Paul Ryburn's Journal

I recapped the weekly COVID-19 county task force press conference yesterday afternoon. Keep scrolling past the end of this post to read. We are in the early stages of what could be a surge that cripples the community. The big thing to know is that if you display ANY symptoms of the coronavirus, you need to go get tested immediately and otherwise STAY HOME until either 1) you test negative or 2) you test positive and isolate for 10 days, including 24 hours without a fever or symptoms. Do not go to work if you have any symptoms. Employers should send workers displaying symptoms home immediately.

The CEO of the alternative care hospital on Union, in the former Commercial Appeal building, now believes it will have to open to handle overflow COVID-19 cases. A month ago, no one would have thought that would one day become necessary.

From the CA: Memphis in May’s key to survival is big crowds in 2021 following the cancellation of 2020’s events. Are we really going to be back to normal by May 2021 though? The traditional weekend of Music Fest is barely more than six months away. The festival drained its cash reserves to pay bills this year, and would face bankruptcy if its revenue sources again dried up in 2021.

The CA article is also worth a read for speculation that the festival could relocate to Mud Island, perhaps temporarily while construction is done on Tom Lee Park, perhaps permanently.

My prediction is that Memphis in May in October will happen in 2021, it will be a huge party, and will save the nonprofit behind the month of festivals.

Whoa… Biden has moved up to a 89/11 favorite in FiveThirtyEight’s electoral vote projection. That is the biggest lead he has had in that projection to date. Iowa and Georgia, which flipped to red last weekend, have flipped back to blue in the projection. Pennsylvania is still the most likely tipping-point state and Biden is an 86/14 favorite there.

On the other hand, Florida has flipped to Trump in the RealClearPolitics no toss-up states electoral map along with Georgia. That reduces Biden to a 311/227 advantage when he had been in the 350s before.

Momma’s will host live music by Smoke Stacks Friday night at 6:30.

If you don’t mind a drive to Millington, logistics firm Ingram Micro is hiring. They need “selectors” and equipment operators and plan to hire 750 people. Overtime pay is a possibility.

There’s horror movie trivia tonight at Tin Roof starting at 6.

It’s going to be an extremely rainy day from about 10:00 on, so take an umbrella if you go out. I anticipate staying home and working on my writing career this afternoon. Back tomorrow with more news.

MOST IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY: If you display ANY symptoms of COVID-19, go get tested immediately and otherwise stay home until you get your results. Do not keep going out. Do not keep going to work.

Health Department Director Dr. Haushalter stressed that we are at a critical time with the pandemic here in Shelby County. We are averaging over 300 new cases a day. R, the reproduction rate, is at 1.24, and we need to get that back below 1 in order to starve the virus of new hosts.

The positivity rate is increasing (over 15% for those being tested for the first time ever this week), and the duplication period is shortening. We’re at about 36K total cases, and that could double to 72K by the end of November if things don’t change.

The reason we’re at a pivotal time as compared to March (when the Safer At Home house arrest was issued) or in July (when the bars were closed and restaurants were put under restrictions) is that back then, transmission in the surrounding counties was low. Now, transmission in those counties is high, and they are sending Shelby County their patients, affecting hospital capacity.

Dr. H outlined decisions we can make individually to help reduce transmission:

• Masking. Mask up not only when you’re out in public, but when you’re indoors and around vulnerable members of the population. When you go over to someone else’s household to see friends or family, mask up there too.
• Social distancing and hand washing are still important
• Get your flu shots
• As mentioned above, if you have any symptoms that could mean you have COVID, get tested immediately. Also get tested if you’ve been around someone who tested positive, or if you work in a high-risk industry. Testing is underutilized right now.
• If you host a gathering, keep attendance extremely small, and practice social distancing and masking at those gatherings. If invited to attend a gathering, think about whether you really need to be there.

County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph emphasized that if you are ordered to isolate and you don’t, you are in violation of the health directive and could face misdemeanor charges. The same applies if you don’t quarantine when ordered.

