Tuesday update

The day we’ve all been anticipating is finally here. Please get out and vote today if you haven’t done so already.

The big news coming out of Downtown the past 24 hours is that Downtown Memphis Commission president Jennifer Oswalt is stepping down at the end of the year. She was not actively job-hunting but was sought out by the Haslam family, including former governor Bill Haslam and his brother who owns the Cleveland Browns. They want her to manage the family fortune. Although unexpected, it was the dream offer of a lifetime and she couldn’t say no. Congratulations Jennifer, and thanks for leading Downtown’s growth through a very challenging time.

The Memphis Business Journal has a slideshow of King & Union Grocery, which has taken over the former TGI Friday’s space at B.B. King and Union across from the ballpark. The accompanying article is behind a paywall but the slideshow is free.

From Dr. Bean’s Coffee and Tea Emporium:

Hey friends. Most of you have probably heard by now that our storefront and home @409puckfoodhall is officially closing by the end of the year. Though this saddens us deeply, we are so incredibly lucky to have worked out a move that’s right across the street! The Dr. Bean’s crew will be returning to the place Memphians were first able to buy our beans in person almost 5 years ago— 387 South Main! Stay connected with us on social media to learn more about the move as it comes. Thank you for your continued love and support of our team and our coffee.

COVID-19 has claimed another Memphis restaurant, this time on Beale Street. Lew’s Blue Note Bar & Grill has bitten the dust. Here’s the announcement:

Closing of blue note bar and Grill 341beale street Memphis Tennessee it is with a heavy heart that my family and I have made the difficult decision to close our doors at Lew ‘s blue note bar and Grill effective October 27 2020.The covid 19 pandemic has caused a struggle. We would like to thank each and every one of you who have supported us over the last seven years. We will miss seeing, serving and entertaining you all and we pray that you will pray for us and for our nation during these desperate times. Lastly we ask that you please get out and Vote because our lives and livelihoods depend on it. Always remember that when we stick together we can’t be broken. Thank you for patronizing our business over the years and please share this post with our many guests and friends. We love you all and will miss you deeply. Lew ,marilyn and blue note staff.

Rather than doing a signature wing sauce this month, the New Wing Order food truck is celebrating National Nacho Day this Friday with a month of Nacho November specials.

Here’s the food truck’s schedule. No November dates Downtown, unfortunately, but they’ll be a short ride away at Crosstown Brewing on the 11th and Memphis Made on the 21st.

The Grizzlies have announced a partnership with online sportsbook FanDuel.

Shred415 will host a donation-based fitness class on the river on Thursday, November 5. Join them in Tom Lee Park for a 45-minute HIIT workout, then stick around for a cold beer by Grind City Brewing while you hear plans about changes to the park. Donations will go to Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Tech nonprofit CodeCrew, which has taught more than 2000 kids in Memphis how to write code in the past 5 years, has received a $50,000 donation from Verizon. Among the classes they offer is drone programming. It’s an exciting time to be a kid!

Shelby County has fallen out of the red zone for COVID-19 cases. We are down to 22.8 new cases per day per 100,000 this morning, according to COVID Act Now, down from a high in the low 30s and below the threshold of 25 at which Harvard says stay-home orders should be considered. R-nought, the reproduction rate, is down to 1.07 from a high of around 1.25 last week, and the positivity rate has dropped back below 10%. Still not great news, but at least things are starting to trend back in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Nashville, despite still being in the red zone, has moved forward into Phase 3 of its reopening, allowing restaurants and bars additional freedom. That’s a promising sign that the bars won’t close a third time here; it’s unlikely the SCHD would move backward when the most similar major municipality in the state is moving forward with reopening.

Don’t forget: Free fares on MATA vehicles today. It’s for Election Day, but why not take advantage and hop a trolley to a restaurant offering a Downtown Dining Week special?

Everyone’s talking about the states that will take days to report election results. However, the majority of states should report results tonight, unless it is a very close call. These include three Eastern Time Zone swing states:

  • Florida
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio

I have not seen an electoral simulation in WEEKS in which Trump won a second term without carrying all three of these states. (Mouse over the red dots in FiveThirtyEight’s electoral simulator to see what I mean.) If one of these states gets called for Biden, Trump is in big trouble; if two are called for Biden, Trump is all but done. On the other hand, if all three get called for Trump, Biden is not necessarily finished but becomes the underdog. As of this post (about 5:30 AM Election Day) the RealClearPolitics polling averages for those states were

  • Florida: Biden 0.9
  • North Carolina: Trump 0.2
  • Ohio: Trump 1.4

That’s all I’ve got this morning. VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE.