Today is Flag Day. Today is also the Trumpster’s 77th birthday. He had a big birthday eve in court, where he was arraigned on 37 criminal counts related to retaining classified documents after he left the presidency. A summary of the afternoon’s events:
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, of course.
He was booked and fingerprinted but did not have his photo taken. The judge decided that there enough photos of Trump out there that people will have no trouble identifying what he looks like.
Trump didn’t speak; his lawyers did all the talking.
There will be no gag order.
Trump will keep his passport and is free to travel, even internationally.
Trump can continue to talk to people who work for him who might be witnesses – but he can’t talk about the case.
A legal analyst talked to POLITICO Playbook and estimated Trump’s sentence at 10-12 years if convicted.
But… if convicted, Trump’s lawyers plan to appeal, possibly all the way to the Supreme Court.
Would Donald Trump live all the way through an extended appeals process? Quite possibly. His father, Fred Trump, lived to be 93.
News from Momma’s, the trucker bar at Crump and Kentucky:
The Grizzlies are running a Father’s Day sale with deals up to 65% off through today. Visit their online store and use the promo code BackCourt at checkout.
Did you know that Grind City Media has an app? Download it for iOS or Android to catch The Chris Vernon Show, The Gary Parrish Show, The Jessica Benson Show, The Odds Couple, The SneakFest Show, Grizz Beat, and tons more great content. If you download the app and turn on notifications, you’ll get a special in-app, limited-time announcement this Thursday.
Grind City Brewing will hold a tasting at Buster’s Liquors on Highland Friday from 4 to 7 PM. I just hope no one drives a car through the front of the building.
Dammit! Yesterday, less than an hour after I finished eating a big meal, I got invited to The Cove out in the Broad Avenue Arts District for tamale pie. I was too stuffed to go. I love tamale pie! From their menu, where it’s called Stoner Pie: “Two LaRosa Tamales baked in a casserole boat topped with cream cheese Rotel dip and fresh ground cumin; served with Fritos. For extreme heat, ask your server for red hot chili sauce.”
I took the laptop to the Blind Bear last night and typed this post. When I got home, there was disturbing news. I may need a few days to deal with it. And even after that, I may not be in the mood to post for a while. Close friends, please stay in touch.
Yesterday I was sitting at home watching The Love Boat on local channel 30.2. Harry Morgan (who played Col. Sherman Potter on M*A*S*H) was a passenger on the ship. He played Gopher, then Isaac, then Julie in gin rummy, and they lost hundreds of dollars to Morgan. Doc figured out the secret: Morgan was playing with a marked deck.
The crew devised an elaborate scheme to give Morgan his comeuppance: Gopher playing, Doc spying on Morgan’s hand with binoculars, Isaac broadcasting thinly-veiled hints over the PA system as to the cards Morgan held. Within minutes, I surmised I would see Morgan lose all the money he won from the crew, and then some.
Except, I didn’t.
At approximately 4:46, the lights flickered a couple of times. Then the power went out completely in my apartment.
The TV went black.
The clocks went black.
My MacBook kicked over to battery power. But my router was dead, so I couldn’t pass the time by getting on the Internet.
Even the toilet wouldn’t refill with water when I flushed it.
Worst of all on a June day in Memphis, my air conditioner shut off.
After enduring 10 minutes of darkness and boredom, I opened my apartment’s front door. The lights were on in the hallway, making me believe it was just my unit.
“Did MLGW mistakenly cut me off?” I wondered. I am current on my account with the utility company. I just got a new bill for $106, but it’s not due until the last week of the month. Besides, I didn’t think they did cutoffs on Sunday.
I decided to get on Twitter and see if there was any news of outages. I took my phone off Wi-Fi so it wouldn’t try to connect to the dead router. But it couldn’t get cell service. Now I was really confused.
I put sandals on and rode the elevator downstairs. In the lobby I ran into my building’s maintenance engineer. “It’s the entire building,” he told me. “The power’s out all the way to the Pyramid.”
