Paul Ryburn's Journal

Big news came yesterday about Memphis in May’s 2021 schedule.

• Music Fest will be postponed until May 2022. It is unlikely enough vaccinations for COVID-19 will have been administered by the April 30-May 2 weekend to make 50,000 people gathering in a park safe.
• BBQ Fest will happen May 12-May 15 “with strict COVID19 protocols in place. The World Championship will be somewhat different and smaller with capacity restrictions that may be in place at that time. Team applications are now open.”
• Great American River Run will be May 29

Sucks about Music Fest, but it was the proper call. Since I’m on the board of a BBQ team, I will avoid voicing any opinions here before consulting with the rest of the board. Believe me, though, the opinions I’m not yet voicing are strong ones.

From the DM: Memphis looks at pre-Christmas  lockdown; suburbs say no way. I hate, hate, hate the idea of a lockdown but could support it if it were time-limited. The massive Thanksgiving surge was no doubt predictive of a second surge over Christmas, and with local ICU beds at 98% capacity that’s a problem. I could support a lockdown and/or a curfew December 23-January 3 or thereabouts. Just don’t make it open-ended like the original Safer at Home house arrest was. It’s not fair to do an order of indefinite length without plans from the federal government to keep people’s income in place.

Cocozza has decided to temporarily end indoor and patio dining after this weekend. They’ll still have takeout, curbside, and delivery options, and their gran & go meals will still be in stores. Patrick & Deni felt that given the rising numbers, it was the right decision to protect the health of their staff and customers. Most of their staff will be furloughed after tomorrow. Go see them and TIP BIG this weekend. They couldn’t do Brunch with Santa this year, but there’s nothing stopping YOU from being Santa when you dine there.

Cocozza is not the only restaurant making that decision. The CA is keeping a running list of closures. Grecian Gourmet is on that list as well, and I know that River Time Market & Deli is closed until at least the end of the holidays.

How about some good news for a change? From the Flying Saucer:

Weekend Special

We’ve brought back the delicious Get Lucky Burger for the weekend. It’s a bleu cheese infused patty with garlic herb mayo, Irish whiskey glaze, Irish cream candied bacon, Guinness cheese sauce, and arugula. You don’t want to miss this one!

The Atlanta Hawks host the Memphis Grizzlies for their final NBA pre-season game tonight at 7 PM. NBATV will broadcast the game.

The FDA has given the green light to a second COVID-19 vaccine, this one from Moderna. I watched a press conference this week with Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, an infectious disease expert. He was asked, which vaccine should I get, the Pfizer one or the Moderna one? He said that they are both on the order of 95% effective, and therefore the one you should get is the one that’s available.

Sources I follow on Twitter seem to believe the Safer at Home order has already been drafted.

Trying to decide if I want to get out one last time before the order goes into effect, or just stay home and read. Back tomorrow with more news, if there is any news. Things get slow around the holidays.

Tomorrow you’ll be able to shop with Santa at AutoZone Park from 9 AM to 1 PM. Come shop for your Cardinals fans and pick out game-worn jerseys, autographed memorabilia, bobbleheads, T-shirts, throwback logo gear and more. Kids can get their picture taken with socially distanced snowglobe Santa.

Also tomorrow, Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe on Beale Street will host a Christmas Pop-Up Market from 1 to 5 PM. They’ll have 20 local small businesses there, along with Christmas brunch and drinks.

River Time Market & Deli will be closed until after the holidays. With new guidance from the White House on COVID precautions (see below), Pam & Bill simply do not feel it is safe to keep such a little space open. An understandable decision. Much love & holiday cheer to them.

Elizabeth Horner, a contributor to I Love Memphis, paid a visit to Slim & Husky’s, the new hip-hop pizzeria in The Edge District, this week.

Char Magnifico and Vintage play The Vault tonight at 6.

If you’re a Daily Memphian subscriber, check out photos from the soft opening of Little Bettie pizza kitchen inside Wisacre 2. Little Bettie is open to the public beginning today.

