MemphisFlyer 12/11/2025

HUMAN DIGNITY

AND CHILDREN TO MEMPHIS IMMIGRATION COURT.

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Defending Human Dignity

Faith, fear, and failed policies follow men, women, and children to Memphis Immigration Court.

PHOTO: KAREN PULFER FOCHT

Open Arms for Immigrants

Pastor keeps doors locked to ICE, creating a safe space in Parkway Village. p10

PHOTO: DAVID WATERS

Unethical Injection

Tennessee execution highlights death penalty’s depravity. p31

PHOTO: BERNARD CHANTAL | DREAMSTIME.COM

NEWS & OPINION THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 8 AT LARGE - 9 COMMUNITY - 10

COVER STORY

“DEFENDING HUMAN DIGNITY” BY DAVID WATERS, INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING - 12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WE RECOMMEND - 16 MUSIC - 17

AFTER DARK - 18 CALENDAR - 19

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 21

WE SAW YOU - 22 FOOD - 24

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 25 NEWS OF THE WEIRD - 26 ASTROLOGY - 27

FILM - 28 NOW PLAYING - 29 CLASSIFIEDS - 30 LAST WORD - 31

THE fly-by

MEM ernet

Memphis on the internet.

CAROLING?

TikTok

user Ray posted a video series over the weekend showing a group of rapping carolers (and presumably Ray as the conductor) at a local Walmart and inside Oak Court Mall. In one, Ray and the group are escorted out of the mall by police.

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

Execution, TVA, & Gender

Identity

Doctors urge pause, transparency and nuclear for utility, and a challenge to Trump book review.

LETHAL INJECTION

Doctors and lawyers raised alarms about Tennessee’s lethal injection protocols ahead of another execution in Tennessee scheduled for this week.

Harold Wayne Nichols was set for execution on ursday, December 11th, at 10 a.m. CST. He was sentenced to death in 1990 a er being convicted of raping and murdering Karen Pulley, a 21-year-old student at Chattanooga State.

Nichols declined to choose his execution method — between the electric chair and lethal injection — by a November 11th deadline. Under state law, the method defaults to lethal injection using the state’s newest protocol, a single dose of pentobarbital.

COACH HUFF

Charles Hu was named the new Memphis Tigers football head coach Monday. Hu has coached at Alabama, Vandy, and with the Bu alo Bills among many others.

MAROONED ON MUD

e group working to bring concerts back to Mud Island Amphitheater helped imagine what a show would look like last week. Using old photos from a Maroon 5 concert there, Bring Back the Music: Mud Island Amphitheater used arti cial intelligence to animate a video of the experience.

Doctors and medical professionals across the state sent a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee last Wednesday, urging him to pause all executions until the new protocol can be reviewed by a court next year.

“From our clinical experience, pentobarbital is unpredictable when used in isolation and can cause great distress and a prolonged and painful death,” the letter reads. “Even when administered in very high dosages, pentobarbital cannot be relied upon to work as an anesthetic. is means that the individual remains sensate and experiences great distress as he or she slowly su ocates.”

GENDER BOOK REVIEW

Book publishers and literary groups challenged orders by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett for public libraries to audit children’s collections and eliminate books dealing with gender identity.

Hargett is now is requiring libraries that receive state or federal grant funds to make an “age-appropriate” review of books and meet an order by President Donald Trump called “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

TVA TRANSPARENCY, NUCLEAR

Two Tennessee lawmakers asked for more transparency at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) at the same time the agency received the green light for an experimental nuclear project.

U.S. representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN9) and Tim Burchett (R-TN2) reintroduced legislation last week that would require the TVA to increase public input on how it meets the energy needs, which is usually a mix of fossil fuels, renewables, and some nuclear. TVA sets this mix in its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

Critics argue the public is not involved in the planning process enough and the process does not allow any public oversight. Cohen and Burchett’s new legislation would change this. It would require TVA to give forecasts of energy needs and sales, summaries of investments planned by TVA, analysis of fuel costs, environmental regulations, and more.

Also, TVA announced it had been selected for a $400 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to

start work on the nation’s rst small nuclear reactor (SMR). e facility is set to be built at TVA’s Clinch River nuclear site in East Tennessee.

TVA is the rst utility in the U.S. to have a construction permit for an SMR granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. e project could serve as a national model for how to deploy these facilities.

TVA is hoping such facilities can address power crunches as technology pushes demand for electricity.

Tennessee Lookout and Chalkbeat Tennessee contributed to this report.

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

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POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY BRING BACK THE MUSIC: MUD ISLAND AMPHITHEATER

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PHOTO: (ABOVE) STATE OF TENNESSEE; (BELOW) TVA Harold Wayne Nichols was set for execution on December 11th; TVA has been selected for a $400 million grant to start work on the nation’s rst small nuclear reactor.

{CITY REPORTER

By Kailynn Johnson

Missing the Bus

MATA riders say o cial data and statements don’t match the reality on the ground.

Public transit users and advocates said their experiences don’t match recent updates provided by the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA). Riders said MATA’s reporting seems to neglect the reality experienced by their ridership.

“I’m not sure where the disconnect is,” said Kelsey Huse, a graduate student studying urban planning at the University of Memphis. “Either their data is wrong, or it’s being improperly collected, or something is broken. I think we need to get to the bottom of it.”

Huse has been vocal about calling for changes in public transit in the city. A recent video on her Instagram account, @memphisurbanism, gained traction as it showed the reality of those who are reliant on MATA.

“ is is the reality behind defunding public transit: Our neighbors are harmed, their time is wasted, and they end up having to spend a lot of money to use alternatives,” the post said.

a permanent CEO position.

During his presentation, Holmes said he and his team have been concerned with stabilizing the agency and rebuilding community trust. Holmes said they’ve seen “real progress” with “positive momentum.”

e agency recently implemented a free fare model, which Holmes said has highlighted a need in the community. He said this has led to an 18 percent increase in ridership. While they may mark growth for the agency, riders said these positive updates don’t re ect their situation.

“[ e buses] are free, and that’s good, but they still don’t show up,” Winters said.

e video tells the story of Zen’Yari Winters, a rider who relies on the buses to get to work daily. While there is a bus stop outside of Winters’ home, she has to catch the bus hours before her shi . She detailed several instances of buses running late or not at all. Winters said this o en comes with no communication from MATA.

“If my bosses weren’t so understanding, I would be unemployed,” Winters said.

Winters turns to rideshare services when the buses don’t show up, which gets expensive. Over the last three months, she’s spent $130 on Uber and Ly . “I just got paid last ursday. I have $19 to my name,” Winters said. “I didn’t get a chance to buy groceries because I’m buying Uber. I have dogs, so I have to buy their food. It’s like I have to go hungry because I have to get to work.”

e video coincided with a MATA update provided to the Memphis City Council’s Transportation Committee last Tuesday, the rst public update since the city appointed Rodrick Holmes as trustee and interim chief executive o cer for operations. e city’s chief nancial o cer, Walter Person, was named scal trustee for MATA.

e appointment of city o cials was seen as a controversial move by riders and advocates alike. e decision was made as the MATA board was in the process of interviewing candidates for

MATA also reported improvements in their nances, which had long been a point of controversy for the agency. “For the last 90 days we endeavored to create a budget,” Holmes said. “Historically, MATA did not have a budget that was departmental. Over that time period, we have been able to reduce our budget gap from $16.5M to $4M.”

O cials said they plan to continue stabilizing the agency, strengthening nancial controls, and establishing weekly performance checkpoints. e presentation may have shown advancements in operations, but riders were not satis ed with the updates.

“I am not pleased that Mr. Holmes did not touch on the real problems facing bus riders,” said Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of Citizens For Better Service. “ e presentation by Mr. Holmes was the same pat-on-theback presentation I have heard for years.”

PHOTO: @MEMPHISURBANISM | INSTAGRAM

Riders say some buses are late or don’t come at all.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Armageddon

e county mayor and sheri go nuclear with each other.

For years, there have been tensions, usually more latent than obvious but continually escalating, between the two most important elected o cials in Shelby County, Mayor Lee Harris and Sheri Floyd Bonner. Now those tensions have exploded into open warfare, with salvoes unloosed last week by both men against the other.

First came, arguably, the most overt criticism yet of Bonner by Harris, delivered on the WKNO television program Behind the Headlines: “ ere have been too many prisoners’ deaths, and we don’t see any urgency or any activity toward reform by the sheri or his administration,” Harris maintained.

e solution for that alleged negligence, said the mayor — the same mayor who has been in active litigation with the state over its legal interventions in the streets of Memphis — should be a co-optation of local jail supervision by the state. “I think the state has to get more involved,” Harris said, advocating a takeover of training of jail sta from the sheri ’s o ce, and he suggested further that operation of the jail be outsourced to a private forpro t company.

Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI).

“I learned this week that you did not even know what TCI is or what it does,” wrote Bonner. “I learned this because you were required to sign o on my plan for overcrowding, which involves relocating inmates to other facilities and working with the state to pick up convicted prisoners.” Bonner suggested: “You delayed signing my plan because you were upset over the pending litigation over my funding.”

Said the sheri : “When you made changes in my o ce’s budget, which is the subject of ongoing litigation, your o ce told me not to worry, that whatever money was needed would be made available. Sadly, this is not the case.”

Bonner contrasted his own practice of owning up to exact gures on jail deaths with what he said was Harris’ lack of transparency regarding those at the corrections center, overseen by the mayor. And he made the case that responsibility for mental health and medical conditions in general at the jail was not his, per se.

PHOTOS:

Lee

Harris and Floyd Bonner

In the brief interval between the rst news reports of the mayor’s remarks and the show’s broadcasting, Bonner responded with the issuance of a highly detailed open letter to Harris, lambasting the mayor with the declaration that “once again … your lack of communication and engagement with the Shelby County Sheri ’s O ce has led you to provide misinformation to the community.”

e sheri called Harris’ suggestion for privatizing the jails “the most reckless you have made.”

e sheri reminded Harris that the responsibility of the sheri ’s o ce for operating the jail was a matter of existing state law and asserted that Harris had ignored not only his (Bonner’s) proposals for joint local action to improve jail conditions but speci c reports on both the jail and Jail East (a women’s facility) from the

“Your o ce provides medical care to all inmates. Your o ce selects the provider. A er the last bid process, your o ce selected Wellpath because its services were cheaper than [those of] the company that received the highest scores by the selection committee.”

e Bonner letter addresses a plethora of other issues as well, and notes the most obvious di erence between the two: the sheri ’s insistence that a new jail facility is needed versus Harris’ reluctance on the point.

Underlying this most recent exchange between the two is the fact — and the irony — that both of them will be leaving o ce in less than a year, and the circumstances they contend with will undoubtedly still be unresolved and the argument’s pro and con le to their successors.

What’s in a name?

he Trump administration recently removed the Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth holidays from the 2026 schedule of admittance-free days at national parks — and added President Trump’s birthday. If a single sentence could sum up Donald Trump’s philosophy of life, it’s the one that you just read. Trump is famously inconsistent, frequently contradicting his own policies and tailoring his message to whoever is in front of him, but there’s one thing about him that’s consistent: He loves to put his name on things. Trump has attached his moniker to o ce buildings, golf courses, hotels, casinos, apartment buildings, foundations, charities, board games, books, magazines, wineries, airlines, water, vodka, chocolates, energy drinks, steaks, sneakers, “commemorative” coins, and a phony business school. And that’s nowhere near a complete list. at tendency hasn’t slowed during Trump’s presidency. His company is still making deals for Trump Towers and Trump golf courses, but recently, Trump has begun extending his name-mania to government entities. Last week, for example, Trump announced that the United States Institute of Peace, which was signed into existence by Ronald Reagan, would henceforth be known as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. is, a er summarily removing the organization’s bipartisan board and appointing supporters to take their place. Trump’s name went up on the building one day a er the announcement.

In February, Trump red the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, appointed a board of his acolytes, and was dutifully “elected” chairman. In his remarks last week introducing this year’s Kennedy Center honorees, Trump began referring to the organization as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” You may sense a pattern here.

