The New Tri-State Defender -- December 24-30, 2020

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December 24 - 30, 2020

VOL. 69, No. 52

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COVID-19 UPDATE

Health Order 16 in place as surge rips the county

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

At Tuesday’s (Dec. 22) COVID-19 Joint Task Force briefing, officials talked about new cases, projected deaths and a new safer-at-home Health Department directive that carries a fine for businesses that violate it.

The virus-related numbers remain grim and health officials said aggressive measures are needed now to save lives and slow the transmission of the virus over the next two months. Officials here and nationally are especially worried about another surge because of people getting together over the holiday season.

The Health Department reported 905 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and three new deaths, bringing the virus-related death toll to 821 for the year. That brings Shelby County totals to 62,334 (6,929 active cases and 54,584 inactive cases) and 821 deaths this year.

“The Safer at Home Health Order 16 issued on Monday will be in force over the next four weeks,” said Health Department official Dr. Bruce Randolph. “Dining in is restricted to 25 percent capacity. Retail, grocery stores and gyms must operate at 50 percent capacity. More aggressive action was necessary to save lives.”

Health officials said the trajectory

of probable deaths in the next two months with no action taken could result in 1,000 additional deaths from Dec. 18 to Feb. 18.

While the safer at home directive does not completely shut businesses, there is a strong reliance on “individual responsibility.”

“We asking that everyone continue wearing masks in public at all times unless eating or drinking, and stay six feet apart,” said Randolph.

“We are also asking that things like recreations, receptions and parties be curtailed.

“Employers are being asked when possible to have employees work from home, or stagger them so that everyone is not there at the same time.”

Thanks to an ordinance passed Monday by the Shelby County Commission, the health department can now fine a business $50 per violation of the new health directive.

Randolph said the more aggressive directive will reduce the number of cases, and thereby, reduce the number of deaths.

“We know that 1.5 percent of cases end in death,” Randolph said. “To decrease the number of deaths, we must decrease the number of new cases.”

Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter said the health directive is designed to blunt the curve of this

SEE COVID-19 ON PAGE 2

“I will show up on your doorstep,” Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs said of her recruitment style.

Welcome, Dr. Vernell BennettFairs!

LeMoyne-Owen College names its 13th president

by Curtis Weathers

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Stevie Moore, founder of Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (FFUN), added a plastic face covering to his Santa Claus outfit and then stepped into the familiar role of helping deliver cheer during FFUN’s third annual toy drive. (Courtesy photo) See Community, Page 8.

GRITGRINDGRIZZ

Can Ja Morant, Grizz cubs jump Memphis into NBA Playoffs?

by Lee Eric Smith

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Can Ja Morant and the young cubs in Memphis make the leap into the NBA Playoffs?

That’s the ultimate question of the season right?

Just a few months ago, the Grizzlies narrowly missed the playoffs in the Orlando bubble, first by going just 2-6 (and not locking up the No. 8 seed) and then by losing a close 122126 game to Portland in the play-in.

Oh, and by the way, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow were both out of that game and Morant only went for 35 points – while playing with a fractured hand.

Despite their performance in the bubble, the trajectory for the Grizzlies never veered from its upward climb. There’s no reason to believe these Grizzlies won’t be a better team than last year – and their 3-1 record in the preseason helps make that case.

But will it be enough to break through in the ever tough Western Conference?

Or finally, let’s get back to the elephant in the room: COVID-19.

Just as I was formulating this column, the Grizzlies announced that there would be no fans at FedExFo-

rum until further notice. It’s the right call, given the deadly surge in infections. Despite the NBA’s impressive handling of the bubble, there are many ways that Lee Eric COVID could Smith derail this season – not just for the Grizzlies, but the whole league.

So there will be no shortage of storylines for the Grizzlies this season. Here are some of the ones I’ll be watching: Morant, Year 2: Last season, we saw the rookie Morant play with the poise of a young veteran – along the way, winning Rookie of the Year, averaging nearly 18 points and seven assists a game. He also immediately established himself as a go-to scorer in the fourth quarter.

It’s not really a question of whether Morant will improve this season; it’s how much. More fundamentally: Morant surpassed our expectations, established new and even bolder ones for himself and the team this season.

Can he blow those expectations out of the water ... again? How many more Ja-dropping moments will we

see this season?

The signs are promising, of course.

Morant has added bulk to his wiry frame, for those forays to the basket.

And he’s found even more finishers so far in the preseason, averaging nearly 10 assists. The additional strength should help on the defensive end as well, where he could otherwise get overpowered by bigger guards.

The closest thing to a knock on Morant’s game would be his three-point shooting, just 28 percent last season. If he can push that closer to 37 percent, teams would HAVE to respect his shot – and if that happens, Ja Morant becomes even more unguardable, which is tantalizing to imagine. Given his work ethic, there’s no reason he can’t do that, maybe even this season.

Last season, Morant was a rookie who played like a young veteran.

This year, we expect him to be the sophomore who plays like a superstar – and likely receives his first All-Star bid.

Strong start?: On one hand, the Grizzlies start the season without Jackson and Winslow, two guys expected to start when they are healthy.

On the other hand? Those two guys (mostly) weren’t available in Orlando either. Winslow was ruled out just

SEE GRIZZ ON PAGE 10

Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs will begin her new tenure as president of LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) Jan. 5.

She will be the college’s 13th president and brings more than 25 years of higher education experience to the job of Curtis leading one Weathers of greater Memphis’ most cherished educational institutions.

I spoke with Dr. Bennett-Fairs last week (virtually) and came away extremely impressed with the energy and enthusiasm she has for her new job, and her excitement about becoming a resident of Memphis.

She made it clear during our virtual visit that she is about building wide-ranging relations as a way to move the 158-year-old historically HBCU (History Black College and University) forward.

But before going further, we would be remiss if we did not thank Dr. Carol Johnson-Dean, who has served as interim president of LOC for the past 18 months. She has guided the college through incredibly challenging times.

Thank you, Dr. Johnson-Dean, for your service. You are very much appreciated!

LeMoyne-Owen’s Board of Trustees conducted an exhaustive six-month search for the right per-

SEE LOC ON PAGE 2 Can Rookie of the Year Ja Morant (pictured here rocking the Stax-inspired “City Edition” uniform) lead the precocious young Grizzlies to the Western Conference playoffs? (Photo: Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images)

The New Tri-State Defender

December 24 - 30, 2020

Page 2

NEWS Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett developed the approach to the coronavirus vaccine

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

Ready to deliver …

The FedEx network, which already was actively delivering Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shipments across the U.S., announced operations to transport Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines for McKesson Corp. throughout the United States. (Photos: newsroom.fedex.com)

COVID-19

CONTINUED FROM FRONT new surge of cases in Shelby County.

“We needed to take appropriate action,” said Haushalter. “Our ultimate goal is to decrease deaths by decreasing the number of cases.”

Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease physician, said he personally sees one or two deaths each day. Jain was on hand to give a nod to the new health directive.

Haushalter said the update on the Moderma vaccine is that they did not get in yesterday as expected. The vaccine is due

LOC

CONTINUED FROM FRONT son to serve as their president.

Dr. Bennett-Fairs emerged from a competitive pool of 78 highly qualified candidates for the job.

