Friday update

Yesterday afternoon between 2 and 3, I heard sirens almost constantly. I thought something was on fire but they turned out to be police and ambulance sirens. Here’s what was going on:

  • Police were called to a car crash in the 800 block of E.H. Crump Blvd. A man got out of one of the cars and attempted to stab everyone in sight. One victim was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition. Another victim shot the suspect, killing him.
  • An Arkansas State Trooper was shot and two men were killed during a gunfire exchange near McLemore and I-55. The trooper chased the men across the bridge from West Memphis. The area was shut down for hours.
  • Multiple arrests were made in the parking garage at Young Dolph’s celebration of life. A stolen Fin Fin, some weed, and a couple of guns were recovered.

I hopped on the police scanner and learned that the MPD “B” shift was held over past their usual sign-off time. Routine calls were held for over an hour in some cases.

Let’s move on to better news. I am so, so, so very proud of my graduate school alma mater and my employer for 5 years, the University of Memphis. This week the university received a designation as a Carnegie R1 school. The indicates the U of M’s status as a top-flight research institution. It will attract world-class professors and also grant money to Memphis.

What a wonderful change. When I was in grad school there, the place was called “Tiger High” and, although there were pockets of excellence, mediocrity was the standard. The U of M is living up to its potential now. I remember dreaming of getting a Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon, or MIT, or Stanford, or UCal-Berkeley. Today’s kids dream of getting a Ph.D. from Memphis.

St. Jude revealed in a community meeting last night that they are delaying submission of their proposal for a 7-story parking garage at Third and A.W. Willis Ave. for another 30 days. They were scheduled to go before the Board of Adjustment next Wednesday.

Beale Street is now selling New Year’s Eve 2021/22 Fast Passes. This pass costs $100 and lets you skip the line everyplace except Hard Rock, Wet Willie’s, the New Daisy, and Tater Red’s, and you don’t pay any cover at the door.

The CA has a recap of Young Dolph’s celebration of life, held yesterday at FedExForum.

If you’re good with tools, there’s a temp-to-perm opening for an assembler at a company near Downtown Memphis. Based on the job description, I suspect the company may be Auto-Chlor.

Pattie O’Furniture hosts drag bingo at the Moxy Hotel tonight at 7.

The Grizzlies travel to Sacramento today for a 9 PM game vs. the Kings.

That’s it for today. This is the week when there are a lot of private holiday parties, so there are fewer public events to report. Back tomorrow with more news.