Category: Uncategorized

Saturday update

The Grizzlies host the Orlando Magic tonight at 7 at FedExForum. It’s Health Night presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and the first 5000 fans get a fanny pack. Local TV coverage on Bally Sports Southeast.

Another big game to watch tonight: Golden State vs. L.A. Lakers at 7:30 on ABC. If the Grizzlies beat the Magic and Golden State loses to the Lakers, Memphis overtakes Golden State for second place in the West. I know many Memphians find it hard to root for the Lakers, but tonight we need to. Go get ’em, LeBron!

South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. is hiring deli clerks, cashiers, baggers, and stockers. To apply, email Malcolm Vickery at mvickery@castleretail.com.

The CA has a look at South Main’s new grocery store.

In addition to $10 tickets, there will be $2 beers for Memphis 901 FC’s exhibition match tonight at 6 vs. the University of Memphis.

St. Patrick’s Church reported that the new street signs are up – what was formerly South Fourth Street between Union and Crump is now Ida B. Wells Street.

State Senator Brian Kelsey has announced he will not seek reelection to his seat. He cited a “recent, exciting change” to his personal life, but the decision probably has more to do with federal campaign finance charges he will be on trial for next year. Enjoy prison, you piece of garbage.

It’s National Poutine Day. The dish, a Canadian favorite, consists of French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy. Kooky Canuck is the place to get poutine Downtown.

It’s also Cinco de Marcho. Hey, any excuse to drink a margarita will do, right?

Big college basketball game on at 11 this morning: 14 Arkansas at 13 Tennessee on ESPN. If the Hogs can beat the Vols in their own dumpster, er, I mean arena, they will have a strong case for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament.

Comedian and podcast host Bert Kreischer brings his Berty Boy Relapse Tour to the Orpheum tonight for 7:00 and 9:20 shows. Tickets are $39.75-$109.75.

Next door at the Halloran Centre tonight, it’s Garry Goin Presents a Tribute to Gospel Music featuring Danny Cosby and Ephie Johnson. Showtime is 7:30 and tickets are $37.50.

Grind City Brewing Co. releases eight beers for one day only today at a party called Fermented Reality. One beer will be released every 30 minutes until all the beers have been released. The party is free to attend, but a VIP ticket gets you unlimited refills from noon to 5. There will be live music, games, and a farmers/art market.

Urevbu Gallery at Main and Huling has an art opening party for an exhibit entitled Mother Nature’s Daughter. “This show is for the fierce woman,” writes the curator, noting that March is Women’s Month.

There are two places you can get REASONABLY PRICED crawfish today. One is Glaze’s crawfish boil at Max’s Sports Bar. $12.50 a pound (not twenty-five like some places charge) with corn, taters, and sausage included in the box but they don’t count toward the weight. Want more? You can get two pounds for $21 (which is less than some places charge for one pound). They will also have hot boiled shrimp for $16 a pound. Doors open at 11, first batch rolls out at noon. They’ll serve them until 4 or until they run out. My advice would be to come early.

Another place you can get REASONABLY PRICED crawfish today is Crawfish and Cocktails on the Rooftop at Old Dominick 2-5 PM. $15/pound (which is only six-tenths of what some other places charge). If you pre-purchased a ticket, you can get them for $12/lb or there’s a $49 all-you-can-eat option.

Cheers to 1 Butterific Year today at Butterific Bakery & Cafe! The celebration at 488 S. Second will feature food, games, prizes, and live music.

My plan for the day is to lead off at Blind Bear, where I’ll watch the first half of the Arkansas-Tennessee game. Then I’m catching a ride down to Max’s for crawfish! If I stay out into the night hours, I’ll go to Blind Bear for DJ Tree and DJ Taz. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

 

Friday update: Bars grabbing for more money by separating out taxes

I hear one of my favorite places is now adding sales tax and line-item tax to purchases. So a $5 drink at this establishment, whose price used to be all-inclusive of sales and line-item tax, now costs $6.24.

Maybe there are legit business reasons for doing this, reasons I don’t understand having never worked in the service industry. But as a consumer, it comes off to me as a thinly veiled 25% PRICE INCREASE and I don’t like it.

Now, if they reduced that $5 drink’s price to, say, $4.25 and itemized the sales and line-item tax, I could see that. It would be an attempt to educate the consumer on how much the state taxes food and beverage purchases. But when you separate out the sales and line-item tax while leaving the price the same? Explain to me how that’s anything other than a money grab.

Just a warning to Downtowners, pay close attention to your restaurant receipts the next week or two. As I wrote yesterday, I support autogratting so our servers make a decent wage. But I don’t support this at all.

