolidated plan requirements which are detailed above.

The substantial amendment to the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan and the Proposed Citizen Participation Plan will be available for public review from May 4, 2020 through May 8, 2020 on the Department of Housing webpage on the Shelby County Government website at the following link: http://www. shelbycountytn.gov/3103/Reports-and-Plans. This information will also be distributed via email through the City of Memphis main library listserv.

In order to solicit public comments on the Amendment to the Consolidated Plan and Proposed Citizen Participation Plan, SCDH will hold a virtual public hearing; Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 5:30pm. To join the virtual hearing go to this web address https://zoom.us/j/3793977959 or dial (301) 715-8592 and enter meeting ID: 3793977959. If you plan to attend the public hearing and have special needs, please contact the Department of Housing at Sydney. wright@shelbycountytn.gov by Monday, May 4, 2020 and we will work to accommodate you.

Written comments should be addressed to Ms. Sydney Wright (Sydney. wright@shelbycountytn.gov), Shelby County Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134. SCDH will respond to written comments within five working days of their receipt. For questions concerning the Amendment to the Consolidated Plan and/or the Proposed Citizen Participation Plan, please contact the Sydney Wright or for TTY at 901- 2222301.

Para mas información en Español, por favor llame al 901-222-3993.

The Shelby County Department of Housing does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or provision of services. Equal opportunity/equal access provider.

Implementation in Shelby County: Effective May 11, 2020 through June 30, 2021, the citizen participation public comment period for substantial amendments is 5 days.

Lee Harris Shelby County Mayor

Citizen Participation Reasonable Notice and Opportunity to Comment Requirement: Reasonable Notice and Opportunity to Comment.

Attest: Scott Walkup, Administrator Department of Housing

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

SHELBY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AMENDMENT TO THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN ALLOCATION OF CBDG-CV FUNDS AS A RESULT OF THE CARES ACT PROPOSED CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN

NEWS & OPINION

PUBLIC NOTICE

Citations: 24 CFR 91.105(c)(2) and (k), 24 CFR 91.115(c)(2) and (i) and 24 CFR 91.401

7

COVER STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAYA SMITH

Poverty in a Pandemic How COVID-19 is ravaging our disadvantaged communities.

April 30-May 6, 2020

A

s COVID-19 rampages through the country, its effects are disproportionately affecting people in disenfranchised communities — those living in poverty, the undocumented, certain African-American neighborhoods — and the children in these communities.

Issues of low wages, lack of access to medical care, and educational disadvantages have existed for years. Now the coronavirus pandemic is magnifying these problems and bringing them to light. Here’s a look at how COVID-19 has impacted the less fortunate among us.

Poverty in a Pandemic For those living in poverty, Dr. Elena Delavega, a professor at the University of Memphis and an expert in poverty, says the pandemic has “tremendous implications on a number of fronts.”

Memphis has a poverty rate of just under 28 percent, according to the 2019 Memphis Poverty Fact Sheet compiled annually by Delavega and others at the U of M. That’s more than double the 11 8 percent poverty rate for Tennessee and the 12 percent rate for the country.

“In Europe, we’ve seen a triage based on who has a greater chance of survival, but here that triage is economic. The priority is not given to those with a greater chance to survive, but to those who can pay for medical services.”

— Elena Delavega

“From health care, to the ability to work from home, to accessing protective gear and other necessary supplies, to education, the effects of poverty are only being highlighted now,” Delavega says.

As more people are laid off or furloughed, Delavega notes that the ability to withstand a furlough depends largely on one’s savings. But, she points out, people living in poverty often don’t have savings.

This means they don’t have the financial resources to buy supplies and food in bulk.

“They can only buy what they need, little by little. Now they are going to the store more often and facing more exposure.

And if there is a disruption in the supply chain, those who aren’t able to stock up on resources will be most impacted.” An issue that Delavega says can no longer be ignored is access to health care.

Because health care is often tied to jobs in the United States, when people lose their jobs, “they are essentially being condemned to death.” Delavega adds that many who hold essential jobs, such as fast food and grocery store employees, don’t have access to health insurance through their employer.

“One thing we’ve seen in South Korea is that everything was made available to everyone,” Delavega says. “Here, we don’t do that. Wealthy people have access, while poor people don’t. In Europe, we’ve seen a triage based on who has a greater chance of survival, but here that triage is economic. The priority is not given to those with a greater chance to survive, but to those who can pay for medical services.”

Delavega also notes that those who are living paycheck to paycheck must continue to work, whether they are sick or not.

“People in poverty can’t afford to avoid the virus. They have to work. They have to eat.”

Tiffany Lowe, an employee at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken who joined other fast food workers in a strike to protest unsafe working conditions amid the COVID-19 outbreak in early April, knows the struggles cited by Delavega firsthand.

Lowe has been working at KFC for three years and makes $8 an hour.

“I have a son with an immune deficiency disease, and I’m afraid one day I’ll bring home the virus to him and he’s not going to be able to fight it off,” Lowe says. “I’m frustrated, angry, and

Children Will be “Most Impacted” Children living poverty will be the “most and worst impacted,” Delavega says, citing the education gaps closed schools and remote learning has created. Nearly half of the children in Memphis, or 44.9 percent, live in poverty.

“They are essentially missing a half semester of learning,” she says. “Students living in wealthy homes with computers can continue to study. They have the books and the resources to continue learning.

Families without computers or the internet are simply not going to be able to continue that education.”

She says for those children the school year has essentially ended, and Delavega fears they will be at a disadvantage at the beginning of next school year. “If students lose knowledge over the span of summer break, imagine how much more they are losing now and how much more academically disadvantaged they will be next year.”

Delavega fears the impact of COVID-19 on children living in poverty will be “permanent and long-lasting. The educational impacts will follow them for the rest of their lives.”

Katy Spurlock, with the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope

(MICAH) education equity task force, says MICAH sees greater inequity in education “than we do anywhere else. We’re focused on bridging the gap.”

With schools closed, Spurlock agrees that the greatest issue for students in impoverished communities is the lack of internet access and devices. “There is a huge divide there. Children whose families have internet access and devices or go to schools that provide them are a step ahead. We’re just trying to work to hold the community accountable to make sure that need is met.”

Census data shows that in the South Memphis and Washington Heights neighborhoods more than 80 percent of households have no broadband internet access. In Frayser, 63 percent of households are without internet access.

A report by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance published in 2018 found that of the 256,973 households in Memphis in 2016, 126,428 of them had no broadband connection.

Spurlock says, “We’re already behind the eight ball realistically in this community with education and being

able to successfully matriculate students through the school system. We already had problems with disparities before COVID-19.”

However, Spurlock says she is going to be optimistic about the outcome of the pandemic for students. “I’m going to say we’re going to be able to get this right and at least not make things worse, to ensure that children get the access they need to continue to be able to learn. When we start back school in the fall, creative thinking will prevail. I see this as an opportunity to get things right.”

Alexis Gwin-Miller, who also serves on MICAH’s education task force, says this crisis presents a “wide-open door for equity to rise. We don’t have to stay in a place of disparity.” She says it is an important time for collaboration across socioeconomic lines to address equity “for all students, no matter where they live.”

She also calls for the use of concrete data to deploy resources where they are needed, explaining there should be a priority to provide internet access in ZIP codes with the least amount of connectivity.

To bridge the digital divide, Shelby County Schools is working on a new plan to provide students with devices and internet access. A draft of the plan, continued on page 10

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

confused as to why a multi-billion dollar corporation such as KFC wouldn’t give us the things we need to survive like hazard pay, health care, and paid sick leave. I mean, if they want to call us essential employees, then they should make us feel essential, treat us like human beings, and give us what we deserve.”

Lowe says the company is also putting customers at risk, as employees who are sick are likely to still show up to work because there is no paid sick leave.

“This job is the only source of income for a lot of us,” she says. “So without working, how would they survive? Some people might come if they’re sick, putting people’s lives at risk.”

Delavega says people in Lowe’s position, living in poverty, making little above minimum wage, have always been in danger of losing their livelihood and lives when a crisis occurs.

“The reality is in the American society, the lives of poor people don’t really matter.” she says. “These things aren’t new. The pandemic is just highlighting conditions that already exist. The crisis has made it obvious. We’re seeing it on a grand scale.”

This is the reality for poor people every day, she says. “One disease, one tornado, one case of bad luck for the business they work for, and this is what happens.

This is true for nearly 200,000 people in Memphis. Every single day. When this is over, are we going to remember the most vulnerable among us? Are we going to remember the need for universal health care and a livable wage? Are we going to recognize the importance of internet access and make it a public resource? It’s not a luxury, but an essential utility.”

9

continued from page 9

PAY IT FORWARD & GET PAID Seeking Blood & Cell Donors Support important medical research focused on fighting life-threatening diseases.

Make a big difference for patients seeking new hope.

Qualified donors are compensated for their time — from $50 to several hundred dollars depending on the study.