Wiseacre’s Broad Avenue location will have its 2020 Astronaut Status release party today 1-10.

COVID task force press conference recap – Thursday, December 17

Presenters were Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter, Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph, and City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen.

Dr. H said that the reproductive rate is 1.06 (although, COVID Act Now shows it at 1.25). Today we have 6044 active known infections (although the total number of infections may be as much as 5 times higher). At the current reproduction rate, that would lead to 7138 new cases in 30 days. We must do whatever we can to get that exponential growth down.

Health Directive No. 16 was planned to mainly clarify language in the previous directive. However, because of the explosive growth in new case numbers, additional measures are being considered to slow things down. The measures would have the intention of curbing socializing during the Christmas holiday. There’s a COVID task force meeting today where health officials will present their recommendations to the mayors, with a new health directive coming as early as Monday morning.

Dr. Randolph shared a couple of recommendations from the White House COVID task force:

• If you’re over 65 or have comorbidities (heart conditions, high blood pressure, respiratory issues, diabetes), you should not enter any venue where any person is without a mask on. Have your groceries, prescriptions, and meals delivered.
• If you’re under 40, and you have been around anyone not in your immediate household who did not have a mask on, assume you were affected and get tested immediately.

Chief McGowen gave an analogy: Imagine AutoZone Park was packed to the rafters, and when the event let out, everyone went back into the community, infected with COVID-19. Would you take precautions? That’s where we are in terms of the virus. Testing is readily available every day (except Dec. 24-27) at Tiger Lane, and it’s open 3 PM-8 PM to make it convenient for those who work in the rat race and get off around 5. This weekend there will be testing at Tiger Lane and Poplar Healthcare on Hacks Cross 8:30-5:00 Saturday and Sunday. More testing locations

Hey, Chief, let me ask you one again… why is there no free testing in the 38103? I am not walking to Crump and Fourth, with a reputation for being one of the most dangerous ‘hoods in the entire U.S., at 5:30 (40 minutes after sunset) on a Wednesday or Friday to get a test.

Chief McGowen said the plan is for first responders – police, firefighters, and EMTs – to be vaccinated right after Christmas.

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

The Blind Bear has announced a safe and socially distanced 9th birthday celebration the evening of next Wednesday, December 23. The patio will be heated and ready for business. On the other side of the trolley tracks, safely distanced from customers, Brimstone Jones will play. There will be $4 drafts, $5 Bear Balls, and Chef Steph Cook will brainstorm some yummy menu specials for the event.

Wikipedia has a page about New Haven-style pizza which is the style that will be baked at Little Bettie, the pizza kitchen inside Wiseacre 2.

Chef Michael Patrick of Rizzo’s posted the following:

Attention! Attention!!
So gift card sale happening Friday 12pm to 3 pm.
$25.00 gift card gets you $10 more dollars.
$50.00 gift card gets you $ 15.00 extra dollars.
$100.00 gift card gets you $25.00 more added on.
Anyone who buys a gift card, will also be entered into a drawing for a dinner for 2 on the house. More details to follow tomorrow.

The Memphis Flyer has a piece on Desiree Robinson, the 83-year-old matriarch of Cozy Corner who is a new member of the BBQ Hall of Fame.

DeAndre Williams, a Memphis Tigers 6’9″ forward who transferred from Evansville, was ruled immediately eligible to play yesterday and played last night vs. Tulane. He contributed 10 points in the Tigers’ 80-74 victory.

Holly lists 4 ways you can enjoy Christmas at Bass Pro at the Pyramid on the I Love Memphis blog.

Today is Wright Brothers Day. On this day in 1903, the brothers flew the first successful airplane. 80 years later, they inspired the unforgettable words of Morris Day, “The Wright Brothers can’t fuck with that. Jerome! Bring me my hat,” on The Time’s single “The Bird.”

The proposed ordinance for a $50 fine for those not wearing their masks in public businesses and gatherings has been amended by the County Commission. The revisions indicate that only the owner of the business or organizer of the gathering would be fined, not the individual. However, the owner/organizer could be fined $50 per violation. So if 10 people in a restaurant were found without masks on, the owner could face a fine of $500.