• Isolation – for those who have COVID – need to stay isolated for 10 days after onset including 1 day with no fever or symptoms.
• Quarantine – for those exposed to someone with COVID – need to quarantine for 14 days.

Dr. Randolph said there is no set plan for reversals of reopenings, but they are discussing things that may have to be included in the next health directive if the numbers continue to trend bad.

Dr. Randolph said the health department is working with the criminal courts to come up with a system for safe trials.

David Sweat, assistant director of the health department, said the situation is rapidly evolving with all counties in the region except Tate County, MS now in the “red zone” for new cases per day. Sweat urges all to wear masks, even if your community doesn’t have a mandate.

Brad Broders (Local 24) asked how close we are to reinstating restrictions, and which ones. Dr. H said they are exploring all options, but the surrounding counties make this situation quite different from past ones.

Sweat said that in urban areas, transmission initially is usually the heaviest in the urban core, then spreads out to the suburbs. We are seeing that now, with transmission strongest in East Memphis, Hickory Hill, and the part of the county between Hickory Hill and Collierville.

Sweat emphasized to mindful of the vulnerable as you plan Halloween, Thanksgiving, and holiday gatherings: those over 55 or with heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes.

Sweat said that the decision to open the overflow COVID hospital (the old Commercial Appeal building on Union) will be a state one, not one by the county health department.

The health department has been working with RedRover on a website, shelby.community, with information about testing, masking, and ways to prevent the spread of COVID during the holidays.

That’s it. I typed this pretty quickly and while sipping a PBR. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

I want to start off with a cheap but delicious food hack I discovered over the past week. Go to Walgreens and get you a package of these for $1:

These are microwave Ramen noodles with the usual packet of carrots and peppers and stuff, and then a packet of spicy hot powder. However, if you mix the hot powder in with the cooked noodles, it will set your tongue and your throat on fire. Too hot… for noodles.

So, here’s what you do. Buy the noodles, set the spice packet aside, mix in the carrots ‘n stuff, and use whatever other seasonings you want to make the noodles palatable. I have a can of Tony Chachere’s seasoning so I shook a bunch of that on the noodles. Eat those and save the spice packet, because we’re about to put it to good use.

Now what you do is, you go buy four cans of Hormel Chili. I find that brand of chili to be rather flavorless and boring, but you shake in a quarter of the leftover spice packet from the noodles and stir it all up good… man, that is some of the best chili I’ve ever had.

As my friend Tex would say, follow me for more recipes!

COVID-19 numbers are looking really bad right now. The Shelby County Health Department reported 404 new cases yesterday. COVID Act Now reports 32.8 new cases per 100,000 in Shelby County; Harvard advises stay-home orders when the number is above 25. R, the reproduction rate, is at a staggering 1.25, and the positivity rate is back above 10%. I hope the health department can maintain its “laser-like focus” and target individual venues that are hotspots of disease spread, rather than institute a third wave of mass shutdowns of certain businesses by type (such as bars).

We will hear what they have to say at the noon COVID-19 task force press conference. Follow the City of Memphis on Facebook and pull up their page at noon to watch along.

StyleBlueprint has a profile of Ashley Parham, co-owner of Walking Pants Curiosities with her fiance Daryl. The profile covers how the business got started, and how it has grown over the years – and how the owners have grown over the years, too.

In French Fort news, The Daily Memphian reports that the transformation of the former Marine hospital into apartments with river views is almost complete.

Once again, I have a problem with WREG’s Manhunt Monday piece, which this week profiles a man who was gunned down “downtown just a couple of blocks from his home.” A street sign at Fourth and Gaston is shown. Gaston is an east-west street that runs two blocks north of McLemore Avenue and about 6-7 blocks south of E.H. Crump Blvd. which is generally considered Downtown’s southern boundary. Stop implying that my neighborhood is unsafe to try to score ratings!

WREG is the same station that reports car accidents “downtown on I-55 near the Third Street exit.” Just because a street runs through Downtown does not mean that every single block of it is a Downtown street.

