Friday update

Memphis 901 FC has announced its preseason home schedule, the biggest game of which is an exhibition game against the Memphis Tigers men’s soccer team on Saturday, February 29 at 6 PM at AutoZone Park. Those with full or partial season tickets will have this match added to their account for free, with tickets accessible in their My Tickets account starting February 20. The team store will be open during this match and discounted concessions will be available.

Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis’ exhibit Notable Black Memphians opens at the Woodruff-Fontaine House tonight 5-8 PM. Based on 10 years of research, Notable Black Memphians is the biography of 200 Memphians born between 1795 and 1972. If you can’t make it tonight, Dr. DeCosta-Willis’ work will be on display at the museum through March 15.

The CA’s Jennifer Chandler has a look at the new Dinstuhl’s chocolate shop at 147 S. Main, between Lenny’s and the Majestic Grille.

Some lawmakers want to pass a resolution requiring the Memphis Tigers and Tennessee Vols football and basketball teams to play each other at least once during the regular season.

Crappie Madness returns to Bass Pro at the Pyramid today through Sunday. Ronnie Capps and Steve Coleman will give fishing seminars today at 7 PM, tomorrow at 11 AM and 2 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM. There will be free fried fish samples tomorrow from 1 to 4. Enter Bass Pro’s Fishing Madness Sweepstakes for the chance to win a 2020 Tracker Panfish 16, including a Mercury 40HP 4-Stroke and custom trailer.

WMC Action News 5 has a good story on the Bartosch brothers, founders of Wiseacre Brewing Co. If you’re looking for a reason to get out to the brewery on Broad, next Thursday they will have a Xanadu Hazy IPA release and a paper airplane battle. There will be awards for both performance and aesthetics.

The Cadre Building will host A Night at the Pawscars tonight at 7 PM. Tickets are $20 (dogs), $45 (humans), and $75 (VIP). Your ticket gets you The event benefits Alive! Rescue Memphis and there will be a vegetarian buffet, a silent auction, booze, and live entertainment. Note: The flyer for this event lists the Cadre’s address at 409 Monroe. That is incorrect. The Cadre is at the southeast corner of Second and Monroe, at 149 Monroe.

AutoZone has started construction work to add more office space, expanding across Front Street from the building that serves as their headquarters store support center.

The Memphis Chamber has two positions open: Senior Vice President, Economic Development and Membership Account Executive.

South Main Sounds is back with another Songwriter Night tonight at 550 S. Main. Performers include Jeremy Stanfill, Stephen Michael, Kyle Bailey, Mersaidee Soules, and Luke Fisher.

That’s it for this post. Back tomorrow with more.

Thursday update: Downtown Little Italy now open

Huge news for South Main: The Downtown Little Italy location is now open. It’s on G.E. Patterson in the building across from Cheesecake Corner that used to be Scoops gelato parlor, and that was the original location of Rizzo’s years ago. The neighborhood will welcome their outstanding Italian menu, I am sure.

When you get done dining, cross the street and try a limited edition chocolate-covered strawberry slush at Max’s Sports Bar.

The Grizzlies made some major moves yesterday. In case you missed it:

  • They shipped off Andre Iguodala to the Miami Heat, getting back Justise Winslow, a promising talent who can play either small forward or point guard.
  • They extended Dillon Brooks for another three years, on a contract that will work out to just under $12 million a year. That’s a cost that is very reasonable given the numbers that Dillon has put up this season.
  • They won a game they were not expected to win, beating Dallas on the road 121-107. That improves the team’s record to 26-25. The Grizzlies are still in 8th place in the Western Conference and would qualify for the playoffs if they started today, 3 games ahead of 9th place Portland and 6 games ahead of New Orleans, expected to surge now that Zion Williamson is back.

Bluefin has moved their truck stop chicken operation from their side bar to their main bar.

So yeah, when you walk into this swanky Asian fusion restaurant, you’ll be tempted to ask, “Can I get a two-piece dark meat with mashed potatoes and $25 regular on pump number 3?” I notice they’ve re-branded as Bluefin Express, so perhaps they are turning their focus to to-go food. If they stay open late night, like 1 AM or later on weekdays and 3 AM on weekends, this could conceivably work.