Edited to add: I hear that several Downtown bar owners have agreed to all implement this change simultaneously, so each of them will have the excuse, “I’m just doing what everybody else is doing.”

The Memphis Tigers kept their hope of an at-large NCAA tournament bid with a win on the road at South Florida last night, 73-64. Now the stage is set for Sunday’s home game vs. Houston. That game will likely determine whether Memphis is an 8-9 seed (with a win) or an 11 seed (with a loss).

The Memphis Flyer has video of the new South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. Plenty of parking, covered patio, great beer selection. Plenty of local products. Deli case. Sandwich kitchen.

Russia is occupying a nuclear facility in southeast Ukraine. There was a fire in a training facility but it was put out. If a shell hits a nuclear reactor, it could be a disaster for all of Europe.

The Grizzlies took a road loss to the Boston Celtics last night, 120-107. However, there is good news: The Golden State Warriors are on a 3-game losing streak, leaving Memphis only 0.5 games behind them for second place in the Western Conference.

DJ Tree and DJ Taz play the Blind Bear Saturday night 10-2.

Insomnia Cookies has the perfect choice for those who find it hard to choose between a cookie and a brownie. It’s a warm chocolate chip brownie, drizzled in chocolate cookie butter and topped with cookie dough bites.

Give901 and South Main Book Juggler are teaming up to donate books to a school in Frayser. You can stop by the Juggler and donate a book, and a leaf with your name will be added to the school’s reading tree.

Today is National Tartar Sauce Day. Perhaps a good day to grab a catfish basket at the Flying Fish.

There’s a Memphis True Crime Tour departing from the Broom Closet tonight at 7:30.

Grape. plays Earnestine & Hazel’s tonight at 9.

Silly Goose is doing a 2 for the price of 1 wood-fired pizza special again today 4 to 8 PM. Dine-in only.

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

Thursday update

Want to hear what I lay awake thinking about half the night last night? I think I may have figured out the city, and the country, that will determine whether this Russia-Ukraine conflict turns into World War III.

The Russians’ main targets seem to be Kyiv, the capital in the northern part of Ukraine, and Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the northeast near Russia’s border.

Not much has been written about Lviv, Ukraine’s sixth-largest city and the largest in the Western part of the country. But if Russia decides to take Lviv at some future point, that’s where things could start to get nasty.

You see, for most of its history, Lviv was part of Poland, not Ukraine. It didn’t become part of Ukraine – and under Russia’s sphere of influence – until after World War II.

If Russia attacked Lviv, would Poland declare war on Russia, and enter Ukraine in an attempt to defend its former territory?

If so, would Russia respond by invading Poland? Poland is a member of NATO, which means the 29 other member nations would be obligated by treaty to send troops to defend it. And that would be the beginning of WWIII with Americans and Russians shooting at each other.

That’s not the only thing that kept me awake. But first, let’s get to the Downtown news.

From the Memphis Flyer: Tipping is going automatic in many restaurants, but is it here to stay? Many restaurants, including the three I frequent the most, started adding a 20% “autograt” during the pandemic, at least on certain days and times, and continue to do it even though the restrictions on capacity have been lifted.

I fully support the autograt and have no problem with it remaining permanently. Prior to its implementation, I saw situations (particularly Sunday brunch) where servers would bust their ass serving food and drinks to large tables and get tipped nothing at all. Now, if a server busts her ass and rings in $3000 in sales, it’s a guaranteed $600 day for her. It’s a policy necessary to recruit and retain good servers.

“There’s More to Be Proud Of,” the art installation by Cat Pena that shimmers over The Edge District at Monroe and Marshall, is coming down temporarily. Having hung for 5 years over the intersection, it will be taken down to evaluate its structure and re-imagine its future.

Surprisingly, America’s least favorite pizza topping isn’t pineapple. A recent poll found anchovies to be the most hated topping. Pineapple came in second and jalapeno peppers third.

Both our Memphis basketball teams play on national TV tonight. The Grizzlies travel to Boston tonight for a 6:30 game with the Celtics. That one will be broadcast on TNT.

Penny Hardaway’s Tigers also hit the road tonight, traveling to Tampa to play the South Florida Bulls in a must-win game if they want an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. 8 PM, ESPNU. Memphis has moved up slightly in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology – last week, they were Last Team In. This week, they’re the first of the four teams listed under Last Four In.

Let’s have a look at non-basketball events coming to FedExForum this month:

Max’s Sports Bar has announced that Glaze’s crawfish boil will return this Saturday. Doors open at 11, and the first ‘bugs roll off around 12. They come with sides of corn, taters, and sausage (included in box but do not count toward its weight). Prices: $12.50 for 1 lb. of crawfish (that’s literally HALF what another downtown restaurant is charging) or $21 for 2 lbs. Pounds of hot boiled shrimp will be $16.