From Local 24: Alcenia’s is making it through the pandemic with the support of its extended family. Go visit the family restaurant on North Main in the Pinch District for some amazing soul food.

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

I strongly encourage all of you to read James Aycock’s end-of-week COVID analysis thread on Twitter, and take it into consideration when planning your activities for the coming week, especially on Halloween. To sum it up, new cases are spiking this week, not just in Shelby County but across Tennessee. Other counties are starting to send their cases here. Aycock fears that we will have to put the old Commercial Appeal building to use as an alternate hospital by Christmas.

I’m not going out on Halloween at all. My friends and I have even canceled our normal 11 AM Saturday meetup at Bardog. That holiday will make too many people feel as though they have license to disregard masking and distancing guidelines.

I completely agree with James on this point:

Addendum:

I’m not saying we need to implement a shutdown. But we have to do something.

We should think of things on a continuum, rather than a strict binary of open/closed. We do need to be strategic and turn some things down. But that’s different from a full shutdown.

21/20

— James Aycock is at 🏡 (@firstresponses) October 24, 2020

Shutting things down again will force business owners, possibly including friends of mine, to close permanently. We can’t do that. On the other hand, if cases rise to the level of 500 or more new ones per day, which the data suggests they will, we can’t just keep on with business as usual.

We’re close enough to Halloween now that weather forecasts are out. Let’s see what we’ve got:

• Normal: 69/49
• MemphisWeather.net: Mid 60s, mostly sunny
• Weatherbug: 64/49, mostly sunny
• Weather Channel: 67/49, mostly sunny
• WREG: 62/45, mostly sunny
• WMC: 63, partly cloudy
• Local 24: 63/45, sunny

Big news for those who live on the island: Soon you won’t even have to drive across the A.W. Willis Ave. bridge to get Cocozza Italian-American Kitchen dishes. Their line of Take & Bake products comes to Cordelia’s Market Thursday, October 29.

The Forsyth County (Georgia) News has a good piece on the history being how Elvis acquired Graceland.

The Broke Backpacker has a list of places to stay when visiting Memphis. Not surprisingly, they recommend Downtown as the neighborhood to stay when visiting Memphis for the first time. They have some AirBNB recommendations and for those who prefer a hotel, they recommend Springhill Suites.

We ordered Insomnia Cookies again yesterday. Here’s a pic of Pejorie T. Roll eating a chocolate mint cookie. Those are her favorite because the chips are the same color as her hair.

Wishing a very happy birthday to Mama Bear AKA Jeannette, proprietor of the Blind Bear, today.

The Memphis Tigers got a win over Temple, 41-29, yesterday. Alabama rolled to a 48-17 win over Tennessee.

The first College Football Playoff rankings will not be revealed until Tuesday, November 24 since COVID has totally f’d up the schedules this year.

From Scoops Memphis: Man gives officers fake name after being caught with chopped catalytic converter. I wonder if this is the guy who has been stealing catalytic converters in The Edge District and from parking garages in the Downtown core.

Time for a full day of professional writing-related stuff. Back tomorrow with more news.

Big news: The parking lot that spans the block between Front, Main, Peabody Place, and Beale, commonly thought of as “the Orpheum parking lot,” will be turned into a Downtown mobility center. It will add far more spaces than are currently there (1400 total), will provide amenities for those on bikes as well as for those using alternatives to owning a car, and will have a rooftop restaurant.

I love it, and not only because it adds parking and amenities. It will fill in a gap that creates a perception of a divide between the Downtown core and South Main.

On the downside, this move will eliminate jobs, well, sort of. That parking lot is the closest thing Downtown’s crackheads and panhandlers have to “work,” posing as fake attendants and collecting $10 (or more, if they think they can get it) from unsuspecting people who park there.

There’s a sidewalk sale for Black Entrepreneurs Day going on outside Makeda’s Cookies, 488 S. Second, today from 11 to 4. Vendors:

• Respected Crown
• Pickles & Co.
• Jazmon’s Jewels
• Cynthia’s Secret Garden
• JenGin Wellness Boost
• Local Vibes Only
• Meekies Munchies

TamiTPower99damix will provide the music, and the Maja Wings food truck will be on site. Giveaways by Makeda’s Cookies and L.V.O.

