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Gunning It
Risky,
Painting with Purpose
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE
THE fly-by
MEM ernet
Memphis on the internet.
TRUMP President Donald Trump visited Memphis Monday for a roundtable victory lap on the Memphis Safe Task Force. e Republican Party of Shelby County welcomed him with a gathering at Poplar and Ridgeway.
{WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
AI, Gas Prices, & Riding for Cancer
Lawmakers want tech protections, pump prices surge, and one big bike ride.
AI AND KIDS
Tennessee lawmakers are pushing AI companies to strengthen transparency and safety protocols regarding child safety.
e party went live on Facebook Monday morning. Asked if she had a message for Trump, one woman said simply, “We love you.”
No love for Trump, nor ICE, nor the “Memphis UnSafe Task Force” in a protest scheduled a er press time by several organizations to gather near the Tennessee National Guard headquarters.
ROB ROASTED
e MEMernet welcomed Fox13’s new anchor with very Memphis insults, which he survived like a total gentleman.
Rob Sneed introduced himself in early March with a Facebook photo from the Fox set. It continues to snowball with nearly 21,000 comments and 14,000 shares as of press time.
“My guy looks like a Temu AJ from 106 & Park,” said Marquis Dickey. “I was the backup dancer for the Wakanda movie looking ass,” wrote Keke Owens.
Sen. Ken Yager (RKingston) and Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) introduced the Arti cial Intelligence Public Safety and Child Protection Act. O cials said the legislation would require major AI companies to have plans in place to address risks facing children.
ese plans would have to address safety risks including emotional harm and “dangerous” advice from the so ware. is bill would apply to big tech companies with so ware accessible to users under the age of 18. is includes chatbots that are used by at least one million people per month.
Developers who have an annual revenue of at least $500 million with their a liates, as well as “large chatbot providers,” would also be liable for enforcing and complying with their public or child safety plan.
Companies would also be responsible for reporting “serious incidents” to law enforcement. Reporting must include the date of the incident, why it quali es as a safety incident, and a brief summary of the event.
If the incident increases the likelihood of death or physical injury, the developer must tell authorities within 24 hours of discovery.
e legislation applies to events and incidents happening on or before January 1, 2027.
“Tennessee families are telling us loud and clear that they’re concerned about what AI is doing to their kids,” Yager said.
According to polling conducted by Anchor Research, 90 percent of Tennesseans believe it is important to protect children from “AI-related harms” through state laws. Out of 503 participants, 94 percent want to see AI companies publish child protection plans.
GAS PRICES SURGE
Memphis had the most expensive gas prices among Tennessee’s metro markets last week amid a surge fueled by the con ict with Iran, according to AAA.
Average gas prices here were $3.44 last Monday. e
price was up about 40 cents from the week prior, about 88 cents from a month ago, and about 69 cents from a year ago.
Tennessee gas prices rose an average of 31 cents last week. Prices across the state average $3.34 per gallon, up 82 cents from a month ago and 63 cents more than a year ago.
“Continued uncertainty and volatility in the crude oil market are putting upward pressure on our local gas prices,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA, the Auto Club Group. “If crude oil prices remain elevated again this week, it’s likely drivers are in for more increases at the pump.
“How high prices will rise will ultimately depend on how long the con ict with Iran continues and whether there are further e ects on global fuel supplies.”
Gas prices in other metro markets that follow Memphis on cost are Jackson ($3.42), Nashville ($3.34), Clarksville ($3.24), Morristown ($3.28), and Knoxville ($3.29).
Memphis gas prices last Monday rose 20 cents from the previous week. A gallon of gas here was $3.46, AAA said. e price was still lower than than the national average $3.95 cents per gallon.
RIDING FOR CANCER
More than 20 women were set to cycle more than 500 miles from Memphis to Seagrove Beach, Florida, this week to fund cancer treatment and research. e She to Sea Ride is an annual event honoring lives touched by cancer that has raised more than $500,000 for the West Cancer Foundation.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
TO FACEBOOK BY JUSTIN J. PEARSON
PHOTO: EMILIANO VITTORIOSI | UNSPLASH State lawmakers want to shield children from AI’s potential risks of emotional harm and “dangerous” advice.
POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY REPUBLICAN PARTY OF SHELBY COUNTY
By Toby Sells
Report: Covid Hit Hard
Life expectancy in Shelby County tumbled as nearly 3,000 died from the disease during the pandemic.
The life expectancy of Shelby County residents dropped nearly four years as the area headed into the Covid pandemic, according to the latest data from the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD).
The report issued last week showed a life expectancy of about 76.6 years in 2015. That figure fell sharply to 72.8 years in 2020.
These trends mirror data from the U.S. and the state of Tennessee. New state and local data are not yet available, but if state and local trends continue to parallel national trends, life expectancy is expected to rebound. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the figure bounced back to a record high of 79 years in 2024.
lower than the average life expectancy” in Shelby County each year, it says.
The report does not say how many were killed in total by Covid in Shelby County in all of the pandemic. However, it does say that the disease killed 2,997 from 2020 to 2023, the height of the pandemic.
In 2022, Covid accounted for 82 deaths per 100,000 residents. This was higher than the statewide average of 62 deaths per 100,000. Shelby County residents died of Covid at a higher rate than the average of the rest of the state.
At the end of December 2024, the SCHD said total reported Covid cases reached 334,843. But they knew this figure had to be higher.
Life expectancy dipped to 73 years.
“Black
life expectancy remains
significantly
lower than average” in Shelby County.
The SCHD report says deaths associated with Covid were directly responsible for the decline in life expectancy here. That decline was sharper for Black residents of Shelby County than white residents, the report says. Overall, “Black life expectancy remains significantly
“Many Shelby County residents do not seek medical attention when they are sick,” reads the report. “Because of this, our understanding of the number of people who are ill at any given time will be underestimated.”
To fill the gap, the SCHD began testing wastewater in 2021. The agency still collects samples from wastewater treatment plants before water is treated. The samples are sent to labs, which tests them for genetic markers for several infectious viruses, like Covid, flu, and RSV.
These results can detect the presence of pathogens circulating in a community without needing to test people individually. It can also tell if a virus is increasing or decreasing within a community.
Covid deaths, though, were still roughly half of those caused by heart disease, the No. 1 killer in Shelby County. The report says heart disease killed 6,376 here from 2020 to 2023, double the deaths of Covid in the same time period.
Cancer remained the No. 2 killer from 2020 to 2023. It accounted for a total of 4,832 deaths.
PHOTO: SHELBY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Bruce VanWyngarden
Rocket Surgery
THURSDAY MARCH 26
STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN: FILMS FROM THE BOB DYLAN
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CROSSTOWN ARTS
How the light gets in.
Iwas scheduled to y back into Memphis on Tuesday, and as I read the morning news on Monday, the outlook for a pleasant trip wasn’t promising. TSA agents hadn’t been paid for three weeks and were quitting or calling in sick in droves. Hundreds of canceled and delayed ights were happening all over the country, particularly at hubs such as Atlanta and Detroit. I was ying Delta, the airline reportedly most a ected, and connecting in Detroit. Oy.
And to ramp up the chaos another notch, Donald Trump had announced that he was sending ICE agents to airports to assist TSA workers. Cool. So, I might be stuck in Detroit waiting for a connecting ight for hours and get shot in the face. Good times!
Seriously, I can’t imagine a less helpful thing to do in this situation than sending untrained — armed and masked? — agents to watch long lines of travelers wind through airports. It made me wonder what I was about to walk into?
addressed in the slightest. at’s because improving public education, creating more jobs, lowering housing costs, reducing taxes on food, and xing public transportation aren’t sexy topics and they don’t have any obvious villains for the president to rant about. And so we spend billions on more cops and new prisons and claim we’re solving the crime problem.
And that’s on top of the billions of dollars we’re now funneling into a cockamamie “war” that we’ve won, or are winning, or need help to win, or are “in talks” to settle, or isn’t a war, or whatever the administration’s line of the day is. e craziest part is that we’ve li ed sanctions on Iranian oil, in e ect paying our enemy while they’re ghting us. I guess it would be in poor taste to remind the president that no foreign country controls the wind or the sun or electric batteries, all sources of energy that’s he’s tried to shut down.
Would non-white or overtly foreign-looking passengers be pulled out of line for questioning? ere are a lot of ways this could play out, most of them not good. Calling in the National Guard would have made a lot more sense, honestly. But we’re past the point of anything making sense, it appears.
Another person was ying into Memphis on the day I wrote this: Trump himself. He was coming to tout the success of his crime- ghting initiative, which involved sending hundreds of Tennessee Highway Patrol o cers, ICE agents, and National Guard troops into the city.