Lafayette’s Music Room in Overton Square is looking to hire 2 bartenders, 3 hosts, 4 servers, and 2 line cooks. I don’t normally cover restaurant job listings outside Downtown, but I gave this one an exception because GM Julien is an awesome cook. He makes amazing meals from scratch to fuel up his team prior to big shows. (Put a passcode on your phone when he’s around though; otherwise, you’ll find you posted to Facebook about what a great guy he is.) You’ll get to hear some excellent music while you work; check out the event calendar.

The DM reports that South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. in the South Main district will open to the public at 8 this morning. It will be open 8 to 8 daily and there will be a grand opening on March 10.

Memphis 901 FC hosts an exhibition game against the Memphis Tigers Saturday at 6. $10 tickets

From Craigslist: A Mud Island tennis player seeks someone to play with in the early mornings. This person is about a 3.0-3.5 rating, whatever that means.

Rumba Room is hosting the 1st annual (I just heard Seth Agranov groan) Spring Fling speed dating event Sunday, March 20. $25, 21 and up, music by DJ Swagg and DJD KB, food, bar.

Hilton Garden Inn across Union from the ballpark is hiring a banquet server.

Memphis Black Restaurant Week is next week, March 6-12. It’s a week for Black-owned restaurants to offer deals and attract new customers. Downtown restaurants participating include

  • Sage
  • Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe
  • Slim & Husky’s
  • Flava House Lounge
  • Curry N Jerk
  • Sugashack
  • The Genre
  • Evelyn & Olive
  • Butterific Bakery & Cafe

Insider tip: Sage, which opens at 11 on Sundays, doesn’t take reservations and so people wait in line to get tables. If you want an 11 AM seating, I suggest getting there no later than 10:40. Based on my experiences at Sage and what others have told me, the food absolutely IS worth the wait.

Russian forces took southern Ukraine city Kherson yesterday, and they are said to have another southern city, Mariupol, surrounded, subjecting it to constant shelling aimed at destroying infrastructure.

It’s National Cold Cuts Day!

From ABC 24: Ja Morant’s Monday night performance broke NBA social media records

Bass Pro at the Pyramid is holding a hiring event today.

Here’s the list of trucks participating in today’s Court Square food truck rodeo.

So, the other thing that kept me awake: I had a bad dream last night. I got on the dark web (which I’ve never been on in real life) and found a geographic search engine, a way for criminals to mark easy targets for other criminals.

I tried some addresses, and about 80% of them (including my own) came back with no result. The ones that did had notes like:

  • “Lives in controlled-access high-rise but often forgets to lock apartment front door”
  • “Attractive female, lives alone. Walks dog around 6:30 in the morning weekdays.”
  • “Beware, this home has a very protective German shepherd.”
  • “Man, 30s, traveling sales job, often out of town Monday-Thursday nights.”
  • “Couple, 70s, victims of at least 2 previous phone/Internet scams.”

I was relieved to wake up, but when I did, I thought, something like this could easily exist for real on the dark web. What if it does?

It’s just a concern I’ve had lately, that the progress we’re making with technology is far outpacing progress in human consciousness. If that trend continues, more and more we’re going to use technology to harm one another.

That’s all I have for today. Back tomorrow.

 

Wednesday update

From Lifehacker: What even is Ash Wednesday, anyway?

Foreigner comes to the Orpheum August 11. Tickets are $49.50-$125 and go on sale tomorrow at 10 AM.

Major League Baseball has canceled the first two series of the regular season. The teams’ owners failed to come to an agreement with the players’ association and the players remain locked out. The season was set to begin March 31. Once an agreement is reached, the teams will need approximately 4 weeks for spring training before they can start playing regular-season games.

The Redbirds released a statement yesterday stating that the Minor League Baseball schedule is not affected by Major League Baseball’s negotiations. The season is very much on and opening day is April 5.

POLITICO has a transcript of President Biden’s State of the Union address last night.

Aaron Frazer will perform a DJ set at Eight & Sand Saturday, March 5, with guest DJs Eric Hermeyer, Cadillac Zach, Scott Bomar, and Memphis Jones.

Country music artist Erin Enderlin comes to South Main Sounds Friday, March 11. Amber Rae Dunn will open at 7 PM.

Cordelia’s Market has a strawberry special through Tuesday, March 8: Buy two containers of strawberries for $5.

You’ve heard of the teenager who has a Twitter account dedicated to tracking Elon Musk’s jet? Well, now he has a new subject of interest: Russian oligarchs.