Text from one of my readers: “Just paid $14 for 7 hours in the garage above Silly Goose. You might want to let your readers know.” I don’t deal with parking garages anymore so I’m guessing that’s high?

My guess is because there was a classic Halloween movie at the Orpheum last night. Now, a social-distanced 20-year-old ghost flick is by no means going to fill up a 12-story parking garage. My guess is, like everyone else, they’ve been hit hard financially by the pandemic and are trying to get their money where they can, and you just have to go with it.

It’s kind of like, later today, I will go to one of my favorite watering holes and pay $4 for a PBR. Every time I do that, it burns my butt because a PBR is not worth anywhere close to four bucks. But by paying it, I realize I’m helping good people stay open during a pandemic. So I mind it a little less.

New Memphis is hiring a Manager of Collegiate Engagement. The successful candidate will manage a program called Launch that connects college students to professional opportunities in our city.

From Action News 5: Website tracks every broken McDonald’s ice cream machine in America

Catch a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at Wiseacre Brewing’s Broad Avenue location today at 2.

Gary Hardy plays Alfred’s this afternoon 3 to 6.

#2 Alabama plays Tennessee at 2:30 on CBS. I’m guessing this will be a very fun game to watch.

The Memphis Flyer has a look at tarot readings at The Broom Closet on South Main. The readers note that they started seeing the Tower Card, representing big change, disruption, for more people beginning last fall.

Time to do weekly laundry, then go out and pay for $4 for PBR while watching the Vols get slaughtered. Back tomorrow with more news.

I had an unfinished idea yesterday. Maybe someone can pick up the ball and figure out how to run it into the end zone.

It was about 5 PM and I had spent the evening doing stuff related to my professional writing career: learning how to set up an email list, taking notes on the posts of authors on Medium I admire, that kind of thing. I felt like I was getting a little burned out, so I decided to take a quick break.

I signed into Amazon Mechanical Turk as a worker and accepted 14 activities where I would look at two pictures and determine which looked more like a reference picture. Each activity took about a minute to complete and paid 7 cents, so I made 98 cents on my break.

Now, some of you may be wondering: Why in the world would someone with a master’s degree perform rote activities for below minimum wage?

Well, two reasons, really. One is that I never have to pay for books anymore. Every so often, I accumulate enough in my Amazon gift card balance to buy a book. Alternately, I could use the money to buy other writing-related supplies (Pilot G2 blue extra-fine 0.5 mm pens are my jam). Or, since it’s Amazon, I could use the money to buy groceries.

More importantly, though, it’s the reminder to myself that at anytime I want, I can go earn myself a little money. No one has to choose to hire me for a job. It’s all up to me. Now, when my writing is earning me $500 or $1000 a month, Amazon Mturk will not be worth my time anymore. But in the early months of my writing career, it’s reinforcement that I can earn money on my own.

After I logged off Mturk, I looked out the window and saw some of our homeless friends sitting on the benches outside. I thought, how cool would it be if they could log in and earn a few bucks anytime they like? If they could earn 20, 30 bucks a day on Mturk or something similar, that money could be life-changing – not only in terms of spending power, but in the feeling of empowerment it would give them to earn their own money.

But there are reasons why I can earn that 98 cents on Mturk on my break, and they can’t. There are reasons I could earn 30 bucks a day on there if I wanted to, and they can’t.

One, I have a $500 laptop and I pay $100 or so a month for high-speed Internet. If I didn’t have those things, I could still use Mturk on my $650 phone and whatever I pay AT&T for unlimited data.

Two, I have a bank account that I could deposit Mturk earnings into. They don’t.

Third, I have an Amazon account that I alternately divert the earnings into, so I can buy books and groceries. Now, they could set up an Amazon account as well. But what they don’t have is a shipping address.