Memphis’ crime rate has purportedly dropped since the initiative began last September (though the statistics are decidedly fuzzy on arrest details), but it had already dropped to new lows prior to the occupation. Like so much of what Trump does, the task force was mostly theater — an attention-getting stunt that o ered the president an opportunity to bloviate for the cameras, but created little lasting impact. Kind of like bombing Iran and declaring victory, forgetting that the enemy might have something to say about it. Or impulsively levying tari s and claiming prices are falling as we watch gas rise a dollar-a-gallon higher.
So, what did we really learn from Trump’s occupation of Memphis? We learned that ooding a city with hundreds of law-enforcement personnel lowers the crime rate. Duh. at isn’t rocket surgery, as Trump might say. But when the task force nally leaves, the root cause of crime — poverty — will not have been
Maybe it’s all just strategery, as George Bush once said. Or was that an SNL skit? It’s hard to tell now, honestly. e president makes a “surprise attack” joke about Pearl Harbor to the prime minister of Japan in the Oval O ce. Real or SNL? When asked what he thought about critical remarks made by the president of Ireland, Trump says, “He’s lucky I exist!” e prime minister of Ireland is Catherine Connolly. SNL, right? Trump tastelessly celebrates the death of Robert Mueller, a decorated veteran and former FBI chief who was appointed by Trump’s attorney general to investigate his possible connections to Russia in the 2016 election. What show are we watching?
Trump is cracking up, day a er day, right before our eyes. It brings to mind the words of Leonard Cohen: Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect o ering ere is a crack, a crack in everything at’s how the light gets in.
PHOTO: TAKAHIRO KYONO | FLICKER | CREATIVE COMMONS Leonard Cohen
A Financial Legacy
Building a plan based on your goals and values can get you there.
If you’re hoping to leave a nancial legacy for your loved ones, it’s important to have a plan in place. e following steps can help you leave your mark in supporting future generations of family.
Articulate Your Goals and Values
e rst step in leaving a multigenerational legacy is taking time to document your speci c goals and articulate the values you’d like to hand down. ese are the guardrails that keep you from letting small things derail you from your larger focus. Considering your responses to the following questions can be a great place to start.
• What core principles guide my life?
• What are my important ambitions?
• How do I hope to be remembered?
• What values do I hope to instill in my children and grandchildren?
• What unique family circumstances exist that may require extra planning?
could include a combination of:
• Life insurance
• Homeowners/renters insurance
• Disability insurance
• Auto insurance
• Umbrella insurance
• Malpractice insurance
• Professional liability insurance
Have a Family Discussion
Communicating your legacy wishes to your loved ones is an e ective way to make sure everyone is on the same page, which can help prevent con icts and resentment a er your passing. However, this can also be the most di cult step in the legacy planning process. Not only does the conversation require everyone involved to consider the reality of your eventual death, but it can also bring up sensitive topics, such as who will take over the family business or who will inherit what.
Prioritize Time With Your Loved Ones
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Establish a Comprehensive Plan
One of the best ways to take control of your nancial legacy is by establishing a plan to guide your decision-making. Your plan should incorporate all the various aspects of your nancial life, including investments, retirement planning, savings strategies, strategic tax planning and, of course, estate planning.
is plan serves as a blueprint to help guide your nancial life, and it can help you gain an understanding of your current nancial situation in relation to the legacy goals you’re trying to achieve. is can be used to inform your nancial decisions throughout life, which all have an impact on your ability to ful ll your legacy goals.
Protect Yourself From Risk
All the savings and investments in the world can’t support your lifestyle if you lose those assets to a lawsuit, accident, injury, natural disaster, etc. at’s why it’s important to take steps to protect the wealth you’ve worked so hard to build. Based on your goals, you may need to add risk-management strategies, which
e most valuable legacy you’ll leave isn’t a nancial one; it’s an emotional one. Prioritizing time with your loved ones allows your family to make lasting memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime. is may involve taking an annual family trip, sharing holiday traditions, or nding ways to be involved in each other’s daily lives. Whatever you enjoy doing together, prioritizing experiences over material possessions can help you establish the most important, longestlasting legacy of all.
Remember the goals and values you articulated in step one, and be sure to let them guide both your life decisions and your nancial decisions.
AJ Kratz, CFA, CFP, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory rms, providing comprehensive wealth management services to help align all elements of a client’s nancial life, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information, or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit creativeplanning.com. is commentary is provided for general information purposes only, should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice, and does not constitute an attorney/client relationship. Past performance of any market results is no assurance of future performance. e information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.
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TGunning It
Risky, high-speed chases explode under Memphis Safe Task Force.
he driver hit the gas, racing his blue Chevy Malibu through the streets of Memphis’ Whitehaven community for a quarter-hour with three highway patrol cars in hot pursuit.
Seventeen minutes into the chase — initiated a er the driver failed to dim his bright lights — things turned chaotic. A state trooper “began to attempt to box the blue Malibu in and end the pursuit,” according to a second trooper’s a davit led in General Sessions Criminal Court. But the eeing vehicle — with a mother and infant child on board — “swerved and struck” the trooper’s car, which “came to a nal rest a er striking a telephone pole.’’
e chase continued.
It nally ended when a third trooper “demonstrated a tactical vehicle intervention,” striking the Malibu and “causing [it] to come to [a] nal rest a er striking a tree.” e a davit doesn’t detail what injuries, if any, resulted from the two crashes.
e October incident is one in a urry of volatile, high-speed law enforcement chases here since President Trump launched the Memphis Safe Task Force, which has deployed hundreds of federal agents, National Guard personnel, and state troopers onto local streets “to enhance public safety in Memphis.” But an investigation by the Institute for Public Service Reporting in collaboration with Lighthouse Reports found
the Safe Task Force surge has created public safety threats of its own with dozens of risky, at times accident-triggering vehicle pursuits, o en initiated following infractions as minor as a missing headlight or a broken taillight or driving without a seatbelt.
Dozens of risky pursuits
Analyzing arrest a davits, e Institute identi ed 75 vehicle pursuits over the task force’s rst ve weeks of operation, from September 29th to November 3rd.
At that rate, an average of more than two per day, the task force would tally 780 vehicle pursuits in a year — a remarkable number considering the Memphis Police Department has averaged 144 pursuits annually in recent years, an average of 2 to 3 per week.
e Institute’s analysis found that the overwhelming majority of the task force’s vehicle pursuits — 66 (88 percent) — were conducted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), which has mushroomed in size here since September when Gov. Bill Lee began sending scores of troopers to Memphis to aid the surge.
MPD conducted eight of the chases, and the Shelby County Sheri ’s O ce conducted one.
In all, 32 of the 75 chases (43 percent) resulted in accidents. Twenty-nine of those accidents (91 percent) involved chases by THP.
e a davits, led to convince judi-
cial commissioners there is evidence of a crime, o en are silent on the number and severity of injuries. A man died in a chase last month, outside e Institute’s period of review, but it’s unclear which agency led the chase.
Arrest a davits reviewed by e Institute describe many aggressive encounters between motorists and THP, which appears to have a vehicle pursuit policy that is more permissive than those of many law enforcement agencies.
Troopers engaged in pursuits o en exceeding 100 mph, a davits show, chasing eeing motorists down freeways, through red lights on city streets and into residential neighborhoods — followed at times by immigration agents and other federal o cers who joined foot chases a er eeing Hispanic men bailed out of their cars and began to run.
“ ey are so scary,’’ said Star Lee Lewis, 21, who recently witnessed the a ermath of a THP chase that ended in a crash outside her home in southeast Memphis.
Lewis said she had just got home when she heard sirens and then a loud crash. She went outside and began taking pictures and video as troopers pulled guns and surrounded the wrecked vehicle. “If I [had been] pulling my trash can down I could [have gotten] run over,” she said.
Nightly TV news reports in Memphis have o en included reports of highspeed chases and spectacular crashes in
recent weeks. But e Institute’s review of arrest a davits is the rst attempt to inventory the chases over time. e a davits, led under oath by arresting o cers, detail a number of harrowing, white-knuckle pursuits.
One chase on October 7th, initiated a er a trooper spotted a motorist failing to wear a seat belt, ended when the eeing Cadillac DTS crashed into KIPP Memphis Collegiate High School while it was in session. ere were no reported injuries. e incident was one of several that ended in accidents when troopers initiated chases a er attempting to pull over motorists for relatively minor infractions. Among them:
• On October 3rd, a motorist in a black Nissan Altima led a THP patrol car on a 110 mph chase down Winchester Road a er a trooper attempted to pull over the motorist for driving “with no activated headlights.’’ e chase ended when the Altima “stalled in the roadway,’’ an a davit says. e motorist bailed out of the vehicle without putting it in park, and it “continued to roll forward and ultimately struck an uninvolved vehicle before colliding with a concrete pole’’ in a parking lot. Troopers recovered two stolen guns from the car and two grams of marijuana, an amount equivalent to a misdemeanor possession charge.