Longtime Downtowners will remember The Dempseys, a high-energy rockabilly band that performed at venues including Blues City Cafe, the Flying Saucer, and Downtown Huey’s. Bassist “Slick” Joe Fick, now a resident of Nashville, made an exciting announcement this week. He has a new 4-hour video course on DiscoverDoubleBass.com that will teach you how to play slap bass. The course will take you from beginner to advanced. Here’s a short video by Joe on the history of the upright slap bass:

The Center for Southern Folklore is now selling locally-built birdhouses. Check them out in the store at 119 S. Main behind the Belz Museum.

A cat cafe in Ukraine is staying open to keep its 20 residents safe, even during the war. What’s a cat cafe? It’s a place where you can grab a snack and a beverage and some of the restaurant’s 20 cats may choose to hang out with you while you dine. Why don’t we have one of these in Memphis? I know there’s a hang-up about animals in public dining spaces, but people bring their dogs into the restaurants I frequent all the damn time. If they can do that, why can’t we have a cat cafe?

Calvary Episcopal announced their plan to have an extended prelude by a local musician every Thursday at their Lenten preaching series. This week the music will be by Josh Keller, an adjunct music instructor at the U of M and the musical director at a church in Olive Branch. He will play the viola de gamba.

The South Main Association announced its next South Main Social on Tuesday, March 8 at 6 PM at the Arcade, Memphis’ oldest restaurant. Daryl Andrews of Walking Pants Curiosities and the new Dreamers’ Revival TV show will speak, as will Jani Rad from the What’s on Your Mind podcast. Free for SMA members to attend, $20 for non-members.

Tennessee is getting its first cannabis restaurant. Opening in Nashville in April or May, Buds & Brews will serve classic American dishes with cannabis-infused toppings. Just as I said with the cat cafe, why can’t Memphis have nice things?

Maybe we should combine the two ideas and have a cat cafe that serves cannabis-infused dishes. People would probably try to get the cats high, though.

From ABC 24: Momentum, growth continues in Uptown

From WREG: Police are considering adding cameras to deal with reckless driving and drag racing. One type of camera electronically marks cars so they can be located at a later time on a different camera.

If you have friends in Indiana or Missouri, tell them to be on the lookout for Memphis’ Wiseacre beer in the near future.

Two men with at least one handgun robbed the Malco Powerhouse theater in South Main Friday night at about 11:20.

Fox 13 has a look at the Alpha Kappa Alpha regional conference being held at the Renasant Convention Center this week.

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

Fat Tuesday update

Traffic alert: Exchange Avenue will be closed between Second and B.B. King Wednesday-Saturday. The reason why is they need the space for approximately 20 food trucks to feed 3000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha who’ll be in town meeting at the Renasant Convention Center.

Several people asked me yesterday, “What does a sorority do in a week-long conference?” I found their registration packet online, so you can see for yourself.

Attention owners and managers of bars that open later than 11 AM on Sundays: The Memphis Tigers have an 11 AM home game against the #14 Houston Cougars this Sunday, March 6. Might want to consider opening early so those with tickets can pre-game and those without tickets can watch on TV. The game will be broadcast on CBS, so you won’t need any kind of fancy cable or sports package to put it on your TVs.

If you do decide to open early, figure out staffing now and announce the early opening at least 24 hours in advance. Too often I see bars open early but the only notification is on the bartender’s personal Facebook account 17 minutes prior to opening.

This news item brought to you by the letters M, V, and P: Ja Morant scored a career-high 52 points last night as the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs, 118-105. More good news: Golden State lost its most recent game, leaving Memphis a mere one game back from catching the Warriors for second place in the Western Conference.

The 2 seed in the West could not be as sweet as it seems, however. Imagine this scenario – the Los Angeles Lakers win a play-in game to grab the 7 seed in the conference. The Grizzlies’ reward for all their hard work this season would be an opening playoff series against LeBron James. I don’t care what kind of a mess the Lakers are this year. LeBron has a whole ‘nother gear he shifts into at playoff time. I’d much rather see the Nuggets, Clippers, T-wolves, or Pelicans.

Fat Tuesday update from FiveThirtyEight: Climate change means gumbo season is getting shorter in New Orleans

LEROY (Reachin’ Out/WXYR) performs a DJ set at Wiseacre Downtown this Saturday 6-10 PM. He’s the DJ behind the album Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987 and he performs regularly at Eight & Sand. Going to the Grizzlies game vs. Orlando that night? Show your ticket stub for 10% off beer. If you’re not going to the game, you can watch it on Wiseacre’s big screens.

WREG answers the question: Aside from vodka, what else does the U.S. import from Russia? Good news: Not too terribly much that you would buy at a grocery store.