And lest we forget, in October, Trump bulldozed the East Wing of the White House to make way for a building four times its size, to be named the Donald J. Trump Ballroom. If you think the Trump name won’t be emblazoned in massive letters on that building, you haven’t been paying attention. e White House itself will look like an adjoining cabana. Trump’s narcissism is an insatiable beast; witness last week’s cabinet meeting, a two-hour-and-17-minute version of “Send in the Clowns,” in which each cabinet member gave a brief rundown

of how wonderfully things were going in their department and followed up with loving tongue-caresses of Dear Leader’s brilliance, his impeccable leadership. Trump smiled and smirked … and literally fell asleep several times. In a televised cabinet meeting.

Which brings me to a more delicate matter: Trump’s increasingly obvious mental slippage. We’ve seen this before, and not that long ago. In the spring of 2024, President Joe Biden began screwing up in public — making misstatements, appearing a bit confused on occasion, and looking very frail. en came that disastrous June debate with Trump, in which a befuddled Biden seemed unable to make a clear response to questions. It was considered one of the worst televised presidential debate performances ever.

e media went nuts. ere were countless reports and op-eds about Biden’s mental acuity, about his sta shielding him from public appearances, about his stamina and his ability to serve four more years. It was the biggest story in the country. It got so bad that the Democratic Party hierarchy took action and pressed Biden to pull out of the race, which he did a month later. But the damage was done, and Trump won a second term.

So, little more than a year a er Biden’s withdrawal from politics, where are those kinds of stories about Donald Trump? It’s not like the evidence isn’t there. Le without a script, Trump verbally meanders all over the place, his brain skipping from one digression to another, seldom nishing a sentence before jumping to a tangent. He ri s on boat batteries and sharks, on eagles and windmills, on showers that drip, on nonexistent low gas prices, on the eight wars that he’s ended, on drug prices that have fallen “700 percent,” and other ludicrous fantasies. He exaggerates. He lies. He confuses words, messes up names and pronunciations, falls asleep in public, and falls back on simplistic all-or-nothing hyperbole: “Like nothing anyone has ever seen before.” Except, we have, just last year. Trump is declining before our eyes, becoming an easily manipulated fool, and the press isn’t doing its job. e names of the people propping up Trump won’t appear on any buildings, but they are far more dangerous than he is.

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COMMUNITY By David Waters,

Open Arms for Immigrants

Pastor keeps doors locked to ICE, creating a safe space in Parkway Village.

The church doors are locked and there’s a sign on the pastor’s door: O cina Privada Pastora. at’s Spanish for “Pastor’s Private O ce.”

“Otherwise, ICE agents can walk right in,” said Rev. Luz Campos, pastor of El Redentor, a United Methodist congregation in Parkway Village.

In recent months, members of her congregation have been stopped, arrested, detained, and deported by federal agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

School-age children have been le behind in cars, apartments, and classrooms. ICE agents o en hang out in the church’s parking lot.

“Any moment you can be stopped, and they can take you,” said Campos, a U.S. citizen who immigrated from Guatemala 14 years ago to work for the church.

“People who have been here 10, 20 years. ey work. ey pay taxes. ey have children here. ey have lives here. What did they do wrong?”

When he was reelected, President Trump promised to launch “the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America.”

Trump ended other “humanitarian parole” programs and “temporary protected status” grants. at le more than two million noncitizens suddenly unprotected from deportation and subject to arrest, detention, and “expedited removal.”

Any noncitizen who could be deported is considered a fugitive. ICE agents can stop and detain anyone suspected of being a noncitizen.

e Supreme Court is allowing immigration agents to identify suspects by race, ethnicity, and language. So ICE agents are targeting particular neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and churches. Immigration attorneys have advised pastors and principals to lock their outside doors and post privacy signs on their own o ce doors.

“ ey are rounding up as many immigrants as they can, regardless of legal status,” said Casey Bryant, a local immigration attorney and executive director of Advocates for Immigrants Rights. “ ey are taking parents away from small children, husbands and fathers away from their families, without due process.”

e Trump administration claims its mass detention and mass deportation campaigns are targeting “the worst of the worst.” But more than 70 percent of ICE detainees had no criminal convictions, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a data research

PHOTO: KAREN PULFER FOCHT

A Prayer Vigil for the Disappeared held last month at Evergreen Presbyterian Church called for an “end to cruel abuse of the immigrant community.”

organization at Syracuse University.

Unauthorized entry into the U.S. is a misdemeanor, not a felony. Being in the U.S. without authorization is a civil o ense, not a criminal one.

Campos’ congregation is lled with people like her — indigenous immigrants and refugees from Guatemala. Some have legal status. Many are in legal limbo, having entered the U.S. under di erent policies enforced in di erent ways by different presidents.

All are from North America.

“My people are from this continent,” Campos said. “ is is America. We are Americans. We did not come from Mars or Venus. We were here before many others came.”

In the 1950s, the CIA helped Guatemala’s military overthrow a democratically elected president to protect the interests of the United Fruit Company. e repressive new regime banned politi-

Rev. Luz Campos is pastor of El Redentor, a United Methodist congregation in Parkway Village.

seek refuge.” Campos was appointed the pastor of “El Redentor” Mission in 2014. at was the same year Central Americans trying to cross the southern border outnumbered Mexicans for the rst time.

“ e last few years have witnessed the arrival of thousands of Central Americans eeing violence in their home countries and seeking asylum in the U.S. Many mothers, families, and unaccompanied minors have arrived along the southern border, turned themselves into the Border Patrol, and have asked for protection,” the American Immigration Council reported in 2017.

e Obama administration deported more than 3 million noncitizens. But it also allowed thousands of children and other family members in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to reunite with parents in the U.S. It was called the Central American Minors program. at’s how many of the members of El Redentor came to the U.S.

In 2018, the Trump administration closed the program. In 2021, the Biden administration reopened the program. In 2025, the Trump administration closed the program.

Since January, ICE agents have arrested and detained more than 200,000 “illegal immigrants” nationwide, and deported nearly 140,000 “illegal immigrants,” according to the White House. More than 65,000 immigrants are in real or makeshi federal detention centers — an all-time high.

cal parties and labor unions and incited a civil war that lasted 36 years.

e U.S.-backed Guatemalan army and private “death squads” hired by wealthy landowners focused their wrath on indigenous peoples.

ey systematically razed hundreds of villages, destroyed crops and livestock, poisoned water supplies, and massacred or “disappeared” tens of thousands of civilians. More than 100,000 indigenous women were raped.

More than a million Guatemalans ed their homes and 200,000 le the country as economic, political, or environmental refugees.

Guatemala still ranks as one of the most dangerous places in the world for women and children.

“ e people who leave Guatemala leave to protect their children or themselves,” Campos said. “ ey come here out of necessity. ey come here to

Meanwhile, the Board of Immigration Appeals, a part of the executive branch, has ruled that immigration judges, who also work for the executive branch, have no authority to release people detained under ICE’s new policies.

But at least 225 federal judicial branch judges have ruled in more than 700 cases that the administration’s immigration enforcement policies likely violate the law and the Constitution. ose judges were appointed by all modern presidents, including 23 by Trump, according to a Politico analysis of thousands of recent cases.

Only eight judges nationwide, including six appointed by Trump, have ruled in favor of the administration’s new mass detention policy, according to the Politico analysis.

“ e Court is unable to remain current on all new case authority supporting the Court’s conclusion, given the contin-

PHOTO: DAVID WATERS

ued onslaught of litigation being generated by [the administration’s] widespread illegal detention practices,” U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, a Californiabased appointee of Bill Clinton, wrote in a November 21st ruling.

Campos is proud that her denomination has taken a stand against mass detention and mass deportation.

Earlier this year, the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church issued a pastoral letter, “Addressing the Plight of Migrants, Immigrants and Refugees” in the U.S.

“At no time has the church in the U.S. had a greater opportunity to welcome Jesus among us as he journeys with migrants, immigrants, and refugees than today,” the letter said. “We your bishops are clear that the situation these beloved of God face as the Trump Administration comes to power threatens their humanity, livelihood, and basic human rights.”

Rev. Luz Campos put a privacy sign on her church o ce door.

“Otherwise, ICE agents can walk right in,” she said.

e Methodist bishops called for churches to o er immigrants “assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment, and other kinds of support.” Christians should oppose “all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize, or punish displaced individuals and families based on their status as migrants, immigrants, or refugees,” the bishops said, while “decrying attempts to detain displaced people and hold them in inhumane and unsanitary conditions” and “challenging policies that call for the separation of families, especially parents and minor children.”

Leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the National Association of Evangelicals have made similar statements.

Last month, hundreds of church leaders in Tennessee signed e Tennessee Evangelical Statement on Refugees & Immigration.

“While immigration is certainly an important political issue, for us it is

rst and foremost a biblical issue with signi cant rami cations for the mission of the church in our state and around the world,” the statement begins.

Fi een Memphis area church leaders signed the statement, including Rev. Dr. George Robertson, senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church; Rev. Dr. Rufus Jones, senior pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church; and Rev. Dr. Stephen Cook, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church.

“When Jesus said, ‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12),’ he was quoting from the oldest body of laws among humanity for how to treat immigrants,” Robertson said. “ e original includes this line, ‘ e foreigner living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord you God’ (Leviticus 19:33-34).”

El Redentor, Spanish for “ e Redeemer,” was founded in 2011. It began as a simple weekly meeting in the Memphis area homes of some Maya/Mam indigenous people. Mam is the language spoken by some Mayans.

“Whites typically misunderstand the Maya/Mam to be ‘Hispanic/Latino,’” explained Rev. Dr. Goyo De la Cruz, Campos’ husband. “However, they do not speak English or Spanish, nor do they have ancestors in Italy, Portugal, France, or Spain. Instead, the native language of these people is Mam, and their cultural heritage is Mayan.”

De la Cruz, a United Methodist missionary who has served various congregations in the area, helped the Maya/ Mam community nd space in Asbury United Methodist Church in Parkway Village in 2011.

Since then, El Redentor congregation has become the center of the Maya/ Mam community in the region. Twice a year the congregation hosts a “mobile consulate” for the Consulate General of Guatemala in Atlanta.

Campos and her fellow travelers nd comfort in their community. She spends most of her time comforting children who have lost their parents, mothers who have lost their husbands, families who are afraid to leave their homes.

She keeps the church doors locked, but her arms and the Psalms wide open.

“ e earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” it says in Psalm 24.

“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness,” it says in Psalm 31.

“ e righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. e Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” it says in Psalm 34.

“We do all we can to support our people, but God does more,” Campos said. “We still have hope. God is with us. God is crying with us.”

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PHOTO: DAVID WATERS

PHOTO: KAREN PULFER FOCHT

Rev. Val Handwerker, a retired Memphis priest, greets the men, women, and children summoned to immigration court.

“I want them to know they are not alone.”

COVER STORY By David Waters, Institute for Public Service Reporting

DEFENDING HUMAN DIGNITY

Faith, fear, and failed policies follow men, women, and children to Memphis Immigration Court.

A4-year-old girl with her black hair tied in pigtails peered through the bars of the court railing while her mother talked to an immigration judge.

e girl’s name is Emily. She was born in Honduras, a small, impoverished, violent North American nation riven by decades of natural and man-made disasters.

Her mother brought her to the United States, a large, wealthy, less violent North American nation, a couple of years ago.

U.S. border processing facilities were being overwhelmed. e man who was U.S. president then called it a humanitarian crisis and allowed noncitizens to enter the country temporarily. e current U.S. president

calls it an invasion and wants to send them back.

e judge asked Emily’s mother, through an interpreter, why she hadn’t applied for asylum in the United States.

e mother said she hired an attorney to do so, “but he never sent any documents to me.” She said she called three other attorneys. No one answered.

e judge noted that Emily and her mother are living in Savannah, Georgia, about 650 miles from Memphis. “Why are we hearing this case in Memphis?” Judge Irma Newburn asked. “ e court in Atlanta is a lot closer to them.” No one knew.

e judge told Emily’s mother that she will transfer her case to the immigration court in Atlanta. “It’s much closer to Savannah,” the judge

said. “ ere’s no reason for you to have to drive this far. And you don’t have to bring your daughter to court with you, if you don’t want to.”