Wow, that’s unusual. I’ve been told my building is on a double circuit, buried underground, and it’s the same circuit St. Jude is on. That circuit is priority-one for MLGW. In 20 years in my current home, I have lost power maybe three times. Even during 2003’s Hurricane Elvis, I never lost power.
I stepped outside in the rain onto the Main Street Mall. I looked north and the traffic lights were out as far as I could see.
Then I looked south. The light at Monroe was out, but the lights at Gayoso and Union were working. “That means Blind Bear is open,” I thought. “I’ll go there and use their Wi-Fi to get on Twitter.”
MLGW tweeted that there were many outages, but it was hard to tell the extent. Their outage map showed 10-100 customers in my area without power, but in my building alone MLGW has 112 customers.
By the time I returned home at 11 PM, the power was back on. Weird thing though… my AT&T service remains knocked out. Not sure what’s going on there. If you need to reach me today, might want to use Facebook Messenger as opposed to text. (EDIT: It’s fixed now. I can receive texts.)
Congratulations to Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Darko Rajakovic, who has been hired as head coach by the Toronto Raptors.
Memphis 901 FC improved its season record to 6-2-3 with a road win over Louisville City FC Saturday night, 3-1. The Memphis squad has not lost a match since March 29 and sits in fourth place in the USL Eastern Conference standings. Next up: at home vs. Central City Football Club at 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 17.
Showers and thunderstorms are possible today after 3 PM into the early evening. MWN has the probability at 70%. High 86, low 65, both of which are a few degrees below normal for this time of year.
Want to own a retail storefront in the up-and-coming Edge District? There’s one for sale at 433 Madison. That’d be on the south side of the street, near the intersection of Lauderdale and a short walk from The Ravine.
Gia Welch Trio is the featured entertainment this Thursday at Live at the Tracks at Central Station Hotel this Thursday. 6:30-9:30 PM.
Bobcat will play at the Hard Rock Cafe this Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM.
Seeing Red headlines this Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party. 6-10 PM, $15 general admission, $30 to go VIP, hotel guests free before 7.
The South Main Association’s monthly South Main Social will be held this Tuesday at The Medicine Factory, an art gallery and event space that also hosts long-term studio spaces for artists, at 85 W. Virginia Ave. one block north of Crump. Free for SMA members, $20 for non-members. 6-8 PM with complimentary drinks, light fare, a DJ, and the following speakers:
Joseph Lewis from The Medicine Factory/Dose
Amy Carkuff from Parachute Investment Company
Cori McCleskey from Remember Media
The Cossitt Library will hold 901 Kids Fest from 11 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, June 24. There will be a vendor’s market, food trucks and food vendors, an author’s corner, interactive stations, giveaways, performances, and screenings. Free admission. The first 100 attendees get free food tickets (must RSVP; your RSVP also gets you a swag bag).
That’s all the news I’ve got for today. Back tomorrow.
Moneybagg Yo has been announced for a September 30 concert date at FedExForum. He’ll bring his Larger than Life Tour featuring Finesse2Tymes, Big Boogie, Sexxy Red, Luh Tyler, and YTB Fatt. There will be a ticket pre-sale Monday, June 12 from noon to 10 PM; use code MOTION to get in on it.
Ever thought about starting a podcast? Check out this series at the Cossitt Library:
Variety magazine recently spoke to the host of my favorite reality TV show, Bar Rescue. Jon Taffer explained what happens behind the scenes when he and his team save a business in 96 hours.
Huge news! The commissioner of the Big 12 conference reportedly visited Memphis this week to conduct due diligence. Rumor has it that the Big 12 will add two more teams to replace Oklahoma and Texas, who will depart for the SEC in 2024. Memphis’ competition for one of the two spots is said to come from current Pac-12 members Arizona, Colorado, Mountain West member San Diego State, and Big East member/football independent UConn.