Beale Street Music Fest announced new additions to the 2022 lineup yesterday: Megan Thee Stallion, Shaggy, Third World, Duke Deuce, and Tora Tora.

Calvary Waffle Shop has released its 2022 menu for the Lenten season. Seafood gumbo and turnip greens with pork belly on Wednesdays, corned beef & cabbage on Thursday, and fish pudding on Fridays, plus a variety of favorites every day. The cafe opens for the season this Thursday.

There is no Wikipedia entry for “fish pudding.” Maybe one of the Calvary parishioners needs to create one. When I search for the term, Wikipedia asks if I meant “fist pumping.” Remember, folks, in New Jersey, they pump their fists, not their gas.

BBQ Fest now has its VIPit tickets on sale. This ticket gets you VIP admission to Tiger Lane all four days of the festival. You get to visit up to 4 competition teams to sample their product and get insider tips about grilling, a private seminar on what it takes to become a BBQ Fest Grand Champion, and open access to a hospitality suite with complimentary food, beer, wine, and beverages. Ticket is $495 which is pretty much in line with what it costs for a BBQ team member to be on a team. If you want parking included, $595.

Not a Downtown news item but worthy of a field trip: The Four Way, the legendary soul food restaurant at Walker and Mississippi, will introduce a Soul Bowl as part of Memphis Black Restaurant Week. A Soul Bowl consists of whatever sides you want inside a bowl made of hot cornbread. I found a photo of their menu on Facebook that lets you see a list of sides. If I make it down there, I’m putting turnip greens, blackeyed peas, and mac & cheese in mine. Note that Walker and Mississippi is inside Downtown shuttle Groove on Demand’s service area, so you can get there without spending for a Lyft or Uber.

Slider Inn Downtown will host a watch party for the Grizzlies-Celtics game this Thursday, March 3 at 6:30.

Cordelia’s Market and the Harbor Town Association will present a Community Health Walk on the first day of spring, Sunday, March 20, from noon to 2 PM. This will be a walk of approximately 3 miles through Greenbelt Park from the south parking lot to the north parking lot and back. All participants will receive a Cordelia’s Market coupon. Leashed dogs and kids in strollers are welcome.

MATA has launched a new app allowing riders to track their buses in real-time.

President Biden delivers the State of the Union address tonight at 8.

Bitcoin gained 13% in value yesterday. I would guess that is because crypto is one of the few supplies of currency that can’t be cut off to the Russians.

Vladimir Putin, who holds a black belt in judo, has been stripped of his title of honorary president and ambassador by the International Judo Federation.

Today is National Pig Day. The purpose of the day is “to accord to the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man’s most intellectual and domesticated animals.”

WREG asked the question: Should you dump your Russian vodka? Worth noting: Smirnoff and Stoli are no longer produced in Russia, and in fact, Smirnoff is produced in the U.S. for a British company. Smirnoff has also made a statement condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Need a job in the service industry? Westy’s posted yesterday that it is hiring.

That’s it for today’s post. I’ll get out and celebrate Fat Tuesday tonight (even though I have zero plans to begin observing Lent tomorrow). Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

Mighty Lights, the organization that lights up Big River Crossing and the Hernando de Soto bridges, announced that last night and tonight, the bridges will light up in yellow and blue in support of democracy in Ukraine. Good call by the Mighty Lights organization.

The Memphis Tigers got it done yesterday with an 81-57 road win against Wichita State. The Tigers travel to South Florida for a must-win game Thursday. Then they come back home for Senior Day vs. Houston on Sunday for a sure-would-be-nice-to-win game.

It looks like Putin’s war in Ukraine is not going well. Some things I learned from CNBC this morning:

  • Russia has not managed to capture any major Ukrainian cities. Ukrainians have destroyed entire convoys of Russian equipment. Russian fighters’ morale is said to be low.
  • The Russian stock market is closed today. When Russian citizens are able to access the banks, they may find that their savings are worth less than half what they were last week.
  • It’s possible Russian oligarchs will have yachts, jets, and condos seized in cities like Miami this week; with their lifestyle and their ability to accumulate wealth upended, they could turn on Putin.

Across America, bars are dropping Russian vodka brands and instead purchasing Ukrainian vodka brands like Vektor and Kozak. I don’t know how possible it is to get Ukrainian brands in Memphis bars, but you could always support local brand Old Dominick instead of Russian brands.

Not gonna name the restaurant since I consider the people there friends, but damn, some of y’all getting REAL uppity with your prices at crawfish boils. 25 bucks for one pound? You can get 2 pounds for a few dollars less than that at other Downtown Memphis crawfish boils.