Emily’s mother thanked the judge, unaware that immigration judges in Atlanta are denying asylum cases at an even higher rate than those in Memphis.

On her way out of the courtroom, Emily smiled and waved at a Catholic priest sitting in the back row. Rev. Val Handwerker, a retired priest who grew up in Memphis, smiled and waved back.

“I want them to know that they are beloved children of God, that God is with them, the church is with them. at they are not alone,” said Handwerker.

“The Lord Protects Strangers” ree other Memphis priests and two Christian Brothers have joined Handwerker in recent weeks to observe immigration court proceedings.

ey go to o er spiritual and moral support, especially to children and families. Most of the families are from Central America. Most of them are Catholic.

e priests go to follow dozens of biblical commands to show hospitality, compassion, and justice to those who are displaced from their native lands — o en translated into English as strangers, foreigners, or aliens.

ey go to raise their voices “in defense of God-given human dignity,” as more than 200 U.S. Catholic bishops said last month in a rare pastoral

letter. e bishops said they “oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and “pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”

e Most Rev. J. Terry Steib, who served as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis from 1997 to 2016, joined Handwerker in immigration court last month. “So many of our people are su ering because of this immigration crackdown,” Steib said. “So many good people are afraid.”

Afraid to go to the store or the doctor.

Afraid to send their children to school or to church. Afraid to go to Mass.

Hispanics account for nearly 71 percent of the growth of the U.S. Catholic population since 1960, according to e Catholic Review Roughly 40 percent of all U.S. Catholics are Hispanic. e numbers are rapidly declining.

Attendance at church schools has evaporated. St. Michael Catholic Church on Summer recently canceled its regular catechesis classes for more than 500 youth.

Attendance at local Spanishlanguage worship services has dropped by more than half in recent months. Two Spanish-language masses at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Whitehaven, once attended by hundreds of families every Sunday, now count dozens. e parish canceled in-person catechism classes.

“Children are scared. Parents are scared. ey see what is happening,” said Rev. Tony Romo, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church and another clergy court observer. “ICE is not taking and deporting criminals. ey are taking hard-working people who are simply trying to protect and support their families.”

Romo said several members of his congregation have been deported in recent weeks, leaving wives and children behind. Romo grew up in Mexico. He studied for the priesthood at the Society of the Divine Word in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

He studied the Psalms, where it says, “ e Lord protects strangers.”

He studied Exodus, where it says, “You shall not oppress an alien,” and Leviticus, where it says, “You shall

Bishop Emeritus J. Terry Steib of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis joined Father Val to observe immigration court. “So many of our people are su ering because of this immigration crackdown,” Steib said.

e U.S. Immigration Court in Memphis has 125,000 pending cases and only 10 judges.

to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans. Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities.”

A president who has been paid more than $1.3 million in royalties for endorsing the God Bless the USA Bible, according to White House disclosure forms.

“It was bad under the rst Trump administration,” Romo said. “Now it’s worse. I wish the president could nd a way to deport actual criminals and terrorists. ese people are mothers and fathers and children, not criminals or terrorists.”

The War on Immigrants

treat the alien who lives with you no di erently than the natives born among you.”

He studied the Gospels, where Jesus says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

He studied the Epistles, where the Apostle Paul says, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor” and “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.”

He’s preparing to celebrate the birth of the Christ child, whose family le their home and ed to a foreign land to escape the wrath of a king.

In recent weeks, he’s seen dozens of families in immigration courtrooms

who le their homes in Central America and ed to a foreign land to encounter the wrath of a president.

A president who launched his rst campaign in 2015 warning that undocumented immigrants were “bringing drugs, and bringing crime, and their rapists” to the U.S.

A president who launched his second campaign in 2023 warning that immigrants are “destroying the blood of our country, they’re destroying the fabric of our country.”

A president who has promised to deport millions of “illegal aliens” because they “present signi cant threats

Millions of families like Emily and her mother have become casualties of wars. e Cold War turned Honduras and other countries in Central America into ideological proxies, political pawns, and killing elds in the winnertake-all struggle between American capitalists and Soviet communists. at resulted in long and bloody civil wars in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, instigated, supported, or politicized by every U.S. president since the 1950s.

Drug wars converted Central American countries into illegal drug labs and distribution lines run by corrupt government and military leaders, brutal gangs, and deadly cartels, all working to serve U.S. customers.

Partisan political wars spawned decades of contradictory, counterproductive, and failed U.S. immigration policies, pulling and pushing millions of men, women, and children back and forth across the border.

Hyper-partisan culture wars were fueled and exploited by nativists, jingoists, white supremacists, xenophobes, false prophets, media conglomerates, and political opportunists who cast all noncitizens, including Emily and her mother, as “criminal aliens.”

e war on terror shi ed immigration from an economic and human rights challenge to a national security concern, and immigration

continued on page 14

PHOTOS: KAREN PULFER FOCHT

enforcement from the due process of the Justice Department to the undue harshness of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

And, since January, the war on Central and South American immigrants and refugees has turned fathers, mothers, and children seeking refuge from places where they were hunted and terrorized by masked men with guns into fugitives hunted by masked men with guns.

ere are an estimated 12 million noncitizens in the U.S. e last ve presidents have deported about 8 million noncitizens. e Trump administration promises to deport millions more. “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America,” said Trump, himself a convicted felon.

Memphis is one of the cities on the frontlines of that war.

In October, President Trump and Governor Bill Lee, both Republicans, began deploying hundreds of National Guard troops, immigration agents, and other federal law enforcement o cers to Memphis “to restore public safety and order.”

But the federal forces deployed to Memphis, as well as Chicago, Charlotte, and several other cities led by Democrats, are also being used to target, arrest, detain, and deport hundreds of immigrants and refugees from Central and South America.

Since January, ICE agents have arrested and detained more than 200,000 “illegal immigrants,” and deported nearly 140,000 “illegal immigrants,” according to the White House.

More than 65,000 immigrants are in real or makeshi federal detention centers awaiting deportation — an alltime high.

e slightly more fortunate ones are getting their day — or at least a few minutes — in immigration court.

Courts in Crisis

e nation’s 73 immigration courts are overwhelmed.

ere are 3.5 million immigration cases pending. at includes 2.7 million asylum applications. e courts have received more than half a million new cases this year.

“U.S. immigration courts are in crisis,” says a report published last month by the Migration Policy Institute. “As DHS increases arrests of noncitizens to support Trump’s mass deportation campaign, more deportation cases will be added to the backlog and judges will likely struggle to keep up, especially as many judges have been red or taken buyouts.”

e immigration court system is part of the executive branch of

Scenes from outside Memphis Immigration Court, 80 Monroe Avenue, in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, November 18, 2025

government, not the judicial branch. Judges work for the president.

A year ago, there were 735 immigration judges. Since Trump took o ce in January, 141 judges have been red, resigned, or been reassigned, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges.

Experts estimate the system needs 1,300 judges. Congress has capped the number of immigration judges at 800.

e Memphis court has 125,000 pending immigration cases and 10 judges. e docket is so full, judges are scheduling nal hearings into 2028.

On the day Emily and her mother were in immigration court, a dozen other families were there.

Some are from Memphis. Others are from East Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and East Tennessee.

Diego, 17, and Santiago, 19, were with their father.

Cesar, 15, was with his mother. So were He erson, 13, and Joshua, 13.

e judge gave each family a pink “asylum packet” that includes applications for protection from deportation and a list of potential attorneys and their phone numbers.

e judge scheduled nal hearings for some in 2026, and others in 2027 or 2028.

e judge told each family they must attend every scheduled court hearing.

“If you do not, I will have no choice but to deport you,” the judge said.

e Trump administration has authorized ICE agents to arrest immigrants who show up for scheduled court hearings.

“ at hasn’t happened in Memphis, as far as we know,” said Casey Bryant, a local immigration attorney and executive director of Advocates for Immigrants Rights, “but people are so afraid of being arrested, a lot of them are not showing up for court at all.”

In May, ICE agents arrested at least eight noncitizens who were attending their scheduled immigration court hearings in Downtown Memphis, immigration attorney Andrew Rankin told Fox13 News. ere are no reports of similar incidents since then.

Immigrants who don’t show up for court are subject to an immediate deportation in absentia order by the court. at happened to half a dozen no-shows when Emily and her mother were in court.

“Failure to appear will result in an order of immediate removal” and a possible 10-year ban on reentry, Judge Newburn reminded those in the courtroom.

Angel and Angeles, both under 12, were with their mother.

All have been charged with being on this side of the U.S. border without authorization. at is a civil o ense, not a criminal one.

None have any felony convictions. Unauthorized entry into the U.S. is a misdemeanor, not a felony.

None have an attorney.

e judge explained the rules to each family.

ey must le applications for asylum with the U.S. Immigration Court, even if they already have led with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

ey should hire an abogado (attorney), not a notario (notary). “A notario cannot help you,” the judge said.

ey must notify the court of any change in address.

e judge gave each family more time to hire an attorney and le applications for relief from deportation.

Asylum denials nationwide have nearly doubled this year, rising to 80 percent in April, the highest rate since 2000, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. In absentia removal orders have spiked. e asylum denial rates for every Memphis judge are higher than last year.

Before Trump, most immigrants facing deportation were allowed to seek release on bond or remain free while their cases worked their way through immigration courts.

But the Board of Immigration Appeals, the executive branch body that oversees immigration courts, recently concluded that immigration judges have no authority to release people detained by ICE.

“ e judges don’t have a lot of discretion,” Bryant said. “ ey are not bad people doing bad things. ey are doing the best that they can in a system that isn’t working.”

e same can be said for Emily and her mother.

David Waters is Distinguished Journalist in Residence and assistant director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.

PHOTOS: KAREN PULFER FOCHT

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steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Take a Leap

By Abigail Morici

For nearly 40 years, Ballet Memphis has been putting on e Nutcracker. Year a er year, the professional company along with the Ballet Memphis School, Youth Ballet Memphis, and children from all over the Mid-South relive the tale of young Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. “ is is Memphis’ Nutcracker,” says Steven McMahon, Ballet Memphis’ artistic director.

Over the years, of course, there have been changes here and there. As recently as 2023, McMahon says, “It was time for us to renew the sets, the costumes, the choreography, and make an updated version of it. And so when I did that, I decided to shi the party scene that happens in Act I, which is historically in a house, to take place at this ctional holiday market that could maybe happen down by the river. So you see the river with a big river boat in the background, and it’s just a little nod to Memphis.”

And this year, the opening scene of Act II will feature Gum Drops and Cotton Candy, roles lled by student dancers. It’s a scene that’s usually features only company members.

More than 70 youth are participating in this year’s performance. “I’m always excited to see the kids, the young people,” McMahon says. “It’s such a big moment for them. For a lot of them, it’s the rst time that they ever get a real big theatrical experience. ere’s nothing quite like performing on a big stage, especially at the Orpheum. It’s so beautiful. … We’re building, hopefully, a lifelong love of dance. ese memories will be with them for a long time.

“And then for audience, it’s e Nutcracker, right? It comes back every year, and for so many people, this is a family tradition, a holiday tradition, a way of marking the arrival of the holidays.” As such, all the dancers, professionals included, McMahon says, “know what it means for them to [be a part of this production]. So I’m always just happy to see a community spirit come out of being part of e Nutcacker.”

Truly an event that “takes a village,” Ballet Memphis’ Nutcracker taps the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, featuring the AngelStreet Memphis Choir, to play Tchaikovsky’s score for the four performances.

“It’s our largest production that we do every year,” McMahon says. “If you haven’t seen it before, take a little leap and do it. It’s a couple of hours where you get to see really something beautiful; you get to hear beautiful live music. It’s just a time to just to be together and to see a little bit of magic.”

Purchase tickets at balletmemphis.com/nutcracker.