Here’s a link to data analyst James Aycock’s COVID mid-week in review.

The health department is asking everyone to fill out a 5-minute survey about attitudes toward vaccines, masking, and the virus. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

That’ll do it for today. The COVID-19 task force is at noon and I will try to give it a listen. Back this afternoon or tomorrow with a recap and more news.

Let’s get the daily news out of the way, and then we’ll get on to the summary of yesterday’s COVID-19 task force press conference, which turned in an unexpected direction.

From The Daily Memphian: A pizza shack in Wiseacre has familiar folks behind it. Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman will operate Little Bettie. The kitchen opens today and will serve New Haven-style pizza (no puffy edge), chicken wings, onion rings, Sicilian pizza, pretzel bites, and a few salads.

The article alludes to a couple of other specials happening at Andrew Michael restaurants Downtown:

• Burgers and burgundy at Bishop on Mondays
• Takeout pizza kits and $1 oysters at the Gray Canary on Thursdays

Hot wing food truck New Wing Order now has its own YouTube channel.

The Memphis Flyer has a Q&A session with the owner of new pizza joint Slim and Husky’s out in The Edge District. They have build-your-own pizzas and gourmet cinnamon rolls.

Pontotoc Lounge closed for the time being on Sunday, leaving popular Sunday brunch bartender B-RAD without a gig. Good news: He will join his longtime partner-in-crime Joe behind the bar at Atomic Rose on Sundays. Go see them for brunch and stick around for Pattie O’ Furniture’s drag bingo.

The Memphis Tigers have a new craft beer partner. Tiger Tail, a new craft beer from Grind City Brewing, will be the official craft beer of Tigers athletics. A portion of the sales of Tiger Tail will go to the athletic department, an important additional revenue stream during COVID. Also, a scholarship will be created.

UT president and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd has joined the Memphis Redbirds ownership group.

COVID-19 task force press conference

We had been told to expect a new health directive this week, probably with even tighter restrictions on the department’s favorite whipping post, restaurants. Instead, the health department punted the ball over to the mayors.

Dr. Haushalter reminded everyone that they look at four main areas of concern when deciding if restrictions need to be imposed. The first is the data concerning the virus itself.

• 7-day rolling new case average of 670
• 14-day rolling new case average of 558
• Reproductive rate is 1.08
• 5434 active cases in the county, each with the potential to infect 1.06 people
• Positivity rate 12.1%
• We are now seeing a surge related to the Thanksgiving holiday
• The surge is a predictor of what we can expect to see over the Christmas holiday

The second area of concern is testing. We have a ton of free testing right now (NONE of which, I’ll point out, is convenient to people in the Downtown core) and anyone who wants a test is encouraged to get one. Testing sites

The third area is hospital capacity. Dr. H says we need to ensure that people who need treatment, including non-COVID treatment, are able to receive it. They are looking at ways for students in the pharmacy, medical, and nursing fields to be trained to assist and to receive credit for duties performed.

The fourth area is public health capacity. The health department is working with the labs to make sure positive tests are reported quickly, allowing them to get people affected into isolation and quarantine early.

Dr. Bruce Randolph, County Health Officer, took the podium. He pointed out that Health Directive No. 15 included tripwires – numbers that, when hit, indicate certain actions can be taken. We have hit the tripwire of 650 new cases/day. However, he said, “Fellow citizens, it’s up to you as an individual. Up to you to make sure to avoid crowds. That you mask when in a restaurant.” (A sign that restaurants would still be open.) The health department’s position is that they feel they have done all they can short of a drastic measure like a return to Safer at Home.

Dr. H came back up. She said they are drafting new Health Directive No. 16 with a focus on clarifying language in Directive 15, as well as clarifying certain types of events. However, she said, the urgency to release the directive is not as great as people thought. It may not be issued this week.