• On October 12th, a er a trooper attempted to pull over a vehicle with
one functioning headlight, the driver led the trooper on a 120 mph chase down James Road, running red lights at two major intersections in Memphis’ Raleigh community. e driver turned south on Covington Pike and attempted to get on Interstate 40 when he “lost control of his vehicle and went into the ditch,’’ an adavit said. Troopers recovered 4.4 grams of marijuana — another misdemeanor amount — and found the motorist was driving on a suspended license.
• On October 30th, a trooper tried to stop a gold Chevrolet Impala with a missing tag light. e motorist led the trooper on a 100 mph chase down Interstate 240. About 5 miles into the 9-mile chase, the eeing Impala rearended an SUV and kept going. Four miles later, “the eeing vehicle struck another vehicle and became disabled,” an a davit said. Troopers found 3 grams of marijuana and charged the driver with DUI a er he admitted to “smoking a joint in the vehicle.”
The dangers of police chases
Most law enforcement agencies wouldn’t allow many of the THP pursuits because the reason for initiating the stop wasn’t serious enough to merit the dangers of a high-speed chase, said Dennis Kenney, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York.
“ ere’s only a few things that could happen when you begin a pursuit and almost all of them are bad,’’ Kenney said. “So, pursuits are something that most police departments for the last 20 years or so have tried to restrain to the extent possible.’’
As many as 30 to 45 percent of police vehicle pursuits result in an accident, studies show. And more than one person is killed every day on average in the U.S. as a result of police vehicle pursuits.
A eeing driver died in January during a law enforcement pursuit in Memphis, though details remain sketchy. e death, which occurred outside e Institute’s period of review, happened when the eeing driver crashed during a chase through Memphis’ Raleigh community.
e U.S. Marshals Service, which heads the Memphis Safe Task Force, said in a press release that the chase ensued a er task force personnel attempted a tra c stop, but the release didn’t say which agency conducted or led the chase. Task force leaders didn’t respond to emails from e Institute seeking clari cation. e rash of vehicle pursuits in Memphis comes as authorities in many parts of the country are tightening restrictions on chases.
Among recent reforms, New York City tightened its policy last year following numbers of crashes that led to some deaths and caused extensive property damage. Police there now are limited to pursuing motorists who have committed the “most serious and violent crimes.” In November, authorities in Prince George’s
”There’s only a few things that could happen when you begin a pursuit and almost all of them are bad.”
County, Maryland, limited pursuits a er a 3-year-old girl was killed — one of three bystanders to die there during vehicle pursuits within the span of a month. Among the Prince George’s County restrictions, police must strike “a balance between the need to apprehend the violator and the risks of potential danger to themselves and citizens.”
THP’s vehicle pursuit policy appears to be much less restrictive than policies of many law enforcement agencies. e Institute attempted to obtain THP’s policy under the Tennessee Public Records Act, but state o cials said they needed more time to process the request. (A er initial publication of this article they denied the request, claiming THP’s vehicle pursuit policy is con dential.) However, THP cadet training materials obtained from a source show a trooper must consider a range of factors before initiating or continuing a pursuit including the weather, road surface conditions, the safety of the trooper and citizens, and the trooper’s driving skills.
In contrast, MPD authorizes vehicle pursuits “only when an o cer has probable cause to believe that one or more occupants of a eeing vehicle have committed a violent felony.’’
Tennessee law provides additional guidance, allowing pursuing o cers to pass through red lights and stop signs “only a er slowing down as may be
necessary for safe operation” and exceed speed limits “so long as life or property is not thereby endangered.”
Asked to discuss THP’s rash of chases and accidents and its pursuit policy and practices, a spokesman declined comment.
“Unfortunately, we do not discuss policies relating to tactical or operational issues related to trooper or agent safety,’’ Department of Safety & Homeland Security spokesman Jason Pack said in an email. e department oversees THP.
Records show prior to the outbreak of vehicle pursuits in Memphis, the number of THP chases had been much lower — though many chases were initiated following relatively minor o enses.
e agency recorded 422 pursuits statewide in 2024, a little more than one a day on average, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security’s O ce of Professional Accountability annual report, the latest available.
Of those, 359 (85 percent) were initiated following misdemeanor o enses such as speeding, DUI, and erratic driving.
at’s consistent with data from agencies across the country that shows suspects who ee are more likely to do so because of a minor o ense than because of a serious crime.
e most serious charges in roughly half the pursuits reviewed by e
Institute included charges of reckless driving, reckless endangerment, or evading arrest, o en stemming from the chase itself.
A policy paper sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s O ce of Community Oriented Policing Services in 2023 recommends that pursuits take place only when a violent crime has been committed and the suspect “poses an imminent threat to commit another violent crime.’’
“If those two conditions are not met, agencies need to look for alternatives to accomplish the same objective,’’ wrote Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a think tank that advises police agencies across the country.
“You can get a suspect another day, but you can’t get a life back,’’ Wexler wrote.
Risk versus results
A davits reviewed by e Institute show THP troopers at times deployed tactics to abort or minimize the risk of vehicle pursuits.
For example, a trooper aborted a 90 mph chase of a white In niti with a missing back bumper on October 5th a er he “realized that I [had] lost contact with the vehicle.” Troopers conferred
continued on page 10
GRAPHIC: INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING
Path of a 9-mile pursuit of an Impala spotted driving without a license plate light
Make Family Memories
continued from page 9
with MPD, which had chased the car earlier, and got its tag number, then the home address of the driver. Troopers then went to the driver’s Southeast Memphis home and arrested him there for reckless driving.
Heavy toll on the poor
But for others, THP’s aggressive vehicle pursuits have more to do with criminalizing poverty than making Memphis roads safe. Critics say police often target traffic stops on poor people who can’t afford to make needed auto repairs or keep vehicle registration up to date.
A handful of affidavits show troopers at times would ease off a chase after calling in THP’s Aviation unit to track the fleeing driver. One such incident involved a 138 mph chase on I-240 on October 31st. “Due to the extreme speed and erratic driving, THP Aviation was requested and assumed observation of the fleeing vehicle,’’ a trooper wrote in an affidavit. The motorist was later arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and other counts.
Among THP’s 66 vehicle pursuits, as many as 32 (48 percent) were initiated after troopers attempted to pull over motorists for vehicle equipment violations such as a missing headlight or broken taillight, or other minor infractions like excessively tinted windows and expired temporary tags.
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Overall, however, THP affidavits reveal an aggressive approach to pursuing fleeing drivers.
One affidavit describes what appears to be a trooper forcing a fleeing motorist off the road. A trooper wrote in an October 28th affidavit that he successfully ended a chase in which a 17-year-old driver “led me on a lengthy, dangerous pursuit throughout several populated parts of the city,” by using his “patrol vehicle to cause the suspect’s vehicle to lose control and exit the roadway.” Troopers recovered the car, a stolen Honda Accord, and a Glock handgun with a switch that made it fully automatic.
The affidavit does not provide more detail on the maneuver deployed by the trooper, but John Jay professor Kenney said it sounds like a so-called Precision Immobilization Technique or PIT maneuver. The move involves approaching a fleeing vehicle from behind and then pressing the extreme left front portion of the patrol car against the right rear side of the fleeing car and turning sharply into the car, causing it to spin out of control.
“Most departments prohibit the PIT maneuver,” Kenney said. “It greatly increases the risk obviously to everyone involved. The PIT maneuver is particularly problematic because the whole idea is to cause the individual to lose control of their vehicle.”
Despite the danger, the incident is one of several in the affidavits that suggest aggressive tactics can yield results in nabbing drivers who pose road safety threats. Arrests connected to the 66 THP vehicle pursuits include at least 10 people charged with drunk driving. Eleven were charged with motor vehicle theft.
Task force supporters point to such achievements and a 30 percent drop in traffic fatalities in Shelby County from 2024 to 2025.
“There’s no more drag racing in the streets. The streets have been reclaimed. People now have motor vehicle tags and insurance, whereas they had gone without since the 2020 pandemic. Everything feels much improved,” said Jason Whitworth, a Memphis attorney who applauds the work of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
“These traffic stops are the laziest form of policing and in itself proves that they aren’t looking for violent criminals. They are looking for anyone to hem up for any reason to boost their numbers,” said Hunter Demster, a criminal justice reform activist in Memphis.
“Memphis has historically been one of the poorest cities in the country. Many folks are struggling to feed their children, pay rent, pay for their prescriptions, etc. When faced with these decisions, basic necessities prevail. These are struggles happening now. Folks with resources get their vehicles fixed.”
Nearly a quarter of Memphis’ population lives in poverty, and the disadvantages of being poor are seen in several traffic stops in which fleeing vehicles suddenly malfunctioned, abruptly ending chases. Among such incidents:
• An MPD officer’s October 20th pursuit of a 2013 Infiniti G37 abruptly ended when “the passenger-side rear tire immediately came off.”