THE NUTCRACKER, ORPHEUM THEATRE, 203 SOUTH MAIN STREET, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12-13, 7:30 P.M. | SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13-14, 2 P.M., $35.90-$99.15.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES December 11th - 17th

¡Christmas Fiesta!

e Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park, Saturday, December 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

In collaboration with Cazateatro Bilingual eatre Group and Opera Memphis, visit the Dixon to celebrate the holidays and experience Christmas traditions from across Latin America and the Caribbean. Enjoy caroling, special performances, art activities, a makers market, and more.

Memphis Holiday Parade & Market

Beale Street, Saturday, December 13, noon-4 p.m.

Celebrate the magic of the season along iconic Beale Street. Explore the festive Holiday Market, featuring local vendors and one-of-a-kind gi s to make your season bright. At 1 p.m., the Holiday Parade brings Beale Street to life with sparkling oats, lively marching bands, and plenty of holiday cheer.

Caroling at Elmwood Elmwood Cemetery, 824 South Dudley Street, Tuesday, December 16, 6 p.m., $16.88

Embrace the spirit of the season with a unique and soulful experience at Caroling at Elmwood. Set against the serene backdrop of the historic Elmwood Cemetery, this enchanting event invites you to celebrate the joy and reverence of the holiday season through the timeless tradition of caroling.

Whether you want to remember, to rejoice, or to simply be surrounded by the beauty of music in a sacred setting, Caroling at Elmwood promises an unforgettable experience for all ages. Cookies and warm cider will be served.

Purchase tickets at tinyurl.com/4x3jhtnj.

Make the Yuletide Gay with Crys Matthews, Flamy Grant, and Heather Mae

e Green Room at Crosstown Arts, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Wednesday, December 17, 7:30 p.m., $25

Don your gay apparel and cozy up next to three award-winning songwriters for a night of holiday classics, original music, storytelling, comfort, and joy. 2025 International Folk Music Artist of the Year award-winner Crys Matthews is joined by genredefying artist/activist Heather Mae and shame-slaying singer-songwriter drag queen Flamy Grant for a winter show like no other. ey’re making merry and celebrating the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. Don’t miss this night of feel-good, upliing, soul- lling music.

Get tickets at crosstownarts.org.

PHOTO: JUSTIN FOX BURKS

Ballet Memphis’ e Nutcracker

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Steve Cropper in Memoriam

e guitarist, songwriter, and producer leaves behind a formidable legacy.

It was enough to get you running to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, when news spread (with few details) of Steve Cropper’s death last Wednesday. Now the crack rhythm section that backed so many Stax stars, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, has only Booker T. Jones, its namesake composer and organist, to represent the band.

As Jones expressed in a statement after Cropper’s death, “I am saddened by the passing of Steve Cropper. God rest his soul in peace. I remember riding my bicycle as a kid to Satellite Records and meeting Steve who was working as a clerk there. Day a er day he allowed me to play records, free of charge, knowing I had no money to pay for them. He was such a nice guy. He was an innovator and I was fortunate to work with him. I will miss him.”

While there was a good deal more to Cropper’s musicianship than his output at Satellite, later Stax, that label’s rise de ned him. His sound, stinging blues outbursts from his Fender Esquire/Telecaster, emerged fully formed right out of the gate when the M.G.’s “Green Onions” took the world by storm in 1962. From there, he would continue to spice up M.G.’s tracks with such electrifying licks, but also with some vicious rhythm parts, as on “Boot-Leg.” Regarding Cropper’s crucial role as a songwriter and producer, perhaps the folks at the Stax Museum

put it best when they wrote, “His work with Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, and so many others carried a spirit of authenticity and innovation that still resonates through our halls every day.”

A sense of space was fundamental to that innovation. As he put it in a 2021 interview with the Flyer, “Call it the KISS formula. ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid.’

K-I-S-S!” is in turn dovetailed with his tendency to play both rhythm and lead guitar at once, comping along when others took the spotlight, stepping out boldly when a ll or solo was called for.

at grew naturally from his emulation of Lowman Pauling of e “5” Royales.

“He was a hero of mine,” Cropper told Memphis Magazine of Pauling in 2023. “I didn’t really copy him, but I did a lot of stu like him. I thought he was a good rhythm and lead player.” Decades a er the fact, Cropper could still vividly recall seeing e “5” Royales with his friend since the sixth grade, Donald “Duck” Dunn, when they were both students at Messick High School. “We just sat and watched the band, that’s all we cared about. But Lowman wore this long strap, and when he got ready to take a solo, he’d pick it up and cradle it under his arm and play a solo. And then drop it back down and start playing the rhythm on the neck again.”

is approach would come to de ne the Stax sound. Cropper would later

tell Robert Gordon (in a 2022 interview at the Memphis Public Library), “ ey said, ‘How come there’s only one guitar on a Stax record?’ I said, ‘’Cause they couldn’t a ord two guitars!’”

Yet Cropper brought a considerable musical vocabulary to the Stax table. Speaking of “Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do),” a song he wrote with Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett, Cropper told the Flyer, “Most guitar players didn’t know or play diminished chords. And I did, and that was like a new style for everybody. Everybody was like, ‘ at’s di erent!’ No shit! ey were used to playing augmented [chords], but they didn’t know what a diminished was.” ough he o en described himself as a purely groove-oriented player, his musical learning was deep. And he credited that to the Black gospel of Memphis, which he discovered a er moving here from rural Missouri as a youth. “So the band used to say, ‘Not another one of those demolished chords!’ I said, ‘Yeah, I added that pregnant 13th to it!’ If you’re gonna add that 13th, play that sucker as loud as you can! We did that with minor ninths and minor sixths. Play ’em loud! I learned a lot of that listening to church bands. When I moved to Memphis when I was 10, I was glad to hear the radio because the only radio we listened to [before that] was in the car. Because we didn’t even have electricity on the farm

until 1948 or something. So we’d go out and listen to the car radio and try not to run the batteries down. And you’d just hear songs like ‘(How Much Is) at Doggie in the Window?’”

A er leaving Stax, Cropper parlayed his deep grasp of music and record-making into an independent career as a sideman and producer that still resonates today, whether through artists he produced at his Trans Maximus Inc. (TMI) studio in Memphis (like Je Beck) or via his role backing e Blues Brothers, o en recreating his old Stax hits. Having released his rst solo album on Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969, he carried on that tradition sporadically, well into the 21st century. In 2021, Cropper’s Fire It Up earned a Grammy nomination, and only last year, as Steve Cropper & the Midnight Hour, he released the album Friendlytown, with cameos from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Brian May of Queen.

Ultimately, though determined to “Keep It Simple, Stupid,” Cropper was a hero to many virtuosos like Beck, Gibbons, and May, and was regularly included on lists of the greatest guitarists ever. And yet, appropriately for a musician whose trademark was listening to the band and the song’s arrangement, he didn’t give the credit for such accolades to his hands. As he once told the Flyer, “I like to think that God gave me some good ears.”

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WILSON; COURTESY STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC; TED BRUEHL COURTESY FRANK BRUNO Steve Cropper through the years: (le -right) in 2021; playing the Overton Park Shell with the M.G.’s; at TMI in the ’70s

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule December 11 - 17

Ashton Riker & The Memphis Royals

ursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m.

B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

Baunie and Soul

Sunday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m. |

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Blues Trio

Saturday, Dec. 13, noon

| Sunday, Dec. 14, noon |

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 4 p.m.

B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

Eric Hughes

ursday, Dec. 11, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Flic’s Pics Band

Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m. |

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

FreeWorld

Friday, Dec. 12, 7-11 p.m. |

Saturday, Dec. 13, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

FreeWorld

Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.

BLUES CITY CAFE

Memphis Soul Factory

ursday, Dec. 11, 4 p.m. |

Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.

B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

Soul Street

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7-11 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band

Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. |

Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. |

Monday, Dec. 15, 8 p.m.

B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

Vince Johnson

Monday, Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m. |

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6:30 p.m.

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Christmas with CoroRio Featuring all the choirs of the MidSouth Music Institute and performances by LRP Studios and the Hernando High School Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Saturday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m.

CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Holiday Tea with the Memphis Symphony League

Friday, Dec. 12, 1:30 p.m.

CHEZ PHILIPPE

KP Hawthorn and Caitlin Cannon

Friday, Dec. 12, 7-9 p.m.

SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS

Richard Wilson

ursday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m.

BUTTERIFIC BAKERY & CAFE

Elmo & the Shades

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

John Williams & the A440 Band

ursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

The Deb Jam Band

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

The Mixers

Sunday, Dec. 14, 4-7 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

The Southern Express Band

Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Van Duren

e singer-songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo.

ursday, Dec. 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

MORTIMER’S

Webb Dalton

Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Allen Stone and Ripe Friday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Almost Elton John

Saturday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Christmas Concert with Mark Edgar Stuart & The Blueshift Ensemble

With special guests Bailey Bigger, Alexis Grace, and In nity Stairs. ursday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Daphnie and Chris Acoustic

Sunday, Dec. 14, 1 p.m.

COOPER’S

Delta Pulse Thursdays Vol. 1, Featuring Lumen With Steele, Don Twan, Big Rig. ursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m.

GROWLERS

Devil Train

Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and ski e. ursday, Dec. 11, 9 p.m.

B-SIDE

Electrix Xmas

With Data Drums, Cel Shade, Dinosauria, Neon Glittery, and more. Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

Galleries of Sound: Memphis Youth Symphony Holiday Performance

A spirited performance of holiday classics by the Memphis Youth Symphony. $20/general admission. Saturday, Dec. 13, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

THE MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

PHOTO: CROSSTOWN ARTS

Mark Edgar Stuart

Gospel Talk Christmas

Revue feat. Elizabeth King, The Jubilee Hummingbirds, and Vintage Souls Experience the power and spirit of Memphis gospel. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Happy Hour at the Brooks: Merry Medleys with Darryl Jones

Relish in the holiday season with festive tunes from local utist Darryl Evan Jones. Described as the “Ambassador of Instrumental Soul,” Jones brings the same depth and engagement to his holiday set.

ursday, Dec. 11, 6-7:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Heavy Pour, Radar Blips, F!rst Saturday, Dec. 13, 9 p.m.

HI TONE

Holiday Jazz Jam Session Hosted by the Alex Upton Quartet Tuesday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Jason Da Hater

Listening Event

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m.

MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB

Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet

Jazz musicians are welcome to sit in. Sunday, Dec. 14, 6-9

p.m.

THE COVE

JD Westmoreland Band

Monday, Dec. 15, 10 p.m.

B-SIDE

Joe Restivo 4

Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s nest jazz quartets.

Sunday, Dec. 14, noon.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Horse. Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Kafé Kirk: Kirk

Whalum with special guest Kandace Springs is concert will feature jazz pianist and singer Kandace Springs, and the opener will be 2025’s Essentially Ellington champions, the Central High School Jazz Band. Sunday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

Killer Whale

ursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

Lance McDaniel Live Perfect for some mid-week rock. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6 p.m.

COOPER’S

Level Three

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 10 p.m.

LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR

Lucero Family Christmas With Amigo the Devil, River Shook. Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Make the Yuletide Gay with Crys Matthews, Flamy Grant, and Heather Mae

ree songwriters o er a night of holiday classics, original music, storytelling, comfort, and joy. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m.

THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Mark Allen

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 4 p.m.

CROSSTOWN BREWING CO.

Melinda ‘n’ Friends Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Mystrio

Sunday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m.

B-SIDE

An Evening with Ben Nichols & Friends

With Todd Beene, Morgan Swain. Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Gia Welch

Free. Friday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Memphis Music Christmas Show

An electrifying showcase of incredible youth talent from the Mid-South and surrounding areas. Saturday, Dec. 13, 10:30 a.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 2:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.

HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Stax Museum’s Holiday Celebration: In The Christmas Spirit with The MDs

celebrated gospel label.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m.

MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB

Richard Wilson

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 11 a.m.

JUST LOVE COFFEE CAFE MEMPHIS

Shiba Shiba

Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

Small Room Slammer

With Degenerate Breakfast. Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.

HI TONE

Songwriter Circle

With Clay Ayers, Runi Salem, Troy Bennett. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 8 p.m.

B-SIDE

Steve Selvidge Band Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.

B-SIDE

Swingtime Explosion Big Band

ursday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Team Marcia

Saturday, Dec. 13, 9 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

The Bugaloos Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.