Dr. Randolph: Safer at Home was issued by the mayors. He said the health department views public health as the intersection of health and policy – specifically, politics. The health department does not make policy. They would recommend Safer at Home to the mayors if the average number of new cases a day hits 750, but public officials will have to endorse it.

I love the decision. It punts the ball over to Mayors Strickland and Harris, both of who hate to appear to be the bad guy. (Have you noticed they only show up to the task force press conferences when there’s a piece of good news to report?) It stops short of closing restaurants to indoor dining, when they aren’t even the major cause of spread (going to work sick is).

Dr. H said there was enforcement of the current health directive this past weekend, and 6 more businesses were closed. WREG has the list.

WREG also reports that Shelby County Commissioners have called a special meeting for today to vote on whether to institute a $50 fine on people not wearing a mask. I fully support this. View the proposed ordinance

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

Exciting news for those of you in East Memphis:

You asked Memphis! We delivered! Cocozza Take & Bake NOW available at Highpoint Grocery! Pick up Spinach Manicotti, Chicken Parm, Eggplant Parm & Chicken Arrabbiata for dinner tonight! #cocozza #cocozzamemphis #cocozzatakeandbake #cocozzatohighpoint #majesticgrille #pandemicpopup #takeandbake #dinnertonight #americanitalianfood #highpointmarket #highpointmemphis #highpointterrace

The Flying Saucer has announced expanded hours for burgers and beers. The brewpub is now open 11 AM-10 PM seven days a week. Of course, with a new health directive on the horizon, those hours may not last for long.

998 new COVID-19 cases in Shelby County yesterday, yet the health directive was not put in place yesterday as rumored. I have to admit, I don’t understand what the delay is. Although I certainly am not going to be happy about the additional restrictions on our freedoms, I understand the potential of overwhelming the hospitals makes them necessary.

Last call: If you’re interested in buying the historic Earnestine & Hazel’s dive bar building, you have until January 15 to get your offer in.

CDC Director Redfield said this week he thinks there’s the potential for 100 million Americans to be vaccinated by March 1, and another 100 million by June 1, with just the Pfizer vaccine. If the Moderna vaccine gets approval and ships, even more vaccinations will be possible by June. The population of the U.S. is around 330 million.

Slider Inn Downtown has reduced its hours and laid off 35 people. Starting this week, the restaurant will be closed Monday-Wednesday, and will be open 11 AM-10 PM Thursday-Sunday. Brunch will now be available Saturday and Sunday 11 AM-3 PM. Bands performing live music will be moved to the upstairs loft to follow COVID-19 protocols.

Elmwood Cemetery hosts an online seminar Cemetery Work: How Cleaning Monuments Brought Me Joy tonight at 6. Sheena Barnett will tell the story of how she was looking something to fill her time after the pandemic forced her out of her job. She volunteered to do stone cleaning work at Elmwood and it turned into a passion.

The Downtown YMCA has a hiring event this morning at 10.

This Quora answer to a question about narcissistic personality disorder is the best I have read. The answerer is a life coach who helps people who have been victimized by narcissists/narcopaths. In particular, the “Threat to Relationships” section absolutely nails it.

That’s it for today. I will listen to the noon COVID-19 press conference and be back either this afternoon or tomorrow morning with a recap.

Pro tip: Go see Chef Steph Cook at Blind Bear for dinner this week (or takeout if the health department shuts down dining in). Yesterday I had his pasta special and it was PHENOMENAL. It exceeded even the high expectations I had.

This is alligator andouille sausage, tasso ham, and shrimp pasta in a slightly spicy cream sauce with tomatoes and green onions. Delicious. Bonus points to Steph for asking, “Has Perjorie tried it yet? What does she think?” Trolls like foods that are the same color as their hair, so she was particularly excited about the green onions.

The Memphis Tigers have accepted an invitation to the Montgomery Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, where they will play Florida Atlantic University. The game will be on Wednesday, December 23 at 6 PM and will be televised on ESPN.

I’m hearing that the new health directive may be issued today, in response to the disturbing number of new cases reported over the weekend: 930 on Saturday and 695 yesterday.