Blind Bear has announced its weekend entertainment:
The Memphis Police Department is hiring, and they’ll have a hiring expo tomorrow, Saturday, June 10, at 170 N. Main. They’re looking to hire for basic police officer positions as well as Police Service Technicians. If you want to apply tomorrow, be sure to bring a valid driver’s license. MPD is offering a $15,000 sign-on bonus and up to $10,000 in relocation assistance for new recruits.
Mini assorted baklava trays and pistachio-stuffed phyllo dough roll-ups are coming to The Peanut Shoppe on June 24. The treats are made fresh and imported, and complimentary herbal tea will be served with them in-house.
A Code Orange Air Quality Advisory has been issued by the @ShelbyTNHealth for Friday, June 9. Fare will be reduced to 25 cents onboard all modes of travel. pic.twitter.com/gVdIUjLOcF
— Memphis Area Transit Authority (@RideMATA) June 8, 2023
On My Way – A Concert by Moriah Eckel happens Saturday night at 7 at Visible Music College. Moriah is putting on this free concert as part of completing her Master’s degree, and all are invited.
I went through a LinkedIn Learning tutorial yesterday and it was really good! LinkedIn Learning is normally part of a paid package, but if you have a Memphis Public Libraries card, you have access to that tremendous resource for FREE. I brushed up on my skills in Adobe InDesign for a job for which I plan to apply today or this weekend.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals is tonight at 7:30 on ABC. Denver leads Miami two games to one.
Last night at the Blind Bear. Maddie decided I needed a leaf in my hair to complement my Hawaiian shirt.
City Tasting Box has a Father’s Day sale going on right now – use promo code DAD15 when you check out for 15% off your order and $5 shipping. What to order dear old Dad? Owner Cristina (also the proprietor of Feast & Graze) recommends the Memphis Travel box, which includes
The Wing Guru’s Memphis Guru Gold Sauce
Corky’s BBQ Original Sauce
Rendezvous World Famous BBQ Seasoning
Huey’s Burger Seasoning
Shotwell Candy Co. Original Salted Caramels
Makeda’s World Famous Butter Cookies
My Cup of Tea Memphis-Inspired Tea Blends
Eddie B’s Teachers Only Comedy Tour comes to the Orpheum Saturday. The “voice of teachers everywhere” will take the stage at 8 PM and tickets are $25-$55.
Next door at the Halloran Centre, Juneteenth the Musical Stage Play will have 2 PM and 7 PM performances Saturday. Tickets are $27.50-$40.
📸🩰 Be transported to Tennessee Ballet Theater’s “The Secret World of Jack Robinson”— a contemporary dance concert celebrating the life and work of the famed NYC and Memphis photographer on April 8 & 9! https://t.co/yZD62zejmn
Memphis 901 FC has an away match at Louisville City FC at 7 PM Saturday. You can watch on WMC Bounce or on ESPN+.
DJ Epic is the featured performer at tonight’s Peabody rooftop party. 6-10 PM, $15 general admission, $30 VIP.
Both Twitter and the world of professional wrestling suffered a tremendous loss yesterday as The Iron Sheik passed away at age 81. Iron Sheik, real name Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, is best known for becoming the only Iranian WWF (now WWE) world champion in history. He won the championship from Bob Backlund in December 1983 and lost it the following month to Hulk Hogan. After retiring, he became a social media legend for his all-caps rants on Twitter and Facebook.
REST IN PEACE SHEIKIE BABY YOU THE REAL LEGEND YOU NOT THE JABRONI LIKE THE HULK HOGAN.
New Wing Order has announced that they will have a special item available Saturday at the Ghost River taproom on Beale Street: a beer-braised brisket sandwich. “A toasted hoagie bun is filled to the brim with slow roasted beef brisket and topped with pickled red onions. Our house made Alabama White BBQ sauce is served on the side.” The brisket sandwich will be part of Ghost River’s One Year on Beale celebration.
I got an insider tip yesterday that Ferraro’s, the pizza place on Jackson just east of Main in the Pinch District, has 16 oz. cans of PBR for $2. With tax they are $2.19.