HUEY’S MIDTOWN

The Narrows With Bozo Red, Zoë Dominguez, and Wilshire. Saturday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. GROWLERS

The Unlikely Candidates Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m. GROWLERS

TubaChristmas

Christmas music played on the world’s most beloved brass instrument. Free. Saturday, Dec. 13, 1-3 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE CENTRAL ATRIUM

Stax Museum’s annual holiday celebration and performance by e MDs, the world’s greatest Booker T. & the M.G.’s tribute band. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6-7:30 p.m.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

The El Pablo 1x Experience ft. Hakim da Great

With a live band, dynamic dancers, and a vibe that moves your soul. $20/general admission, $30/tickets for two. Friday, Dec. 12, 7-9 p.m.

K3 STUDIO CAFE

The Shed: Holiday Edition

A welcoming stage for 5th to 12th grade students to showcase their creativity, connect with peers, and celebrate the arts. Friday, Dec. 12, 6-8 p.m.

STAX MUSIC ACADEMY

Trey & the Wallbangers Sunday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.

HUEY’S SOUTHAVEN

Five O’Clock Shadow Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.

HUEY’S CORDOVA

Germantown Symphony Orchestra: Holiday Concert

Don’t miss this annual holiday favorite, featuring Dr. Armee Hong performing Vivaldi’s “Winter” violin concerto from e Four Seasons. Several enchanting pieces will be presented by choruses from Germantown High School, led by Rosalyn Lake, and Houston High School, under the direction of Kinsey Healy. $35/general admission.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 7-9 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS

CENTER

Glyders

Benton Parker & the Royal Reds

Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.

HUEY’S POPLAR

With Tennessee Screamers, JB & Laurel. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 9 p.m.

B-SIDE

Josh Green

Friday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

COOPER’S Joybomb

Heavy pop-punk sounds. With Avon Park, Don

Play Some Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute)

Sunday, Dec. 14, 5 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Prabay Records

Listening Event

An exploration of the

Bob Nelson & the Bobcats

Sunday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.

HUEY’S MILLINGTON

Ken Houston Duo Sunday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.

HUEY’S OLIVE BRANCH

The Chaulkies

Sunday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.

HUEY’S COLLIERVILLE

Quixote’s

CALENDAR of EVENTS: DECEMBER 11

- 17

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

PHOTO: COURTESY MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

rough “biomorphic and geometric visual language,” Amy Hutcheson “dismantle[s] and reconstruct[s] the world around [her]” in her Memphis Botanic Garden exhibition.

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

Amy Hutcheson Exhibition

As the artists says, “ rough biomorphic and geometric visual language, I dismantle and reconstruct the world around me.” rough Dec. 30.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Artists’ Link Holiday Show

Including over 40 works by local artists exhibiting a variety of media. rough Dec. 29.

ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

ART GALLERY

Bartlett Art Association Holiday Showcase

A wide range of work from local artists available for purchase. rough Dec. 26.

WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER

“Bettye’s Bin: The Personal Archives of Stax Songwriter Bettye Crutcher”

Discover the story of a woman who transformed poetry into platinum hits. rough Feb. 22.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

“Her Star Is on the Rise”: New Works by Leanna Carey

Magical realist landscapes wrought in vivid colors. rough Dec. 15.

BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Jared Small:

“Concomitant” Vivid colors enliven these images of botanic blooms and fanciful buildings. rough Dec. 20.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

Justin Williams: “Stage” is exhibit transforms the city’s musicians and performers into vivid portraits. rough Dec. 20. THE UGLY ART COMPANY

“Last Whistle: Steamboat Stories of Memphis”

Featuring detailed model boats and original steamboat artifacts. rough June 26.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

“L’Estampe Originale: A Graphic Treasure” is extremely rare portfolio features 95 works of graphic art by 74 artists. rough Jan. 11.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Mary K. VanGieson: “Chasing the Ephemeral” VanGieson creates prints, sculptures, and installations using alternative materials. rough Dec. 31. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Master Metalsmith

James Viste: “Let Me Tell You a Story” is exhibit by the museum’s 39th Master Metalsmith is lled with whimsy, humor, memories, and anecdotes. rough Feb. 1.

METAL MUSEUM

Riley Payne: “Ocean Size”

ese works o er up multiple readings through the use of instantly recognizable reference imagery. rough Jan. 10.

TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK

“Reflection + Ritual + Refuge”

A major solo exhibition by Memphis-based artist Brantley Ellzey. rough Jan. 25.

CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE

Sean Latif Heiser:

“Time is a Hearer” Heiser’s paintings shi between imagined landscapes and architectures. rough Jan. 9.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin” Exhibition

“Speaking Truth to Power” explores Bayard Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. rough Dec. 31.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

Tributaries: Kat Cole’s “Meditations” Cole captures ephemeral gestures in glass, enamel, and steel. rough March 8.

METAL MUSEUM

ART HAPPENINGS

Artists Market

With art, jewelry, home decor, live metal demonstrations, hands-on activities, and delicious bites from a local food truck. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

METAL MUSEUM

Black-Owned Holiday Bazaar

A festive marketplace celebrat-

continued from page 19

ing and supporting Black entrepreneurship. rough Dec. 17.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Holiday Bazaar Art Show

is event highlights the work of students from the Seeds of Peace a er-school art program and the Teen Mural Apprentices.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 2:30-5 p.m.

CARPENTER ART GARDEN

Stitch and Story:

Patchwork Memory Squares

Get cra y with fabric in a unique workshop. $35. ursday, Dec. 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

WinterArts 2025

Exceptional and unique handcra ed works by our region’s nest artists. rough Dec. 24.

7570 WEST FARMINGTON BLVD.

COMEDY

Comedy Night

With your hosts, Ben and Bush.

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m.

BAR DKDC

Drafts & Laughs

Comedy Show

Beer makes comedy funnier.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING (DOWNTOWN THE RAVINE)

Open Mic Comedy Night

A hilarious Midtown tradition. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 8 p.m. HI TONE

COMMUNITY

Porter-Leath Toy Truck

Donate to the 24th Annual Porter-Leath Toy Truck and help bring holiday joy to 5,000 local preschool children.

Friday, Dec. 12, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |

Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

WMC ACTION NEWS 5

DANCE

Esprit de Corps Dance Company’s The Nutcracker

A fun way for the whole family to celebrate the holidays.

$20. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER

The Nutcracker Ballet Memphis performs with exquisite sets and costumes as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra plays the iconic Tchaikovsky score. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 2-4 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2-4 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

EXPO/SALES

Gifts of Green

A variety of tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties make the perfect gi for the holiday hostess or your own home decor. Also nd holiday gi s for the plant lover. rough Dec. 30.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

CALENDAR: DECEMBER 11 - 17

Visit the

FAMILY

spellbinding journeys. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.

CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

Met Opera 2025: Andrea Chénier

A special cinema encore presentation of the Metropolitan Opera’s take on the life of the poet Andrea Chénier. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6:30 p.m.

MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

FOOD AND DRINK

Babalu Overton Square’s Holiday Cocktail Mixer

performance of Tía Pancha: A Christmas Story. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Christmas Ghosts and Tea: A Victorian Tradition

Enjoy an assortment of holiday savories and sweets and an array of teas. en hear Christmas legends come to life. $60. Saturday, Dec. 13, 4-7 p.m.

WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE MUSEUM

Crafts & Coco: Kids

Holiday Gift Making

to

December Holiday

Family Day!

Free admission, live music, food trucks, cra s, games, and more. Free. Saturday, Dec. 13, 1-5 p.m.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

Writing Workshop: A

Christmas Carol ReMix

Students from the 4th to 12th grades will be challenged with retelling one or more parts of A Christmas Carol, with prizes for the best stories. Saturday, Dec. 13, 1 p.m.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

FESTIVAL

learn

Frosty Fest & Pop Local Finalist Showcase Day

Santa Claus is coming to town. Saturday, Dec. 13, 2-5 p.m.

CARRIAGE CROSSING

Holiday Wonders at the Garden

Step into a world of twinkling lights, cozy moments, and holiday magic. rough Dec. 30.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

FILM

Like You Film Club: Animal Tales of Christmas Magic Five tales of animals taking

Enjoy small bites, drinks, and brush up on your cocktail know. $40. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

BABALU

HOLIDAY EVENTS

A Very Merry Beer & Carols

Sing and be merry. Familyfriendly and free to attend. Friday, Dec. 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

EVERGREEN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Caroling at Elmwood

An all-ages holiday singalong. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6 p.m.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY

Christmas Fiesta!

Cazateatro and Opera Memphis help evoke Christmas traditions from across Latin America and the Caribbean. With caroling by Opera Memphis and a

Kids can sip hot cocoa and make holiday gi s like yarn paintings, felt wreaths, and Christmas cards. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11:30 a.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 12:30 p.m.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Holiday Vintage Market

A pop-up vintage market with holiday favorites. Sunday, Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

BLUE SUEDE VINTAGE

Hot Chocolate Floats & Pictures with Santa at Kaye’s Pints & Scoops

Enjoy hot chocolate oats and pictures with Santa. $11. Saturday, Dec. 13, noon-4 p.m.

KAYE’S PINTS & SCOOPS

Lantern Festival

A one-of-a-kind holiday light experience featuring more than 60 larger-than-life illuminated xtures. rough Feb. 1.

MEMPHIS ZOO

9-20

PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Dixon

celebrate the holidays and

about the Christmas traditions of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Memphis Holiday Parade & Market

Shop unique gifts from local vendors, enjoy live music, and bring the kids for festive face painting. Saturday, Dec. 13, noon-4 p.m.

HANDY PARK

Pictures with Santa Holiday crafts, hot chocolate, and of course, Santa. For children 12 and under. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

Santa Photos at Saddle Creek

Santa Claus is coming to Saddle Creek for free photos. Friday, Dec. 12, 3-6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 2-7 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 1-5 p.m.

SADDLE CREEK SOUTH

Santa Photo Experience

Santa will be available seven days a week in the Center Court area. Through Wednesday, Dec. 24.

WOLFCHASE GALLERIA

Special Story Time Event: Roscoe and the Christmas Gift

Author Becky Thomas will be on hand. Saturday, Dec. 13, 10:30 a.m.

NOVEL

Starry Nights

A driving tour through dazzling displays featuring millions of lights. Pony and wagon rides also available. Thursday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.

SHELBY FARMS PARK

Starry Nights Afterglow

An adults-only holiday speakeasy tucked inside a softly lit yurt. 21+. Select nights. Through Jan. 2.

SHELBY FARMS PARK

The Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees

The Pink Palace’s Mezzanine filled with beautifully decorated trees, with animated characters, model trains, and more. Through Dec. 28

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

LECTURE

Art & Aperitifs: The Hooks Brothers Collection

Curator C. Rose Smith explores the Hooks Brothers Studio Collection. Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

PERFORMING ARTS

Have Yourself a Merry Kinkmas With burlesque and drag performances, plus kinky demonstrations. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. HI TONE

Memphis Black Nativity

Experience a soulful, Memphis retelling of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity. $30/general admission, $85/VIP admission, $25/group ticket. Friday, Dec. 12, 7-9 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7-9 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2-4 p.m.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Memphis Matters: Stories of Patience A living space for courage, creativity, empathy, and shared humanity. Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Secrets in the Galleries: Slay Bells Ring (ages 18+)

Unravel a festive mystery at the Dixon’s very first holiday whodunit. $40/members, $60/nonmembers. Saturday, Dec. 13, 6-8:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 6-8:30 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

The Ho Ho Ho Burlesque Show & Silent Auction

Memphis Roller Derby’s largest fundraiser of the year. Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. HI TONE

SPECIAL EVENTS

Wheel of Fortune Live

The game show everyone loves becomes a live experience. Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

CALENDAR: DECEMBER 11 - 17

SPORTS

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz Friday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

Memphis Sports Womxn’s Clinic

An introduction to some of the organized adult sports in Memphis. Saturday, Dec. 13, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

LIBERTY TURF FIELD

Memphis Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m.

FEDEXFORUM

THEATER

A Christmas Carol

A local holiday tradition. Thursday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 3 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

Annie Jr. The Musical

Featuring everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2:30 p.m.

GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

A Tuna Christmas

Set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the Christmas Yard Display Contest is about to commence.

Thursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

Beyond the Stars: A Madonna

Christmas Story

Each year, the students of Madonna Learning Center astound the audience as they perform an original musical centered around the heart of Christmas. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m.

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Christmas Gems

Featuring The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” adapted from Dylan Thomas. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.

TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Cold Rhythm

Young Actors Guild presents this original holiday musical written by YAG alumnus Jaylen Hunter. Saturday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical Rediscover the magic of Dr. Seuss’ classic holiday tale as it comes to life on stage. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Junie B. Jones the Musical

Based on the popular children’s book by Barbara Park. Thursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

Crossword

ACROSS

1 Little something to eat

5 Love handles, essentially

9 Word with pint or plus

13 McFlurry flavor

14 Delight

15 Fawned-over figure

16 Opening night nightmares

17 Times New ___ (popular typeface)

18 Idle, with “off”

19 Talk trash?

22 Nephew of Abraham

23 Bygone Mideast inits.

24 Word with boll or Bowl

28 French novelist Marcel

30 Hairstyle

32 Flurry

33 Recite aphorisms?

36 Swiss city on the Rhine

39 Morn’s counterpart

40 No longer in

41 Perform poetry?

44 Ring master

45 C-worthy

46 Old Soviet naval base site

50 Long way to go?

52 Taking after

53 Bordeaux buddy

54 Narrate audiobooks?

58 Native people of southern Arizona

61 First sign of spring

62 Snake eyes or boxcars, in craps

63 Digital image format

64 Brings up

65 Archipelago part

66 Make content

67 Place for a crow’s-nest

68 Freshness

DOWN

1 Orange juice specification

2 One on a soapbox

3 Mailed

4 Hydrant hookup

5 Fine meal

6 Exemplar of innocence

7 Run ___ (postpone the bar bill)

8 Del Toro of “The Usual Suspects”

9 Something to see

10 Pledge of allegiance, maybe

11 Menagerie

12 Little help?

Typos and such

Prepares on short notice

Downplay

New Mexico resort town

Horatian creations

If Scrooge Was A Brother Ekundayo Bandele’s urban spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Through Dec. 21.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Kinfolks Conversations

Dancer CeCe Monroe is caught between ambition and betrayal. Thursday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical

A musical adaptation of the beloved television special. Friday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 2:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2:30 p.m.

HARRELL THEATRE

The Wizard of Oz

The enchanting story of Dorothy Gale after she is swept away by a powerful twister and finds herself in the mystical land of Oz. Thursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Tía Pancha: A Christmas Story

Cazateatro’s special bilingual adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, with a Latin twist. Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m. THEATREWORKS AT EVERGREEN

There’s a bridge at the top of it

Operator

Green with the 2010 hit “Forget You”

Marriott competitor

___ Trueheart, Dick Tracy’s

Slider on an abacus

It gets the

Rain slightly

Pitcher’s problem

“Good riddance!”

Appetizer often served with chutney

Senses, as trouble

Two

PUZZLE BY JULES MARKEY

We Saw You.

with MICHAEL DONAHUE

It was a wrap … party at The Central Station Hotel for The Last Story of David Allen

e party, held November 20th, was for the cast, crew, and friends of the madein-Memphis thriller directed by Memphian Justin Gullett.

e lm, produced by Memphians Paul Becker and Kevin Ivey, stars Chris Mason, Spencer Locke, Zach Tinker, and Ronnie Gene Blevins.

e movie, according to the press release, “follows an ordinary man pushed into killing, chronicling the story of his last victim, the woman he tries not to fall in love with, and the realization that it’s never too late for redemption.”

PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE above: Al Kapone, Lin Sitler, Sharon Fox O’Guin circle: Zach Tinker below: (le to right) Ben Wilson, Dr. Avery Cain, and Jordan Mitchell Beatty; Phyllis and Lyle Johnson; Paul Becker and Kevin Ivey bottom row: (le to right) Brad Peterman, Krista Capo, Gary Capo, and Dennis Dwyer; Ty and Amy Carpenter

and Lauren

circle: Bob Rogers and Christie Johnson

right row: (top and below) Spence and Becky Wilson and Spence Wilson Jr.; Gena and Luke Brimhall, Nathan Kirby, and Becki and Terry Brimhall below: (le to right) Justin and Lauren Gullett; Hannah Mae Roark, Nila Neukum, and Deb Darby; Jenny and Gary Earhart; Spencer Locke and Chris Mason bottom row: (le to right) Vin Downing, Quinto Ragnacci, and Steve Jones; Bill Stearnes and Augusta Rivera Campbell

above: Scott Nivens, Rae Rhodes, Dustin Brantley, Kevin Ivey,

Ivey

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Don’t Mess With My Blue Suede Martini

More holiday cocktails with local spirits.

While sugarplums dance in your head, let cranberries dance in your cocktail glass during the holidays.

More Memphis bartenders shared holiday drinks they created using every seasonal ingredient except the holly and the ivy. But they also used some of our locally-made spirits. ese concoctions are perfect for those who want to conspire and dream by the re or just go for a walk in the winter (although it’s still fall) wonderland.

First, Rubén Tree at e Second Line and Art Bar at Crosstown Arts shares e Blue Suede Martini, using Blue Note Bourbon, and Julep’s Last Leg, using Old Dominick Distillery gin. en, Lisa Gradinger at Tonica and Ecco details her Holiday Cranberry Spritzer, using Old Dominick Formula No. 10 Gin, and Spiced Honey Old Fashioned, using Old Dominick 90.1 Proof Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey. Plus, Lili Clark at Acre Restaurant shares the Crimson & Evergreen recipe.

Since it’s the holiday season and lovethy-neighbor is in the air, we let Clark use Cathead Vodka, which is made by Cathead Distillery in Jackson, Mississippi, for her holiday cocktail entry. at’s the vodka Acre uses, Clark says.

Describing her cocktail, she says, “It’s like a hybrid of a vodka gimlet and a cosmo. Built like a classic gimlet.” Check out all the recipes below.

e Blue Suede Martini

• 2 ounce Blue Note Bourbon

• ¼ ounce Dolin blanc or dry vermouth

• 1 dash orange bitters

• 1 dash Angostura Bitters

• 1 ounce rich vanilla demerara

• ¼ ounce blue curaçao (to rinse the glass)

Add all ingredients (except blue curaçao) to your mixing tin.

Swirl ¼ ounce of blue curaçao a few times to “rinse” a chilled coupe glass and “dump” the excess. (Optional): Add an ice ball to “trap” your rinse at the bottom of the coupe glass.

Shake, shake, shake your mixing tin for 10 seconds or until the tin is frosted. (Optional): Pour over the ice ball to create the “snow globe” e ect.

Julep’s Last Leg

• 1½ ounce of Old Dominick Gin

• 4 dashes mint bitters

• 5 to 6 fresh mint leaves

• ½ ounce of roasted red date syrup

• A pinch lemongrass dust

In a mixing tin, add crushed ice with a pinch of lemon grass powder. Shake your mixing tin to infuse the aroma of lemongrass with your crushed ice.

Dump the infused crushed ice into your pewter julep cup.

With fresh ice in a mixing tin, add your Old Dominick gin, 4 dashes of mint bitters, 5 to 6 mint leaves, and ½ ounce of roasted red date syrup.

Shake vigorously for 10 to 12 sec-

onds or until the tin is frosted.

Strain over crushed ice into your julep ware.

Curl one or two mint sprigs around a bar spoon and plant them into the crushed ice. — Rubén Tree

Holiday Cranberry Spritzer

• 1½ ounces Old Dominick

Formula No. 10 Gin

• ½ ounce Campari

• ¾ ounce spiced cranberry syrup

• 3 ounces cava

• 1½ ounce soda water

Combine rst three ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Chill and strain into an ice- lled wine glass. Top with cava and soda. Stir. Garnish with orange slice, rosemary sprig, and cranberries.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 cups fresh cranberries

• Cinnamon sticks

• Whole cloves

• Whole allspice berries

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer until cranberries burst, about 20 minutes. en cool.

Spiced Honey Old Fashioned

• 2 ounces Old Dominick 90.1 Proof

Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

• 1 ounce lemon juice

• 1 ounce clementine juice

• 1½ ounces spiced honey syrup

• 4 dashes orange bitters

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to chill. Strain into an icelled old fashioned glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon wheel.

Recipe for Spiced Honey

• ½ cup honey

• ½ cup water

• Rosemary

• Cinnamon sticks

• Cardamom pods

• Fresh ginger

• Orange zest

• Vanilla

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium high heat. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Then cool.

— Lisa Gradinger

Crimson & Evergreen

• 2 ounces vodka

• ¾ ounce rosemary ginger syrup

• ¾ ounce lime plus ¼ ounce cranberry juice

• 1 dash Fee Brothers cranberry bitters

• 1 dash salt solution

“I usually make a rosemary tincture and add just a dash of that to bring out the herbal, earthy tones little bit more. But it’s great without that, too.

“ e garnish takes a little time, but it’s very cute. Fresh rosemary sprigs dipped in a little simple syrup. Dry it o and let it sit a bit. And then toss it in granulated sugar. It makes this frosted Christmas tree-looking garnish. row a few cranberries on top and there you go.

“Rosemary simple syrup is easy to make with white sugar and a little sliced ginger root.

“ e Fee Brothers cranberry bitters are a very vibrant red. So just a dash or two gives a nice pink hue without overdoing it on the cranberry spice.

“Crimson & Evergreen [is] not on the menu at Acre. … But I make it for Christmas parties, sometimes, if we do a full restaurant buyout for a holiday party.” — Lili Clark

Rubén Tree

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE

Lisa Gradinger

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE

Lili Clark

PHOTO: SOPHIE CHILDERS

By Emily Guenther

Neptune’s Last Lap

Reckoning and release come into focus as the planet retrogrades through Pisces.

Outer planets in our solar system take longer to orbit the sun than Earth does, being farther away from its gravitational pull. Neptune has been in retrograde since July and will continue to orbit in that fashion until January.

Since Neptune entered Aries on March 30th, you may have felt an inner call to rede ne your identity. A surge of revolutionary energy may have ignited bold visions or idealistic pursuits.

But when Neptune turned retrograde in Aries on July 4th, that clarity may have blurred, creating tension between your urge to act and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

On October 22nd, Neptune slid back into Pisces, o ering one nal opportunity to dive beneath the surface and reclaim hidden treasures — or gently close the chapters that no longer serve you.

From now until January 26, 2026, the focus shi s to surrender and spiritual integration. is is a chance to absorb the lessons not only of the past three months, but of the entire 15-year Neptune-in-Pisces cycle that began in April 2011. A er this, Neptune won’t return to Pisces for another 165 years.

When Neptune dri ed into Pisces on April 4, 2011, it opened a portal into the collective subconscious. Both Neptune and Pisces rule dreams, empathy, and illusion. Together, they so ened the edges between the mystical and the mainstream. Astrology, tarot, and talk therapy surged into popularity as self-inquiry became a shared obsession. Millennials and Gen Z brought mental health into the algorithm, turning “shadow work” and “trauma responses” into everyday language.

As spirituality fused with technology, our inner worlds went digital, manifesting in parasocial bonds with creators and curated “higher selves” ltered through Instagram lenses. Neptune in Pisces skewed reality in more ways than one. Arti cial intelligence, deepfakes, and virtual in uencers like Hollywood’s AI-born actress Tilly Norwood emerged as uncanny embodiments of this transit’s dream logic. And now, ChatGPT has become everyone’s imaginary friend — equal parts oracle, mirror, and muse.