901-252-3434

April 30-May 6, 2020

researchchampions.com

MOTHER’S DAY IS STILL ON. MOMMING DOESN’T TAKE BREAKS

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE AT

10

memphissalonspa.com | 901-527-7511 @aveda_memphis | #LoveAvedaMemphis

including three options, was released in April and awaits approval from the school board. The initial cost of investment for the three options ranges from $22.2 million to $77.3 million. The options vary from providing all 94,691 students with devices equipped with the internet to only those who are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

If approved, the distribution of devices would begin within 30 to 90 days, depending on the option selected, which leaves little time to bridge the gap left in this school year scheduled to end on May 26th.

The ‘Invisible’ Community Mauricio Calvo, executive director of Latino Memphis, says the struggles of the Latinx and immigrant community have been threefold amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Latinx people are just like everyone else,” Calvo says. “We have the same fears and emotions, and on top of that, are struggling, as many people in poverty are, and then on top of that, there are barriers that come when you are an immigrant.”

Calvo says from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Memphis, “There’s been an invisibility of our community. I know it wasn’t intentional, but I think in the midst of the crisis, there hasn’t been an effort to reach out to subgroups. It’s been more of a one-size-fits all response.”

For the Latinx community, Calvo says the pandemic has highlighted specific challenges already present, such as the language barrier and lack of access, trust, and health care.

Cecilia Martinez, a caseworker for Latino Memphis, says she works directly with Latinx clients and one of the main concerns is getting accurate information in their language.

“For example, the shelter-in-place information hadn’t been correctly translated to say what it really means to say,” Martinez says. “If you don’t know what’s going on from the beginning, that makes it harder to get ahead. A lot of the time the information comes in English, and it’s usually not translated until someone brings it up.”

Martinez notes the hardest population to reach is those who speak dialects of Spanish not widely spoken, such as the Guatemalan community. “It’s hard enough to get things in Spanish, but even harder to get them in more specific languages.”

The lack of health insurance is another obstacle Calvo says the immigrant community faces. “If you are undocumented, you can’t get health insurance. This is a real issue among older Latinos. People worry about getting tested and being positive and not knowing what to do next. Some worry about getting tested in the first place because of what documentation they’ll be asked to provide.”

Calvo says the undocumented community, like many impoverished

populations, is also facing financial challenges. “The stimulus payments only benefit taxpayers who have social security numbers. This is very unfair, and it’s important to know that there are many, many people who do not have social security numbers and still pay taxes and who are parents of American children.

But these people were still left out of the stimulus package.”

The government is leaving people behind who are a part of the economy, Calvo says. “We can’t pretend these people aren’t a part of the economy. There are hundreds of people feeling left out. These people are humans, Memphians, and taxpayers. It’s a matter of representation.”

Health Disparities Preliminary data suggest disproportionate effects of COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted in a recent report.

One of these racial groups is African Americans. While blacks represent only 13 percent of the U.S. population, nearly one-third of people diagnosed with COVID-19 nationwide have been black, according to CDC data. (Race has only been reported in 42 percent of cases.)

Similarly, nearly one-third of those who have died across the country are black, notes a recent analysis by the Associated Press using available state and local data.

While blacks make up 52 percent of Shelby County’s population, 68 percent of the county’s confirmed cases where race was reported are African-American. The county has not released demographics for the 44 deaths recorded here.

Duane Loynes Sr., assistant professor of urban studies and health equity at Rhodes College, says he is not surprised that COVID-19 has “ravaged” the African-American community. By design, he says African Americans are a socially vulnerable class.

“Those living in the 38106 ZIP code near the Soulsville area, have a life expectancy of 13 years shorter than those living in the Collierville ZIP code of 38107.”

— Duane Loynes

insulin correspond perfectly with three health issues African Americans are more likely to have than others: diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. “If your body is under stress and having to adjust to it, these are the consequences.”

Another health issue more prevalent in African-American communities is asthma, he says. “We understand that there is a direct correlation between communities of color that struggle with asthma and waste sites. Black folks tend to live in close proximity to toxic areas.

We see this all around the country.”

This is not incidental, Loynes says.

“I’m not saying someone said ‘Hey, let’s do this to African-American

communities,’ but the disregard for black life has made black communities vulnerable, and that makes all these other things worse. Because of these underlying health conditions on top of everything else, when COVID-19 comes on you, the body is already under significant stress.”

In a press conference in early April, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who is African American, discussed blacks’ higher risk of contracting COVID-19. In his statement, Adams urged black Americans to “step up” and stop behaviors such as smoking and drinking to curb the spread of the virus among blacks. Loynes says Adams had good intentions, but “he talked in a way

HEALTHY PETS HAPPY PEOPLE At Walnut Grove Animal Clinic, we make sure your loved ones are always our priority.

Full-Service, State-of-the-Art Veterinary Hospital. Pet Grooming and Boarding Facilities.

DO GOOD. BETTER.

that blamed African Americans for why they may be more at risk. He said things like ‘tell grandma and them not to smoke or cut back on this or don’t drink the alcohol.’ But it’s very clear all the ways racial bias leads to health disparities. But we don’t like to talk about it. We’d rather blame big mama and say stop smoking.

That’s not the point.”

Loynes says white Americans or those living in wealthy communities can afford to partake in bad behaviors because they are “born farther away from the edge.

White people drink and smoke as well, but they’re not dealing with the same issues. The consequences aren’t as dire.

The difference is they have a safety net.

African Americans are born at the edge, and one mistake is it for us.”

It all points back to poverty and structural racism, Loynes says. “I’m not saying African Americans are perfect. We all need to make better decisions. But the big picture items we struggle with are not our fault. They are structurally designed that way.”

Loynes says fixing the structural issues and the resultant disparities that exist in U.S. society won’t happen overnight. “We have to remember it typically takes longer to fix something than it does to break it.

The problems that we are dealing with have been in existence for 401 years. We have to change the structural realities. We have to roll up our sleeves and get ready for multi-generational work.”

2959 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN 38111 901-323-1177 • mymemphisvet.com New Expanded Hours: Mon.-Thu. 7:30a-9p Fri. 7:30a-5:30p / Sat. 8a-4p / Closed Sun.

LESSONS FOR ALL AGES

NEW+ USED 901.726.5725 momentumnonprofit.org

We help Mid-South nonprofits succeed.

GUITARS

GEAR REPAIR LESSONS

Big selection! Everyday low pricing!

Free layaway! We take trade ins! special financing available

5832 STAGE RD. • 901-371-0928 • REVOLVEGUITARS.COM LOCATED IN HISTORIC BARTLETT STATION AT THE RAILROAD TRACKS facebook.com/pages/REvolve-Guitar-Music-Shop

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Those living in the 38106 ZIP code near the Soulsville area have a life expectancy of 13 years shorter than those living in the Collierville ZIP code of 38107, Loynes says. “When you drive the short 30-minute drive from Soulsville to Collierville, the life expectancy ridiculously increases.”

Loynes points to scientific reasons for this disparity and behind why African Americans might be more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and ultimately dying from the disease.

When one is stressed or fearful of danger, Loynes says their body produces excess cortisol, a long-acting hormone.

Preparing one to fight or to take flight, cortisol does three key things in the body.

It raises one’s heart rate to prepare the body to take in more oxygen, thickens the blood in case of injury to slow blood loss, and slows down one’s insulin response to give the body more energy.

“It’s really a genius way our bodies are designed, but it’s designed for occasional usage. But suppose you live in a world where you’re poor or African-American and you’re constantly worried about how you’re going to pay your bills, how your children will get a good education, that you’ll be evicted, or about law enforcement. Your body is constantly doing something we’re not designed to do — putting cortisol into your body.”

Loynes says an increased heart rate, thickened blood, and slowed down

11

steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

By Julia Baker

Your Inner Yogi (YIY) recently released its free online yoga series on Instagram via its weekly Friday Night Live series, in partnership with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC). It was originally meant to be part of DMC’s Yoga in the Park program until COVID-19 put a wrench in those plans.

“Originally, we planned for these classes to be held outside at Court Square Park,” says yoga instructor Caroline Collins. “The classes were supposed to start in April, and it was really a way for us to engage with the community.”

But YIY and DMC were able to think quickly on their toes and take the series online, starting with a Vinyasa Flow session led by Collins. Now, two weeks later, Collins will lead the same class.

“In my upcoming classes in May, I plan to teach Vinyasa Flow, which essentially means one breath links to one movement,” says Collins. “It means that you’re tuning into your breath first. And you’re allowing your breath to be your guide, so that a movement comes on an inhale and another movement comes on an exhale.”

Yoga is an ancient practice that has been found to provide a slew of benefits, including boosting physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Collins says that everyone should have access to these benefits, regardless of their ability to pay, and she stresses the importance of self-care during times like these.

“Right now, as we’re dealing with a new normal, I think a lot of us have found ourselves trying to figure out what our routines look like since everything was uprooted,” she says. “Facing these new challenges can impact everything from our thoughts and our perceptions, to even manifesting in physical ways. So yoga gives us the opportunity to come back home to ourselves to reconnect, take things one breath, one moment, at a time, and helps us focus on the present.”