The Grizzlies host San Antonio tonight at 7. It’s HBCU Night at the Grizzlies. Local broadcast on Bally Sports Southeast. Be one of the first 100 to get vaccinated next door at the Rock & Soul Museum 5-7 PM and score two free tickets.

Someone has been stealing urinal cakes from the urinal in the Blind Bear’s men’s room. The person who would be my number-one suspect is on a Las Vegas trip right now, so I suppose he has plausible deniability. Unless… all that twerking on social media was just a ruse so he could get those urinal cakes.

Follow the Kyiv Independent on Twitter for English-language news from Ukraine’s capital city.

FedEx has suspended services into Russia.

Breaking news: First Horizon, headquartered at Madison and B.B. King Blvd., was sold this morning to Toronto-Dominion Bank in a $13.4 billion transaction.

STIX Express, the Asian restaurant on Second, has announced its combo meal for the month of March. For $20 you get

  • A ginger salad
  • An order of Bluff City Nachos – crispy wonton chips topped with spicy crab, avocados, jalapenos, and sweet soy
  • A South Main Roll – salmon and cream cheese, flash-fried and topped with sweet soy and spicy aioli

Bridge inspections will close lanes on the I-40 bridge beginning today and lasting for a few weeks.

Daaamn… Switzerland is going to forego its traditional Swiss neutrality and put the same sanctions on Russia as the EU countries. The world really is coming together to back Putin into a corner.

There’s a New Moon Manifestation Sound Bath at the Broom Closet tonight. $20 “energy exchange” to participate.

Wale performs at the Cannon Center Wednesday night.

That’s it for this post. I’ll be keeping up with CNN live updates on Ukraine all day. Back tomorrow with more.

Sunday update: It’s time to light the river bridges in support of Ukraine

Bridges around the world are being lit in support of democracy in Ukraine. Mighty Lights, it’s time to get on board.

Here’s a link to James Aycock’s COVID Week-in-Review. James feels a sense of hope while also recognizing that the death count is still way too high.

Little Bettie, the pizza kitchen inside Wiseacre Downtown, has added a new pizza, the Calabrian Caballero: Calabrian aioli, calabrese, nduja, cheese, and 3 pepper salsa. This is a spicy pizza and no substitutions are allowed. $18

Sugar Grits has a new Tropical Mimosa served with a cold can of Tropical Red Bull. You can make it a bucket – includes champagne setup, orange juice, and 4 cans of Tropical Red Bull.

From TheNextWeb: 10 metaverse jobs that will exist by 2030 and the career path to get to them

Ja Morant tied his career-best with 46 points as the Grizzlies defeated Chicago 116-110. The Grizzlies are now third in the West, 2 games back of Golden State for second, 3.5 games ahead of Utah in fourth.

Central BBQ Downtown seeks a part-time banquet manager.

The Memphis Tigers are back on national TV today. They host Wichita State in a 1:30 game at FedExForum, to be broadcast on ESPN, which is a must-win for Memphis. New University of Memphis M Club Hall of Fame inductees will be introduced at halftime.

Today is National Kahlua Day.

Dancing with the Stars Live returns to the Orpheum Tuesday.

The BBB warned about scam charities supposedly seeking donations for relief in Ukraine.

The latest news out of Ukraine is that Ukrainian and Russian leaders will meet on Ukraine’s border with Belarus. Belarus is guaranteeing the safe travels of Ukrainian leaders.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more.

Saturday update

Ukraine news this morning:

  • There’s street fighting in the capital, Kyiv, but Russians have not yet taken the city
  • The U.S. offered an evacuation plan to Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, but he said he was staying put
  • Ukraine shot down 2 Russian planes

More from ABC News

Those of you who frequented Puck Food Hall may remember a restaurant named Kinfolk, opened by chef Cole Jeanes. It served gourmet biscuits. The food hall may be gone, but Edible Memphis reports that Kinfolk is back as a pop-up restaurant inside Comeback Coffee at 358 S. Main on the weekends. They’ll serve 8 AM until they run out on Saturdays and 10 AM until they run out on Sundays. Their menu has classics like chicken, egg, and cheese biscuits and sausage biscuits with strawberry jam, but it also has innovations like S’mores biscuits with Nutella chocolate gravy and marshmallows.

Cordelia’s Market announced that it carries Don Pancho foods. They have chicken enchiladas with red sauce and creamy green chile chicken enchiladas meal kits available in their grab & go, and they also carry Don Pancho cilantro lime creme.

Important PBR news: I’ve been told by people who attended the grand opening of Civil Axe Throwing on South Main that they have PBR on draft. They have about 10-15 beers on tap and it’s self-serve. You put money on a card and then use the card at the pouring stations.