That’s all for now. Back tomorrow or maybe later today.

The Shelby County Health Department reported a record 930 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. In case you missed my midday update yesterday, a source on the Shelby County COVID-19 task force said that a new directive is being prepared, to be issued this week, to address the rising number of new cases.

Here’s James Aycock’s COVID week in review for Shelby County.

What will the new restrictions be? My guess is they will ban indoor dining, since that’s what is being done in other communities such as New York City and Los Angeles.

Country music legend Charley Pride died at age 86 this weekend.

Blind Bear special today: Black Sheep Meats alligator andouille and tasso ham pasta with asparagus, red peppers, and onion.

Please consider giving gift cards to your favorite restaurants this holiday season. They so badly need the support right now. Especially give gift cards to restaurants that are hit hardest by having to close five hours earlier than usual under the current regulations.

Also, please support The Peanut Shoppe on Main Street. They open on Sundays during the month of December for your holiday shopping convenience. The lack of foot traffic on Main this year has hurt their sales. You can order online if you don’t want to venture outside. We all need to treat ourselves this year, and some candy, chocolate, and nuts are a great way to do it.

That’s it for this post. Back tomorrow if there’s any news to report.

JUST IN: source on COVID-19 task force telling @WMCActionNews5 new health directive coming from @ShelbyTNHealth next week to address case growth (7 day average 489 new cases daily, 14 day average 472 new cases daily) @WMCActionNews5

— Kendall Downing (@kendall_downing) December 11, 2020

If you love the food and the atmosphere at Pontotoc Lounge, you better get by there this weekend. It’ll be your last chance for a while.

We have had to make the very tough decision to temporarily shut our doors after this weekend until further notice. Would love to see your beautiful faces for one last round of 2020 libations, as we will miss you dearly. Please remember to support local and keep safe. ❤️

The Dirty Crow Inn has published its menu for this Sunday’s pop-up at 40 et 8 in West Memphis.

Many of us have plans this Sunday, but fear not – this will be a weekly thing until the Crow can open a new permanent location post-pandemic. Scroll back to my previous post for directions to the 40 et 8.

Chef Michael Patrick of Rizzo’s posted the following to Facebook:

Hello Folks,

The product being carried at Miss Cordelias is working out pretty well. I am going to start closing for lunches so I can focus on and fulfill these orders. Thank you to all who have supported us during the lunch hours. Remember we will still do caterings. Just give us a call.

From Patrick Reilly, co-owner/chef at Cocozza:

Cocozza American Italian now delivers. American Italian deliciousness delivered to your door! Hey neighbors! Cocozza is now available for delivery via DoorDash! Order your red sauce favorites delivered to your door! We sure will need your support to get us through the winter months! Curbside pick up still avail as well as patio and dining room seating!

Houston vs. Memphis is on ESPN2 at 2:30. Earlier in the day, #1 Alabama plays Arkansas at 11:00.

Today is National Ding-a-Ling Day.

The Women of Soul concert scheduled at the Orpheum tonight has been canceled.

From Richard Cushing of FreeWorld:

Dr. Herman Green’s Beale Street Procession is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday afternoon, 12/19, at 1:00pm. The weather looks good (at present). Please stay tuned… Thx! 🙏😇🎷💖🌎🙏 — feeling grateful at Beale Street – Memphis.

Seamus Reilly, son of Patrick & Deni, and his friends have organized their own canned food drive to support MIFA. You can drop cans off at Majestic/Cocozza or the Memphis Made taproom.

Yesterday I was reading a piece by one of my favorite writers on Medium, Sinem Günel, and she said something I found particularly profound: Schools do not exist to teach us how to be happy, healthy, and prosperous. Schools exist to teach us how to be servants to the system. That is so true. I promise you this: If I am able to achieve financial freedom through my writing, I will spend the rest of my life helping others find their unique individual path to get free as well.

Late start today! I didn’t get up until almost 5:20. Time to get things done. Back tomorrow with more news.