INSTAGRAM.COM/YOURINNERYOGI, FRIDAY, MAY 1ST, 6:30 P.M., FREE.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES April 30th - May 6th Many events have been canceled or postponed. Luckily, we have you covered with this list of activities that can be enjoyed at home.

Pinot’s Palette Virtual Classes pinotspallete.com, available on select dates and times, check website for times and paintings, $15 per class Although no classes had been announced for this weekend as of press time, we do know Pinot’s Palette offers virtual classes throughout the week. This week, instructors showed attendees how to paint gorgeous skylines of wooded areas, tropical beaches, and ponds. Once registered, attendees will receive a Zoom invite and an emailed supply list.

City Tasting Tours’ Virtual Food Tour Experience citytastingtours.com, Friday, May 1st, 5-5:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 2nd, 5-5:30 p.m., $65.99 for a dinner for two, no-contact delivery included Even while on your couch, you can tour the flavors the city has to offer.

This weekend, City Tasting Tours offers tastes from three different S. Main restaurants while attendees watch stories from local restaurateurs and learn about Memphis with their guide.

April 30-May 6, 2020

Call for Artists: Memphis Flyer Coloring Book Fundraiser memphisflyer.com, submission deadline is April 30th Need to satisfy your creative itch while making a little bit of money?

Submit work that looks and feels like Memphis to be included in a coloring book produced by us. Proceeds will be split 50/50 with artists.

Visit our website for more information and submission details.

Oxford Virtual Film Festival oxfordfilmfest.com, $10 for each presentation (24-hour rental period, includes filmmaker Q&A), virtual access passes available for $40-$175 Last week, Oxford Film Festival began its Weekly Virtual Film Festival series, showcasing films that were due to be programmed in the 2020 festival. This weekend, check out the releases of Rockabul, Fest Forward Block #1, and Sweet Steel & The Long Shadow. Stay tuned for new releases through the end of the year.

12

YO GOTTI FRIDAY, JUNE 19

JOURNEY & THE PRETENDERS THURSDAY, JUNE 24

MILLENNIUM TOUR 2020 SUNDAY, JULY 19

CHER WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

Memphis-born rap and hip-hop artist Yo Gotti returns to FedExForum with his eighth annual Birthday Bash.

Tickets available!

Popular rock bands Journey & The Pretenders take the stage at FedExForum.

Tickets available!

Returning to Memphis, featuring Omarion and Bow Wow, with special guests Ying Yang Twins, Lloyd, Sammie, Pretty Ricky & Soulja Boy. Tickets available!

Grammy and Oscar winner Cher brings the Here We Go Again Tour with special guests Nile Rogers & Chic.

Tickets available!

Get tickets at FedExForum Box Office | ticketmaster.com | fedexforum.com

JULIE SONG

Get in the Flow

Caroline Collins of Your Inner Yogi

THIS WEEK AT

saucychickenmemphis.com/s/order 901-203-3838

GLOBAL CAFÉ:

globalcafememphis.com/onlineorders

CURB MARKET: 901-543-6880

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

SAUCY CHICKEN:

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE is launching a new local food delivery option for midtown and downtown Memphis. Concourse now offers free food delivery to your doorstep from the Concourse restaurants that remain open for delivery and pick-up — Curb Market (including groceries and prepared meals), Global Café, and Saucy Chicken. For now, delivery is offered within a 4-mile radius of Concourse between the hours of 11:30-7:30. To order, simply contact the restaurants or market direclty, order and pay (via phone for Curb; online for Global and Saucy), and our staff will deliver your order as soon as it’s ready.

A new online initiative organized by Crosstown Arts to support Memphis musicians.

Watch new, made-at-home performance videos shot by the artists, and show your support by buying a virtual ticket. 100% of the proceeds from all ticket sales on an artist’s page will go directly to the artist.

crosstownarts.org/againstthegrain/ CROSSTOWNCONCOURSE.COM/EVENTS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

E !

N W !!

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE

13

M U S I C F E AT U R E B y A l e x G r e e n e

Online Blues The annual Blues Music Awards gala will go virtual this year.

T

April 30-May 6, 2020

he Blues Music Awards (BMAs) are Keb’ Mo’ will be on camera to share the names of the typically the high point of the year nominees and the winners. Shemekia is hosting the for the Blues Foundation. “This is show from her living room. Artists are sending us the highlight of our year, where footage of themselves performing at home. And we’ve we share the very best in blues,” got a whole bunch of surprises that I can’t really share. says Barbara Newman, president But I encourage people to watch. They’re not gonna and CEO of the nonprofit. And it’s the highlight for be disappointed.” many a blues performer, not to mention others in the According to Newman, many blues fans are industry. With the need for social distancing scuttling making the most of it. “People are creating watch the gala event, creative measures had to be adopted. parties, where they watch together while they Zoom, While many festivals have postponed or canceled or have a cocktail party beforehand. A lot of people proceedings, the BMAs will do neither, instead hosting an online event this coming Sunday, May 3rd, at 4 pm.

“We could have created a show with a payment portal, but it was more important to us that the entire community around the world be able to celebrate the music together,” says Newman.

“Blues provides such a strong Bobby Rush healing force for people, and we felt it was way more important for the Blues Foundation to make this gift to everybody, to watch for free wherever you live.”

And make no mistake, the foundation takes that last part very seriously. “Our goal this year is to create a global community from all corners of the world, coming together to celebrate the music and heal our souls,” Newman says. “We’ve timed the show so it will be late are going to be dressing up in their usual black-tie in the evening in Europe, or early in the morning in attire.” But even as the good times roll on, Newman New Zealand or Australia, not at 2 or 3 a.m.” has an even more important priority.

Even with the traditional live events, the performers “The COVID-19 Blues Musician Emergency Relief have usually been kept secret until the show itself, and Fund is the biggest initiative that we’re working on that will hold true for the online awards this year. “We right now. The BMAs are important, but right now gotta have some surprise factor,” says Newman. “But I everybody is very focused on what’s happening in the can tell you who our presenters are. Fantastic Negrito, music community — with festivals and clubs closing Ruthie Foster, William Bell, Charlie Musselwhite, or postponing or canceling their events. So the fund Beth Hart, Shemekia Copeland, Warren Haynes, and has already helped close to 100 musicians. And we’re

14

continuing to bring in more resources to keep on covering housing or utility bills for blues musicians who really don’t have any income stream right now.

And with musicians not being able to perform, that trickles down to the rest of the industry, impacting the managers, the clubs, the festivals, the agents, the labels, the publicists, the studios. All of their income streams are being cut as well.

“Some people donate directly. And we’ve gotten tens of thousands of dollars just through ticket holders waiving their refund and donating that amount to our relief fund.

Granted, we understand and respect that a lot of people who come to the music awards are also being impacted by COVID-19, and we honor refunds, no questions asked. A few have chosen to just hold their ticket purchases till next year.”

While the pandemic has recently taken the lives of several legendary musicians, luminaries of the blues world have mostly been spared thus far. Many have closely followed the Facebook page of Rev. John Wilkins, who had developed acute pneumonia, possibly due to coronavirus, but it was announced on Thursday that he was “off the ventilator and breathing on his own. He still has a long road to recovery, but is getting a little stronger day by day.”

Bobby Rush, who is nominated in the BMAs’ Best Soul Blues Album category, also took ill recently, but announced last week that his doctor “gave me the green light and good report. I’m well and up in spirit, physically and in mind.” Thanking his fans for their support, Rush added, “Stay in and sanitize … because it saves lives.”

The Blues Music Awards take place Sunday, May 3rd, at 4 p.m. CDT, on the Blues Foundation’s Facebook and YouTube pages. blues.org

NOTICE TO BIDDERS Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number I000622 Big Creek Park Construction- Phase I. Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn. gov. At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above described Sealed Bid. SEALED BID I000622 DUE DATE MONDAY, JUNE 1ST, 2020 @ 2:00 PM CST (SB-I000622) BIG CREEK PARK CONSTRUCTION- PHASE I All bids will be opened and read via teleconference by Shelby County Government at the time mentioned above. Please use the following information to join the bid opening: To join by phone, call the necessary numbers below: External: +19012222777 Internal: 22777 Meeting ID: 9012222260# Meeting PIN: 06222# Voluntary Pre-Bid Meeting – All interested respondents are invited to participate in this meeting via teleconference on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 9:30 am (CST). Please use the following information to join the pre-bid meeting:

Need outpatient behavioral healthcare for your child or teen?

Choose Compass.

If your child or teen is struggling with anxiety, trauma symptoms, substance use or another mental health issue, we offer services that can help get them back on track.

• Full-time Partial Hospitalization Program • Part-time Intensive Outpatient Program

The right direction for your child or teen.

Call us today at 888-266-7279 or visit compassinterventioncenter.net.

7900 Lowrance Road Memphis TN 38125 901-758-2002 compassinterventioncenter.net With limited exceptions, physicians are not employees or agents of this hospital. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the non-discrimination notice, visit our website. 202139-2511 4/20

To join by phone, call the necessary numbers below: External: +19012222777 Internal: 22777 Meeting ID: 9012222260# Meeting PIN: 06222#

t p o Ad

s s e n i s u b

Give Where You Live From Beale Street to the Collierville Town Square, independently owned shops and restaurants help our region thrive. As we all face the economic disruptions wrought by COVID-19, we at the Memphis Flyer are doing our part by offering a new way to support local businesses and local journalism.