“We selected Dr. Bennett-Fairs because of her vast experience in higher education, and we are especially impressed with her student recruitment successes,” said Johnny Pitts, LOC search committee chair.

Dr. Bennett-Fairs is a native of Lorain, Ohio, married, and has a 26-year-old son. She brings a family-like disposition to the job and is excited about meeting and interacting with alumni, students, faculty, and the greater Memphis community.

This job is a dream come true for Dr. Bennett-Fairs.

She is a product of the HCBU community and has had aspirations of being a college president since her undergraduate years at Fisk University in Nashville.

Her last position was at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi in the Mississippi Delta, where she served for more than four years as vice-president of Student Affairs.

During her DSU tenure, she increased student enrollment, realigned the college’s scholarship budget and helped attract students from over 50 different countries.

As LeMoyne-Owen pres-

in “some time this week,” she said.

First responders and healthcare workers are still top priority for receiving the vaccine.

Dr. Reginald Coopwood, president and CEO of

Regional One Health, closed out with the announcement of a Pay It Forward Community Campaign Fund to assist families in the Mid-South who are suffering financially.

“We reached out to Baptist Hospitals and Le Bonheur

as well,” said Coopwood.

“We have already raised $100,000. We are reaching out to all the major corporations in Memphis. FedEx gave $25,000. …We invite everyone who can to give to help our neighbors.”

ident, Dr. Bennett-Fairs will be responsible for providing executive leadership for fundraising, strategic planning and implementation, management for the college, as well as other aspects of the college presidency.

During our conversation, she spoke passionately about her “four R’s” approach to executive leadership, which included: Relationships, Recruitment, Retention and Revenue, with a specific emphasis on “Relationships.”

I gave her an A-plus for that answer.

She believes that relationship building with and between students, staff, alumni, and the community, is the key to achieving long-term success.

“Without strong relationships, both on-campus and off-campus, the other three R’s will be much harder to achieve,” she said.

Much of what I have heard and read about Dr. Bennett-Fairs has centered around her unique ability to recruit new students. She seems to take that particular responsibility personally.

With enrollment at LOC on the decline this year (due in part to the pandemic), we discussed how she would approach attracting the best and brightest from the greater Memphis area to LeMoyne-Owen.

She again referred to her four R’s, with particular emphasis again on relationship building.

“I will show up on your doorstep,” she said about her style of recruitment.

One of her signature recruitment strategies used at Delta State was a program called “Faculty Teaching Day in High Schools.” College professors visited high schools throughout the community, personally interacted with students and even taught classes in their schools. This approach helped build critical relationships with school leaders, teachers and students.

Recruitment and budgets are at the top of her list of priorities. The pandemic has had a significant impact on enrollment this year. Tuition and fees make up the lion’s share of the college’s budget.

That reality was tempered, somewhat, in July thanks to LOC receiving a $40 million endowment from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. LOC can use $2 million a year from the endowment.

LeMoyne-Owen has had notable accomplishments in 2020. They secured a partnership with Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare to expand health and wellness services for its students.

LOC’s trustees are pleased with their selection of Dr. Bennett-Faris.

“We feel confident that she will continue the transformation that’s already underway here at LeMoyne-Owen College,” said trustee Patricia Covington.

So, on behalf of our family

at The New Tri-State Defender and, of course, the greater Memphis community, we welcome Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs to the Bluff City.

Let’s help her become not just a good college president, but a GREAT one!

Be safe, Memphis!

(Follow TSD education columnist Curtis Weathers on Twitter (@curtisweathers); email: curtislweathers@ gmail.com.)

Noting the African-American community’s fears about the new coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease doctor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, points to Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.

“To my African American brothers and sisters … this vaccine that you’re gonna be taking was developed by an African American woman. And that is just a fact,” Dr. Fauci proclaimed during a recent National Urban League event.

Dr. Corbett has been at the forefront of the vaccine process, said Fauci, adding that it is vital to recognize the U.S.’s history of racism that’s led to great mistrust from the Black community.

The vaccine is safe, said said.

“The very vaccine that’s one of the two that has absolutely exquisite levels – 94 to 95 percent efficacy against clinical disease and almost 100 percent efficacy against serious disease that are shown to be clearly safe – that vaccine was actually developed in my institute’s vaccine research center by a team of scientists led by Dr. Barney Graham and his close colleague, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, or Kizzy Corbett,” said Fauci.

Dr. Corbett, 34, is an accomplished research fellow and the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Research Center (VRC).

According to her biography, Corbett received a B.S. in Biological Sciences, with a secondary major in Sociology, in 2008 from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, where she was a Meyerhoff Scholar and an NIH undergraduate scholar.

She then enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2014.

A viral immunologist by training, Dr. Corbett is known for using her expertise to propel novel vaccine development for pandemic preparedness.

Appointed to the VRC in 2014, her work focuses on developing novel coronavirus vaccines.

Dr. Corbett has 15 years of expertise studying dengue virus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, and coronaviruses.

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Dr. Corbett, an accomplished research fellow, is the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Research Center (VRC).

Along with her research activities, Dr. Corbett is an active member of the NIH Fellows Committee and an avid advocator of STEM education and vaccine awareness in the community.

“History books will celebrate the name and achievements of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the Black woman who was the leader in developing the COVID-19 vaccine,” Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of Transformative Justice Coalition, wrote on Twitter.

“She developed the specific scientific approach to mitigating the coronavirus.”

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected African Americans, who make up a large percentage of the more than 290,000 U.S. residents to die from the virus.

One study released by the COVID Collaborative, the NAACP and UnidosUS revealed that 14 percent of Black Americans trust a vaccine will be safe, and 18 percent trust it will be effective.

Much of the concern stems from pervasive racism in medical research and healthcare, notably the 1932 Tuskegee experiment.

“I would say to people who are vaccine-hesitant that you’ve earned the right to ask the questions that you have around these vaccines and this vaccine development process,” Corbett told CNN. “Trust, especially when it has been stripped from people, has to be rebuilt in a brick-bybrick fashion. And so, what I say to people first is that I empathize, and then secondly is that I’m going to do my part in laying those bricks. And I think that if everyone on our side, as physicians and scientists, went about it that way, then the trust would start to be rebuilt.”

(Follow Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent @StacyBrownMedia. #NNPA BLACKPRESS))

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The New Tri-State Defender

December 24 - 30, 2020

Page 3

NEWS

Biden picks Connecticut schools chief as education secretary (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education chief and a lifelong champion of public schools, to serve as education secretary.

The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working in public education and would fulfill his goal of installing an education chief who stands in sharp contrast to Secretary Betsy DeVos. Unlike DeVos, a school choice advocate whom Biden says is an opponent of public schools, Cardona is a product of them, starting when he entered kindergarten unable to speak English.

Biden’s choice of Cardona, yet to be announced, was confirmed by three people familiar with his decision but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Cardona was appointed to the top education post in Connecticut just months before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March. When schools moved to remote learning, he hurried to deliver more than 100,000 laptops to students across the state. Since then, however, he has increasingly pressed schools to reopen, saying it’s harmful to keep students at home.

If confirmed, his first task

will be to expand that effort across the nation. Biden has pledged to have a majority of U.S. schools reopened by the end of his first 100 days in office. Biden is promising new federal guidelines on school opening decisions, and a “large-scale” Education Department effort to identify and share the best ways to teach during a pandemic.