How cool would it be if they could log onto a site like Amazon Mturk or Microsoft Rewards or Qmee (a new site I found recently that pays you to take surveys) and earn a few bucks anytime they liked, and then were able to transfer the earnings onto an electronic gift card they could actually use Downtown – like a Walgreens e-card or a Jimmy John’s e-card?

Or what if they could transfer the earnings into an account that can be spent on nights at the shelter?

Just an idea. Like I say, if anyone wants to take it and run with it, be my guest.

On to the news…

Those of you who live in South Junction apartments, this is another reminder to lock your car doors. A member of Nextdoor observed two males jump the complex’s fence around 9:00 last night and start checking door handles to see if cars are unlocked.

In other news gleaned from Nextdoor, speeding is said to be a problem on Island Place East, the major thoroughfare on the “inland” portion of Mud Island.

Free A. Schwab’s shot glasses when you buy an AM/PM bourbon shot at the Beale Street dry goods store’s Harvest Fest Saturday beginning at 2 PM. While you’re getting liquored up, the kids can enjoy $1 ice cream, $2 hot dogs, balloon “carving,” and a Jones Orchard pumpkin patch.

Slider Inn Downtown weekend entertainment schedule:

• A.M. Whiskey Friday 7-10 PM
• Adam McClelland Saturday 1-4 PM
• Cody Clark Saturday 6-9 PM
• Adam McClelland Sunday 1-4 PM
• Katrina Burgoyne Sunday 6-9 PM

FedEx will hold a job fair Saturday for positions at its hub. These positions are in and of themselves not glamorous, throwing boxes. However, they offer a major perk: A foot in the door. If you show up on time for work for a year and do your job, that’ll put you in the top 20%, and you’ll be able to bid on corporate jobs with the company. Some of the company’s top leaders started out in the hub. Pay is $15 an hour and some jobs pay $18 an hour. Also, if you’re uninsured, the health insurance alone can make these jobs worth your consideration.

Big weather changes coming today. If you go out this afternoon, take an umbrella. If you go out tonight, take a jacket.

Yikes, the morning got away from me! None of the remaining news in my queue is time-sensitive so I’ll push it until tomorrow’s post. I watched the debate last night. Trump was much, much, much more in control this time. Perhaps no pre-debate nose candy this time around? Biden stuttered and stammered a bit but his performance was in no way bad. We will see if the debate allowed Trump to catch up enough ground but I don’t think it did. Back tomorrow with more news.

Elmwood Cemetery will present an encore of its popular Scandals & Scoundrels Tour on All Saints’ Day, Sunday, November 1 from 1 to 3 PM Central Standard Time. (The word “Standard” is used for emphasis here: November 1 is the day the clocks fall back an hour.) Learn about the famous residents of Elmwood and how some of them came to a questionable end. Good walking shoes are recommended. Cost is $25 and space is limited.

The Daily Memphian reported a couple of key facts from the Southern Lodging Summit, which was supposed to be hosted by the Peabody Hotel but which ended up being held virtually:

• Hotel occupancy nationwide is about 40% following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; in Memphis it’s 50%
• The lodging industry is not expected to fully recover to 2018-19 levels until 2024

Every restaurant (full- and limited-service) should have signs like these at their bar areas, as long as bar areas remain closed by health department directive:

Wednesday I was at a restaurant (not the one pictured above) and a man came in, wearing a mask. He walked past three signs saying you must have a mask on except when seated. He walked right up to the bar, took the mask off, and asked, “Do I really need this?”

By the way, the back part of this sign, the part facing the bartender, needs to be a reminder not to serve customers standing at the bar.

COVID Act Now reports that the infection rate in Shelby County is up to 1.17. That is really not good! We need to get that back below 1. We’re also back up over 20 new cases per 100,000. 25 is considered “out of control.” Many counties in Tennesee are over 25 already.

Jennifer Chandler of the CA had a taste of brunch at Coccoza recently. I want one of those Antipasti Bloody Marys!

There’s a sales associate job open at Trek Bikes in South Main.