• A brief chase by a state trooper of a black sedan on October 2nd ended with a “driver’s side front tire blow out” on the fleeing vehicle.
• A trooper’s 100 mph chase of a silver Infiniti SUV on October 5th ended when the fleeing vehicle “caught on fire.”
Keedran Franklin, a Memphis criminal justice reform advocate and community organizer, said people often run from law enforcement now because of the widespread fear on the streets since the 2023 police beating death of Tyré Nichols.
“People are seeing the news and they know, okay, we have this so-called task force in the city right? And they also see around the country where these same task force agencies have inflicted bodily harm,’’ Franklin said.
“So, there’s a lot of fear. It’s almost the same as when Tyré Nichols was killed, right? There were a lot of chases going on, because people were feeling like, if they will kill somebody like Tyré who wasn’t doing anything, imagine what they’ll do to us.”
Marc Perrusquia is The Institute’s director. Previously, he worked 29 years at The Commercial Appeal
Mel Eleftheriou is an intern at the Institute and a junior journalism major at the University of Memphis.
steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
Painting with Purpose
e Tingey Painting with Parkinson’s Program has harnessed the power of art to lessen symptoms and increase the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients. Nancy Tingey started the program in 1994 in Australia and has since reached national recognition. anks to the Dixon Gallery & Gardens education department and 901 Parkinson’s Fighters, this program has made its way to Memphis and Dixon is the only U.S. organization to adopt the Tingey approach. Public programs coordinator Lacy Mitcham works directly with Tingey to produce a smooth running and e ective experience for students.
Shawna White serves as the instructor for these weekly classes and o en begins with a few words to inspire students. Recently they learned about Fauvism, which was a short-lived art movement that embraced bold colors and spontaneous brushwork. During the painting process, they listen to live classical piano courtesy of Gerald Stephens. e Dixon team does a fabulous job of creating a safe and relaxing experience for students so they can fully dive into their work.
By Gracie Driver
Participants enjoy using paints to express themselves and nd joy in the process.
Each painting from this program shares a distinct characteristic. Students start with a wet piece of paper that feathers with each paintbrush stroke. White explains that it’s easy to control what paint does when paper is dry, but when it’s wet, things don’t always go to plan. As she says, “ is form of painting is all about letting go of control and letting paint ow on the paper.” In the absence of control, the outcome is still beautiful and that can be a real comfort.
People with Parkinson’s can experience tremors, sti muscles, and many more symptoms that greatly impact day-to-day life. is form of painting can be helpful for mental and physical uidity. Having a space to socialize and make connections with people going through similar struggles is a huge bene t for their mental health as well. It also allows for self-expression and clear communication. White says, “Sometimes we don’t have the words to describe things, and art has the power to do that.”
All education programs at the Dixon are low cost or completely free. e Tingey Painting with Parkinson’s Program lasts about six to nine weeks, and by the end, students choose their most beautiful and most meaningful piece of art and present their thoughts to the class.
While their last class of the cohort ended on March 4th, they’ll begin again on March 25th. Simply go to https://www.dixon.org/ events/event/65035/2026/02/25 to register. And as a reminder, this disease doesn’t just a ect the patient, but also their caregivers who work tirelessly for them. If you need support, go to https://www.901parkinsons ghters.com/.
WEDNESDAYS, 10 A.M.-NOON.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES March 26th - April 1st
K-POP Warriors Live Renasant Convention Center, Monday, March 30, 4:30-6 p.m.
K-POP Warriors brings music, dance, and nonstop energy to the stage in a family-friendly live show inspired by the global phenomenon of K-pop. is high-energy production blends K-pop-style music with dynamic choreography, bold visuals, and a cast of colorful heroes who take on playful villains in an actionpacked performance. Featuring tightly synchronized dance routines, eye-catching costumes, and vibrant staging, the show captures the excitement and style of contemporary pop performance while keeping the tone fun and accessible for all ages.
Audiences can expect an engaging mix of fast-paced numbers, theatrical storytelling, and interactive moments that invite participation
and keep the energy high from start to nish. Designed to entertain both younger viewers and longtime fans alike, K-POP Warriors delivers an upbeat, visually dynamic experience that celebrates music, movement, and teamwork in an exciting live setting.
Art by Design
Argicenter International, Wednesday, March 25-29.
Art by Design is a curated series of events and presentations that spotlight Memphis’ interior design community while also supporting and celebrating the city’s local arts scene. e program features a mix of special ticketed experiences alongside general admission access, o ering attendees a range of ways to engage with designers, artists, and creative professionals. Guests can explore thoughtfully designed
spaces, attend presentations, and participate in events that highlight both emerging and established talent within the region’s design and arts communities.
Bunny Brunch
Memphis Zoo, Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29, 9-10:30 a.m., $40/members, $65/non-members. Spring into the season at Memphis Zoo with a festive brunch featuring a bu et-style breakfast, a special visit from the Easter Bunny, and an up-close ambassador animal encounter. Guests can enjoy familyfriendly photo opportunities with the Bunny and take advantage of tram transportation to Teton Trek Lodge, where the event is hosted. Admission includes general zoo entry, with pricing at $40 for members and $65 for non-members; children under two are free.
THE TINGEY PAINTING WITH PARKINSON’S PROGRAM, DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK AVENUE, WEEKLY
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
MUSIC By Alex Greene
Snowflake Drifts South
Paul Taylor, aka New Memphis Colorways, returns home with his art in full bloom.
Paul “Snow ake” Taylor notes that soon a rare species of Memphis musician, the Semi-migratory Southpaw, will be returning to the city in force. “It’s the le -handed Memphis expat takeover!” he proclaims. at’s a reference to his own orientation on the guitar, and that of Greg Cartwright, who will be playing across town at Bar DKDC (“I wish I could see that; I am a huge fan of his songs,” Taylor says) precisely during Taylor’s own “Anti-Tyrannical No Kangs Jam Session” at B-Side this Saturday. Both singer-songwriterguitarists “le ” their hometown behind for either Asheville, North Carolina, in Cartwright’s case, or Door County, Wisconsin, in Taylor’s. Now Taylor’s returning to play a run of gigs this week, but it’s in Wisconsin that he may truly be earning his longtime sobriquet of “Snow ake.”
“I’m still shoveling my way out of this blizzard that we just had, which was the most snowfall that Wisconsin has seen since 1881,” he notes over the phone. “And it’s the rst day of spring today! So yeah, I’m looking forward to those balmy temperatures down there.”
Yet Taylor, likely more than any other resident of Door County, Wisconsin, already counts “down here” as home. Few players have had the culture of the ’70s and ’80s Memphis music scene enscribed into their souls as much as Taylor, whose father, the late Pat Taylor, played many studios and stages here.
“My dad was helping me four-track songs, and my stepdad was Richard Orange,” Taylor says. “I was very in uenced by songwriters and power pop, though unknowingly, because I didn’t know what it was called at the time. But I grew up hearing Big Star and Van Duren and Good Question and all that. It was part of my childhood.”
He eventually took on other musical in uences, becoming one of the most eclectically virtuosic players in town (o en as New Memphis Colorways, MEM-MODS, or Sons of Mudboy) until he and his wife Sarah moved to Door County in 2020. Yet in recent years he’s made a point of returning to Memphis. If it seems like the Blu City itself is burned into him, it is. “I’ve got the city seal tattooed on my arm and the city schools on the other one. It’s 100 percent who I am as a musician and as a human being,” says Taylor.
Now, he’s making the most of his visit with several collaborations and co-appearances. By press time, he will have already joined e Committee
at e Cove on Tuesday night, followed by a cameo with Level ree at Louis Connelly’s Bar on Wednesday night. en he’ll be one of Mark Edgar Stuart’s guests (with Mary Hatley and Kathy Zhou) at the Halloran Centre’s recurring Memphis Songwriters Series on ursday, topped o with his solo acoustic guitar moods in the Crosstown Concourse atrium at lunchtime on Friday.
wide-reaching celebration of Taylor’s connections to Memphis, as he brings various collaborators he’s known to the stage with him.
Fittingly, he’ll be playing many of the songs he’s written in response to America’s rightward lurch over the past decade. Last year, when Taylor played a solo show at e Green Room at Crosstown Arts, listeners heard a new song, “Room for Everyone,” an eloquent call
Taylor will play his new single, “Don’t Quit on Me,” about “the fight against the fascist regime.”