Biden’s decision drew praise from public school advocates and the nation’s major teachers unions. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called Cardona a “trusted partner” who will reverse four years of “disaster” under DeVos. “His deep respect for educators and their unions will travel with him to Washington — and that commitment to collaboration is crucial to providing the resources and social and emotional supports to safely reopen schools,” Weingarten said.

School choice advocates expressed relief that Biden passed over contenders with stronger ties to teachers unions, and some were hopeful that Cardona will support charter schools and other options beyond traditional public schools.

Cardona, 45, was raised in a housing project in Meriden,

Connecticut, and went through the city’s public schools before returning to work as a fourth-grade teacher in the district in 1998. At age 28 he had become the youngest principal in the state before working his way up to assistant superintendent of the district.

As an educator, he has devoted his work to improving education for English-language learners and closing achievement gaps between students of color and their white classmates. Both issues have been perennial struggles in Connecticut, which for decades has had among the widest achievement gaps in the nation.

Cardona’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Connecticut examined how to boost the “political will” to close gaps between student who are learning English and their peers. It’s a personal issue for Cardona, whose parents moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico and who has said he entered kindergarten only speaking Spanish and struggled to learn English.

He was chosen to help lead a 2011 state task force that studied how to close learning gaps in Connecticut and issued dozens of recommendations. In an update on the work in February, Cardona said the

In this Jan. 28, 2020 file photo, Connecticut State Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona speaks with Berlin High School students while on a tour of the school. President-elect Joe Biden has chosen the education commissioner for Connecticut and a former public school teacher to serve as education secretary.

(Devin Leith-Yessian/Berlin Citizen/Record-Journal via AP) state’s gaps have been closing but not quickly enough. At the current rate of progress, he said, it would take until 2060 to erase disparities.

The pandemic has only heightened his concerns about education inequity. In a September video message to special education teachers, he said the pandemic has “further exacerbated gaps in achievement. You are the lieutenants in that battle to close those gaps.”

Over the summer, when schools were crafting plans to reopen, Cardona urged all schools to provide in-person instruction to all students. Recent state data show that few students learned entirely in-person in October and November. But

even as virus cases climbed in the fall, Cardona pushed more schools to reopen, saying there was no evidence of transmission in schools.

His position has sometimes put him at odds with teachers unions, which have called for school buildings to be closed until safety measures are met, and also with some parents who say schools should be ordered to open. Cardona has sought to balance their interests by pressing for reopening without mandating it.

Beyond the pandemic, Biden’s education secretary will also be tasked with reversing an array of policies enacted

by DeVos. Biden has vowed to revoke Trump administration policies including DeVos’ new

rules on the handling of campus sexual assault cases, and he promised to restore several Obama-era rules that DeVos revoked or rewrote.

Biden’s education plans also include measures that align with Cardona’s interests.

The Democrat has pledged to triple federal Title I funding for the neediest schools to ensure that “no child’s future is determined by their zip code, parents’ income, race or disability.” Biden is also proposing free preschool and policies meant to make the nation’s schools and teaching force more diverse.

(By Collin Binkley, Alexandra Jaffe and Jonathan Lemire.)

“Since the start of the pandemic, leaders around this community have been singularly focused on reducing the risk of spread, because that’s how we can save lives. We are calling on everyone to dig a little deeper and prepare to fight a little longer. Each of us has a role in helping to slow the spread.

Working together, we will get to the other side.”

—Shelby County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones

#MASKON901

#CONTINUETHECOURSE

OUR FIGHT AGAINST

“I’m encouraged everyday by the power and resilience of our beloved community. People have been willing to return to work and help restore our economy, no matter how hard things seem. Teachers and school leaders are working to safely open up schools, in a school year like none before. Families have made sacrifice after sacrifice to slow the spread of COVID-19.

We can’t let up now. Let’s dig deep. Let’s continue the course.”

—Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris

Coordinated Declarations of Emergency

$11.4 Million Investment in Massive 140+ Employee Expansion of Health Department

Creation of COVID-19 Joint Task Force Consolidated Press Briefings New Online Portal to Share Critical Data Video Conference Solutions for Public Meetings Designated Senior Hours at Area Grocery Stores New Health Department COVID Response Team Headquarters

Surge Testing of Nearly 2,000 Inmates and Corrections Staff

Hazard Pay for Frontline Workers in Shelby County Government

Hundreds and Hundreds of Masks Stitched by Inmates in Local Prison

New Normal Virtual Summit for Business Community

Free Calls at Local Detention Facilities

Protective Measures in Public Buildings

Free Childcare Services for Essential Employees

Eviction Fund Support for Those in Need

$1 Million to Collins Chapel to Help Shelter Homeless Individuals Under Quarantine

Expanded Access to Veterans Benefits

$1 Million to YMCA for Community Food Distribution and Virtual Learning Centers

$265,000 to Church Health for Acute Care for Uninsured COVID-19 Patients $1 Million Health & Safety Grant for Close-Contact Businesses $450,000 in Grants to Limited Service Restaurants to Help with Reopening New Tech and Free Technology Support for Senior Citizen Homes Live-Streaming Equipment for Small Faith Based Organizations Free Museum Admission to Support Virtual Learning Students

Assistance Programs & Resources Online at WWW.SHELBY.COMMUNITY

PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, December 24 - 30, 2020, Page 4

Top scientific breakthrough for 2020:

Understanding SARS-CoV-2, how it causes COVID-19 – and then developing multiple vaccines

by David Pride The Conversation

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has killed approximately 2.2% percent of those worldwide who are known to have contracted it. But the situation could be a lot worse without modern medicine and science.

The last such global scourge was the influenza pandemic of 1918, which is estimated to have killed 50 million people at a David time when Pride there was no Internet or easy access to long-distance telephones to disseminate information. Science was limited, which made it difficult to identify the cause and initiate vaccine development.

The world is 100% more prepared for the current pandemic than it was 100 years ago. However, it has still affected our lives profoundly.

I am a physician scientist who specializes in the study of viruses and runs a microbiology laboratory that tests for SARSCoV-2 infections. I’ve seen firsthand patients with severe COVID-19 illness and have dedicated myself to developing diagnostics for this disease. It’s a remarkable testament to science that a novel disease-causing virus has been discovered, the genetic material completely decoded, new therapies created to fight it and multiple safe and effective vaccines developed all within the span of a year – an accomplishment that the journal Science has pegged the breakthrough of 2020.

Most vaccines take 10-15 years to develop. Until now the fastest vaccine developed was against the mumps virus, which took four years. Now, in the midst of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, one vaccine is already authorized for use in the U.S., with a second close behind. Other vaccines have already been rolled out in countries across the globe.

Science fast-tracked This pandemic put science front and center. One of the most significant scientific advances in the past 15 years has been the ability to read the genetic instructions – or genome – that encode viruses.

The process of sequencing the genome of a virus is called next generation sequencing, and it has revolutionized science by allowing researchers to rapidly decode the genome of a virus or bacterium, quickly and cost-ef-

fectively. This strategy was used to determine the sequence of SARS-CoV-2 early in January 2020 before epidemiologists even recognized that it had already spread around the world.

Obtaining the sequence allowed for the rapid development of diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 and to figure out who was infected and how the virus might spread.