Pat Harrington and Aubrey McCrady play The Lounge in the downstairs of 3rd & Court Diner Saturday night as part of the Yazoo concert series. They’ll have a 2 for $6 Yazoo beer special and cocktail specials too.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to report that Mo’s Bows, the bowtie business owned by young entrepreneur Moziah Bridges, has a pop-up location at BOXLOT, the shopping center made of shipping containers, at 607 Monroe through mid-month.

The MemphisWeather.net forecast has a chance of light rain or snow this afternoon, converting over to snow this evening. Minor accumulation is possible. Reminder: $2 Fireball shots at Bardog Tavern when it is snowing.

Early voting in the Tennessee presidential primary starts February 12. Here are a list of locations. The Downtown location is the Shelby County Election Commission at 157 Poplar. Note that the Election Commission is open 9-5 weekdays, whereas most other locations are open 11 to 7. You can early vote at any location, whereas if you vote on Super Tuesday you must do it at your assigned precinct.

Dylan Seo of the Sixth will team up with Bar Hustle’s lead bartender, Pablo Mata, and beverage director, Erik Hmiel, Saturday evening to offer 8 retro cocktails from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s in an event called Retro Drinks Reimagined at Bar Hustle in the first floor of the new Arrive Hotel.

The annual TEP Gumbo Contest happens at the Pipkin Building at the Fairgrounds Sunday from 4:30 to 7 PM. Come taste some of the best gumbo in Memphis while supporting equality for all.

Kemmons Wilson Companies has bought the old Spaghetti Warehouse building and is rumored to put its offices there, the Daily Memphian reports. Nothing wrong with offices but that would have been a great space for a grocery store.

It’s Take Your Dog to Trivia Night at Memphis Made Brewing Co. In addition to the usual prizes, Hollywood Feed will have prizes for the top teams that include a dog.

It makes me sick that Rush Limbaugh got awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Tuesday night. Here’s a look at the 10 most racist things Rush has said on his radio show. Rush was the beginning of the mindset that it’s okay to be openly racist, as well as misogynistic and homophobic.

It’s one of those days when I have more news than I have time. The rest is not particularly time-sensitive, so I will roll it over to tomorrow. See you then.

Wednesday update

So, the past few weeks I’ve been receiving spam texts like these:

“I want to have a crazy night with you. What’s your plan for tonight? (website short URL)”

“You are a living, breathing sexual fantasy. (website short URL)”

Obviously I didn’t respond or click on the URLs. However, I did notice that the sender appeared to be texting everyone with a 901-581-xxxx phone number, unaware whether any particular permutation of that number was connected to a phone.

Yesterday I learned what’s probably going on there. There’s a new scam going around called SIM swapping, where the scammer is able to get access to your email, your social media accounts, your bank account login, etc. They’re also able to change your passwords, get two-factor authentication codes and the like. The reason this particular scam is so hard to prevent is that it relies on your phone number, which is not a private piece of information. All they have to do is convince a representative of your phone provider (AT&T, Verizon, or whoever) that they’re you and that they lost their phone and need to get their number – meaning, your number – switched over to the SIM card in the phone they brought with them.

The FTC has information about protecting yourself from SIM swap scams. Obviously, don’t click URLs contained in text messages from unknown senders. Furthermore, I would not even reply “stop” to be taken off their group list, because it gives the scammers the information that your phone number is live.

Knotfest Roadshow will make its way to FedExForum Friday, June 12, with performances by Slipknot, A Day to Remember, Underoath, and Code Orange.

The Memphis Flyer has posted job requirements for its Editor position now that current editor Bruce VanWyngarden plans on stepping down. They are accepting submissions through March 15.

Congratulations are in order for two members of the Grizzlies:

  • Ja Morant has been named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January. This is his third such award this season.
  • Taylor Jenkins has been named Western Conference Coach of the Month for January.

Penny’s Memphis Tigers host Temple tonight at FedExForum. Tip-off is 7 PM. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Job news: Innovate Memphis seeks a Community Data Lead.