901-361-1403 www.edharrisjewelry.com

Adopt-a-Small Business is an initiative designed to promote locally owned businesses AND support local journalism. Help your favorite small local business advertise in the Memphis Flyer — at deeply discounted rates — so they can let customers know they’re still open, even if in a different way, and still keeping people employed.

To get started visit bit.ly/MFADS (url is case sensitive) or contact Jeffrey Goldberg at goldberg@memphisflyer.com

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

l l a m a-s

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Respondents may also contact Shelby County for information at the following numbers, TTY Number (901) 222-2301 or for information in Spanish 901-222-4289. Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free, and with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service. Shelby County encourages participation from WBE, MBE, LOSB, and Section 3 firms and vendors under this CDBG-NDR response.

15

BOOKS By Jesse Davis

Foolish Romance

April 30-May 6, 2020

M

16

emphis-born author Eric Jerome Dickey has had success with his brand of sensual novels.

The University of Memphis graduate has garnered praise from The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, written a Storm and Black Panther miniseries for Marvel, and his readings regularly pack the house. One such signing I attended at Novel bookstore marked possibly the most people I had seen crammed into the store’s now-empty events space.

All was set to keep momentum rolling with Dickey’s newest Eric Jerome novel, The Business of Dickey Lovers (Dutton), released April 21st, and then COVID-19 upended everyone’s plans.

“We’ll do Skype, Zoom, whatever we can do via social [media],” Dickey says, explaining that he canceled signing engagements but hopes to “meet” his fans online.

“The delivery of my books to my home hasn’t even happened. I don’t even have copies of my own books.”

The author is charming and funny, though, even as he tells me over the phone about wondering if he should rewrite scenes for soon-to-be-published works and making the switch from inperson booksignings to online book clubs in the wake of coronavirus.

“The stuff that you do for the next 30 days impacts your next 30 years,” Dickey says soberly. “It’s not a hoax. And if it is, this is the best global hoax since they broadcast War of the Worlds on the radio.

This would make Orson Welles stand up and applaud.”

Despite the unknowns, Dickey sounds unfazed, aware but undaunted. Still, he anticipates changes in professional plans beyond his canceled signings. “What it does to business remains to be seen. I’ve got a couple of other projects that are due to come out later or next year, but you’ve had this watershed moment, this global event, that now really dates your writing,” the author muses. “There’s going to be pre-corona and post-corona. If you a see a movie with people at the airport walking

somebody to the gates, you’re like, ‘Oh, that happened before 9/11.’”

Making an already unpredictable situation even more precarious, Dickey’s novels often hinge on romance. It doesn’t take an oracle to realize that meet cutes will surely look different post-coronavirus, at least until a vaccine is developed. His characters, the author explains, will “need to be romantic or very foolish to kiss somebody.” And no one is quite sure what life will look like after the pandemic — or how art will change to reflect it. The author goes on: “We’re creatures of habit, and you suddenly ask the world to change its behavior.

“You’re back into that area of the unknown.

It’s things you can’t control,” Dickey says sympathetically before laughing and telling a story of his own social distancing slipup. “FedEx dropped something off a couple of days ago. I saw the guy was coming up to the porch and I opened the door when he was coming up. You would have thought that he saw Freddy Krueger.

Out of habit, I opened the door to get my box.

I was like, ‘I shouldn’t have done that!’”

As for The Business of Lovers? All things considered, maybe now is the perfect moment for a novel that takes human connection as its focus. “It’s a novel about family — the family you have and the family that you choose to have,” the author says.

The Business of Lovers follows Brick Duquesne, fresh from a fight against cancer, an ailment he never revealed to his family. “It’s one of those things where people go through something but don’t know how to ask for help because they don’t want to disturb the lives of others,” Dickey explains. In a novel with former child stars, comedians, engineers, and a tangled web of relationships, Dickey’s characters search for agency and for ways to lift up the family they choose to love. Of course, as Dickey points out, perception is everything. “Anybody can smile and take a picture in front of a palm tree,” he says. That photo can only hint at what’s going on beyond the edges of the frame.

JOSEPH JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

Eric Jerome Dickey talks new novel, life during quarantine.

Rob Clark Michael Clark Teresa Clark Jen Clarke Eric Clauson Rebecca Cochran Steve Cohen Jim Cole Jonathan Cole Bill Collins Evan Comeaux John Cone Steve Conley Stephen Cooper Erin Courtney LeeAnne Cox William Craddock Sarah Crain William Crewe Mary Crites Corey Crowder Beverly Cruthirds Phil Cummings Eleanor Cummings Patricia Cunningham Laura Daum Jesse Bryan Davenport Jesse Davis Marge Davis Tony de Velasco Alix de Witt Fitz Dearmore Terry & Phili Deboo Miriam Decosta-Willis Carol DeForest Kathryn Degnan Sarah DeLong Laura Derrington Dean & Rita Deyo Beth Dobson Stamey Raymond Dorris Christopher Douglas Alan Dow Nancy Dowling Judy Drescher Mike Driscoll Paul Dudenhefer Kay Due Gerry Dupress Susan Dynerman Janice K Earheart Jason Eshleman Kathryn & Ron Edmonds Karen Ellis Eric Elms Allan Enerson Robert Entzminger Fred Ernest Jay Farris Buddy Fey Michael Finger Vicki Fioranelli Lara Firrone Monique Fisher Elizabeth Fitzgerald Craig Fitzhugh Richard Flake Mark S Fleischer Belinda Fleming Michael Fletcher Anna Traverse Fogle Cameron Fogle Elizabeth Ford Hohenberg Jacob Forrest Scott Fountain Aaron Fowles

Angela Fox Desi Franklin Joel Frey Sandy Friedman Kristi Frisch Dennis Fuller Leah Gafni Susan Gaither Angie Gardner Paige Garland Gary Garlington Mike Gecewich John Gemmill Ron Gephart Frank Gianotti Judy Gibson Allison Gilbert Elizabeth Gilless Liz Gilliland Lucia Gilliland Jerry Gillis Gordon Ginsberg Jeffrey Goldberg Roy Golightly Douglas Golonka Kate Gooch Aaron Goodwin McClain Gordon Eric Gottlieb Jimmy Gould Linda Granell Ginger Graves Emily Graves Jerri Green George Grider Margaret Griffith William Grisham Frank Guarino Tom Guleff Ashley Haeger James Haire Marcia Hale Steve Haley Patricia Haley Francis Hall Greg Hall Jeffery L Hall Reid Hampton Eddie Hankins Carrie Harris Stephanie Harrover Gerald W. Harte Joseph Hawes Susan Hawkins Glenn T. & Martha Hays Chris Hedrick Richard Helling Janice and Pinkney Herbert Ricardo Heros Billy Hicks Anthony Hicks Jeffrey Higgs Brad Hightower Jeannie Hinson Robert & Biula Holcomb Christina Holdford David Holt Laurie Hook Michael & Kenya Hooks Steven Hoover George & Lorna Horishny Jon Hornyak Jimmy Hoskins Abby Huber Perry Hughes

Charles Hunt Jessica & Kim Hunter Christina Huntington Matt Inbusch William Irvine Pat Isham Diane Jalfon Candace Jefferies Frank Jemison Sarah Jemison Ken Jobe David Johnson Isis Johnson-Brown Jordan Johnston Mark S Jones Sharon Lee Jones Lyn Joyner Rick Jurczyk JR Kamra Mary Jo Karimnia Charles Karschnik Marcia Kaufmann Holly Keating Jo Kee Craig Kelly Alex Kenner Daniel Kiel Michael King Evan Kingsley Jeff Kirwan Leanne Kleinmann Richard J Klenz Paula Kovarik Linda Kuntzman Madeleine E LandrumNoe Jennie Lane Robert Lanier George Larrimore Thomas Lawrence Rande Lazar Baochau Le Karen Lebovitz Glenn Lee Sherrie Lemons David Less Joe Letson David Lewis Paul Linxwiler Ellen Lipsmeyer Judith B. Lit Shannon Little Mary Miles Loveless Sharon Lusk Perre Magness Diane Malkin Susan H Mallory T.A. Mangold Robert Marcy Herman Markell Joseph Martin Alison Masilak Andrew Mathewes Jeffrey Mayhew Jeff McAdory Samuel McAfee Melanie McAninch Patrick McCabe Troy McCall Ken McCown Lauren McCraw Don McCune Amy McDaniel Rhonda McDowell Tarrin McGhee Mary McGrane Melissa McMasters