SARS-CoV coronavirus was responsible for an outbreak that spanned 2002-2004, but was not particularly contagious and was limited mostly to Southeast Asia.

SARS-CoV-2 has evolved two separate qualities that allow it to spread more easily. First, it has an enormous potential for triggering asymptomatic infections, in which the virus infects carriers who don’t experience symptoms and may never know they are infected and transmitting the virus to others.

Second, it can spread via aerosolized particles. Most of these viruses spread via large respiratory droplets, which are visible and fall out of the air within three to six feet. But SARSCoV-2 can also spread through airborne transmission via much smaller particles that remain in the air for several hours.

While in 1918 people went on blind faith that masking reduced transmission, this time around, science provided us with concrete answers. There have been several studies demonstrating the efficacy of masking. These types of studies inform the public that mask-wearing, social distancing, hand-washing and limiting crowd sizes decrease circulating virus and thus reduce hospitalizations and death.

While they don’t get much fanfare, these studies are among the most important discoveries in response to this pandemic.

Science aids diagnostics Many tests for the virus are performed using PCR, which is short for polymerase chain reaction. This method uses specialized proteins and virus-matching DNA sequences called primers to create more copies of the virus. These additional copies allow PCR machines to detect the presence of the virus; doctors can then tell you if you are infected.

Because of the availability of the virus’s genome sequence, any researcher can design primers that match the virus to develop a diagnostic test.

Early on, the World Health Organization developed a PCR test to detect the virus and disseminated instructions on how to use it to researchers and physicians around the globe.

This was a remarkable achievement that allowed countries across the world to rapidly develop diagnostic tests using this tem-

The number one scientific breakthrough for 2020: multiple vaccines to prevent COVID-19.

(Photo: Philippe Raimbault/Photodisc via Getty Images) plate. This distribution changed the course of the pandemic in many countries.

mRNA technology, which essentially programs our cells to develop immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.

Others use viruses as delivery mechanisms for SARSCoV-2 proteins to which your body develops an immune response. Both types have thus far been shown to be effective, but long-term safety will remain controversial when vaccines are developed on such an expedited timeline.

Treatments have lowered mortality rates Treatments for infectious diseases often evolve over time.

There is no vaccine yet for hepatitis C, but over recent years treatments have evolved from those that make you very ill to those that are highly efficacious with few side effects.

We are now seeing similar things in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, just on an accelerated timeline. With the aid of clinical studies, we now have treatments such as steroids, antiviral medications like Remdesivir and infusions of antibodies. Physicians also know how to alter a patient’s position in ways that increase the chance of survival.

Vaccine development could end pandemic This pandemic could end if the virus swept through the population killing millions but leaving the survivors with natural immunity. More likely the virus will snuff itself out when most of the population has been vaccinated with a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

That is especially true in parts of the world where frequent testing and public health strategies are difficult to implement.

It took many years to develop an influenza vaccine, with the first available in 1942.

Other successes with smallpox and polio, and more recent ones like HPV and Haemophilus

Masks work for cutting transmission of the coronavirus. (Photo: F.J. Jimenez/ Moment via Getty Images) influenzae Type b, have provided blueprints for vaccine development.

Governments across the world have partnered with private companies to expedite the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. This has led to multiple different companies developing their own different versions of vaccines. Normally, these take years to develop; however, by leveraging recent successes and accumulated knowledge, the timeline was accelerated significantly. Normally, new vaccines go through phase 1 (safety), phase 2 (efficacy) and phase 3 (comparison) trials, but as demonstrated in the current trials, phases 2 and 3 can be combined for expediency. And largescale manufacturing can begin when the vaccine is still in trials, potentially cutting years off the timeline.

Technology is at the forefront of the development of these vaccines. Some of the coronavirus vaccines take advantage of

Lessons learned This disease, which began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and was first diagnosed in either November or December of 2019, is the perfect illustration of just how rapidly viruses spread in a connected world. We got previews of what could happen from the recent outbreaks of Ebola and Zika virus, but the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been on a different level. It has underscored that when we receive warnings about contagious viruses, rapid and decisive action must be taken in all parts of the world to reduce its spread.

Where there is more strict compliance with public health policies, there have been profound reductions in virus transmission.

While the research that has made all this possible might fly under the radar right now, history will record this time as one of the greatest periods for scientific advancements.

(David Pride is associate director of microbiology, University of California San Diego.)

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The New Tri-State Defender

December 24 - 30, 2020

Page 5

RELIGION

The Rev. Joseph H. McGhee Jr. served as pastor of Greater White Stone Baptist Church for nearly 38 years. He died in 2011. In October, his legacy was noted with an honorary street naming. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

An honor for a pastor nearly a decade after his death

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

In a year that many have called one of the most difficult in recent memory, a local church family still is relishing a late October honor from the City of Memphis.

Pastor Joseph H. McGhee Jr. served the historic Greater White Stone Baptist Church for nearly 38 years. Three members, in particular, have worked to have part of the South Wellington, where the church is located, renamed in Pastor McGhee’s honor.

The vision finally was realized on the fourth Sunday of October as members marked the renaming with a huge celebration.

“We have been working for years to bring this about,” said Helen Lester. “It’s a bitter-sweet moment because Rev. McGhee is not here to see it. But it was a wonderful day, nevertheless.”

Greater White Stone, like so many other churches, have been closed for much of the year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was the caregiver for Pastor McGhee when he was sick,” said Charles Scates, McGhee’s brother-in-law and church trustee. “We wanted to stage a tribute to the occasion of the street renaming. Pastor McGhee would have been so proud.”

Scates said he and Lester, along with Pastor Roger Brown, worked over the years to bring the honorary street naming into fruition.

Scates cared for Pastor McGhee after the pastor suffered a severe stroke, which incapacitated him in the years leading up to his death in 2011.

Brown succeeded Pastor McGhee in 2010 when illness forced Pastor McGhee to retire from the full-time pastorate. Pastor McGhee enjoyed emeritus status until his death.

“We want to continue the work Pastor McGhee started,” said Brown. “He was concerned about senior housing and affordable family housing.

We continue to buy up blocks on Williams Street.

We want to be the change we wish to see. That’s the work Rev. McGhee felt was important, and that’s what we are about.”

Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. helped make the special celebration happen.

Servant leader passes…

The Rev. Dr. J.L. Payne, longtime pastor of Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church and former head of the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association, died Monday at an area hospital. Services are pending for Mr. Payne, who is pictured here with his wife, Dorothy Payne. Read of his legacy at TSDMemphis.com. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley) Smiley was on hand for the ceremony.

“Pastor McGhee was the embodiment of all things that are good in our society,” Smiley said.

“He was a teacher, pastor, mentor and a friend to all. Particularly, he not only embraced South Memphis, but the community is better because he lived,” Smiley said.

Pastor McGhee, born Sept. 28, 1931, died on Oct. 23, 2011. He was a native Memphian.

He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1949, and attended Tennessee State University and Henderson Business College. Pastor McGhee earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi.

He retired from teaching school after 40 years with Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools.

Pastor McGhee began pastoring at Oak Spring Baptist Church in Arlington, Tennessee.

During those early years in the pastorate, Pastor McGhee joined many other AfricanAmerican pastors on the frontline of marches and other demonstrations to integrate public schools and other segregated facilities.