MIFA put the spotlight on a few upcoming volunteer opportunities in their recent e-newsletter and I wanted to mention them here. First of all, they have a Family Service Day on Presidents Day, Monday, February 17, from 9 am to noon at their headquarters at 910 Vance. Families will learn about MIFA’s programs, have a quick breakfast, and then deliver Meals on Wheels to seniors. Space is limited. Email civy@mifa.org or call 901-529-4586 to sign up.

MIFA will help serve guests on Tuesdays at the Calvary Lenten Waffle Shop beginning March 3. For more information email lmarks@mifa.org or call 901-529-4560.

There will be a MIFA Serves day on Saturday, April 4. Volunteers will gather at the headquarters at 910 Vance then spread out to clean up the surrounding neighborhood. If interested in helping email civy@mifa.org or call 901-529-4586.

The list of restaurants participating in Black Restaurant Week is out. Expect multi-course meals and great values the week of March 8-14. Downtown participants include Sage, The Office @ Uptown, Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe, Robusto by Havana Mix, Flava House, and Curry N Jerk. View the menus

You’ve heard of beer bars and wine bars, but in Colorado there’s a butter bar. You can order a flight of four different butters, which comes with a warm baguette.

Edible Memphis posted that Wrapsody, the popular lunch spot at 99 N. Main, now has a food truck that can be found in the South Main district most days. For now the food truck is cash only, although they do accept CashApp.

Coors Light will cover adoption fees for up to 1000 dogs around the country through February 21.

Further proof that Downtown’s Cossitt Library is not your grandfather’s library: They had some Nintendo 64 action going on at their pop-up library inside Puck Food Hall for January Trolley Night. They say they may bring the game console back for future events.

That’s the news for today. Back tomorrow with more.

Tuesday update

The Daily Memphian reports that Front Street Deli is for sale. The little deli has been a staple at the corner of Front and Union for 44 years. The current owner really hopes whoever buys it keeps it a deli and keeps the name.

Mardi Gras is February 25, and the Commercial Appeal has a list of places where you can buy a king cake. Downtown, the place to go is Primas Bakery + Boutique (which the CA misspelled Prima’s). They have king cakes which they make for special orders. They also have Mardi Gras macarons.

The February South Main Association meeting has been announced for next Tuesday, February 11, at Longshot, the bar in the downstairs of the Arrive Hotel at Main and Butler (entrance on Butler). 6 PM social, 6:30 presentation (I’ll post the speaker(s) when announced). Free for SMA members, $10 for guests.

The developers of One Beale’s boutique hotel want to add an extra story, bringing the total from nine to ten.

The Grizzlies got a W last night, again hitting .500 at 25-25. They are safely in eighth place in the West for now, two games ahead of ninth-place Portland and five games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, a team to watch now that Zion Williamson is back. Next up for the Grizzlies: at Dallas (31-19) tomorrow at 7:30. That is going to be a tough game to win.

Chris Herrington makes a good point in his trade tracker column today: If the Grizzlies can’t find a trade that brings back an asset for Andre Iguodala by the trade deadline Thursday at 2, perhaps the team should continue to sit him for the rest of the season. He doesn’t want to play here, and the team as it stands now is doing well without him. Worst-case scenario seems to be, Memphis fails to find a suitable trade, buys out Iggy after the deadline, makes the playoffs, and finds Iggy wearing a purple-and-gold jersey for their first round opponent the Lakers. Why would we buy someone out to make an opponent better?

There will be a performance of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood at the Cannon Center this evening. Note that ages 1 and up must have a ticket.

Programming note: Due to a shift in my work hours tomorrow only, tomorrow’s daily update post will probably be late getting up. Usually I have the post up by 9; tomorrow it will be sometime around noon.

As of the time of this writing, nobody knows who won the Iowa Democratic caucus because an app didn’t work and votes are being tallied by hand.

The orange shitgibbon delivers the 2020 State of the Union address tonight at 8 PM Central. Here’s the link to the 2020 SOTU drinking game.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

Election alert: If you want to vote in the March 3 Super Tuesday primary, the deadline to register to vote is today!

The Grizzlies host the Detroit Pistons in a Hardwood Classics (throwback uniforms and court design) game tonight at 7. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 2. The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington has a look at moves that could be made.

