Friday update

Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings says the force doesn’t have the manpower to crack down on drag racing that has happened Downtown and many other parts of Memphis this summer. City COO Doug McGowen said the kids behind this activity are very well organized. They travel around town in packs, have lookouts and are prepared to pick up and move their operation to another part of the city anytime. Sounds like donuts and gunshots are on this weekend’s menu Downtown once again.

The Memphis Business Journal reports that apartment developers who have received financial incentives from the Downtown Memphis Commission often have not lived up to their end of the bargain to make a certain percentage of the units affordable for low-income tenants.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to link you to a Memphis magazine article entitled Rewriting the Recipe. It discusses how restaurant owners are changing their business models to keep pace with COVID-19, and it features Tamra Patterson of The Edge’s own Chef Tam’s Underground. Changes included safer ways for people to enter and exit, a move to to-go only, and adjusting the menu so there wouldn’t be a large amount of unused ingredients. The story also takes a look at another Downtown restaurant, South of Beale, which successfully opened a second location out East during the pandemic.

As I was sorting through Downtown Memphis news, this job came across my feed… a Downtown company needs a human resources assistant. It’s a contract-to-hire gig and pays $16 to $20 an hour. The job was just posted yesterday, so you can be one of the first to get a foot in the door.

The Memphis Grizzlies play the Oklahoma City Thunder today at 3. You can catch the game on Fox Sports Southeast, the Fox Sports GO app, or Antenna TV. This is a must-win, as they all are with the Grizz only holding on to the 8th seed by half a game. Other games of interest today:

  • Utah at San Antonio, noon, no national TV (we want Utah to win)
  • Sacramento at Brooklyn, 4 PM, no national TV (we want Brooklyn to win)
  • Washington at New Orleans, 7 PM, no national TV (we want Washington to win)

Neo-soul artist Jordan Occasionally performs a virtual concert from Health Sciences Park today from noon to 1.

The Little Tea Shop has always been famous, but even more so these days. The firm about the Monroe Avenue lunch spot has been accepted by the Nashville Film Fest, the Portland Short Fest, and the Muslim Film Festival.

Celebrate Primas Bakery + Boutique’s 2nd birthday tomorrow, 9 AM to 6 PM.

A man who recently robbed Independent Bank in One Commerce Square was arrested in Southaven.

Free MemPops! The Downtown Neighborhood Association will give away 100 of them tomorrow beginning at 11 AM as part of their Saturday Shenanigans in Court Square. Come on out and meet some of the organization’s members and board members.

Don’t forget, you can dine at Memphis restaurants tax-free this weekend!

Keep scrolling for a recap of yesterday’s COVID-19 task force press conference. Health Officer Dr. Randolph was asked the question the health department has been dodging, what kind of trend would the department need to see to consider allowing limited service restaurants to reopen? Dr. Randolph said they would need to see 28 days of a downward trend, and that the steepness of the trend would matter. Their data dashboard page indicates that number of current cases began trending downward July 20 (18 days ago), number of new cases by specimen collection date began trending downward July 16 (22 days ago), and the 7-day rolling positivity rate began trending downward July 19 (19 days ago, although the curve isn’t exactly steep).

Back tomorrow with more news. Go Grizz!