For years, Pastor McGhee served as treasurer of the Baptist International Tea, a huge fundraiser for LeMoyne-Owen College, sponsored by the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

Pastor McGhee received an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force in 1953.

According to those who were closest to Pastor McGhee, he would often say, “To receive a blessing, a person must be willing to give of himself or herself; one must work while it is day because when night comes, no man can work.”

Do you hear me? ...

The Rev. Basil Brooks, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Cordova, was the featured speaker at the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association meeting. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

The New Tri-State Defender, December 24 - 30, 2020, Page 6

Motherland Gallery braces for another blow in COVID-19 fight

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Go inside Motherland Gallery and step into a showplace of African-themed beauty and wonder.

Nowadays, you’re also stepping into a Whitehaven shop struggling to survive COVID-19’s ongoing impact.

The once-thriving business at the old Mall of Memphis just off Interstate 240 and Perkins Road now languishes in the Whitehaven Plaza Shopping Center on Elvis Presley Boulevard.

“We had three locations inside the Mall of Memphis at one time,” said Motherland Gallery owner Stanley Taylor. “There were two stores and one booth sitting outside in the hallway. Traffic was great. Business was great. But this past year has been a disaster.”

Enter the pandemic and what now is the latest associated challenge – local Health Directive No. 16, which is set to take effect Saturday and last until Jan. 22. Issued Monday (Dec. 21), the new directive will not completely close restaurants nor will it close nonessential retailers, as some businesses feared.

The directive allows retailers to remain open at 50 percent capacity. Taylor got word last Saturday (Dec. 19) that a new health order was imminent. Foot traffic already had slowed to almost nothing for days at a time, but Taylor, along with his wife and co-owner Maxine Taylor had hoped to recover during the year-end holiday season.

“This time of year is usually very good for us,” said Maxine Taylor. “People are buying Christmas gifts and spending lots of money Christmas shopping. But this year has been different. We’ve never seen a time like this. It’s never been this bad.”

After 22 years as a premiere supplier of African art and exotic collectibles in Memphis, Motherland Gallery like so many other African-American enterprises across the country and around the globe, must find a way to muddle through a multiweek shut-down, which will last into the new year.

An astronomical surge in cases following Thanksgiving holiday weekend has created a crisis for local hospitals struggling to keep up with the demand for more and more COVID-19 beds.

“It’s not that we don’t understand that some things must be done,” said Stanley Taylor. “But businesses like ours have had a time trying to keep businesses in our community open.”

The Shelby County Health Department reported 778 new COVID-19 cases Monday (Dec. 21) and eight new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the number of virus-related deaths to 818. The county has recorded a total of 61,429 cases of COVID-19 this year, according to the Health Department.

An already uncontrolled community spread was exacerbated by an explo-

The COVID-19 pandemic has cut deep into the flow of business at Motherland Gallery, a premiere supplier of African Art and exotic collectibles for 22 years. (Courtesy photos)

“This time of year is usually very good for us. People are buying Christmas gifts and spending lots of money Christmas shopping.

But this year has been different. We’ve never seen a time like this. It’s never been this bad.”

— Maxine Taylor sion of new cases and higher death tolls post-Thanksgiving.

“This store started out as a vision in 1998 of presenting the richness of our African culture here at home,” said Stanley Taylor.

“My wife and I traveled to really amazing places across the African continent – Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Ghana, among them. There have been so many physical deaths. We hope this is not the death of a dream.”

Shopping at the Motherland Gallery is no ordinary trip to a store. The Taylors regal their patrons with countless stories of their travels through traditional African villages and how they procured the handcarved, original pieces of wood statues, exquisite furniture, and other novel artifacts – hundreds of them.

“My wife, Maxine, was crowned an African princess in one of the villages,” said Taylor. “That was quite an experience.

There was a beautiful, crowning ceremony and lots of dancing and entertainment. It’s something we will never forget. African people are so generous.”

Authentic African clothing and uniquely designed costume jewelry have been extremely popular among women throughout the life of the store. Natural shea butter, black soap, and scented oils have also been popular.

The Motherland Gallery is depending on its web store to carry the business through the closure.

To view some of the shop’s most prized pieces, visit: www.motherlandgallery.com.

“We’ve been through storms like this before,” said Stanley Taylor. “With some help from above, we’ll get through this, too.”

Motherland Gallery owner Stanley Taylor at work.

Just a few of the many items featured at the Motherland Gallery.

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, December 24 - 30, 2020, Page 7

With ‘light’ ahead, state must ‘get through this very critical period,’ says Gov. Lee

by Erica R. Williams

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Farewell to a man of his word…

Homegoing services for the Rev. Dr. James L. Netters Sr., a civil rights icon and beloved community leader, flowed over three days at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood, where Mr. Netters served as pastor for 60-plus years and then as pastor emeritus. (Above) His wife, Nedia Netter, places a rose.

(Right) The Rev. Melvin Watkins Jr., who now pastors Mt. Vernon, shares a moment of reflection.

County Commission says OK to fine on businesses for COVID-19 violations

by James Coleman

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

As a post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge continues to tear through the state and the nation, the Shelby County Commission voted 8-5 on Monday, Dec. 21, to approve a fine for businesses in violation of county health directives, like mask wearing.

The move is an effort to put more teeth into efforts to tamp down the surging rate of infections in the county.

The ordinance authorizes investigators from the Shelby County Health Department to issue a $50 fine to scofflaw businesses flouting mandates. It amends Chapter 8 of the county’s business regulations with Article 19, which directs pandemic-related health directives. An add-on to the Dec. 16 meeting, it goes into effect on Dec. 26.

“I support going after the very few bad actors in business with the aim of keeping our hospitals from overfill; protecting our lives so we don’t have useless deaths that we can prevent; and threading the needle so that we can keep our community open,” said Commissioner Brandon Morrrison, voicing her concern over individual rights.

Applying to business across the board in Shelby County, individuals will not be subject to fines. The measure is viewed as a middle ground between shutting a business down and criminally charging its owner, or a laissez-faire approach.

“The legislative intent, at least in my supporting this, is to keep businesses open, to have hospitals operating optimally and to

avoid needless deaths. Though I can’t support the stay at home order the way it is, I do support giving a specific penalty to those businesses, not individuals, who are bad actors.

There are not very many of them, so I hope this will allow more businesses to stay open,” said Morrison.

Many businesses - particularly small - have been hard hit by the pandemic. Restaurants have fared worse than most due to capacity and mask-wearing mandates that intrude on the dining experience. They are widely viewed as places where the virus can easily spread.

“I think this is all encompassing. I think we just use restaurants as examples. This does not solely apply to them. I think this is just any business,” said Commissioner Van Turner, who sponsored the resolution.

The scope of the ordinance is limited to the pandemic and contains a sunset provision. It kicks in when any of the criteria are met: 70% of county citizens have been vaccinated; all hospitals in Shelby County have an ICU capacity of 75% or less for a minimum of two weeks; or the date of June 2021.

Fines can be appealed at Division 14 of the Shelby County Court System, which is authorized to reduce or retract the penalties.