James McMurry Margot McNeeley Zac & Bethany McRae Katie McWeeney Roger Meier Louise Mercuro Robert Miller Byron Mobley Gertrude Moeller Andrea Morales Pat Morgan Scott Morrell Katherine Morris Linda Morris Nancy Morrow Mike Moss Brian Mott Rev. Randall Mullins Amy Mulroy Gail Murray Dan & Vicki Murrell Aurelia My Don Mynatt David Nanney Cyndie Nash Kenneth Neill Henry Nelson PJ Newburn Bruce Newman Nicholas Newsom Eric Newsome Julienne Ng Nicholas Nichols Sheila Noone Larry Nuckolls Sarah Oaks Mary Ogle Jeffrey Old Tom Oldham Elizabeth Olim James Oliver Abbas Omar Jennifer Oswalt Kent Overturf Rebecca Owens Meredith Pace Thomas Pacello Martha Park Donna Parker Mike Parker Joe Parker Lucas & Jennifer Parris Kelly Patterson Terron Perk Michael Perry Donald Petri Beau Peyton Ivan K Phillips Bianca Phillips Kwadwo Po Marcus Pohlmann Wain Poole Jolie Porter Rhonda Powers Johanna & Pete Pranica Pete Pranica Lauren Prater John Prather Malcolm Pratt James Prewitt Donna Prunkl Chris Przybyszewski Robert Pugh John Purvis Lee Purvis William Rackcliff Richard Ranta

Heather & Bob Rasch Suzanne Ratliff Ann Kendall Ray Daniel Recker Gary Richardson Rollin Riggs Mike Riley Stephanie Rodriquez Patrick Rohrbacher Gwen Rose Meryl Rosen Cathy Ross Carolyn Rubenstein Paul Rubin Sarah Rushakoff Frances Ryan Michele Ryland Shahin Samiei Jacob Samuels Noel Delos Santos Lila Saunders Mark Scarbecz Sandeford Schaeffer James Schaeffer Karl Schledwitz Douglas Schmitt Coy Schnadelbach Mike Schoenberger Bob Schreiber Sandra Schroeder Paula Seaton Toby Sells Stephen Shankman Ronzo Shapiro Robert & Amy Sharp Hurley Shepherd Suzanne Shown Jay Sieleman Gina Sigillito Laura Silsbee Terrance Simien Susan Simmons Amy Singer Trey Small Trakela Small H.B. Smith Nathaniel Smith McLaurin Smith Madeline Smith Stanley Smith Linda Smith William Smythe Dan Snider Shaye Sowell Lynn Sparagowski Jon W Sparks Jeremy Speakes Josh Spickler Shirley Stagner Agnes Stark Amy Starks Steve Steffens Kathe Stewart Erica C Stoltz Jan Stone Meghan Stuthard Tina Sullivan Michael Synk Barbara Sysak Charles Tackett Telesa Taylor Joy Terral Sarah Terry Wendi C Thomas Edwin Thomas Richard Thompson Tempe Thompson

PLUS 47 FREQUENT FLYERS WHO CHOOSE TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS

BECOME A FREQUENT FLYER TODAY! s u p p o r t . m e m p h i s f l y e r . c o m

David Thompson David Tipton Loraine Tomeh Sonia Torrey Janet Towles Leslie Townsend Emily Trenholm Jennie Tsao Sondra Tucker Kirbi Tucker Margaret Turley Henry Turley Betty Turner Scott Turner Pat Turns Julianne Tutko Michael & Andie Uiberall Bruce VanWyngarden John Vergos Samantha Vincent Melody Vollman Mary Frances Vookles Pitts Christina Vranich Craig Vuoso Lisa Wade Mimi Wade Phil Waldon Mike Waldrop Elizabeth Walker Thomas Walsh Bill Walton Kenneth D. Ward KC & Jeff Warren Carol Watkins William Webb Kris Webber Marilynn Weedon Tamara Wegenke Rosie Richmond Whalum Benton M. Wheeler Richard Wheeler Juanita White James White Thomas Whitehead Holly Whitfield Linda O Wible Kathleen Williams Duncan Williams Lisa Williams Chris Wilson Julie Wilson Michelle Wilson Abby & John Wilson Gary Wilson Megan Wilson Fred Wimmer Peggy Winfrey-Hull Houston Wolf Joshua Wolf Jen Wood-Bowien Phil Woodard Dennis Wujcik Jocelyn Wurzburg Deede Wyatt Kevin Yancy Christin Yates Jason Yaun Guy Zebrick Stormy Keith Southern Screens, Inc. Andrea Nicole John Camille Tyler

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Suzanne Abbott JaNan Abernathy John Adamo Shan Anderson Ginger Andrews William Andrews Linda & Ward Archer Kelly Askins Tracy Aulfinger Carl Awsumb Deborah Babb Gary Backaus Andrea Baird Aaron Banks Valerie Barfield Cliff Barnes Eric Barnes Mary Barnett Carrie Bartlett Connie Bawcum Savannah Bearden Willy Bearden Rebecca Beaton Billy Beaver Kaitlin Beck Mary Benton Thomas Bevier Daniel Bicknell Ken Billett Chris Bird Emily Bishop Will Bladt Elaine Blanchard Jesse Blumenfeld Alice Bolin Nora Boone Joe Boone Clare Boulanger Michael & Margaret Bowen Aarti Bowman Cynthia Braden Andy Branham Pam Branham Victoria Britton Rachel Brooks Diane Brown Jennifer Brown Wendy Brynford-Jones Ron Buck Barbara Burch Kuhn Jim Busby Dwayne Butcher Dwayne Byrd Bob Byrd Angela Cabrera Libby de Caetani Charles Campbell Douglas Campbell Cynthia Cannon Rachel Cantrell Steven Carman Danielle Carr Ed Carrington Gale Carson Jackie Cash Melissa Cash Ted Cashion Elizabeth Cawein Tommie Cervetti Sandra Chandler Edward Charbonnet Randall Cheney Catherine Chilton Stephanie Chockley Michael Christensen Carol Chumney

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

W E A R E G R AT E F U L T O T H O S E W H O H AV E S T E P P E D U P T O S U P P O R T T H E F LY E R ’ S I N D E P E N D E N T, L O C A L J O U R N A L I S M , E S P E C I A L LY I N T H I S D I F F I C U LT T I M E .

17

PREVENT OPIOID OVERDOSE

CARRY NARCAN

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Dinner for One Spotlighting offbeat solo quarantine meals.

(Narcan provided at no cost)

Free Individual and Agency trainings are available

Qualifying Agencies are: • Health Organizations • Treatment Centers • Churches • Schools • Local Businesses • Non Profits • Restaurants/Bars/Clubs • Hotels etc...

(901) 249-2828

If you need help, support, or referral to treatment, please call Lincoln Coffman (901) 289-9706 This project is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

A Very Tasteful Food Blog

April 30-May 6, 2020

Dishing it out at

GET ONE 2 PC DARK DINNER

FREE W/ PURCHASE OF ONE 2PC DARK DINNER & 2 MED DRINKS. WITH THIS COUPON. EXPIRES 05/31/20.

18

Dine In & Drive Thru 3571 Lamar Ave. 2520 Mt. Moriah Drive Thru / Carry Out 1217 S. Bellevue 4349 Elvis Presley 811 S. Highland 2484 Jackson Ave. 1370 Poplar Ave. • 890 Thomas NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED!

.com.

$2.00 LB

CRAWFISH

BY THE BAG STRAIGHT FROM LOUISIANA

RESERVE YOUR BAG!

BY THURSDAY BY NOON FOR THE WEEKEND

547-7997

D

ining With Myself is a Facebook group for people who are dining by themselves during the quarantine. And they’re coming up with strange dishes.

The group was designed to “bring people together” by sharing whatever crazy concoctions they come up with, says founder Emily Brown.

“Hey, everybody eats junk food,” she says.

The group’s tagline is “What do you eat when nobody’s watching?”

“I want to see the bad side of what you’re cooking,” Brown says. “I don’t want to see your pretty food. Show me what you actually eat.”

The group primarily is for people who live by themselves so they’ll “just not feel alone,” says Brown.

She got the idea for the group after In Dining With Myself, wondering what her the rules are friend who lives by simple: “I herself in Fayetteville don’t want was eating. She was to see your worried about her. pretty food.”

The group name was inspired by Billy Idol’s song, “Dancing With Myself.”

Brown had asked a friend to photoshop Idol holding a fork, which became the perfect image for the group.

Dining With Myself now has 750 members, according to Brown. She’s been getting about 20 new members a day.

People send positive comments even if the dish doesn’t sound or look so great. “Everybody compliments everybody. It’s hard to be offensive with food,” Brown says.

“Somebody posted a slice of American cheese and Vienna sausage, and it probably got 20 comments.”

People do post “restaurant-worthy” dishes, but not everybody “knows how to cook like that,” she says.

The group gets lots of posts of salads and pasta dishes. “Comfort food.”

People also share recipes. Brown recently got feedback from a chef friend in England, who shared fancy dishes as well as his “junk food.”

Dining With Myself isn’t a political forum, Brown says. “We don’t talk about anything else except what goes on in the kitchen.”

Brown, who is on furlough from her job as a server at Amerigo, cooks for herself.

“I can do fancy. I can make scrambled eggs. I can go across the board. It depends on the kind of effort I want to make,” she says.

She’s made Crabmeat Justine from the legendary Memphis restaurant, Justine’s. Her favorite go-to dish is “roasted salmon and asparagus.”