Ultimately, it’s the Saturday night show that looms largest for Taylor, falling as it does on the latest No Kings Day, a cause which he wholeheartedly supports. For starters, he’ll be at the demonstration itself at Robert Church Park, from 2-6 p.m. “I’ll be with the Mighty Souls Brass Band, who’ll be at the head of the march” Taylor enthuses. en will come the “Anti-Tyrannical No Kangs Jam Session” at B-Side at 8 p.m. And that will be the most
for inclusiveness, performed in a quiet, haunting arrangement. Not long a er that, Taylor released an EP with his Wisconsin group, ree Springs, featuring that same song with an absolute barn-burner of an arrangement. at song is sure to make a few appearances during Taylor’s stay here, as will his new single as New Memphis Colorways, “Don’t Quit on Me,” which Taylor says is about “not giving up the ght against the fascist regime.” And
then there will be an older song of his, all too relevant today, “an instrumental song I wrote called ‘He Didn’t Die for Nothing,’” says Taylor. “It’s something I did in 2020 that was dedicated to George Floyd then, and is dedicated to Alex Pretti and Renée Good now. It feels poignant.”
On the more positive side of poignance, one of Taylor’s guests on Saturday will echo another album he released last year, but was recorded before he’d moved north. Artist and all-around Renaissance man Jimmy Crosthwait has been a profound in uence on Taylor over the years, and he’s the real star of Inside, A Nice Surprise, which popped up on the New Memphis Colorways Bandcamp page last September 5th. Crosthwait will be helping Taylor open up his B-Side extravaganza, and perhaps the two will reprise a bit of this phenomenal album, one of the truest expressions of the beatnik roots behind Memphis hippiedom. It was created spontaneously, in best beat fashion, while Taylor was a resident musician at Crosstown Arts in 2018, with a full studio at his disposal. He began doing interviews with musicians like Joyce Cobb, Reba Russell, Susan Marshall, Eric Gales, and Crosthwait. When the latter would visit, unpredictable things would happen. “I just rolled tape and I would play drums, and he would play washboard and some other percussion, or he would play his metal sculptures, and I would play washtub,” Taylor recalls. “And then I invited Jim Spake and the late, great friend and mentor of mine, Ed Finney, to come overdub on top of all of that. And then Jimmy decided that it would be cool to read the poems of a friend of his named Harvey Goldner.” at last element was a genius stroke, given Crosthwait’s pitch-perfect deadpan delivery and the pithy eye for humanity in Goldner’s words.
“It’s all improvised music, with a little bit of editing,” says Taylor, “and I could not be more proud than to have documented making rhythms with Jimmy, because he’s a lifelong friend and just such a force of that true Bohemian Memphis energy. He’s also one of Memphis’ most underrated and nest artists all the way around. And last year, because it was his 80th birthday, I was like, ‘Let’s put this out.’ ... When he starts reciting this poem on [the title track], it’s just incredible. His delivery is like Vincent Price, it’s so epic! It’s like when Jack Kerouac read his poetry and prose over jazz.”
PHOTO: JEANNE KUHNS
Paul “Snow ake” Taylor
Jason Isbell
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule
March 26 - April 1
Isbell sings of the everyday human condition with brutal honesty. Friday, March 27, 8 p.m.
THE ORPHEUM
Los Tigres del Mundo Los Tigres del Norte present their new tour. Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m.
THE ORPHEUM
The Garden Series At Hotel Pontotoc
With Found Harmonium, Movienite, Ghosty. $27.50. Saturday, March 28, 7-10 p.m.
HOTEL PONTOTOC
TL Experience
Live R&B with powerful vocals and stage presence. Saturday, March 28, 7 p.m.
THE HALLORAN CENTRE
Galaxy’s Edge Quintet
Friday, March 27, 6:30-8 p.m.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LI-
BRARY - MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARY
Zazerak Soul Jazz Trio
Saturday, March 28, 8:3011:30 p.m.
BOG & BARLEY
An Afternoon in Havana
Presented by the Mahogany Chamber Series. Sunday, March 29, 3 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Betor Fest 2026
With Korroded, Ruined God, Recent Future, Deaf Revival. Sunday, March 29, 1 p.m.
HI TONE
Bunni
With Cel Shade, Girldoink, Fangtrick. Sunday, March 29, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Chinese Connection
Dub Embassy Reggae, dancehall, ska, Afrobeat, and more. Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Dad Rock Night
A tribute to 2000’s rock. Friday, March 27, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Dan Penn
e legendary soul and R&B songwriter/producer. $48.86.
Saturday, March 28, 6 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Evergreen Sound Sessions: LJ1S & Brandon Blvd
Friday, March 27, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
PHOTO: COURTESY BAR DKDC
Dan Penn
Formerly Known As Friday, March 27, 9:30 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
G Wiz & the Solar System
With Redbone Jelly, Moses Crouch, Ba Barber. Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
Greg Cartwright & Friends
e songwriter behind Reigning Sound and e Hypos, live with full band. With Taylor Hollingsworth. $20. Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Maria Somerville
Ambient electronics, guitar, percussion, and hushed lyrics. Tuesday, March 31, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Memphis Reggae Nights
With Kennard Farmer. Sunday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. B-SIDE
Pat Metheny e renowned jazz fusion guitarist plays Memphis. With Side-Eye III+. Sunday, March 29, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Placeholders
With ¡El Chavos!, Degenerate Breakfast. Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m.
GROWLERS
Risky Whispers
With Wicker, F!rst, and Ivy Dinosaur. Friday, March 27, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Souled Out
Friday, March 27, 6 p.m.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
The Return of Turnt
Featuring $un Rah$co and P. Coltrane. Friday, March 27, 9 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
The World of Drum and Bass
With 360 Degrees x Flow B, Souljunk, DJ Tree, Cozmo,
Saturna. ursday, March 26, 9:30 p.m.
GROWLERS
Vandoliers
Beloved Texas country-punk ensemble. Tuesday, March 31, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Watchhouse
Tuesday, March 31, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Women Who Spin: Celebrating Samilia
Pelshack
Sets by DJ Brillianaire, DJ Zetta, and DJ Rosamii. Free. ursday, March 26, 6-8 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Dreaming of You
Tribute to Selena Quintanilla. Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m.
GOLD STRIKE CASINO
Gary Clark Jr.
A contemporary blues-rock giant. Friday, March 27, 7 p.m. | Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m. | Sunday, March 29, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Kenny Wayne
Shepherd Band
Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary. $39.75. ursday, March 26, 7:30-10 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
Don Was & the Pan
Detroit Ensemble
Playing the Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah. $44. Sunday, March 29, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER
Jazz in the Box: Randy Napoleon e hottest little nightclub around. $45. Friday, March 27, 7-8:30 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER
CALENDAR of EVENTS:
Mar. 26 - April 1
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 EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“Art in Bloom”
Exhibit by Heather Howle, Leigh Anne Sandlin, and Jennifer Williams. rough March 31.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
ART HAPPENINGS
“Cosas Diversas / Diverse Things”
A tribute to the beauty and diversity the artist encounters as an avid traveler, capturing both the quiet majesty of nature and the vibrant spirit of the human world. Free. Wednesday, April 1, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER
Opening Reception for “Dixie Knights: Dissonance & Contradictions”
Opening reception for MFA esis Exhibition of works by MFA candidate Isaiah Kennedy. Friday, March 27, 5-7 p.m.
MEDICINE FACTORY
BOOK EVENTS
Mark Mayer: About, Above, Around: 50 Prepositions is book reveals the subtle syntax of our inner lives, o ering a new yet ancient vocabulary for charting how feeling moves within and between and around us. Monday, March 30, 6 p.m. NOVEL
Crossword
ACROSS
1 Cry on the battlefield
7 “Mine!”
15 Reading Fightin Phils, e.g.
16 “Just curious”
17 Expecting, slangily
18 “Cue the violins!” elicitor
19 Loafs
20 Children’s Dr.?
21 One on foot, informally
22 Made a web site?
23 1/746 horsepower
24 Pouty face
25 “It’s no use”
27 Celebrity mug shot, typically
28 The key to making a quick exit?
29 Veteran 33 Actors’ unions?
37 Famous sights at San Francisco’s Pier 39
38 Chap
40 Einstein
43 Simply taboo
45 Only N.F.L. franchise to win championships representing three different cities
46 Villain in “Wonder Woman”
48 Diminishes
49 Occasion for a party
50 Schooled on the field
52 Sweeping
53 [If you catch my drift …]
55 Like Antarctica
56 One on a registrar’s list
57 Pro QB Manning, by birth
58 Really hot
59 Get down
1 “Savvy?”
2 Definite no, informally
3 Put away a sandwich, perhaps
4 Royal stand-in
5 Has a hard time swallowing
6 Alternative genre
7 Implant
8 Die, as a light
9 Round figures
10 Julia Roberts’s role in the “Ocean’s” series
Informal object 12 Pill bug or wood louse 13 Buoyed
Action film director Zack 20 Toga go-with
Mrs. Flintstone 24 Tequila cocktail, in slang 26 Group who Mao Zedong famously said “hold up half the sky”
COURTESY MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Seijaku-En includes guided Japanese Garden tours at the Memphis Botanic Garden
The Book Mixer is is the perfect event for book lovers to come together and share their passion for reading. $10/general admission. Sunday, March 29, 5-8 p.m.