Big River Market, the grocery store at 516 Tennessee Street, is for sale. The owner who opened the market is a musician, and now that the pandemic is over he wants to get back to his true calling full-time.
Might want to grab an umbrella, because there is a 30% chance of showers in Memphis this afternoon now that a cold front has moved through. High 87, low 64.
Reviews are in for the Vision Pro, Apple’s new $3500 VR headset.
Counting down the minutes until 10 AM when the Cossitt Library opens – according to Memphis Public Libraries’ website, a bestseller I’ve been wanting to read is amazingly on the shelf at the Cossitt, not checked out. Not gonna name the book, because I don’t want anyone to beat me to it, but here are a few hints:
Friday afternoon I was walking down the Main Street Mall when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
It was a man, walking in the same direction I was, who appeared to be wearing a green gown, and who was carrying a mannequin leg.
I have no idea where the rest of the mannequin was. But he sure did have its leg.
I stopped for a minute to “check my phone” and let him get about 50 feet in front of me. Crossing paths with him didn’t seem like a good idea.
“I’ve gotta remember to write about him,” I thought to myself. “In 19 years of doing my blog, this just may be the most bizarre thing I’ve ever mentioned.”
Fast forward five days to today, when I finally remembered to mention Mannequin Leg Guy. Not only will he not be the most bizarre thing ever mentioned in this blog; he won’t even be the most bizarre thing mentioned in this post.
The folks at the CA want you to keep cool this summer with an iced coffee. They listed 12 of their favorites. Four of those are Downtown, including
The Bucktown at Crazy Gander
The Nutty Buddy at Boycott Coffee
Summer Mango Coffee at Vice & Virtue in the Arrive Hotel
Sproke Coffee at Comeback Coffee
I discovered another benefit of having a Memphis Public Libraries card. It gets you access to LinkedIn Learning, where you can get access to more than 16,000 courses, with 60 new ones added every week.
The first 1500 fans at AutoZone Park Saturday night get a Memphis Red Sox T-shirt (all shirts sized XL). That team was one of the founding members of the American Negro Leagues and was active from 1920 to 1959. First pitch is 6:35 with fireworks to follow the game.
Get information on building your credit at Cookies & Credit this Saturday at Makeda’s Cookies, 488 S. Second, at 11 AM. Learn to read credit reports, learn about bankruptcy and limits on collection agencies, and learn about different types of credit scores. Free admission.
There will be a pre-Juneteenth poetry slam called Rhymes on the River this Saturday at 5 PM at Fourth Bluff Park. $15 admission.
I have it on good authority that a man had sexual relations with a pineapple Monday afternoon at a Downtown pool. After he was finished, his friends ate the pineapple.
Terrace at River Inn is closed today for a private event.
I was yesterday years old when I learned there is a strip club in Memphis called Candyland. It’s at 2947 Lamar. Hey, isn’t that right around where the giant shoe used to be?
R&B musician Tink and her friends will take the stage at the Orpheum Friday night in a stop on Tink’s Thanks 4 Everything Tour Pt.2. Tickets are $44-$129. (Warning: Sound for video below not safe to play at work)
Gary Topper will play Sunset Jazz at Court Square this Sunday from 6 to 9 PM. Food trucks will be onsite and drinks will be available.
MemphisWeather.net says we’ve got one more hot day before a cold front moves through. High 93, low 69. Good news, though: The wind will be out of the northeast. Tomorrow the high will only reach the mid 80s.
Going to spend part of today setting up an account on Fiverr, the freelancing site. This is trickier than it looks, especially creating “gigs” (descriptions of services you sell) because you’re competing with 800,000 other freelancers. Some of that competition lives overseas where the cost of living allows them to perform gigs for as little as $5. If anyone has had success on Fiverr and wants to share tips, I’d appreciate it.
Comedian Matt Rife has announced he is bringing his PROBLEMATIC World Tour to the Orpheum on Friday, February 16, 2024. Rife is a veteran of MTV’s Wild ‘n Out and is considered one of the hottest up-and-coming standup comedians in the country. Tickets will be $52.50-$88 and go on sale this Friday.