She has a large pantry. “It’s the only big closet in my house.”

As for her friend in Fayetteville, she’s doing fine. She told Brown she recently prepared a dinner consisting of “fake crab, olives, Ritz crackers, and a glass of wine.”

DINING WITH MYSELF/FACEBOOK

To schedule training, please call: Jill Carney (901) 484-2852 Josh Weil (901) 484-1649

BREWS By Richard Murff

The Greatest Beer Brewing under the influence … of something.

“It’s brown,” I said. “It looks like you crushed up a few Ritalin tablets from that bottle on your dresser?”

“Naw man. This is the real shit.”

Alex was one of those people who acted and sounded reasonably normal until he got high. Actually, he didn’t have to be high — the mere subject of drugs would do it. Mention the word marijuana and he’d sound like the pothead in some campy teen flick and develop a passable Keith Richards stagger. Then his mother would call

Inside the 1620 Madison Avenue location

Select 6 ... make your own 6-pack

ULTIMATE

CRAFT

BEER SELECTION! JUST ARRIVED!!

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO.

HUG WHEAT ALE 6pk 12oz CAN 5.4% ABV

7

$ 73

PLUS 10% ADDED AT CHECKOUT We were having a hard time remembering the sweet embrace of a HUG, so we took that warm feeling and put it in a cold beer.

This smooth wheat ale with late addition hops is sure to put a smile on your face.

This brand new offering from Memphis Made is available now for a limited time.

CASHSAVER

Be a

A COST PLUS FOOD OUTLET

LOCALLY OWNED WHITEHAVEN 4049 Elvis Presley Blvd.

MIDTOWN 1620 Madison Ave.

OAKHAVEN 3237 Winchester Rd.

SOUTH MEMPHIS 1977 S. Third St.

MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM @MADISONGROWLER

MADISONGROWLER

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

WEEKLY ADVERTISED SPECIALS ON-LINE AT MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM OR IN-STORE

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

RICHARD MURFF

The young brewmaster in headier times.

and he’d sound like he’d just come back from the library.

I passed on the “cocaine” and went back to beer-making.

I’d bottled the wort and waited a few weeks for the Murffbrau to reach its regrettable potential, so I was ready to dive in. Which was about the time that Alex showed up. He called me “Bra” and managed to drag it out across two syllables, so he was full of drugs — or full of something, at any rate. As his sleepy-looking girlfriend drifted back to his room to take a nap with the lava lamp, Alex performed the obligatory head check to make sure there weren’t any narcs hiding in the sofa, and dropped his voice. “We got a lot of ’shrooms. You shoulda come with. Wanna buy some?” He threw a suspiciously clean bag on the Goodwill coffee table between us.

Now, having a roommate who is a small-time drug dealer has its pitfalls, but at least it’s bohemian and vaguely dangerous. Having a roommate who is a small-time pretend drug dealer is just stupid. I was sure the goon had gone to the farmer’s market, bought a pillowcase of shiitake mushrooms for $1.40, and was now attempting to sell them for $80 a baggie. Which he swore was the “street value.” Tuscaloosa had paved roads and internal plumbing back then, but nothing the urban vernacular would define as “street.”

I’d had enough. “So,” I said, opening the bag, “you wouldn’t want me to do this?” I crammed several handfuls of mushrooms into my maw and washed it all down with a cold, chewy homebrew. Alex was still yelling about how much money I owed him, as I left for a mid-afternoon stroll.

I have a friend who still makes fun of the way I was dancing some nine hours later. I had reason to celebrate, though, for I’d just made the greatest batch of beer I’d ever made; that anyone ever had, for that matter. My technique surpassed those of German brewmasters in their lederhosen, Belgian monks in their cowls, and the English brewers in their tweed. The girl with whom I was dancing (who by this point was only three apples high) left me for some fellow who had not perfected the art of brewing that summer. But the great ones are always abandoned on the verge of triumph.

It was worth it — if only for the beer. I only wish I could remember how I’d done it.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I

was dancing with some gal who, remarkably, kept getting shorter — or maybe I was getting taller.

It was hard to tell. Normally it takes a great deal of social pressure to get me to dance, but I was celebrating the creation of the greatest batch of beer in the drink’s long, illustrious history — and I was only a sophomore. Murffbrau, usually a bit on this side of awful, had joined the greats.

For this batch, I’d pulled out all the stops, including getting a big stove-top pot, as opposed to trying to make the stuff in a bathtub.

While I worked, my roommate — we’ll call him Alex — walked in with a bag of not-quite-fine brown powder and tried to sell it to me as cocaine.

This was a little weird because I was never much of a drug guy. Although there was a lot of the stuff whirling around Tuscaloosa in those days, so I knew what it looked like and, if we’re going to be honest, what it smelled like.

19

FILM By Chris McCoy

Beastie Boys & Clone Wars Two fresh streaming selections you shouldn’t miss.

Mike D and Ad-Rock get personal in Beastie Boys Story.

T

April 30-May 6, 2020

here’s a telling moment about 40 minutes into Beastie Boys Story. Michael Diamond (aka Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (aka Ad-Rock) are on stage in front of an audience in an ornate theater setting, recounting the end of their history-making relationship with Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons’ Def Jam Recordings. The newly minted music moguls, Ad-Rock says, didn’t care about the group.

They just wanted some white boys to make rap palatable to middle America. “We could have been anybody.”

But the story of the Beastie Boys’ career, from their origin as a four-piece hardcore punk group in 1980s New York to their final show playing to 100,000 people at Bonnaroo 2009, makes the case that things were more complex than that. Yes, they happened to be in the right place at the right time, but the chemistry between the three best friends from New York City was crucial in what happened next.

Directed by frequent Beasties collaborator turned indie legend Spike Jones, Beastie Boys Story is not an exhaustive, Beatles Anthology-esque chronicle of a band whose commercial and artistic significance continues to grow over time. Instead, it is a document of a live lecture tour by the two surviving Beasties, which originated as a hybrid book tour for last year’s Beastie Boys Book — which is kind of an exhaustive, Beatles Anthology-esque chronicle.

There’s a big difference between an artist telling a story in their own words and an author bringing in a more objective viewpoint. The view is from the inside looking out. The boys talk about what it felt like to play Madison Square Garden, but without an outside voice, we never really get a sense of what a pop culture avalanche License to Ill was in 1986-87.

The biggest missing voice is Adam Yauch (aka MCA), whose death from cancer in 2012 ended the Beastie Boys story. If there was an indispensable member of the Beastie team, it was MCA, who Mike D and Ad-Rock credit with basically all of their best ideas. (The identity of the Beastie who came up with the idea for the giant inflatable penis erected as the climax to their Fight for the Right to Party tour has apparently been lost to the ages.) Even in the early days, when Ad-Rock says he spent his downtime from touring “doing drugs,” MCA went on a pilgrimage to Tibet that led to a spiritual awakening and, eventually, the Free Tibet festival 20 series. The Dalai Lama, MCA said, was a “funny guy.”

What Beastie Boys Story lacks in detail, it makes up for in pathos, a word you probably wouldn’t have associated with the guys who wrote “Cooky Puss.”

The feral teen Beastie Boys have aged into the Beastie Dads, with Mike D sporting a plain gray sweatshirt and khakis suitable for carpooling. Their grief over MCA’s death remains raw, with both of them choking up at the mention of his name at various points. While discussing the misogyny of early records like “Girls,” they have the kind of frankness a parent takes while trying to talk a teenager out of making the same mistakes they made when they were your age. If you’re looking for a dish session on one of Gen X’s most famously debauched scenes, you’re out of luck.

Beastie Boys Story is a must for fans, but the full story of the band will have to wait for another, more objective, teller.

Beastie Boys Story is streaming on Apple+.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars gets an unexpected final bow.

N

ews broke this week that Lucasfilm was moving the Disney+ release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker from July to Star Wars Day, May 4th.

This was done presumably to sate the appetites of the quarantined masses with some fresh Star Wars content after The Mandalorian proved to be the House of Mouse’s new streaming service’s biggest draw. But the best thing going in the galaxy far, far away right now is something of an afterthought.

The conventional wisdom is the prequel

Mike D and Ad-Rock tell tales on the lecture circuit in Beastie Boys Story; Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) wields twin lightsabers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. trilogy was a big collective letdown, but for many Millennials, they were an introduction to not just Star Wars, but all sci-fi and fantasy. Looking back from 2020, the execution may have been lacking, but the basic story of a group of heroes making hard moral choices in the face of a Republic in crisis from a megalomaniacal villain hiding in plain sight feels spookily relevant.

The Clone Wars animated series spun off the main saga in 2008 with a cringingly bad animated movie and ran for six seasons on Cartoon Network. As it went on and Lucas turned it over to showrunner Dave Filoni, it got better every season. The animated Aanakin Skywalker, voiced by Matt Lanter, was much more charismatic than the prequels’ Hayden Christensen. The prequels were basically animated movies with live action inserts, and the production design was always top-notch, even when the plots were confusing and the acting regrettable. The Clone Wars solved those problems (mostly) and expanded the scope of the visual universe in digestible, 30-minute chunks. Best of all, the show introduced the character of Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein). Her arc from Skywalker’s idealistic apprentice to the disillusioned warrior who walked away from the Jedi Order is as nuanced as Star Wars storytelling gets.