“That’s based on evidence submitted to the court. That takes it out of our legislatives hands and puts it in a judicial hand. I think this gives relief to those folks who say, it’s the individual, not the restaurant.’ I think you can argue that in front of the environmental court, said Turner.

The approach drew the praise of Wayne Tabor of the Metropolitan Memphis Hotel and

Lodging Association, who texted Turner prior to the vote.

“They just wanted the ability to prove their case in front of a court of law. They like the fact that it’s spelled out in this ordinance.

That’s a yes from the leader of the hotel association,” said Turner.

Commissioner Mick Wright sought to amend the resolution to reduce the fine from $50 to $5. Commissioner Amber Mills seconded the motion. It failed on an 11-2 vote.

“I respect my colleagues, but moving to five dollars doesn’t get us where we need to go in terms of making sure we are trying to reduce the transmission as well as provide an opportunity for those bars, retail, restaurants, what have you to work with us in enforcing social distancing and wearing masks,” said Commissioner Willie F. Brooks, Jr. In addition to Turner, voting in favor of the resolution were Willie Brooks, Edmond Ford, Jr., Eddie Jones, Mickell Lowery, Reginald Milton, Tami Sawyer and Michael Whaley.

Voting against were Mark Billingsley, David Bradford, Morrison, Mills and Wright.

Not all proposals to tamp down the spread of the virus have met with approval. Yesterday, the health department backed down on a proposed county-wide stay-at-home order after receiving pushback from local restaurant owners and politicians.

There have been 62,334 COVID-19 infections in Shelby County, resulting in 821 deaths. There are 6,929 active cases. Tennessee currently ranks second in the nation behind Oklahoma in active cases with 138 cases per 100,000 as of Monday evening.

Gov. Bill Lee is doubling down on his decision not to issue a statewide mask mandate, despite rising COVID-19 cases throughout the state.

During a call with local newspapers on Tuesday (Dec. 22), Lee pleaded for Tennesseans to wear masks, but said making it a mandate isn’t part of his strategy.

“I believe that the state government is not the most trusted source of information for personal decisions that residents have to make in their lives,” Lee said. “I believe it’s local government.”

At least 70 percent of Tennessee residents, Lee said, are under a mask mandate without state government imposing. The data comes from a November Vanderbilt University School of Medicine study that reflects about 69 percent of Tennesseans facing a mask requirement. Researchers have noted that the percentage has dropped since the study was conducted.

“We have a strong uptake of masks in this state,” Lee said. “And we know that there will be people who won’t wear a mask despite there being a mandate or requirement. I want to speak to those people and ask them to consider wearing a mask.”

Although Lee has refrained from mandating masks, he did issue an executive order limiting indoor social gatherings to no more than 10 people, excluding homes and churches.

He made that announcement Sunday during a six-minute speech from the Governor’s mansion, just one day after revealing that his wife, Maria, had tested positive for the virus. The executive order will last 30 days.

“We are in a particularly challenging season right now,” Lee said Tuesday. “We are seeing the worst surge Tennessee has had throughout this pandemic.”

Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said active cases grew by two-thirds just over the last week. She expressed concern that a further surge over the holidays “will completely break our hospitals.”

Tennessee has been one of the top U.S. states with the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases over the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Tuesday, the total COVID-19 case count for Tennessee was 534,019, including 6,269 deaths. In Shelby County, the numbers continue to surge, with more than 62,000 cases reported, including 821 deaths as of Tuesday.

To curb the spread, the Shelby County Health Department recently issued a new health directive, adding restrictions to restaurants and indoor gatherings. Both the Shelby County Commission and the Memphis City Council have signed resolutions in support of the SCHD. Statewide, Lee said officials are making progress in combating the virus by opening more COVID-specific nursing homes, funding hospitals with staffing assistance, and imploring medics from the U.S. National Guard.

Additionally, Lee touted the progress in vaccination distribution within the state. So far, 20,000 vaccines have been distributed to mostly frontline workers. Lee said the state is on track to vaccinate more than 200,000 Tennesseans by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, a group of Democratic Tennessee lawmakers are criticizing Lee’s refusal to require all residents to wear masks, calling his latest executive order an “executive suggestion.”

During a virtual news conference on Monday, State Rep. London Lamar (D- Memphis) said, “Lee made this a political issue when he decided not to implement a mask mandate and further our ability to kill more Tennesseans by not putting in his mandate and forcing us to protect one another.”

Higher rates of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations are found in areas that don’t require masks, according to a Vanderbilt study.

Still, Lee said the decision lies solely up to local leaders, and he’s confident that their decisions will encourage more resident participation.

He continued to emphasize just how “critical” the next few weeks will be for Tennesseans; but has no plans of issuing a stay-at-home order.

“We all realize that shutting down our economy was not good for the state or the country,” Lee said, referring to the stay-at-home order he issued earlier this year.

Confident in the state’s progress in learning to “treat people and save lives,” Lee said, “More importantly, we know we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. …We just have to get through this very critical period.”

The New Tri-State Defender

December 24 - 30, 2020

Page 8

COMMUNITY

FFUN crew pushes past COVID-19 challenges to deliver Xmas cheer

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Rolling to meet the need...

The West Tennessee Region of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church hosted the Jesus Parade for Peace, Justice, Love for Feeding the Hungry and donated $5,000 to the Memphis Food Bank. (Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

United Housing nets Bank of America support

by Najee El-Amin

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Homebuyer education and assistance – an ongoing need in the Memphis area – recently got a $50,000 boost from the Bank of America.

On December 15, Bank of America named United Housing, Inc. as its latest Neighborhood Champions recipient. As a result, the nonprofit will be receiving $50,000 in grant support, along with top-of-the-line leadership training.

“As we consider many of the challenges that our communities are facing – from the health and humanitarian crisis brought on by the coronavirus to the need for progress on racial equality and economic opportunity – the Neighborhood Champions program is a relevant and timely initiative to support the communities we serve,” said Livingston Albritten, Memphis market president,

Bank of America.

Neighborhood Champions is an extension of Bank of America’s philanthropic initiative Neighborhood Builders. Since its inception in 2019, the mission has been to elevate the work of the community’s most impactful nonprofit businesses to the next level. Recipients are selected by a group of the community’s leading figures.

The program has invested $4.2 million over its lifespan. Grant funds to United Housing will help to expand its nationally recognized curriculum, along with strengthening the home renovation division. United Housing also will receive virtual management training on financial sustainability and storytelling and other items.

“This program enables partners like United Housing to plan strategically for growth and long-term sustainability,” said Albritten, “and we look forward to seeing how

this investment helps United Housing make even greater strides to address homebuyer education and assistance in the Memphis area.”

United Housing has supported Mid-South residents for 25-plus years. The organization provides financial literacy training and mortgage lending, and also plays a role in constructing and renovating homes.

“We are beyond grateful to Bank of America for this support and recognition,” said Amy Schaftlein, executive director for United Housing.

“The next year represents a critical time for our industry and community, and these funds will be used to meet essential needs in Memphis.”

The Neighborhood Champions program has assisted 84 organizations in 42 communities nationwide, including first-year recipient Code Crew, a Memphis-based youth information technology mentoring program.

Not even the dipping temperatures and drizzling rain could dampen the spirits of children – hundreds of them – who came to claim their two brand new toys on Saturday.