Free tacos at Taco Bell next Wednesday, October 28 thanks to Mookie Betts stealing a base in the World Series, paying off the “steal a base, steal a taco” promotion.

Tennessee men’s basketball head coach Rick Barnes indicated the game with Memphis won’t happen this year.

Tonight in the Downtown Dinner + Music Series:

• Tonya Dyson at Huey’s
• Deborah Swiney at Canopy and Rendezvous Alley
• Life Explicit at patio between Automatic Slim’s and Kooky Canuck (wait, what patio?)
• Tori Whodat at Blind Bear
• Mississippi Sounds at Peabody and Main

It happens 5-7 PM. Come listen to some live music and support some great Memphis restaurants.

That’s all for today. I’m going to watch the final debate tonight. Here’s the drinking game. Back tomorrow with more news.

There’s going to be a rule change in the debate tomorrow night between the Trumpster and Joe Biden. During each candidate’s opening two-minute response to a question asked by the moderator, his opponent’s mic will be cut. LOVE IT! No more interrupting! The first debate reminded me of Archie Bunker arguing with the Meathead on All in the Family way more than discourse between two nominees to the world’s most powerful office.

Tomorrow after work will be a stay-home day for me, for sure. Even though I’ve already early voted, the new rule makes the debate must-see TV.

After years and years of talk, One Beale is finally leasing apartments. For now, potential residents will be limited to a virtual tour. December is the move-in date. In other project news, plans for the office tower have been scrapped.

In yesterday’s COVID-19 press conference, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced a new faith-based initiative to support places of worship that have been affected by the pandemic. These places can apply for grants that can be used in one of two ways:

• For those organizations that would like to stream services online, the grant can be used to cover those costs;
• For organizations that prefer to worship in person, the grant can refund the cost of PPE to make that activity safe.

So there have been grants for hair salons, bars, and faith-based organizations. Mayor Harris, I have a question for you. WHAT ABOUT THE STRIPPERS? Adult entertainment businesses have been shuttered since March. How about some financial relief for people in that industry? In college, there are Pell Grants to help those in need. How about Pole Grants, for pole dancers?

In other press conference news, Health Department Director Dr. Haushalter and Assistant Director David Sweat reiterated that the second wave of COVID-19 is here. 342 new cases were reported yesterday, and over 800 the past 3 days. The Facebook “health experts” are starting to come back out of the woodwork too. I’m sure Halloween will give them plenty to complain about.

WMC Action News 5 has a 5 Star Story about Bass Pro at the Pyramid.

Forbes had some love for Bass Pro at the Pyramid as well, particularly the Mississippi Mud Cookie that is part of turndown service at the Big Cypress Lodge hotel there. Check out their chocolate lover’s destination guide.

The DM’s Chris Herrington discovered the Smurfey’s Smokehouse food truck recently. That’s my favorite BBQ food truck. Pulled pork baked potato! Herrington is starting a new street food column, a fine addition to the publication.

City Council members were skeptical about the plans for a 30-to-45-story tower in the Pinch District in yesterday’s meeting.

The Memphis Tigers will once again be on national TV for their road game at Cincinnati on Halloween. The game will kick off at 11 AM and will be carried either on ESPN or ESPN2.

The MBJ has a slideshow of convention center renovations. The slideshow is free to view, although you have to be a subscriber to read the accompanying article.

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

Downtown Dining Week is coming back! This year it will be November 1-7. That’s earlier in November than DDW usually occurs, and no doubt they are doing it so more people will choose outdoor dining options. It’s often still patio weather in early November; much less so the closer we get to Thanksgiving.

This year, rather than sticking to a 3 courses for $20.20 theme that may have been a bit limiting during a pandemic, DDW is letting each restaurant choose a theme or special that best expresses itself. There’s a Daily Gift Card Giveaway you can enter (follow the link for rules) and Explore Bike Share will offer free bike rides for DDW.