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0614
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Spring Fairy Garden Workshop
Join Master Gardener Sheryl to create your own magical fairy garden container. You’ll get everything you need to create your own little world-all in a pot. Sunday, March 29, 1 p.m.
URBAN EARTH GARDENS, NURSERY & MARKET
COMEDY
Nate Bargatze: Big Dumb Eyes World Tour
Hailed as “ e Nicest Man in Stand-Up,” by e Atlantic magazine, and “One of the Funniest People,” by “CBS Mornings,” comedian Nate Bargatze comes to Memphis. ursday, March 26, 7 p.m.
FEDEXFORUM
Scott Eason
e nationally-touring comedian headlines a fun lineup at Flyway’s popular monthly standup showcase. Also featuring Dom Carr, hosted by Ryan Bush. $10/discounted online tickets. Saturday, March 28, 8-9:45 p.m.
FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY
COMMUNITY
Celestial Sound Bath: The Gates of Light
Taj Chander leads a grounding and expansive Celestial Sound Bath as March comes to a close and we step fully into the momentum of spring. Monday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.
THE BROOM CLOSET
Seijaku-En: The Art of Quiet Beauty Slow down with guided Japanese Garden tours and bonsai demonstrations highlighting balance, cra smanship, and mindful design. Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
FAMILY
Special Seussical Story Time
Come and welcome Horton and friends from the cast of Seussical from Circuit Playhouse for a special story time. Saturday, March 28, 10:30 a.m.
NOVEL
FILM
Stepping Into the Unknown: Films from the Bob Dylan Center is special curated program draws from rare and revelatory cinematic materials connected to Bob Dylan’s life, work, and cultural impact. ursday, March 26, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Bunny Brunch Spring into fun with brunch and a special visit from the Easter Bunny. Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m.
MEMPHIS ZOO
Easter Bunny Photos at Saddle Creek
World’s longest wooden roller coaster, with “The”
Prefix with -logy
Worked (out)
Mythological judge of the dead in the underworld
Clearance caveat
“I” lift?
Catch some rays
Reply often made with
Come on over to Saddle Creek for photos with the Easter Bunny. Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Sunday, March 29, noon-4 p.m.
SADDLE CREEK SOUTH
Hollywood Feed Easter Egg Hunt Hop on into any Hollywood Feed location for some pre-Easter fun with your pup. Saturday, March 28-March 29.
ONLINE
THEATER
Mamma Mia! is energetic and irresistible story is set on a remote Greek island where a young girl plans her wedding while trying to discover who of three men may be her father. Set to the music of ABBA. ursday, March 26, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 28, 2 p.m. | Sunday, March 29, 2 p.m.
THEATRE MEMPHIS
PUZZLE BY CAITLIN REID
PHOTO:
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
More than 600 attended “A Taste of CBHS,” which was held March 1st at Christian Brothers High School, says Carrie Roberts, director of alumni and community engagement there.
e event, which celebrated its 14th anniversary this year, featured 40 restaurants and alcohol distributors.
Alex Boggs, who has been involved with the event since it began, and Ryan Trimm were event chairs. Next year, Mike Garibaldi will ll the spot held by Boggs.
above: (le to right) Mike Smith; James and Ashley Edwards circle: Patrick Duncan
below: (le to right) Michael Jr., Tripp, Matthew, and Mike Garibaldi Sr.; Alexandria Farsee and Keenan Cannon; Nash and Danica Lanigan bottom row: (le to right) Mina, Luca, Enzo, and Marcus Gagliano in front with Armando and John-Paul Gagliano in back; Matt and Marcie Haaga; Daniel and Kim Pesce
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
FOOD By Michael Donahue
The Pop Spot is Poppin’
New East Memphis restaurant stands out.
The Pop Spot isn’t a pop music venue. ey don’t feature a large selection of soda pop. And popcorn isn’t on the menu.
But, a er only being open a few weeks, e Pop Spot at 715 West Brookhaven Circle is turning into a pop-ular place. e “pop” stands for pop art, which is represented on a wall with prints, including some Andy Warhol-looking Campbell’s soup cans. e enticing menu features both Venezuelan and American dishes.
omas Schaub, a regular at e Pop Spot, says, “I come down for the atmosphere and food. It gives a little bit of a Midtown vibe in East Memphis.”
e Pop Spot is the brainchild of Venezuelan native Sylvia Leon, who co-owns the eatery with Franco Bordonaro. Leon moved to Memphis as an exchange student in 2003 and lived with an American family while attending Bartlett High School. “I stayed with that family and they helped me get my papers and all that. e situation in Venezuela was really bad at the time and that’s why I decided to stay,” she says.
Leon graduated from Southwest Community College with a business management degree. As a woman in Venezuela, she says, she would have had to depend on her parents. “ at’s just how our culture is. Also life. I didn’t want to do that.”
she didn’t want the art to just be on the walls. She wanted the walls themselves on the outside and inside to be painted pink and yellow, like the colorfully-painted restaurants in Venezuela.
But her brother suggested that customers might get headaches or even leave with such vivid, intense colors. So Leon settled on more neutral walls. But, she says, “We transferred the pop art into our food and into our drinks and put the pop art on the walls.”
e colorful food does pop out, like e Pop Spot Burger, which, for now, comes with purplish-pink buns. Or the three sliders, which — this week — have pink, yellow, and green buns. Colors change at e Pop Spot. ey have their buns made and dyed by a woman from Venezuela who owns Nanis Bakery in Olive Branch, Mississippi. “ ey’re safe. ey’re edible colors,” says Leon. She describes their fare as “American food with a fusion of Latin avors.” It’s “gourmet type, very well presented.”
She got her degree and opened Casa Leon, an event venue that later turned into a restaurant, on the site of the old Jim’s Place East on Shelby Oaks Drive. In 2022, the business was sold. “It was getting too dangerous. One of our security guards got shot in the parking lot. I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”
Leon went to work at Mid-South Latino Chamber of Commerce, where she is executive director. In December 2024, she and Bordonaro decided to open another restaurant. She found a property for lease on Brookhaven Circle, one of her favorite streets. “People come here and just walk from restaurant to restaurant,” she says. Leon “wanted something di erent” from other restaurants there, “a fun place, a nice atmosphere, a good vibe. A place you want to stay and have some drinks.” She also wanted the pop art concept, but
Bordonaro, also is from Venezuela, provided the recipe for e Pop Spot Burger, which, according to the menu is “six ounces grilled (hamburger meat), artisan sourdough, fried egg, shredded cabbage, American cheese, cheddar, herb aioli, and potato sticks.”
e mini-arepas, another Venezuelan item, are described on the menu as, “fried crispy [arepas] topped with chicken and pineapple pico de gallo, shrimp and cole slaw, and beef tenderloin, avocado, and herb aioli.”
“We also have salads, tacos, hamburgers, quesadillas, salmon, red sh, grilled chicken steaks,” Leon adds. And that’s just some of the items.
Gerardo Tovar, former sous chef at e Capital Grille, is their executive chef. eir drinks are colorful, too. ey include “Poppin’ Pink Flamingo,” which is made with tequila, sparkling grapefruit soda, lime, and pink sparkles.
A spacious patio on the west side of the restaurant is slated to open in early spring. Leon plans to eventually feature music by solo artists or small groups.
“People are just nding out about us,” Leon says, but she is ready for more folks to pop in.
PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE e Pop Spot Burger
Mamma Mia!
e eatre Memphis production o ers comedy, drama, and sparkle.
A
udiences attending a performance of Mamma Mia! would rightly go in with the expectation of experiencing a party atmosphere. Typically described as being set in a Grecian paradise, the musical came together using existing songs from the library of the Swedish pop sensation, ABBA. With its characters from America and Great Britain, it’s an interesting concept and a unique blending of cultural representations. ough the production delivered on its promise of good-time fun, I was le wanting a bit more from the show as a whole.
e plot of Mamma Mia! is both zany and straightforward. Bride-to-be Sophie, here played by Mary Helen McCord, dreams of her father walking her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding in Greece, where she grew up.
e only problem? She has no idea who he is. A er nding and reading her mother’s old diary, she surmises there are three possible candidates.
either won’t notice or won’t care. e production wasn’t nearly as polished and well-oiled as I would expect from a show well into its nearly sold-out run. Dancers colliding, mic packs visible, and an energy that lacked verve are all minor details, but taken together their detraction from a performance can create a de cit greater than the sum of its parts. Some casting decisions and wardrobe choices didn’t make sense to me. McCord has a voice more than capable of handling the nuance of the music, but her wig, costuming, and overall character design fought her in achieving her character’s youth and naive free spirit.
rowing caution to the wind, she invites all three to the wedding with the assumption that when she meets them she’ll intuit which one is her dad. is leads to her mother, Donna, unexpectedly coming face-to-face with three old ames and all the requisite baggage the day before her daughter’s wedding, which she wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about in the rst place.
is show is about relationships and all the ways they can force a person to grow and learn. It’s about second chances and extending and receiving forgiveness. It covers friendships, romance, family, and heartbreak, and it does so in a lighthearted way despite its occasional deeply dramatic and powerhouse solo performances.