Dr. Bruce Randolph, the county health officer, said yesterday that the health department received over 70 complaints about businesses violating COVID-19 guidelines this week. Enforcement will be out this weekend. Due to threats received face-to-face and on social media, enforcement officials will be escorted by Memphis police officers or Shelby County deputies. Dr. Randolph said the major things they will be looking for are

• Employees or customers failing to wear their face masks
• Groups failing to maintain 6 feet of distance
• Crowding
• Standing
• Gathering
• Smoking indoors
• Whether the bar is open

If restaurant and bar owners are not sure whether an activity is permissible, Dr. Randolph advised them to read the latest health directive. Inspectors will have a checklist and will give the business a copy of the checklist before they leave. When violations are found, inspectors have the options of issuing a warning, closing the business immediately, or returning the next day to close the business.

Dr. Randolph also discussed the use of tents: If all of the flaps are down, making the space completely enclosed, then it falls under the health directive regulations that apply to indoor spaces. If the flaps are up and air can circulate freely, then the tent is classified as outdoors.

Dr. Randolph pointed out that a fully closed tent is actually a bigger health threat than a permanent, brick-and-mortar indoor space. The reason is that a tent does not have an HVAC system to keep the air circulating.

There were 695 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday in Shelby County. COVID Act Now numbers: 55.6 new cases/day/100K population (25 is considered the danger zone). Reproduction rate is 1.11 (needs to be below 1 for the virus to start dying out). Positivity rate is 13.7% (over 10% indicates insufficient testing, meaning many cases are going unreported).

Whether you are displaying symptoms, have possibly been exposed to someone with the virus, or are just curious whether you have it, testing is available this weekend for free, Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM-5:30 PM at these locations:

• Poplar Healthcare, 3495 Hacks Cross Rd.
• Former vehicle inspection station, 1720 RKS Commerical Dr. near Lamar/Prescott/I-240

Dr. Randolph was asked if people who have already had COVID-19 should get the vaccine when it becomes available. His recommendation was yes, because it is not currently known how long one has immunity after having the virus.

If we get shut down again – or if we don’t, but you decide to stay indoors – here’s something to help you pass the time:

For a limited time, get 2 months of Kindle Unlimited for free! Enjoy unlimited reading and listening on any device.

— Kindle (@AmazonKindle) December 1, 2020

Very cool site I discovered recently: Google Keen. This is one of the projects they give engineers time and freedom to work on, kind of like the freedom Thomas Edison granted to those who worked in his lab. Keen is kind of like Pinterest, in that you can save items of interest (known as gems in Keen), and the format is very visual. However, the distinction from Pinterest is that Google uses its AI and goes out and finds similar items you may be interested in. You can create your own private or public Keens, and you can subscribe to other people’s public Keens. You can also set up a daily or weekly email digest from your Keens. I can see this becoming a valuable source of creative ideas.

Tom Lee Park construction groundbreaking: Watch on Facebook or YouTube. See the plans for the park here.

Paper & Clay has its grand opening today starting at noon and continuing through tomorrow. It’s in the former Harley-Davidson space at 525 S. Main.

The Memphis Fire Museum at 118 Adams is hosting Breakfast with Santa tomorrow from 8 AM to noon. Kids can get their picture made with Santa in a socially distanced setting, and there will be storytime, holiday movies, and tours of the museum. Cost is $15 per person. There are 8:15, 9:15. and 10:15 seatings for breakfast.

From WKNO: South Main businesses lend Santa a hand

From the CA: How the “stars aligned” to clean up Downtown Memphis during the pandemic

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year.

The second edition of the 2020 Holly Jolly Holiday Celebration returns to Handy Park today 4:30-6:30 PM. Free hot chocolate, the music of the season, and pictures with a socially distanced Santa.

A government panel recommended the Pfizer COVID vaccine yesterday. As soon as the FDA signs off, the first doses will be distributed in days. It will be a few months before the average guy on the street with no complicating factors or high-risk job is able to get the vaccine. I plan on getting it as soon as I am able and I hope you will too.

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