Neptune — planet of dreams, illusions, and the unseen — turns retrograde each year for roughly ve months. During this reversal, we’re invited to step back from the noise of daily life and turn inward. But be mindful, the planet also governs escapism, and its retrograde can stir the temptation to retreat into old patterns or unhealthy coping mechanisms. e most aligned response? Choose conscious stillness. is is a potent time to deepen your self-awareness, especially in areas that feel murky, overwhelming, or out of control. is phase also deepens your contemplation. Life may feel like a giant re ecting pool as soothsayer Neptune goes retrograde in its home sign of Pisces. Prepare to wade into your subconscious until the oceanic planet resumes forward motion. erapy, intentional ceremonies, and energy work may help you tap into the farthest reaches of your subconscious. is should be familiar terrain though, as Neptune has been moving through Pisces since 2011 and retrogrades here annually. But this chapter is nearing its close. On January 26, 2026, the planet will leave Pisces for good and begin its journey through Aries, where it will remain until 2039.

is is Neptune’s last retrograde lap through Pisces in our lifetimes. You may nd yourself craving closure on longstanding issues. If that can’t happen through conversation, you may have to step away from situations that keep pulling you into self-defeating patterns. is is a time of reckoning and release. It doesn’t just stir dreams, it forces a confrontation with illusion. What once felt comforting or idealized may now reveal its edges, asking us to see with sharper clarity. It’s a time for spiritual re ection, creative breakthroughs, and the courageous act of letting go. ere will be a powerful focus on endings — on closing chapters, dissolving outdated patterns, and preparing the soul for what’s next. e fog li s, and with it comes truth. Not always easy, but necessary.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

Bright Ideas

HOUR

W-F

MUSIC BINGO

• Bothered by spicy foods? Researchers in China have developed an artificial “tongue” that can detect spice levels in foods, the New York Post reported on Oct. 29. The small transparent square is placed on the user’s tongue and detects spice levels ranging from nothing to beyond levels perceived as painful. It can also detect flavors such as ginger, black pepper, horseradish, garlic, and onion. No word on when it will be available to the public. [NY Post, 10/29/2025]

• On Oct. 25 in Lille, France, an almost-homeless tech entrepreneur, Dagobert Renouf, married his love, Anna Plynina, People magazine reported. But because of Renouf’s broke status, the nuptials nearly didn’t happen. However, in July, Renouf had a brainstorm: He sold sponsorships for the wedding, with corporate donors getting their logos sewn onto his suit jacket. With Plynina supporting the project, Renouf launched a website, offering spots for $300 up to $2,000, depending on the placement. He promised to wear the jacket in all the wedding photos, which would be shared on social media platforms with 116,000 followers. Twenty-six companies bought in, for a total of $10,000 in advertising revenue. The suit cost $5,200 to make, and Renouf had to pay $2,500 on the income. “I basically got a free suit and $2,000 out of it,” he said. Even better, he got a job: One company was impressed with his ideas and dedication, and “I’ve been absolutely killing it and enjoying it since then,” Renouf said. [People, 11/4/2025]

I Feel Like I’ve Forgotten Something …

• During a virtual hearing in the 36th District Court in Detroit on Oct. 27, police officer Matthew Jackson showed up to testify about a woman charged with drag racing and disorderly conduct. But, WXYZ-TV reported, he forgot one important part of his uniform: pants. “You got some pants on, officer?” asked Judge Sean Perkins. Jackson replied, “No, sir,” and moved his camera up so his bare legs could no longer be seen, and the hearing continued. Jackson was apparently wearing underwear with his uniform shirt. Detroit police apologized and said they would remind all officers about proper etiquette and dress codes for virtual hearings. “It was an interesting day, to say the least,”

said TaTaNisha Reed, the defendant’s attorney. [WXYZ, 10/29/2025]

• Meanwhile, Glasgow (Scotland) City Councillor Hanif Raja dropped into a virtual planning meeting in early November but forgot to turn off his camera when he sat down on the toilet. The BBC reported that another councillor asked Raja if he was “aware that your camera is live,” prompting Raja to explain that he is diabetic and needs frequent “comfort breaks.” “The button was pressed and I didn’t notice,” he said. The council removed the livestream and said it would be uploaded after editing. [BBC, 11/5/2025]

Saw That Coming

Hillary Martin of Orange County, Florida, has filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld Orlando following an incident that happened in March, ClickOrlando reported. Martin is seeking $50,000 in damages after she was struck by a duck riding the Mako roller coaster. (We didn’t even know ducks like roller coasters.) Martin said the duck flew into the coaster’s path and struck her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness. She claims the park created a “zone of danger” by placing the ride near a body of water. No word on the duck’s condition or injuries. [ClickOrlando, 10/29/2025]

Florida

On the morning of Nov. 3 at a Publix grocery store in Miami, a man using the restroom stall was assaulted after Alfredo Brindis, 72, “entered the restroom frantically and began to bang on the stall door,” Local10-TV reported. When the victim exited the stall, Brindis yelled at him to “hurry and move,” but Brindis was blocking his way. He said Brindis “presented a knife and waved it in front of the victim” and “tried to cut him.” The victim used his bookbag to shield himself. Brindis told police that he “really needed to use the restroom.” He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. [Local10, 11/4/2025]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

© 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Home is a building you live in. It’s also a metaphor for the inner world you carry within you. Is it an expansive and luminous place filled with windows that look out onto vast vistas? Or is it cramped, dark, and in disrepair, a psychic space where it’s hard to feel comfortable? Does it have a floor plan you love and made yourself? Or was it designed according to other people’s expectations? It may be neither of those extremes, of course. My hope is that this horoscope will prod you to renovate aspects of your soul’s architecture. The coming months will be an excellent time for this sacred work.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): During the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1872, workers made an uncanny discovery: They could detect approaching storms by observing vibrations in the bridge’s cables. The massive metal structure was an inadvertent meteorological instrument. I’m predicting that your intuition will operate with comparable sensitivity in the coming months, Taurus. You will have a striking capacity to notice subtle signals in your environment. What others regard as background noise will reveal rich clues to you. Hot tip: Be extra alert for nuanced professional opportunities and social realignments. Like the bridge workers, you will be attuned to early signs of changing conditions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Sloths are so energy-efficient they can survive on 160 calories per day: the equivalent of an apple. They’ve mastered the art of thriving on minimal intake by moving deliberately and digesting thoroughly. Life is inviting you to learn from sloths, Gemini. The coming weeks will be a good time to take an inventory of your energy strategies. Are you burning fuel frantically, or are you extracting maximum nourishment from what you already possess? However you answer that question, I urge you to experiment with being more efficient — but without depriving yourself. Try measuring your productivity not by speed and flash but by the diligence of your extraction. Dig deep and be thorough. Your nervous system and bank account will thank you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The Danish concept of arbejdsglæde refers to the happiness and satisfaction derived from work. It’s the joy found in labor itself, not just in its financial rewards and prestige. It’s about exulting in the self-transformations you generate as you do your job. Now is an excellent time to claim this joy more than ever, Cancerian. Meditate with relish on all the character-building and soul-growth opportunities your work offers you and will continue to provide.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the deep Pacific Ocean, fields of giant tube worms thrive

By Rob Brezsny

in total darkness around hydrothermal vents, converting toxic chemicals into lifesustaining energy. These weirdly resilient creatures challenge our assumptions about which environments can support growth. I suspect your innovative approach to gathering resources in the coming months will display their adaptability. Situations that others find inhospitable or unmanageable will be intriguing opportunities for you. For best results, you should ruminate on how limitations could actually protect and nurture your development. You may discover that conventional sustenance isn’t your only option.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): For a long time, scientists didn’t understand why humans have an organ called the appendix. Most thought it was useless. But it turns out that the appendix is more active than anyone knew. Among other functions, it’s a safe haven for beneficial gut bacteria. If a health crisis disrupts our microbiome, this unsung hero repopulates our intestines with the helpful microbes we need. What was once considered irrelevant is actually a backup drive. With that in mind as a metaphor, here’s my question, Virgo: How many other parts of your world may be playing long games and performing unnoticed services that you haven’t understood yet? Investigate that possibility!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the coming months, you’ll be asked to wield your Libran specialties more than ever. Your allies and inner circle will need you to provide wise counsel and lucid analysis. For everyone’s sake, I hope you balance compassion with clarity and generosity with discernment. Certain collaborations will need corrective measures but shouldn’t be abandoned. Your gift will lie in finding equilibrium that honors everyone’s dignity. When in doubt, ask: “What would restore harmony rather than merely appear polite?” True diplomacy is soulful, not superficial. Bonus: The equilibrium you achieve could resonate far beyond your immediate circle.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The Hubble Space Telescope is a school bussized space observatory orbiting 320 miles above the Earth. There, it observes the universe free from atmospheric distortion. Its instruments and detectors need to be recalibrated continuously. Daily monitors, weekly checks, and yearly updates keep the telescope’s tech sharp as it ages. I believe it’s a good time for you Scorpios to do your own recalibrations. Subtle misalignments between your intentions and actions can now be corrected. Your basic vision and plans are sound; the adjustments required are minor. For best results, have maximum fun as you fine-tune your fundamentals.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Leonardo da Vinci painted his iconic Mona Lisa on a thin panel of poplar wood, which naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Over the centuries, this movement has caused a crack and measurable warping. One side of the classic opus is bending a bit more than the other. Let’s use this as a metaphor for you, Sagittarius. I suspect that a fine quality you are known for and proud of is changing shape. This should be liberating, not worrisome. If even the Mona Lisa can’t remain static, why should you? I say: Let your masterwork age. Just manage the process with grace and generosity. The central beauty may be changing, but it’s still beautiful.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Apoptosis” is a word referring to programmed cell death. It’s a process by which your aging, damaged, or obsolete cells deliberately destroy themselves for the benefit of your organism as a whole. This “cellular suicide” is carefully regulated and crucial for development, maintenance, and protection against diseases. About 50-70 billion cells die in you every day, sacrificing themselves so you can live better. Let’s use this healthy process as a psychospiritual metaphor. What aspects of your behavior and belief system need to die off right now so as to promote your total well-being?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Which parts of your foundations are built to strengthen with age? Which are showing cracks? The coming months will be an excellent time to reinforce basic structures, so they will serve you well into the future. Don’t just patch problems. Rebuild and renovate using the very best ingredients. Your enduring legacy will depend on this work, so choose materials that strengthen as they mature rather than crumble. Nothing’s permanent in life, but some things are sturdier and more lasting than others.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Along the Danube River in Europe, migrating storks return each spring to rebuild massive nests atop church steeples, roofs, and trees. New generations often reuse previous bases, adding additional twigs, grass, roots, and even human-made stuff like cloth and plastics. Some of these structures have lasted for centuries and weigh half a ton. Let’s make this a prime metaphor for you in the coming months, Pisces. I see your role as an innovator who improves and enhances good traditions. You will bring your personal genius to established beauty and value. You will blend your futuristic vision with ancestral steadiness, bridging tomorrow with yesterday.

PERSONAL PROPERTY

PUBLIC NOTICE

As required by Tennessee Code

Annotated Section 67-5-903, the Shelby County Assessor will be mailing Tangible Personal Property Schedules to all active businesses Within Shelby County by Friday, January 9, 2026. The filing Deadline is March 2, 2026. Please call the Shelby County Assessor’s office at 901-222-7002, if you needassistance.

By Kailynn Johnson

Skate Girls

e new streaming series G.R.I.T.S. looks at Memphis’ Black roller-skating culture.

Women and girls known for their Southern charm, coupled with hard work and dedication, are sometimes a ectionately referred to as Girls Raised in the South (G.R.I.T.S.). is is the title of a new ALLBLK original starring Jasmine Sargent as Keisha, Ashanti Harris as Ty, and Memphis’ own Aja Canyon, aka the rapper Slimeroni, as Francis.

Sargent, star of Beauty in Black, Eric Jerome Dickey’s Friends and Lovers Part II, and Net ix’s upcoming lm Doing Life, says a major draw of the show is the authenticity of Memphis culture, which was crucial to creator Deji LaRay.

Sargent says the spirit of Memphis is exempli ed through Black girlhood and womanhood, themes of aspiration, and, of course, roller-skating.

“We wanted to get to true Memphis culture,” Sargent says. “ e slang, the music — not just what people see everyday. I think the authenticity is what drives people to the show. ey’re going to see themselves, their cousin, their best friends. I think they’re going to be able to build an emotional connection with at least one character.”