It’s also a strongly feminist production, intent on matter-of-factly presenting the long-held “traditional” view of marriage as something that doesn’t work for everyone. Female empowerment is a theme lovingly rendered in this musical. It remains as refreshing and important in 2026 as I’m sure it was in its original run.
My issues with the show lie partly in the play itself. At times, it’s the most fun an audience can have (“Dancing Queen” being sung into curling irons? Come on!), but at others the ABBA songs don’t quite manage to bridge the gap between pop hits and staged-musical. e plot sometimes skates over issues of believability in the hopes that the audience
Plenty of moments, however, made the show worth watching. “ e Winner Takes It All” is what inspired the musical in the rst place, and Emily F. Chateau as Donna Sheridan brought all the requisite anger and raw emotion you would expect from that ballad. And while the collective energy of the ensemble struggled, there were clear individual performances that stood out. Nearly every element of humor in the show worked, with Rosie and Tanya, Donna’s old friends, played respectively by Jenny Odle Madden and Rebecca Brown Schulter, being the standout performances of the evening. Madden’s physical comedy as Rosie didn’t so much steal the show as veritably carry it. While I had a mixed reaction, in the end it does what you expect Mamma Mia! to do — amid deeply human themes, it is unquestionably fun and an opportunity for strong and comedic female performances to not just shine, but sparkle. Mamma Mia! runs at eatre Memphis through March 29th.
PHOTO: CARLA MCDONALD Mamma Mia! performers sing a little Greek magic.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus writer Charlotte Brontë said, “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” Given your current astrological potentials, I think you should tattoo her motto across your forehead so everyone knows you’re committed to pleasure over propriety. Burn your dressy clothes! Quit doing boring duties! Dance naked in the woods! APRIL FOOL! I don’t really think you should tattoo your forehead or dance naked in public. But Brontë’s sentiment is sound: In the coming weeks, if forced to choose between joy and respectability, pick joy every time. Just do it with a modicum of common sense.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini actress Marilyn Monroe said, “A wise girl knows her limits. A smart girl knows that she has none.” I propose we expand that counsel to include all genders. And I especially recommend this approach to you right now. It’s time to shed, ignore, and surpass ALL your so-called limits. Be as wild and free and uninhibited as you dare.
APRIL FOOL! I worry that it’s irresponsible to give you such utter carte blanche. Would you consider honoring one or two limits that prevent you from indulging in crazy and extreme behavior? Otherwise, be wild and free and uninhibited!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Psychologist Carl Jung wrote extensively about the importance of embracing our shadows: the dark, problematic aspects of ourselves we would rather not acknowledge. In the coming weeks, I recommend that you stop hiding that weird stuff! Throw a comingout-of-the-closet party for all the questionable parts of you. Let your inner monsters run wild! APRIL FOOL! Please don’t do that. What Jung actually advocated was recognizing and integrating your shadow, not being ruled by it. So yes, explore your moody, unruly impulses, but with consciousness, kindness, and containment, not reckless expression.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo author James Baldwin observed, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” With that in mind, I advise you to spend the next two weeks obsessively staring at every dilemma in your life. Don’t look away! Don’t take breaks! Just face every dilemma constantly until you’re overwhelmed! APRIL FOOL! Baldwin’s insight is brilliant, but it doesn’t require masochistic endurance. Here’s the truth: Yes, you should courageously acknowledge what needs attention, but do so with care and discernment. And then actually work on changing it! Awareness is the beginning, not the entire process.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Agatha Christie wrote 66 detective novels in which she meticulously planned every plot twist. I think you should apply her
By Rob Brezsny
approach to your daily life: Script every conversation! Anticipate every contingency! Control every variable! Leave nothing to chance! APRIL FOOL! Christie’s obsessive planning worked for fiction, but life requires improvisation. For you, the coming weeks favor spontaneity and flexibility. So make rough plans, sure, but stay loose enough to experiment with whatever emerges. Over-control would diminish the magic.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My favorite Libran writer didn’t capitalize her name: bell hooks. I recommend you stage a similar rebellion against all rules and structures. Ignore social conventions! Flout traffic laws! Pay your taxes with paintings and poems you’ve created! APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating. I do love hooks’ charming revolt, but it would be counterproductive for you to randomly break all the rules of daily life. Instead, be judicious and selective as you question conventions thoughtfully and only violate those that genuinely deserve to be spurned. Be a strategic rebel, not a chaotic one.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath wrote this passage in her journal: “I desire the things which will destroy me in the end.” I think you should consider embracing her approach — for the sheer, exotic thrill of it! Pursue interesting chaos! If it might unravel you, welcome it passionately! The more unruly, the better! APRIL FOOL! I lied. Plath was describing her struggle with depression, not offering us advice. Here’s what I think you should actually do: Examine which of your yearnings serve your evolution and which ones undermine it. Fully embrace the fact that intensity is one of your greatest gifts, but channel that intensity into experiences that build you up, not tear you down. Choose ardent aliveness over fervent destruction.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Sagittarian philosopher Baruch Spinoza spent years alone in his room developing his radical ideas about God and nature. I recommend total isolation for you, too. In accordance with astrological omens, avoid human contact! Put your relationships on hold while you contemplate the infinite! APRIL FOOL! I totally lied. Spinoza’s solitude served his unique genius, but a similar approach won’t work for you — especially now. Here’s what I really think you require in the coming weeks: periods of meditative alone time balanced by intervals of rich connection with interesting humans. You need to commune with both your deep inner sources and nurturing alliances.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn astrologer Linda Goodman wrote that your sign’s “ambition is boundless” and that most Capricorns dream of ruling
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries poet Maya Angelou proclaimed, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” In that spirit, Aries, I urge you to tell everyone everything — all your secret thoughts, hidden feelings, and private opinions. Post your diary online! Confess your fantasies to strangers! Share your unfiltered inner monologue with authority figures! APRIL FOOL! I lied. Angelou urged us to bravely communicate our authentic truths, but not to overshare or be careless about observing good boundaries. Here’s the deep wisdom: Express thoughts and feelings that make you feel real and whole, but be discerning about when, where, and to whom.
the world. In accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to indulge this attribute. Launch a campaign for global domination! Start with your neighborhood and work your way up to more and more conquests! APRIL FOOL! The truth is, world domination is exhausting and impractical. What Goodman was referring to is your gift for structure and leadership. Use your organizational genius to improve your corner of the world, not tyrannize it. Think stewardship, not empire.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian inventor Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” In this spirit, I recommend that you falter spectacularly in the coming weeks. The more blunders and bungles, the better! Engage in a holy quest to seek as many fizzles and misfires as possible! Make Edison look like an amateur! APRIL FOOL! I lied. Edison wasn’t deliberately courting snafus, of course. His approach was similar to that of many creative artists: driven by exploratory persistence that capitalizes on mistakes and hassles. Here’s your real guidance, Aquarius: Experiment boldly, yes, and don’t fear stumbles and bumbles. But learn from each one and adjust your approach. The goal is eventual success that’s informed by humility and resiliency.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean physicist Albert Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” In the spirit of his genius, I recommend that you abandon logic completely! Never think rationally again! Make all decisions based on fantasy and feelings! APRIL FOOL! Einstein was advocating for the creative power of imagination, not the abandonment of reason. What you truly need is a marriage of visionary thinking and practical logic. Ask your imagination to show you possibilities, then call on lucid logic to help you manifest them.
By Chris McCoy
Full of Grace
Project Hail Mary is the grand space adventure you’ve been waiting for.
Writer/director/producer duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have always had one foot in animation and one foot in live action. ey met at Dartmouth doing sketch comedy in the ’00s and created Clone High for Cartoon Network, but their breakthrough was the 2009 animated lm Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. ey followed it up immediately with a live-action buddy comedy based on 21 Jump Street, and both lms were big enough hits to spawn sequels. Since then, the friends have had more luck with animation, creating e Lego Movie series and winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. On the live action side, they’re most famous for getting red by Lucas lm while they were in the middle of shooting Solo Ron Howard took over the troubled picture and delivered a solid, if unsurprising, space adventure lm. But many of the kind of fans who post opinions on the internet have wondered over the
years if the Han Solo story Lord and Miller would have made would have been something more than a mere scifootnote.