This video came up in conversation yesterday and I thought I’d share it. George Takei almost got to finally be captain of a ship… but he was outranked.

March 10 is rumored to be the opening date for South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. in South Main.

UZ brings The Decade Tour 2022 with DMVU to Carolina Watershed on Saturday, April 23. UZ has collaborated with stars like Ice Cube, T-Pain, and 2. Chainz.

I finally gave it and joined Snapchat yesterday. I really didn’t want to be part of another social network but I was missing out on videos of an inebriated friend twerking in Las Vegas. My username is paul_ryburn if you want to add me.

The CDC did indeed give people a break from wearing masks yesterday. They also said those in low- to medium-risk areas could stop social distancing and can gather in indoor spaces. The CDC has an updated evaluation tool that looks not only at the number of new COVID cases per day per 100K, but also at COVID hospital admissions per 100K and percent of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients. Based on those metrics, Shelby County’s risk is measured as “low.”

The Grizzlies travel to Chicago for a 7 PM game against the Bulls tonight.

Tonight is Open That Bottle Night.

From WREG: Apps and programming are making it easier for thieves to steal cars

The Blind Bear’s Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball is tonight beginning at 8.

Almost Elton John & The RocketMen play the Hard Rock Cafe tonight at 8.

Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies play the Orpheum tonight at 7:30.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the Russia-Ukraine situation this week. People are asking, “What did Ukraine do to offend Putin so much that he felt the need to invade?” From what I’ve read, there are two possible reasons.

One is that Putin can’t stand the thought of a successful democracy operating in a former Soviet state right on Russia’s border. He’s terrified Russians will look at Ukraine and think, “If a democracy is working so well next door, perhaps we should oust Putin and install a democracy here too.” If that’s the reasoning, Putin is attacking Ukraine out of insecurity.

The other possible motivation is delusions Putin has of grandeur. He sees himself as one of the greatest Russian leaders, up there with Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar Peter the Great, Tsar Alexander I (who fought Napoleon), and Lenin. Putin wants to restore the Russian Empire as it existed in the mid-1800s. At that time, the empire included Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and most of Poland including Warsaw. With a puppet government in Belarus since the 1990s, Putin is ready to take his second step toward rebuilding the empire by installing a puppet in Ukraine.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow.

Friday update

President Biden announced several financial sanctions on Russia yesterday as punishment for that country’s invasion of Ukraine. He also said the U.S. government has composed a list of Russian oligarchs who will be targeted directly with such sanctions. Here’s a name to get familiar with if you haven’t heard it before: Simeon Mogilevich. Described as “the most dangerous mobster in the world,” he is believed to hold a vast criminal empire, the boss of all bosses in the Russian Mafia.

A gray Infiniti G35 was stolen from the Riverset Apartments on Mud Island overnight. It’s funny how much that particular complex’s name turns up in crime reports. This Google StreetView image illustrates the problem: The apartment community is ungated. It’s every bit as accessible to criminals as the drive-thru at Taco Bell.

Crosstown Brewing Co. will host a Mardi Gras party at its taproom on Tuesday, March 1, and they’ve come up with a new innovation: Virtual King Cake beer. Scan the QR code on the can to find out if your piece of liquid, canned “king cake” contains the baby. If it does, you win a Crosstown Brewing Co. prize pack. The brewery opens at 2, the party starts at 4, and DJ Tree will spin from 5 to 8.

Keep former Memphis Tiger D.J. Stephens in your prayers. He was the guy who was only 6’5″ but played center because he could jump to the moon. He’s currently employed by BC Prometey in Ukraine.

Muscle Shoals band Outlaw Apostles have been tearing it up in the clubs on Broadway in Nashville recently. Tonight they come to Beale Street as part of the Tin Roof’s Nashville Hits the Roof series.

Elmwood Cemetery has announced a Memphis Music Tour on Friday, May 6. Come out and learn about the musicians buried there. Cost is $20.

The Memphis Tigers got a critical win, 78-64, over Temple last night. Joe Lunardi has Memphis as the Last Team In in his latest Bracketology update. Lunardi has Memphis playing Loyola Chicago for an 11 seed in the First Four.

The Grizzlies took a road loss to the Minnesota T-wolves last night, 119-114. The Grizz remain 3rd in the West, 2.5 games behind 2nd-place Golden State and 3.5 games ahead of 4th-place Utah.

Ramen joint Good Fortune Co. got another media mention this week, this time in the Daily Memphian’s New Eats column.

A 17-year-old has been indicted for the shooting death of a man on Beale Street between Front and Main in April 2021. He will be tried as an adult.