You can’t fix stupid: A disturbing number of people think coronavirus is related to Corona beer

Thanks to my neighbors Pete and Tracy for inviting me and my troll to their Super Bowl party last night! It was a fun time.

For wrestling fans: Today would have been the 60th birthday of “The Modern-Day Warrior,” Kerry Von Erich.

Loflin Yard has booked Moses Crouch and Memphissippi Medicine in what is being advertised as a “must see” show on February 21.

Happy Valentine’s Day, YOGA! Downtown Yoga will celebrate Valentine’s Day the day after, Saturday, February 15 from 1 to 2 PM, with a yoga flow and cacao ceremony designed to open the heart chakra.

Edible Memphis has published a breakfast bowl guide, with plenty of the bowls being from Downtown restaurants. That brisket macro bowl at Bedrock Market looks especially delicious.

The Play that Goes Wrong has a seven-show run at the Orpheum this week from Wednesday through Sunday.

The Iowa caucus is today. A representative from Pennsylvania begs Iowa to send a Democrat who can win her state. I hope Iowa listens. She is exactly right.

Back tomorrow with more news.

Saturday update

Very cool event happening tonight… L.A.-based DJ Cut Chemist will be in Memphis tonight to play a set in Central Station’s Eight and Sand bar. He has agreed to abide by the rules of the house, meaning Memphis music only. He’ll be joined by other DJs including Red Eye, Capital A, Scott Bomar, Bizzle Bluebland, Otis Shredding, and Memphis Jones. This is my #1 recommendation if you’re looking for something to do tonight, and I bet even those not normally into DJs would like it.

It’s the first of the month, and that means it’s time for a look at non-basketball events happening at FedExForum in February.

  • Today: World-famous basketball touring team the Harlem Globetrotters will bring their new show, “Pushing the Limits,” to Memphis. 7 PM show time.
  • Friday, February 7: Tyler Perry brings the third leg of the Madea’s Farewell Play Tour to FedExForum.
  • Sunday, February 9: Celine Dion‘s Courage World Tour, her first tour in over ten years, makes a Memphis stop.
  • Saturday, February 15: Professional Bull Riders bring their Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour to Memphis. These guys don’t make it to Memphis every year, so if you’re into bull riding, better seize this chance to see it live. It’s a shame folks will be drinking Bud Light at a PBR event.
  • Sunday, February 23: Soup Sunday, a fundraiser for Youth Villages, happens from 11 AM to 2 PM. Over 50 of Memphis’ finest restaurants set up tables in the Forum concourse so attendees can sample all the soups, breads, and desserts they want. You get a holder that will let you carry around 4 soups at the time, although some people (the Nuh-Uh Girl) have been creative enough to fit 9 soups in the holder at once.

Geez… that’s the fifth year in a row I have told that Nuh-Uh Girl story when mentioning Soup Sunday. I need to watch it repeating the same stale jokes year after year… if I keep it up with the recycled bad jokes, I might be put under consideration to emcee DTO. I don’t own a bad tux though.

It’s always good to see the locals make the big time: A former West Memphis Shelter puppy will be in the Puppy Bowl this year

It’s also always good to see people doing good for others: MLGW employees have been spending their lunch break feeding the homeless

For those of you in town one more night following the IBC finals, and for those who are always up for some good live music, may I recommend the Brass Door tonight. It’s an Irish pub on Madison between Second and Third and they have a cozy and intimate performance space downstairs. (It’s called The Cavern, named after the place the Beatles performed 1961-63, and their 1960-62 drummer Pete Best has played there.) Tonight they will host a Memphis Songwriter Showcase presented by Missihippie Music. Eric Lewis, Mallory Everett, Devan Yanik, and Stephen Michael are the lineup.

Happy weekend, YOGA! There will be a Yoga and Mimosas class tomorrow from 2:30 to 4:30 PM at Art Village Gallery at the corner of Main and Huling. This is an all-levels class. There will be a guided meditation and a vinyasa flow accompanied by a soulful playlist, followed by mimosas. Participants are asked to bring a yoga mat, towel, water, and good vibes.

Beer koozie mittens: The winter attire item you didn’t realize you needed.