The Clone Wars was the biggest casualty when Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, leading to a hasty release of season 6 that was more like a dumping of completed product. Showrunner Filoni let it be known that there were plans afoot for a spectacular conclusion at the Siege of Mandalore, but no one seriously expected to see it happen until Disney’s surprise announcement that they would reunite the Clone Wars crew for a full season 7 on Disney+.

Watch and her old boss Obi-Wan Kenobi. Stretched thin as the war turns against the Republic, the Jedi agree to give Ahsoka her lightsabers back and send her on a mission to tip the scales in the ongoing Mandalorian civil war.

As a result, she is put on a collision course with Darth Maul, who also happens to be the disillusioned former apprentice of a powerful space wizard.

So far, The Siege of Mandalore is living up to its promise with jetpackpowered air battles and primo lightsaber duels. With two episodes to go before the inevitable fall of the Republic, the gathering darkness of The Clone Wars feels all too relevant right now.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars streams on Disney+.

Legal Notices AUTO AUCTION Culp & Sons Towing 3614 Jackson St. Memphis, TN 38108 April 27, 2020 between 12-3PM 2010 Nissan Rouge VIN: JN8AS5MV0AW109644 _____________________ AUTO AUCTION 5/20/2020 at 1pm 351 Fields Rd2012 Hyundai Sonata Red Vin: 5NPRC4AC6CH383771 2006 Ford Escape Green Vin: 1FMYU93196KC65427 _____________________ AUTO AUCTION May 16, 2020 - 8:30am Superior Towing 3787 Homewood Rd. Memphis, TN 38118 2001 Toyota VIN: 5TEGM92N61Z794021 2009 Audi VIN: WAUSF78K69N040019 2002 Ford VIN:1FTZR45E22TA00804 2005 Freightliner 1FVACWDC25HU26787 2014 Chevy VIN: KL8CD6S99EC523029 2007 Honda VIN: 1HGCM72717A008778 2009 Pontiac VIN: 1G2ZJ57B994235998 2009 Dodge VIN: 2B3KA33V59H638172 2013 Hyundai VIN: KMHCU4AE7DU4 2008 Dodge: VIN: 1D7HA182X8J136997 2003 Infiniti VIN: JNKCV54E83M226137 2017 Chevy VIN: 1G1FB3DSXH0156004 2003 INFINITI VIN: JNKCV54E63M202970 1994 Chevy VIN: 2GCEC19K5R1182237

FM TRANSLATOR STATION W229CT Bott Broadcasting Company/ Tennessee, hereby gives public notice that on March 23, 2020, it filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission seeking to renew its license to operate FM translator Station W229CT, Memphis, Tennessee (Fac. ID 138455). This Station is licensed to operate on Channel 229 with 99 Watts of effective radiated power. The Station engages in the rebroadcasting of Station WCRV (AM), Collierville, Tennessee, 640 kHz. Individuals who wish to advise the FCC of facts relating to our renewal of license application and to whether this Station has operated in the public interest should file comments and petitions with the Commission

by July 1, 2020. Further information concerning the FCC’s broadcast license renewal process may be obtained from the FCC, Washington, D. C. 20554, www.fcc.gov.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE No. CT-2905-19 State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, Plaintiff vs. Breane N. Hess a/k/a Breane

N. Hight, et al. DefendantsIt appearing from the record in this cause that the whereabouts of the Defendant Breane N. Hess a/k/a Breane N. Hight is unknown and cannot be ascertained upon diligent inquiry. It further appearing that Defendant Breane N. Hess a/k/a Breane N. Hight is a resident of Shelby County, Tennessee. It is therefore ordered that Breane N. Hess a/k/a Breane N. Hight be served with process via publication in four consecutive weeks in the Memphis Flyer and that she make her appearance in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee and answer Plaintiffís Petition for Interpleader or the same will be taken for confessed as to Defendant and this cause proceeded with ex parte. This the __ day of February, 2020.CIRCUIT COURT OF SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE By: Jonathan D. Stewart, Attorney for Plaintiff BPR No. 023039 Address: 209 East Main Street City, State, Zip: Jackson, TN 38301 Phone: 731423-2414 Publication dates: 3/26, 4/2, 4/9 & 4/16.

EMPLOYMENT

CLEAN AND PINK Is a upscale residential cleaning company that takes pride in their employees & the clients they serve. Providing exceptional service to all.

The application process is extensive to include a detailed drug test, physical exam, and background check. The training hours are 8am-6pm Mon-Thur.

12$-19$hr. Full time hours are Mon - Thu & rotating Fridays.

Transportation to job sites during the work day is company provided. Body cameras are a part of the work uniform.

Uniform shirts provided. Only serious candidates need apply.

Those only looking for long term employment need apply.

Cleaning is a physical job but all tools are company provided.

Send Resume to cleannpink@ msn.com COPELAND SERVICES, L.L.C. Hiring Armed State Licensed Officers/Unarmed Officers Three Shifts Available Same Day Interview 1661 International Place 901-258-5872 or 901-818-3187 Interview in Professional Attire

HOSPITALITY/ RESTAURANT

RAFFERTY’S We are looking for service minded individuals, that don’t mind working hard. We work hard, but make $. Apply in the store. 505 N Gtown Pkwy

IT/COMPUTER APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT ANALYST II needed at International Paper in Memphis, TN. Must have Bach in Comp Sci, Info Sys, or related & 5 yrs exp, including: Programming experience in the areas of SAP HCM; ABAP Workbench programming & developing reports utilizing ALV; Utilizing screen painter/module pool programs, SAPScripts & Smartforms, SNOTE, Enhancement Pack, object oriented programming, & the following SAP development technologies: Webdynpro, BAPIs, BADIs, BDCs, ALE/IDOCs, user exits & common dictionary objects. Interested applicants send resumes to IT.HR@ipaper. com. Equal Opportunity/affirmative action employer including vets and disabled. _____________________ IT PROJ MGR Express Scripts Services Co. has an oppty in Memphis, TN for a S/W Dvlpmt Engr. Mail resume to Attn: HR, 1 Express Way, St. Louis, MO 63121; Ref #MEMNDA. Must be legally auth to work in the US w/o spnsrshp. EOE

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IF YOU’RE A GOOD READER and can volunteer to do so please call 901-832-4530 _____________________ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for Memphis Crisis Center hotline.

Morning & overnight needed most but other shifts available. For more information contact volunteers@ crisis7.org / 901-448-2805.

MIDTOWN APT EVERGREEN HIST. DIST. XL Studio/or 1BR’s from $495$750, remodeled, hardwood floors,screened porch, W/D, pets ok. Great neighbors. Only $25 cc fee. 452-3945

G R E A T W E E K LY & M O N T H LY R A T E S

A PA R T M E N T

STYLE LIVING

901.245.2672

7380 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38133 | www.siegelselect.com

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

In the endgame, the show is better than ever. In the first three-episode arc, Aanakin leads a Dirty Dozen-type group of clone commandos called The Bad Batch to rescue a valuable prisoner who has become a mind-controlled military asset for the Separatists. Then the future Darth Vader leaves the stage while we catch up with Ahsoka’s first solo venture. She hooks up with Trace and Rafa, a pair of would-be smugglers who stumble into a double cross by the Pyke crime syndicate. (Does anyone have any job in the Star Wars universe that’s not soldier, smuggler, or criminal mastermind?)

But there are eyes watching the former Jedi, and she finds herself in the middle of a negotiation between the remnants of the Mandalorian Death

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

memphisflyer.com CLASSIFIEDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

LEGAL NOTICE • EMPLOYMENT

FILM By Chris McCoy

21 21

REAL ESTATE • SERVICES

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com SHARED HOUSING

SERVICES

NUTRITION/ HEALTH

FURNISHED ROOMS Bellevue/McLemore, Airways/ Lamar, Jackson/Watkins, Covington Pike. W/D, Cable TV/ Phone. 901-485-0897 _____________________ MIDTOWN ROOM(S) FOR RENT furnished, fridge, microwave, wifi, utilities, A/C, bus line, $90-$125/ wk + dep. 901-498-3599. _____________________ NICE ROOMS FOR RENT 8 locations throughout Memphis.

Some close U of M. Utilities and Cable included. Fridge in your room. Cooking and free laundry privileges. Some locations w/sec. sys. Starting at $435/mo. + dep.

901.922.9089 _____________________ SOUTH MEMPHIS 1 furnished room for mature ladies in Christian home. Nice area on bus line, near expressway.

Non smoker. $400/mo, includes utilities, cooking/laundry privileges. Must be employed or retired. 901-405-5755 or 901518-2198.

LOOKING FOR SELF STORAGE units? We have them! Self Storage offers clean and affordable storage to fit any need.

Reserve today! 1-855-617-0876 (AAN CAN) _____________________ NEED HELP WITH FAMILY LAW? Can’t Afford a $5000 Retainer?