Grizzlies PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., along with New Orleans F Brandon Ingram, has committed to play for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The competition begins on August 25 in Manila, Philippines. A 12-man roster for Team USA is still being finalized.
I was poking around the Memphis Public Libraries’ site yesterday, in particular its public databases section, and discovered something kinda cool: You can read online-only newspaper The Daily Memphian for free at any library branch – no monthly subscription needed. I’m not sure exactly how that works, but I would guess it’s tied to their Wi-Fi.
You can also access a New York Times digital subscription for free inside library branches.
Ever thought about being a blood donor? The 10-day Vitalant Donor Fest will include a Downtown stop later this month. On Tuesday, June 20, they’ll be at the Greater Memphis Chamber at 100 Peabody Place. Click the link to make an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome, subject to availability.
Apple unveiled its VR headset, the Vision Pro, yesterday. It’ll setcha back $3500.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.
Birdie’s, the virtual golf bar in South Main, has expanded its hours.
Mondays: Closed
Tuesdays: Noon to 10 PM
Wednesdays: Noon to 10 PM
Thursdays: 9 AM to 10 PM
Fridays: 9 AM to 11 PM
Saturdays: 9 AM to 11 PM
Sundays: 9 AM to 8 Pm
Today is National Veggie Burger Day. I recommend picking your favorite burger off Huey’s menu and having it made with a 100% vegan black bean patty to celebrate.
Wyly Bigger plays Live at the Tracks at Central Station Hotel this Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.
Classic movie Jaws will be on the big screen for Friday’s return of Elmwood Cemetery’s Cemetery Cinema. Lawn chairs and coolers are welcome. This is an outdoor event so dress appropriately. 8:15-10:30 PM. $15 cover charge. Ages 10 and up welcome when supervised by an adult. Pets are not permitted.
Bass Pro will have a Kids’ Catch & Release Saturday from noon to 4 where kids can catch their own fish and be photographed with it. They’ll learn knot tying and bait selection.
The Redbirds return to Memphis this week, hosting the Durham Bulls at AutoZone Park. Let’s have a look at first pitch times and promotions for this 6-game homestand:
Tuesday: 7:05 PM, no special promotions
Wednesday: 7:05 PM, no special promotions
Thursday: 7:05 PM. Throwback Thursday. The Redbirds will wear their throwback Memphis Chicks uniforms. Throwback concession prices: $2 PBR, $1 hot dogs.
Friday: 7:05 PM. A specialty ticket gets you an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet with deep-dish cheese & pepperoni pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, salad with ranch dressing, garlic knots, soft drinks, and water
Saturday, 6:35 PM: Fireworks after the game
Sunday, 2:05 PM: There’s a brunch ticket that gets you brunch in the Chill Zone with bottomless mimosas and bottomless Bloody Marys. Brunch ticket holders can play catch on the field before the game. All kids 12 and under (brunch ticket or not) will receive a Prarie Farms ice cream treat upon entering the park, and after the game, they can run the bases.
There will be a Make Your Own Terrarium Experience hosted by Daphne of The Olfaction Lab Saturday from 1 to 3 PM at River Garden. You’ll be able to make your own little ecosystem with succulents, soil, pebbles, sand, and decorative accessories. The cost is $35 or $65 depending on the size of the terrarium you want to make.
Kathy Zhou will provide the live music at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday.
New Wing Order will celebrate one year on Beale at the Ghost River taproom this Saturday. There’ll be entertainment, giveaways, a new beer release, and some one-day-only food specials. Unlike most brewery taprooms, Ghost River on Beale has a full bar.
New Wing Order’s wing flavor of the month (at the Beale location and on the food truck) is Huli Huli. From their Facebook page: “This Hawaiian style barbecue sauce includes fresh pineapple, ginger, garlic, scallions, and soy.”
For those interested in what I’m reading from the library’s e-collection: I finished the Billy Joel bio and checked it back in early. Now I’m reading Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news, probably.