Jalapeno poppers crossed my mind twice yesterday. I thought to myself, “I haven’t heard anything about the annual jalapeno popper throwdown that normally happens in late March.” I pulled up the website and there’s a “That’s all, folks!” sign on the homepage, so I guess that event’s run has come to an end.

Fear not, though, for there are still jalapeno poppers to be had Downtown. I went to the Blind Bear for lunch yesterday, and Mary told me jalapeno poppers were recently added to the menu, and that means one more menu item she can order, having recently gone vegetarian. So if you miss popper fest, come down to the Bear, and give theirs a try!

The Bush League & Friends come to Earnestine & Hazel’s tonight at 9.

Eric Hughes Band plays Loflin Yard tonight at 9.

Memphis in May will have a volunteer expo on February 20. This is the chance to learn how you can get involved in this month-long festival. Great way to meet people, form lasting friendships, and get an inside look at how this event comes together.

Nerd time: I discovered a very cool techie tool yesterday. It’s called CSVkit. It’s a command-line tool that lets you do all kinds of cool things with CSV (comma separated value) files. Among its command-line capabilities: convert Excel to CSV, convert JSON to CSV (and vice versa), perform searches, and even query the data using SQL. Since it converts Excel to CSV, that makes it possible to run SQL queries against an Excel file without ever exporting the data and importing it into a database. It’s one of those tools for which, I don’t know why I need it yet, but I know at some point in the future it’s going to come in really handy.

Crappie Madness – Kids’ Weekend happens today and tomorrow 1:00 to 3:30 PM at Bass Pro at the Pyramid. First 50 kids each day receive free gifts, including head lamps and tackle boxes. All kids can attend a Crappie 101 workshop and get casting tips.

Primas Bakery + Boutique is offering an Intro to Watercolor workshop on Saturday, March 7. Artist Jesi Lee will lead this two-hour class. $50 fee includes all supplies and a watercolor pad and brush to take home.

Wiseacre Brewing Co. out on Broad Avenue will host a Flower and Chocolate beer event on Saturday, February 15. If beer is more your idea of a Valentine’s Day gift than traditional choices, come to this event for a tour of the brewery and beer and chocolate pairings. The chocolate will come from local maker Dinstuhl’s, soon to have a Downtown location. There are three time slots, 2, 4, and 6 PM, and all three will sell out quickly. If you want to make reservations, do not delay.

This is an interesting read: The concept of a U.S. dollar collapse goes mainstream. Currencies usually collapse when the country that issues them takes on more debt than it can possibly support, and the U.S. has been piling up debt at record speed. Other countries are buying up gold at an alarming rate, sensing a dollar collapse could happen. Although, I wonder if the world standard currency of the future is blockchain rather than gold.

Most of my fellow Democrats are disappointed that TN senator Lamar Alexander announced he would not vote to call witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial. I’m not disappointed at all, for several reasons:

First of all, evidence could prove that Trump is an alien who is out to snuff out humankind with a giant laser, and yet 20 Republican senators would not vote to remove him. Trump would have been acquitted, whether sooner or later.

Second, look at what Alexander said. The Democrats proved their case. He saw no reason to hear even more evidence that Trump is a corrupt president who is willing to put foreign interests ahead of the Constitution if that’s what is necessary to keep him in office. Alexander feels, however, that it is the job of the American people to decide if that warrants removing Trump, not the Senate. Okay, let’s take him up on that. There’s an election in 9 months. Let’s decide for ourselves if we want 4 more years of authoritarianism and corruption.

Third, the Senate doesn’t want to subpoena John Bolton, and hear whether he has first-hand knowledge of a Trump quid pro quo with Ukraine. Well, fine. Let’s get this impeachment hearing wrapped up, get the State of the Union behind us, and then there’s nothing stopping the House Oversight Committee from subpoenaing John Bolton to testify before them (and TV cameras) about what he knew. That could be very damaging to Trump as election season heats up, especially if additional witnesses are uncovered.

2020 may be the American people’s last chance to get it right. There’s nothing wrong with having a Republican in office – just not this fake Republican who serves his own interest above all others. There may not be after a 2024 election if we send him back to the White House.

Okay. Rant over. Bardog time. Back tomorrow with more news.