Roller-skating plays a major role, both in the show and in Sargent’s personal life. e actress, who’s been in skates since she was a toddler, notes it’s an activity that’s been shared by her family for years.

“It’s where we go to release, to have fun, to sneak and do things we probably shouldn’t be doing,” Sargent says. “[Skating] is one thing that stays the same.”

e spirit of skating is further explored through the female friendships at the center of the show, which Sargent says is an extension of skate culture.

Filmed in Memphis and Atlanta, G.R.I.T.S. follows Keisha, Ty, and Fran, friends who nd solace at the skating rink as they navigate personal dreams and struggles while working to win a skating competition.

“I really like the sisterhood of it all,” Sargent says. “It’s something about the South and the camaraderie of it. You stick together; we hustle together. I really enjoy those parts of it.”

e Virginia-bred actress spoke with the Flyer about the show, perfecting the Memphis accent, and more.

Memphis Flyer: Tell us about yourself. Jasmine Sargent: I would describe

myself as an optimistic free-spirit. I love to have fun. I’m an adrenaline junkie. I love all things that make my heart [pound]. I moved to Atlanta about 10 years ago to pursue my acting career.

When I watched the rst episode I was like “that girl can move.” I know you skated prior to [G.R.I.T.S.], so what drew you to the project?

I read the breakdown for Keisha and she just sounded like myself. I thought, “How cool could it be to play yourself?” We have so much in common, and when I found out her love for rollerskating, I was like, “ is is a win-win.” I was super excited to be able to act and share another love, roller-skating.

Would you say G.R.I.T.S. is a coming-ofage story? For sure.

What was it like to bring that type of story to life?

It was such a full experience — not only being able to share a story that’s similar to my own, but being able to work with so many natives of Memphis as well. Not just learning about the culture, but experiencing it rsthand with actual natives and being able to lm here as well, and get a true taste of y’all’s culture.

It was so much fun getting acquainted with the accent, and being able to hear it — all of it was such a great experience. I just wish we could have lmed at Crystal Palace [skating rink], but I heard that’s been closed for quite some time. at would’ve been great.

What did you immerse yourself in to perfect the accent and embody a Memphis girl?

Maybe three weeks before I started lming, I was all things Memphis. I’m following Memphis content creators, listening to Memphis natives’ music. I’m hanging with my castmates that are Memphis natives. I’m in it — if you’re not from Memphis, I really don’t want to talk to you right now.

It was so much fun because y’all have an accent, but there are so many di erent moving parts to it alone. Everyone doesn’t sound the same, so I was trying to nd out what side Keisha would lean towards.

It was studying, and having fun, nding my favorite artists and who I thought Keisha would listen to, so that’s how I prepared for that. I also had a dialect coach.

PHOTO: (RIGHT) JEFF DANSBY (right) Jasmine Sargent is Keisha in G.R.I.T.S.; (below) Ty (Ashanti Harris, second from le ) attends an audition for a music video; (bottom) Fran (Aja Canyon), Keisha (Sargent), and Ty (Harris) in Episode 1, “New Junt”

What was it like working with Slimeroni (Canyon)?

[Canyon] is such a natural. We grew a very close bond from the rst day we met. I enjoyed observing her so I could get into my Memphis demeanor. She was also a second dialect coach for me. She was telling me all the songs to listen to get me in even more. It almost didn’t feel like working with her.

What do you hope people see from Keisha as she grows throughout the season?

Understanding. True understanding. Episode one comes in real hot. I hope they gain an understanding and patience for her. One might look at it as “she’s kind of dragging this thing out,” but how would you react if something so traumatic happened to you like that — literally right in your face? I hope people gain understanding of people with mental health issues.

G.R.I.T.S. is streaming through ALLBLK, available with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.

By Chris McCoy

Our critic picks the best films in theaters.

Ella McCay

Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks directs this comedy about a lieutenant governor (Emma Mackey) thrust into the limelight when her boss and mentor (Albert Brooks) takes a job in the Obama administration. Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars as Aunt Helen. Woody Harrelson, Rebecca Hall, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, and Julie Kavner round out the all-star cast.

Silent Night, Deadly Night

In this remake, Rohan Campbell stars as Billy Chapman, who, as a boy, saw his parents killed by a man in a Santa suit. Years later, when his boss forces him to dress as Santa for a holiday party, he snaps and begins a ho-ho-holiday murder spree.

Hamnet

Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) directs Jessie Buckley in this adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel. Buckley stars as Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). Their troubled relationship begets two children, one of whom, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), dies unexpectedly. The grief inspires William, who is contemplating suicide, to write, “To be or not to be.”

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

This sequel is loosely based on the second installment in the video game franchise and has former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) returning to the good-time pizzeria he used to secure, which has been taken over by haunted animatronic characters. You’re not the only one who thought Chuck E. Cheese was creepy.

Johnny & Kim Pitts

For full details & how to apply visit: bit.ly/ahsc0022

AUTO AUCTION

Wanda C’s Towing, 3614 Jackson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38108 on December 12, 2025, at 2pm.

2006 Ford F150

VIN 1FTRX12W36NA93750

2004 Chevy Suburban

VIN 3GNFK16Z84G127538

AUTO AUCTION

Culp and Sons Towing, 3614 Jackson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38108 on December 12, at 2pm.

2008 Toyota Tacoma

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2007 Dodge Charger VIN 2B3KA43G27H671893

By Stephen Cooper

Unethical Injection

Tennessee execution highlights death penalty’s depravity.

e litigation — especially U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson’s cynical and macabre opinion published November 26th — concerning Harold Nichols’ scheduled execution on December 11th in Tennessee contains elements about the way our legal system operates that evidence not only the death penalty’s depravity, but how it casts an ugly stain on lawyers generally, contributing to making law one of the most hated professions.

has been linked with acute pulmonary edema.

Echoing what I wrote about earlier this year in the Memphis Flyer, that the use of pentobarbital in executions is torture, Judge Richardson wrote: “As to the challenge that [Nichols] is making, [Nichols] alleges (and the Court accepts as true) that pentobarbital causes ash (acute) pulmonary edema as it enters the blood stream and passes through the lungs and burns the membranes of the lungs, and that when uid enters the lungs it causes a drowning sensation akin to waterboarding — ‘one of the most powerful, excruciating feelings known to man.’”

Despite this eye-opening judicial nding about the torturous use of pentobarbital — which Richardson stresses later in his opinion, writing, “ e Court (as noted above) accepts as true that [Nichols] is ‘sure or very likely’ to experience the sensation of drowning if he were to be executed by lethal injection” — Richardson nevertheless “tossed” (as e Tennessean described it) Nichols’ challenge to his impending lethal injection. Richardson concluded Nichols was barred by a one-year statute of limitations when the state adopts a new “particular method of execution.” As e Tennessean explained, Judge “Richardson found that switching the drugs used in lethal injection [to, in this case, a single dose of pentobarbital] is not considered an ‘adoption of a new particular method of execution.’ So the window to sue began a er Tennessee made lethal injection its default method of capital punishment in 2000, and it shut a year later.”

Notwithstanding this statute of limitations problem, Richardson goes on to observe “the Supreme Court has expressed substantial and detailed skepticism that the use of pentobarbital would ever violate the Eighth Amendment.” He acknowledges there have been “incidents” involving the use of “executions via single drug pentobarbital.” But Richardson rules that the law, here an unjust statute of limitations, bars Nichols from challenging the torture via pentobarbital that he is “sure or very likely” to experience.

Here the law becomes entangled with the death penalty’s depravity — the wrongheaded notion steeped in revenge that any good, like deterrence, could ever come from punishing people who kill by killing them, too. e law also becomes soiled in fascism and barbarism, especially so when our jurisprudence (thanks to Justice Alito and company) causes Judge Richardson to, correctly, move on to pen in his analysis: “But now the Court must answer a narrow question: has [Nichols] plausibly alleged facts suggesting that a ring squad or single bullet to the back of the head signi cantly reduces a substantial risk of experiencing severe pain?” ( e Tennessean helpfully explained “prisoners challenging their method of execution must propose a viable alternative to win their case. Nichols’ proposals — ring squad or a single bullet — were not clearly less painful, feasible, or [more] readily implemented than lethal injection by pentobarbital, Richardson found.”)

Amid the backdrop of this legal morass, Nichols, 64, has asked Governor Bill Lee to grant him clemency by changing his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. As reported by Nashville Scene, while taking “full responsibility for his crime” — the rape and murder of a college student — Nichols’ o cial clemency request cites his “record as an ‘exemplary prisoner,’ a traumatic upbringing, and Nichols’ post-conviction reconciliation [with the victim’s mother] Ann Pulley [whose ‘forgiveness’ Nichols] ‘earned.’” e Associated Press reported Nichols’ petition “argues that he turned his life around in prison, becoming a model inmate who [a number of corrections o cials have said] helps make the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution a safer place and even mentoring at-risk youth.” e petition credits the victim’s mother “with inspiring Nichols’ reformation” and recounts how Pulley met with him on three occasions a er his conviction, “giving him a Bible that he still treasures 35 years later.”

Without naming them, Nashville Scene claims, “Sources close to the governor have also indicated that he is personally uncomfortable with [his] singular power to stop — and conversely, to condone — state killings.” Still, on August 5th, Lee allowed the execution of Byron Black — an intellectually disabled man with dementia who had spent 36 years on death row — to go forward; media witnesses unanimously reported Black pitifully li ing his head up o the gurney at one point as he lay dying to grimace and to report: “It hurts so bad.”

An autopsy revealed the pentobarbital Black was executed with had caused pulmonary edema which would have resulted in the “waterboarding sensation” Judge Richardson discussed — the same sensation that’s in store for Nichols. (Oscar Smith, 73, executed May 22nd a er spending 30 years on death row, became the rst prisoner in Tennessee to be executed this year with the new single-dose of pentobarbital protocol; for religious reasons, Smith declined to have an autopsy conducted.)

Lee has a precious opportunity to rein in the law. As a selfprofessed devout Christian, he should embrace the principles of Christian forgiveness so bravely embodied by the victim’s own mother. And, not for nothing, a joint statement issued November 10th by Tennessee’s three Catholic bishops has also called for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty and its eventual abolition under state law. Based on his record — and his politics — Lee is unlikely to support abolition. But a moratorium on executions using pentobarbital, at least until a er a trial scheduled in April, in the cases of other Tennessee inmates who have challenged the use of the questionable drug? at’s an easy call for Lee to make based on the record before him. And it’s the right thing to do.

Stephen Cooper is a former D.C. public defender who worked as an assistant federal public defender in Alabama between 2012 and 2015. He has contributed to numerous magazines and newspapers in the United States and overseas.

PHOTO: BERNARD CHANTAL | DREAMSTIME.COM

Pentobarbital

The Hot Tamale Capital of the World invites you to enjoy an eclectic collection

» FEBRUARY « Mississippi River Marathon msrivermarathon.racesonline.com

» APRIL « Showcase on Wheels cabinonthebogue.com

» MAY « Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Festival, including Frog Fest and Leland Craw sh Festival LelandChamber.com

Future Tour Golf Championship

» JUNE « Delta Soul & Celebrity Golf Event facebook.com/DeltaSoulGolf

Lake Washington’s “Straight O The Lake” Music Festival

Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo facebook.com/GrabUOneOut tters

» JULY « WWISCAA Food Festival wwiscaa.com

» AUGUST « MS Delta Duck Boat Races at Lake Washington

» SEPTEMBER « Delta Blues & Heritage Festival deltabluesms.org Gumbo Nationals greenvillespeedway.net

Sam Chatmon Blues Fest facebook.com/SamChatmonBlues

Stephone Hughes Old Time Gospel Fest

» OCTOBER « Delta Hot Tamale Fest mainstreetgreenville.com/ delta-hot-tamale-festival

Highway 61 Blues Festival highway61blues.com

Monuments on Main Street Historic Greenville Cemetery Tour deltacenterstage.org/events

YMCA Cotton Classic 10K/5K Run racesonline.com/ymca-cotton-classic

» NOVEMBER « Roll’n on the River Car Show facebook.com/redwinecarshow

» DECEMBER « Christmas on Deer Creek LelandChamber.com