Stevie Moore, founder of Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (FFUN), and an army of volunteers hosted a steady stream of eager children running around the organization’s South Third Street office picking out toys.

“This is our third year collecting toys for our toy drive,” said Moore. “We thought it was especially important this year because of COVID-19 and everything our children have been through,” said Moore. “Somebody asked if I was going to cancel because of the rain. I said, ‘My baby died in the rain. We’re having this toy give-away.’”

Moore’s reference was to his son, one of his twin boys, who was murdered by gun violence. Losing his child inspires much of his organization’s outreach.

FFUN planned the event to serve at least 300 children.

“We figured that there would be about 100 cars,” said Moore. “And we thought, three children to each car.

There could not possibly be more than 100 cars coming here. But we finally had to cut it off at 120 cars.”

The FFUN Annual Toy Drive was in its third year.

Moore partnered with some long-time friends and avid supporters.

Richard West, a manager

FFUN’s third annual toy drive was deeply appreciated by families, many struck particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy photo) with Waste Management, donated $2,500 for the toy drive.

“We are neighbors. We are not just based out of Whitehaven, we are proud to be in Whitehaven,” said West. “Especially this year, we know how small charities are struggling. So we have donated to organizations across the country and throughout Canada. We appreciate Mr. Moore’s work. We like his signs: ‘Stop the Killing.’ Several of our own workers have been murder victims.”

Parents and grandparents brought children to the toy give-away, thankful because they couldn’t afford toys this year.

“I came up here to volunteer and to bring my two grandsons,” said Angela Morris.

“All the children were so excited. They got some toys, and they got to say ‘hello’ to Santa.

This was my first time coming to a toy give-away, but it’s been a very difficult year. I enjoyed volunteering, and I will be doing more of that.”

Shakyra Subber is the mother of five, with one on the way.

“I have three boys and two girls,” said Subber. “And I have

another boy on the way. I didn’t have money to get them anything this year. So, they were excited about going to get toys.

It was great. They got a chance to pick any two things they wanted. If it wasn’t for FFUN, they would have nothing. I really appreciate everything.”

Jasmine Partridge is a medical assistant working in a primary care physician’s office.

This was her first year signing up for a toy give-away.

“We did get school supplies this year from FFUN,” Partridge said. “It’s just been such a difficult year. I have two boys and two girls. Like any other parent, I want them to have the best Christmas possible. They were excited about the toys, and I was grateful.”

What do toys have to do with stopping gun violence.

It’s simple.

“We need to start very early in a child’s life,” said Moore.

“Giving toys and candy and things children like is one way of letting them know that we love them. There’s only one cure for gun violence I believe, and that’s love. Love is the cure.”

December 24 - 30, 2020

The New Tri-State Defender

Page 9

SPORTS

Army takes Liberty Bowl spot left

by Tennessee’s withdrawal (AP) – Army went from left out of the bowls to replacing Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl on Monday night, hours after the Volunteers withdrew because of COVID-19 test results.

The Black Knights, who had been committed to the Independence Bowl since October before the game was called off, will now play West Virginia in Memphis on Dec. 31.

“We went from being in tears this evening to just being elated,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “Our guys, when I announced it to them, they were thrilled and excited. It just couldn’t have worked out better. Sometimes, things don’t work out like you want them to, but somehow, some way, they work out a different way. It almost seems like it’s just even better.

“We’re just humbled that so many people have latched onto this and felt so strongly about our team having an opportunity.”

The Black Knights (9-2) were left without a bowl Sunday night when the Independence Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 26 in Louisiana, was called off without an available opponent.

A spot in the Liberty Bowl became available Monday when Tennessee became the first team to back out since bowl berths were announced. The Volunteers ended their season after receiving the results of Sunday’s COVID-19 testing.

“The test results revealed an increase in

Army head coach Jeff Monken looks on against Navy during the first half of an NCAA college football game in West Point, N.Y., in the 121st playing of the Army-Navy game. Army has a 9-2 record and was planning to play in the Independence Bowl. Now they are headed to Memphis and AutoZone Liberty Bowl. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File) positive cases among student-athletes and staff and subsequent contact tracing,” Tennessee said in a statement. “The decision was made in consultation with health officials, the Southeastern Conference and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”

The change to its Liberty Bowl opponent was no problem for West Virginia (54). The game will be the first between the teams since 1961.

CLASSIFIEDS NOTICE TO BIDDERS Shelby County Government has issued Sealed Bid number I000631A, Shelby County Division of Corrections, Women’s Building Roof Replacement, 1045 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134. Information regarding this Bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn. gov . At the top of the home page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, Click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate the name of the above described Sealed Bid. SEALED BID I000631A DUE DATE TUESDAY, JANUARY 26TH, 2021 @2:30 P.M. (CST) (SB-I000631A) Shelby County Division of Corrections, Women’s Building Roof Replacement, 1045 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134.

Mandatory Site Visit - A site visit to address questions pertaining to the Scope of Services is required for this sealed bid. All interested respondents are required to complete the site visit between January 4th, 2021 and January 8th, 2021. Contact Mr. Bailey Waits, Division of Corrections, at 901355-4892 to schedule the site visit.

Please be advised that all vendors are required to wear a face mask/covering while conducting the site visit located at 1045 Mullins Station Road, W Building, Memphis, TN 38134.

Failure to attend the site visit will result in the rejection of your bid, i.e. considered as non-responsive.

Shelby County is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, drug-free with policies of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service.

By order of LEE HARRIS, MAYOR SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS 1509 Madison Ave. Memphis, TN 38104 PH (901) 523-1818 HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

DEADLINES: Display ads Friday 5 p.m.

Classifieds ads Monday 5 p.m.

STANDARD RATES: $6.00 per line for 1 column ad.

all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on March 3, 2021, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Alton Edward, Jr. Tax Parcel #: 0601500000030 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $425.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on March 3, 2021, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

Cannoka, LLC Tax Parcel #: 07913700000810 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $600.00 Terms: Cash

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period,

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. No refund for early cancellation. For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tsdmemphis.com.

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER assumes no financial responsibility for errors nor for copy omission.

Direct any classified billing inquires to (901) 523-1818.

Craig Solo 401K Trust Tax Parcel #: 0250090000041C Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $2500.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:30 p.m. on February 18, 2021, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Cannoka, LLC Tax Parcel #: 01303300000110 Tax Sale #: 1602 Price Offered: $1200.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice. If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on February 18, 2021, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

“Our team deserves to be in a bowl and so does the 9-2 Army squad,” West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said.

“While we are disappointed that Tennessee couldn’t be in the game, Army needed a bowl and an opponent, and the Mountaineers are glad to solve the problem.”

West Virginia coach Neal Brown agreed, saying Monken and his staff have done a terrific job winning 43 games in

five seasons.

“We started the day preparing for one opponent and will end it preparing for another, but that’s how crazy 2020 has been,” Brown said.

Army is coming off wins over its service-academy rivals on back-to-back weeks. The Black Knights captured the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy on Saturday with a 10-7 victory over Air Force.

“It’s a special group of young men who represent us every Saturday,” Army athletic director Mike Buddie said. “To get the opportunity was what we were hoping for.

Frankly, I think we were stunned to find out the opportunity would be in a bowl like the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. It’s truly the icing on the cake. It’s more than we could have hoped for and we’re just thrilled for the opportunity.”