A er watching their new sci- lm, Project Hail Mary, I can say that: 1) Kathleen Kennedy was right to re them from Star Wars, and 2) Project Hail Mary is a fantastic lm.
Based on a book by Andy Weir, the coder-turned-sci- writer whose book e Martian was adapted into a huge hit lm by Ridley Scott, Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as an astronaut who wakes up from cryosleep on a giant spaceship and can’t remember who he is, or what he is doing there. His rst discovery is that all of his crewmates have died in transit, so he is all alone on a ship he doesn’t remember how to y. His second discovery is that the ship is arriving at Tau Ceti, 13 light years from Earth. His third discovery is that he doesn’t have enough fuel to get home.
A er guring out his name is Ryland Grace, he remembers that he was an elementary school teacher on Earth. He
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, an astronaut with serious memory issues.
recalls a classroom conversation where he had to explain to his students that the sun was slowly dimming because of an unknown phenomenon called the Petrova Line, a mysterious arc that connects the Sun with Venus. Soon a er, he is contacted by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller), the head of the European Space Agency. Grace has a Ph.D., and used to
be a university exobiology researcher until he published a paper on the possibility of alien life that doesn’t require water. But the research that got him red from his professorship is now invaluable, because the Petrova Line is caused by an extraterrestrial microorganism that is apparently eating the Sun. ese Astrophages will dim the sunlight enough to kill all life on
PHOTO: COURTESY AMAZON MGM
Earth in just a few decades.
As he’s absorbing the news that the fate of the human race depends on him, Grace discovers that there is another ship in the system, and it’s not from Earth. After the best meet-cute first contact sequence since Earth Girls Are Easy, Grace discovers that the other ship is also populated by the lone survivor of a solar rescue mission. He dubs his new spidershaped, silicon-based alien friend Rocky (James Ortiz, voice and puppeteering), and the two set out together to save both of their respective worlds.
Despite the planetary-sized stakes, Lord and Miller keep the film light and breezy. Gosling is the perfect actor for Lord and Miller’s style. He’s quick on his feet, with a great improv sense. His seemingly limitless charisma helps
paper over some of the story’s gaping plot holes. (Somehow, Rocky’s people created a nuclear reactor to power their interstellar spaceship while understanding neither radiation nor relativity.) The directors need someone like Gosling for their comedy-inflected style to connect with audiences, and it turns out those are exactly the combination of talents that Alden Ehrenreich, who played the young Han Solo in the directors’ ill-fated Star Wars spinoff, lacks.
To sum up, Solo was always doomed, but if you’re looking for a grand space adventure that’s fun to watch, Project Hail Mary is here for you.
Project Hail Mary
Now playing Multiple locations
Mended Therapy
Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND.
Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com.
She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-ofnetwork clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.
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BUY, SELL, TRADE
ORDER
OF PUBLICATION
In the CHANCERY COURT of Shelby County, Tennessee No. CH-23-1348
PRINCETON HEIGHTS, LLC & VOLUNTEER BUYERS, GP Plaintiff(s) V. JOYCE FASON, TONI LESTER, GEORGIA WALKER, HEIRS OF FRANCES F. WALKER, HEIRS OF GEORGE WALKER & ANY KNOWN AND UNKNOWN HEIRS Defendant(s)
It appearing from the complaint in this cause which is sworn to that:
There are parties known and unknown and as prayed for in the Petition to Quiet Title filed on October 16, 2023, as to all previous owners of 5007 Wilburn Ave, Memphis, Tennessee 38117.
It is therefore ordered that they make themselves appearance herein at the court House of Shelby County, in the city of Memphis, Shelby County, TN on May 11, 2026 and answer plaintiffs complaint for Petition to Quiet Title or the same will be taken for confessed as to defendant(s), and set for hearing ex parte, and that a copy of this order be published once a week for four successive weeks in the Memphis Flyer.
This 9th day of March, 2026.
A True Copy - Attest:
W. Aaron Hall, Clerk & Master
By Jocelyn V. Henderson
Jocelyn V. Henderson
Attorney for Petitioner Mar. 19, 26 and Apr. 2, 9 2026
Why Women of Achievement?
To preserve our history and share the accomplishments of our women leaders.
War is raging against diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Woman” and “women and girls” have been scrubbed from websites from the YWCA to universities. Access to full reproductive health care is banned, workplace harassment ourishes, and deadly violence against the not-to-be-mentioned women and girls is a global pandemic.
It seems a bold and necessary time to celebrate women’s leadership and history. It seems a good time to remember that women will always be part of building our communities, our institutions, our culture, our society. We will honor these women on March 29th at the 40th Women of Achievement (WA) Awards celebration at Playhouse on the Square when six new honorees will boost the WA archive to 298 individual stories and three groups. With a book signing reception for the fourth volume of WA essays ahead of the awards ceremony, the event is the region’s premier Women’s History Month recognition.
Yet some would ask, why have a celebration only about women? Isn’t that discriminatory? Consider that research by the National Women’s History Museum reveals that out of 737 historical gures taught in K-12 curricula, only 178 or 24 percent are women, including several ctional characters such as Rosie the Riveter. Consider that 98 of the women appear in only one state curricula and only 15 are named in more than 10 states, from Sacajawea to Rosa Parks, the most recent gure. Most of the 15 are from protest movements such as women’s su rage and civil rights. Consider that textbooks concentrate primarily on women’s domestic roles rather than broader political or cultural contexts. e NWHM study showed that despite public interest in girls moving into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, “social studies standards provide few historic examples of women or their achievements in these elds.” Consider how rarely textbook writers and school systems update content which is typically oriented around achievements in war. Where is the discrimination now? is year’s honorees are women who stand up and speak out — to write the truth, to secure healthcare for marginalized groups, to preserve women’s history, and to promote lmmaking. ey exhibit the integrity and tenacity, creativity and passion that make change and make history. e 2026 Women of Achievement are: (Courage) Wendi omas, journalist, founder of MLK50: Justice rough Journalism; (Determination) Dr. Patricia AdamsGraves, sickle cell disease researcher and advocate; (Heritage) Dr. Evelyn Bassi Ogle, EEG pioneer; (Initiative) Dr. Audrey Elion, mental health proponent; (Steadfastness) Linn Sitler, Memphis & Shelby County Film Commissioner; and (Vision) Dr. Gail Murray, professor, historian, author. I was a young newspaper reporter in 1984, weary of covering “Man of the Year” luncheons and dinners when I connected with expert community organizer Jeanne Dreifus to talk about how to celebrate the leadership and change-making of Memphis and Shelby County women. With a steering committee of 13 more like-minded women diverse in age, religion, and race, we created awards, a selection process, and a coalition of women’s groups to support it — all this two years before Women’s History Month was designated by Congress in 1987. We called the project Women of Achievement. e rst event was a dinner at the New Daisy eater on Beale Street in March 1985 with educator, civil rights activist, and author Miriam DeCosta-Willis as mistress of ceremonies. Tickets were $10, ful lling the founders’ desire to be a ordable to all. en and each year since, essays about the honorees’ achievements are read by award presenters — themselves remarkable local leaders. Honorees respond with remarks about their work and their passion, why they do the work they do. Honorees are given a plate cra ed for the rst 25 years by Memphis potter Mimi Dann and now by her daughter, ceramic artist Katie Dann. In addition to the awards, we publish the stories in books and on the WA website for anyone around the world to read and be inspired by, one of the few ongoing local women’s history programs of its kind in the nation.
In 40 years, Women of Achievement has honored leadership on issues from AIDS to human rights, civil rights, women’s rights, domestic violence and rape, Holocaust remembrance, disabled rights, mental health, reproductive rights, and much more. We have honored actors, artists, attorneys, educators, musicians, social workers, ministers, politicians, writers, scientists, the Shelby County Su ragists, the Yellow Fever Heroines and Martyrs, the women who saved Overton Park, and more.
As a special project for our 35th year and the city’s bicentennial, a WA committee charted the Memphis Women’s Legacy Trail — a biographical guide to places where white women and AfricanAmerican women, Jewish and Christian, native and immigrant, with money and without, made history or where they are memorialized.
Women of Achievement will continue to celebrate women with awards but also, and most importantly, to preserve and share our history.
Deborah Clubb is a co-founder of Women of Achievement and executive director of the Memphis Area Women’s Council. Awards ceremony admission is $40 or $10 for students K-12 and can be paid in advance at eventbrite.com.
PHOTO: (CIRCLE) COURTESY THE OGLE FAMILY Dr. Evelyn Bassi Ogle
PHOTO: (ABOVE) ANDREA ZUCKER (le to right) Dr. Audrey Elion, Linn Sitler, Wendi omas, Dr. Patricia Adams-Graves, and Dr. Gail Murray