Low Cost Legal Services- Pay As You Go-As low as $750$1500- Get Legal Help Now! Call 1-844-821-8249 Mon-Fri 7am to 4pm PCT (AAN CAN) www. familycourtdirect.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS ORLANDO + DAYTONA BEACH Florida Vacation! Enjoy 7 Days and 6 Nights with Hertz, Enterprise or Alamo Car Rental Included - Only $298.00. 12 months to use 855-898-8912.

(AAN CAN)

Located within walking distance of U of M. Spacious 1 & 2BR apts, with great upgrades & remodeling to the flooring plans. Each apt has no less than 1000 sq ft w. W/D conn.

AUTO

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

AUTO SERVICES

ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55 Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+. Over 25 years of experience.

Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p. Call now 901-270-6060

AUTO INSURANCE STARTING AT $49/ MONTH! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save!

Call: 855-569-1909. (AAN CAN)

1/2 1st month rent w/ approved app CALL 272-8658 Cell 281-4441

UNIVERSITY FLAT Security!!

We value the safety of our tenants and have installed cameras throughout the apartments!!

Free 1st month’s rent w/ approved app! Under New Management!!

This newly renovated property has new flooring, freshly painted walls, updated bthrm & kit, appls, and onsite laundry.

Studios, 1 & 2BR floor plans

April 30-May 6, 2020

BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Authorís Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN)

WILLIAM BREWER Massage Therapist (Health & Wellness offer) 377-6864

2BR/1.5BR $775/mo + $400 dep 1BR/1BA $675/mp + $400 dep

Call Tasha 901-281-4441 3447 Southern Ave

3707 Macon Rd. 272-9028 lecorealty.com

WORKSHOPS

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled - it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash!

NEWER MODELS too! Call 1-866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)

MASSAGE

WOODTRAIL APARTMENTS

ONE-STOP-SHOP For All Your Catheter Needs. We Accept Medicaid, Medicare, & Insurance. Try Before You Buy. Quick and Easy. Give Us A Call 866-282-2506 (AAN CAN) _____________________ VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed! Call Today 1-844-879-5238 (AAN CAN)

Visit us online, call, or office for free list.

HOUSES & DUPLEXES FOR RENT ALL AREAS

Laurie Stark • 28 Years of Experience

• Life Member of the Multi Million Dollar Club • From Downtown to Germantown

Playmates and soul mates...

• Call me for your Real Estate Needs

www.hobsonrealtors.com

(901)761-1622 • Cell (901)486-1464

VW • AUDI MINI•PORSCHE

German Car Experts

Specializing in VW & Audi Automobiles

Also Servicing

Mini • Porsche Factory Trained Experience Independent Prices

4907 Old Summer Rd.

(Corner of Summer & Mendenhall)

(901) 761-3443 www.WolfsburgAuto.com

22

Call today for an appointment!

Memphis:

901-612-2969

18+ MegaMates.com

THE LAST WORD by Anton Mack

Let’s Ride It Out Memphis’ Explore Bike Share is here for the long run.

Explore Bike Share

As I grow accustomed to the uncertainty of our current situation, I recognize and applaud the examples of longterm continuity in our culture: the establishments that withstand the test of time. The efforts that surpass a trend. The endurance of a business or a business owner or a brand.

Those that come to mind are exemplary for many reasons, but what they all have in common is their choice of a path toward sustainable, long-term success. I can’t help but believe that my daily work in the biking world fits this definition, too.

While I can’t take credit for work before 2020, Explore Bike Share and the greater city of Memphis’ approach to biking is geared for the long game, and I’m here to keep pedaling us forward.

Ten years ago, Bicycling Magazine named Memphis one of the worst cities for biking in the country. The city of Memphis and visionaries behind projects such as the Shelby Farms Greenline sought to shift this reputation fairly expeditiously and, within two years, added over 70 miles of bike lanes. The title change followed suit, and Memphis was named the “most improved city for cycling” in Bicycling two years later.

Today, Memphis offers over 300 on- and off-road miles of bike infrastructure, from the Big River Trail to the Wolf River Greenway, from Hampline to the Greenline. Five years ago, a vision for affordable, available, accessible bike sharing in Memphis was cast, and a community-driven approach was explored in philosophy and practice. Today, Explore Bike Share’s approach remains recognized on the national stage for its unique brand and 501(c)3 revenue model built on the goodwill and adoption of our mission by members, sponsors and donors.

Two years ago, a system was launched as hundreds of Memphians voluntarily rolled out 600 bikes into stations citywide.

One week following, scooters arrived, and shared mobility became a community-wide showcase and arguably competitive landscape. Today, though some scooter companies are retiring their fleets, our bikes are weathering the seasons.

Two months ago, a pandemic swept our world and our community. Safer at Home strategies stopped gatherings, travel, and business traffic. But while some parks and streets are closed to vehicular traffic in order to safeguard social distancing, bikes remain the tool to traverse our city safely.

We’ve extended another 30 days of free Explore Bike Share rides through May 19th as a healthy response to COVID-19.

While our system has always been affordable, we have made it free since March 20th. The first month of our “Let’s Ride This Out” campaign welcomed 500 unique firsttime riders who have explored bike share for an errand or exercise. I believe the “Let’s Ride This Out” response reflects a deep trust by our riders, by our sponsors and donors, by our members, and by our staff. While cars are parked and streets are clearer, now’s the time to explore firsthand those hundreds of bike paths paved for us. As we ride to fuel our mental health and physical well-being, we can especially understand what it means to see through trends and the temporary. Explore Bike Share is here and here to stay. Let’s keep riding this out.

Anton Mack is executive director of Explore Bike Share.

THE LAST WORD

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

While some parks and streets are closed to vehicular traffic in order to safeguard social distancing, bikes remain the tool to traverse our city safely.

23

YOUNGAVENUEDELI.COM 2119 Young Ave • 278-0034

Full Menu - ToGo Beer - ToGo Wine - ToGo Booze - ToGo Delivery 10am - 10pm Takeout & Curbside Pickup Available.

Call 901-278-0034 - Support Local

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO.

TapThurs Room Hours: & Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat 1-10 p.m., Sun 1-7 p.m.

768 S. Cooper * 901.207.5343 Taproom is open every day 4-7 p.m. for to-go beers only.

Cheers! We can now deliver some delicious alcoholic drinks right to your door alongside your to-go meal or have them available for curbside pickup! Don’t want to leave the house, that’s okay - www.twobrokebartenders.com will be happy to deliver it to you.

You may also buy gift card for all locations online.

We are going to make it through this together.

5/7: Charley Crockett 5/30: Bob Schneider 6/4: Tech N9ne w/ Jelly Roll 6/10: Mike and the Moonpies 6/19: Brian Culbertson 7/18: Jupiter Coyote 7/23: Read Southall 8/27: American Aquarium

MORE EVENTS AT MINGLEWOODHALL.COM

CURBSIDE PICKUP TUE thru FRI 11A-2P a 4-9P SAT 1-9P | SUN 11A-9P See Menus online at CELTICCROSSINGMEMPHIS.COM.

BYOGROWLER TO TAKE HOME BEER! GUINNESS CANS ALSO AVAILABLE. CALL 901-274-5151 TO ORDER BROUGHT TO YOUR CAR UPON ARRIVAL

NEW DATE COMING SOON! www.worldwingfest.com Benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55

Address: 320 Monroe Ave • Entrance on Floyd Alley • Park in Stop345 Lot on Madison • West of Danny Thomas • 901.730.0290 • Take Sally to the Alley..

GONER RECORDS

Visit Us Online

Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+. Over 25 years of experience. Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p.

Call now 901-270-6060

*TEAM CLEAN*

All natural cleaning for your home • office • studio environment Contact Candace @ 901-262-6610 or teamcleanmemphis@gmail.com

At Goner-Records.Com Local Pickup Available

(901) 722-0095

Coco & Lola’s MidTown Lingerie

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES 21,000 sq ft. 100 + booths • 5855 Summer Ave. (corner of Summer and Sycamore View ) exit 12 off I-40 | 901.213.9343 Mon-Sat 10a-6p | Sun 1p-6p

SEE YOU SOON - STAY FABULOUS & SAFE !!

SERVING ALL SIZE DIVAS SMALL - 4X Follow us on

IG/FB/TW @cocoandlolas Memphis’ Top Lingerie Shop 710 S. Cox|901-425-5912|Mon-Sat 11:30-7:00

WE BUY RECORDS 45’S, 78’S, LP’S

Don’t “give them away” at a yard sale We Pay More Than Anyone Large Quantities No Problem Also Buying Old Windup Phonographs Call Paul 901-435-6668

$CASH 4 JUNK CARS$ Non-Operating Cars, No Title Needed.

901-691-2687

We offer a variety of products. Find our brand at: Foozie in Clark Tower, Blue Suede Do’s iBank building, South Main Hemp at 364 S. Front, Two Rivers Bookstore at 2172 Young Ave, and Oothones at 410 N Cleveland St. Find our skin care at Southern Leaf Hemp, Co at 4721 Poplar Ave. simplyhemp.shop 901-443-7157