The Volunteers will finish at 3-7 with losses in seven of their final eight games.

They fell 34-13 to No. 5 Texas A&M on Saturday.

Third-year coach Jeremy Pruitt is among those who tested positive for COVID-19.

Pruitt said he was informed earlier Monday that he had tested positive and began isolating at home.

“I am experiencing mild symptoms but doing fine,” Pruitt said. “We are obviously disappointed that we will not be able to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, but the health and safety of our student-athletes will always remain our top priority.”

The New Tri-State Defender

December 24 - 30, 2020

Page 10

SPORTS

As Memphis head coach zeroes in, the Tigers’ Moussa Cisse goes for the opening tip against Tulsa. Cisse hurt his ankle in the second half and fouled out at the 8:36 mark after picking up his fourth foul. (Photo: Terry Davis)

Second-half collapse sinks Tigers against Tulsa

by Terry Davis

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“Everything is fixable,” said Memphis head basketball coach Penny Hardaway, essentially acknowledging with that statement that something was broken after the Tigers’ 56-49 loss to Tulsa at FedExForum on Monday night.

After getting a much-needed win over the Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans, Memphis took the court in a mostly empty home arena, led at halftime and then faltered down the stretch against the Golden Hurricane.

“My frustration is everything they (Tulsa) did tonight we were prepared for,” Hardaway said.

“It is baffling to go into the game understanding what is there and not being able to close the deal at home.”

Defensive pressure in the first half by the Tigers forced Tulsa into 28 percent shooting and propelled the Tigers to a 27-19 lead at the break.

Lester Quinones and DeAndre Williams led the way on offense, each scoring seven points.

With Quinones setting the pace with six rebounds, the Tigers controlled the boards with a 26-15 first-half advantage. And in the paint, Memphis (5-4, 1-1) outscored Tulsa 14 to 8.

The second half was a totally different game.

Tulsa (3-3, 1-1) outplayed the Tigers over the last 10 minutes of the game, making 14 of 22 free throws in the second half. Memphis managed only 22 points in the second half, getting outscored 25-14 in the last 10 minutes.

Memphis only made 10-21 free throws. On the missed free throws Hardaway said, “It is a lack of focus,” Hardaway said about the Tigers’ problems shooting free throws. “We work on free throws every day but not in the arena. There is no crowd so it should be easier to knock down the free throws.”

What turned into a seriously disappointing second half came after freshman Moussa Cisse hurt his ankle one minute after play resumed.

He returned to the game but logged the last of his time at the 8:36 mark after picking up his fourth foul.

Tulsa seized on Cisse’s absence and began to attack the rim. With 9:10 left to play, the Gold-

en Hurricane already was in the double bonus.

Williams, who got his first start of the season after being ruled eligible last week by the NCAA, led the Tigers with 13 points and 9 rebounds. He was the only Tiger in double digits.

Alex Lomax missed the Terry game due to an injury to Davis his thumb. Malcolm Dandridge sat out again and should be back in another week.

Hardaway’s disappointment and frustration were readily apparent during and after the game.

“We got another technical up six points.

Those guys are too emotional,” he said. “They cry too much when they don’t get the calls.”

Memphis’ success so far this season clearly has gone down when the team has switched to a smaller lineup.

“I am going to make the adjustment on the rotation,” Hardaway said. “I am going to keep a big man in at all times. When we go small it is really not working for us. We are going to play the smalls that really want to be out there.

We are not taking enough charges. Everything is fixable.”

NOTES: • Third-year Memphis basketball head coach Penny Hardaway and the University of Memphis have agreed to a five-year extension, totaling $12.25 million over the entire term. The new agreement runs through April 15, 2026.

• Lester Quinones made the American Athletic Conference honor roll with his performance last week against the Tulane Green Wave. The sophomore guard poured in 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the Tigers’ conference-opening win. He connected on 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range, grabbed six rebounds and had three steals.

NEXT: The Tigers are scheduled to host the University of South Florida on at the FedExForum on December 29. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

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Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson drives past Atlanta’s Danilo Gallinari during NBA preseason action. Will Anderson be able to hold on to the starting role when Justise Winslow returns? (Photo: Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images)

GRIZZ

CONTINUED FROM FRONT before the bubble, and Jackson was injured three games in.

Translation: Not to say that Jackson and Winslow aren’t missed, but a look down the roster reveals that only rookie Desmond Bane was absent from the bubble roster. In other words, this team has already gotten used to playing without Jackson and Winslow. On the other other hand, this rotation was in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot and went 2-6 in the bubble, so . . .

Anyway, continuity counts for something, and my bet is that the Grizz can hit the ground running, and hopefully build some early season momentum. They will need it.

Too deep?: Another new normal for NBA teams: 15man active rosters. This is intended to help ensure there are enough bodies to play games in the event COVID ravages a team’s roster. And the Grizzlies have some really, really good depth on the depth chart, particularly in the wing positions.

Once Winslow returns, Jenkins will need to divide minutes up between him, Grayson Allen, DeAnthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, Dillon Brooks, Jon Konchar and Desmond Bane. I expect injury, illness or rest to help resolve some of the rotation crunch.

But it’s the kind of problem a coach wants to have when the

play of guys like Konchar and Bane demands attention.

Instant playoff intensity: With 10 games lopped off of the usual 82-game schedule, the stakes of all of these games just got higher, statistically speaking. Fewer games mean each regular-season game becomes MUCH more valuable in playoff standings. They carry more weight.

Consequently, I expect every team to try to storm out of the gate, playing with a near playoff intensity – because stumbling to a 3-9 start could sink your playoff hopes even before the MLK Game on Jan. 18. Similarly, the jockeying for playoff positioning will start almost immediately for the conference elite. That’s one reason why a strong start for Memphis is so important.

The New Back-to-Back: Another COVID-induced twist for this season: To reduce travel, many teams will play in two-game series, much as we saw in the preseason. The first such series will bring the NBA Champion L.A. Lakers to Memphis for two games just after New Year’s.

This will be an interesting experiment, with lots of variables. For instance, when the Grizzlies play the Blazers in Portland on Jan. 20, the winner will have a chance to clinch a potential tie-breaker with a playoff rival in the Jan. 22 game. See what I mean by playoff intensity?

Much like the playoffs,

coaches and teams will be able to adapt for those second games, adding another wrinkle. Less travel should mean more rest, which should mean better basketball all season. Conversely, what if these “micro-series” happen to fall during a key player illness or injury? I expect this to be an under-the-radar hit with players and fans.

Ah. There are so many more potential narratives.

Will Winslow be the difference-maker he’s expected to be? Will he ever be healthy enough for us to find out? Will Kyle Anderson continue to shine? Other than Gorgui Dieng’s mammoth contract, who would be trade bait for the March 25 deadline – and for what return?

And none of that factors in the sheer depth of the West.

Here at the start of the season, the playoffs only seem out of reach for three teams: The recently blown-up OKC Thunder, the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This is one of those years that at least two really good Western Conference teams won’t make the playoffs while a sub.500 team squeaks into the Eastern Conference bracket.

Will the Grizzlies be one of the chosen few? Or will they be a good-but-not-goodenough onlooker? One way or another, we’re about to find out . . .

GRIND ON, GRZNXTGEN!