Time for me to sound like a broken record and give the yearly advice: If there’s a restaurant you feel like you want to go to during DDW, make reservations now or you won’t get a seating during the prime dinner hours. This is especially true with the really popular restaurants like Felicia Suzanne’s, Rizzo’s, Bishop, Cocozza, and the Andrew Michael Downtown restaurants (Bishop, Catherine & Mary’s, Gray Canary).

As we get ready to celebrate the Halloween season, the Orpheum has announced three scary movies to get everyone in the mood this week. They are:

• Night of the Living Dead Friday, October 23, 7 PM
• Casper Saturday, October 24, 2 PM
• Jaws Saturday, October 24, 7 PM

A proposed tower of 30 to 45 stories, if approved, would, well, tower over The Pinch District. City Council members will hear about the plan today, which would include a hotel facing Main Street. There would be condos and a rooftop lounge as well.

Katrina Burgoyne plays South Main Stream, broadcast live from South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main, Friday 6:30-8:00 PM. They’ll have limited seating inside and unlimited seating online.

University of Memphis quarterback Brady White has been named Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week. The honor comes following a comeback victory over UCF after trailing by three touchdowns in the third quarter.

Great quote I saw over the weekend:

“The best revenge is not being like your enemy.” -Marcus Aurelius

So true!

Primas Bakery + Boutique will have an Election Day Bake Sale. Come by for patriotic-themed cookies and cakes after you vote.

Stacks & Rowell play Momma’s, corner of Crump and Kentucky, at 6:30 Friday.

This past weekend’s Women of Soul concert must have been a success, because the Orpheum has announced WOS 2: Stefanie Bolton, Kia Johnson, Tonya Dyson and Taliba Safiyah for Saturday, December 12 at 7:30. Tickets are $34.

Food company Sysco is still searching for an outside sales rep to cover the Downtown and Midtown areas.

Only in Memphis: A rapper has been charged with unemployment fraud after he bragged about it in a music video.

Downtown nonprofit Meritan is collecting gifts and monetary donations so 300 homebound seniors in Memphis can have a merry Christmas.

Two weeks out from the election, Biden is down to a 1.0% favorite in Florida, according to the latest from RealClearPolitics. He had been ahead in the 3.5% range for much of the campaign. Biden has paths to 270 that don’t include Florida, but the Midwestern states and Arizona would become much more important in those scenarios.

I’ve stayed home the past two days, so I will treat myself to a stop at the Blind Bear today after work. Back tomorrow with more news.

Even the Halloween decorations at Bardog Tavern wear PPE

Three cheers to the Memphis Tigers, who made a comeback against the foe that has given them trouble like no other, UCF. The Tigers, down by 21 in the third quarter, came back for a 50-49 win, the first against Central Florida since 1990.

On the other end of the state, the Tennessee Vols lost to Kentucky at home for the first time since 1984. The 34-7 loss was embarrassing even by UT standards, and the program is three years removed from Butch Jones so his recruiting can’t take much of the blame. The University of Tennessee should voluntarily step down to the Sun Belt Conference so an institution with competent leadership can take its place in the SEC.

The Daily Memphian reports that South City developers have given up trying to recruit a grocery store to that neighborhood. The challenges of serving that community and the Downtown community at the same time are said to be too much for grocery chains to be willing to tackle. The incentive money that was included in the South City project for a grocery will be redirected to other purposes.

Front Street will reopen tomorrow between Poplar and Jackson. That section of Front has been closed for a year, creating some major traffic snarls. Main Street will reopen in a week, much to the relief of Pinch District restaurants.

Here’s a link to James Aycock’s COVID week in review for Shelby County. He has concerns about the reclassification of schools in the latest health directive.

Ohio has flipped back to red in FiveThirtyEight’s election simulation. Trump is a 51/49 favorite there over Biden. Ohio has also flipped back to Trump in RealClearPolitics’ no toss-up states map of aggregated poll numbers.

Alexis Taylor plays Slider Inn today at 1.

Here’s a pic of a troll eating an Insomnia Cookie, and that’s all I’ve got for today. Back tomorrow with more news.