Major League Baseball’s 2022 season will be shortened if no deal is reached between owners and players by the end of the day Monday.

Today is National Clam Chowder Day. The Majestic Grille hasn’t posted today’s lunch specials yet, but that’s normally a Friday special.

The NAACP will hand out gift cards at 588 Vance today to families affected by the Family Dollar warehouse rodent infestation.

President Biden has nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the first former public defender to sit on the court.

Magician Jason Bishop performs at the Halloran Centre tonight. Tickets are $37.50.

The Band Camino plays the Orpheum tonight. Tickets are $35-45.

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

Thursday update

Downtown Memphis experienced thundersleet about 2:30 Wednesday afternoon

Russian president Vladimir “I.B.” Putin appeared on TV Thursday morning and said that an invasion of Ukraine had begun. Minutes later, explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as well as other cities including major seaport Odessa.

Ukraine’s response on Twitter:

U.S. sanctions on Russia are expected today. However, U.S. troops are not expected to be sent into Ukraine. Putin has promised “consequences as you have never before experienced” to any country that interferes with the invasion. Russia claimed that within hours, it wiped out Ukraine’s entire air defenses.

If the war goes beyond the borders of Ukraine into a neighboring country that is a member of NATO, the U.S. will be obligated by treaty to come to that country’s defense.

President Biden will address the nation about the situation in Ukraine at 11 this morning.

Here’s a Foreign Policy article explaining how Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus share a history dating back to the Middle Ages.

The Grizzlies are back on the court tonight, on a road trip to play the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at 7. Local coverage will be on Bally Sports Southeast.

The Memphis Tigers are at home tonight, hosting Temple at FedExForum at 6. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. It’s Coaching for Literacy Night and fans are asked to donate. $10 provides two books for local children.

The CA has photos of last Saturday’s crawfish boil at Max’s Sports Bar. There won’t be a boil this Saturday because the weather is expected to be cold.

Civil Axe Throwing on South Main has its grand opening party tonight. Book a throwing session and you’ll be entered into a raffle for a pair of Grizzlies tickets. DJ Mylon Webb will provide the tunes and there will be food and drink specials.

Steak, Whiskey, and Poker Night returns to the Blind Bear tonight. I got to try a sample of tonight’s sirloin steak special, and it is even tastier than the one they had last week. Get a steak, a buttered baked potato, and a salad for $19.99. There will be local Old Dominick whiskey specials. Try your hand at Texas Hold’em poker at 7:30. It’s free to play and you could win some Bear Bucks. Poker has been going well since its return, stretching to 3 tables last week.

Yesterday the Bear’s manager speculated why the previous Thursday entertainment, weekly drag shows, didn’t work out. “They ran all the regulars off.” By jove, I think he’s got it!!!!!

You can custom order Marshmallow Peeps this spring. You can choose the color, dips, and toppings, and the Peeps will be delivered to your door.

You’ve probably heard of Taco Bell’s subscription program where you get 1 free taco a day for a monthly fee… but did you know Insomnia Cookies has a subscription program too? When you pay $9.99 a month to be a CookieMagic member, you get one free cookie a day. You also get free local delivery on your cookie orders, 20% off nationwide shipping, and exclusive deals on cookies every week.

Memphis magazine spotlights The Genre as one of the city’s best new restaurants. The restaurant sits directly across Poplar from 201, which the owner says is an advantage because diners feel safe with all the police around. The 201 Sauce is the most popular of their 15 chicken tender sauces. The restaurant is also known for its catfish, including catfish and grits for brunch.

Memphis magazine also profiled Good Fortune Co. on South Main as one of Memphis’ best new restaurants. The Asian restaurant, known for its noodles and dumplings, opened last year in the former South of Beale space.

AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds and Memphis 901 FC, will host job fairs at the following dates and times:

  • Today 5-7 PM
  • Saturday 11 AM-1 PM
  • Tuesday, March 1, 5-7 PM
  • Thursday, March 3, 5-7 PM

The park will be looking to hire for the following positions:

  • Guest services representative
  • Promotional team member
  • Grounds crew member
  • Team attendant (bat boy/bat girl)
  • Team store associate
  • Camera operator

New hires must be at least 18 and must pass a background check and drug screening.

The Flying Fish posted on their national Facebook account that they have a deal today. Buy a pound of their hot boiled shrimp and they’ll match it with another pound, free.

Today is World Bartender Day. It’s also National Chili Day and National Tortilla Chip Day.

Cat’s Ballroom at 45 N. B.B. King holds the first of six Waltz Out of Winter classes tonight.

There’s a free Reiki share tonight at the Broom Closet.

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