MemphisFlyer 03/12/2026

SHARA CLARK Editor-in-Chief

ALEX GREENE Managing Editor, Music Editor

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editor TOBY SELLS Associate Editor

KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter

CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor

MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers

KIMBERLY HAM Calendar Editor, Copy Editor

JESSE DAVIS, ALLISON DONALD, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, AJ KRATZ, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH Contributing Columnists

SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters

GRACIE DRIVER Editorial Intern

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director NEIL WILLIAMS Graphic Designer

KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, SHAUNE MCGHEE Senior Account Executives

JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution

KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com

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The Watchers

THE fly-by

{WEEK THAT WAS By

Flyer staff

Memphis on the internet.

BOAT

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY DICK COCKRELL

Dick Cockrell snapped this crazy-looking boat on the river last week. Turned out it was the R/S RocketShip used to transport rockets for United Launch Alliance.

PLANE

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY HUNTER DEMSTER

MEMernet celebrity Hunter

Demster caught Trump’s plane over Memphis International Airport last week. Turned out Eric Trump was in town to attend an event at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

TRUCK

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY BARON VON OPPERBEAN

e Baron Von Opperbean team caught this truck crawling Mud Island last week. Turns out it was a remote-controlled truck (human in back for scale) run by @lylerussom, traversing the dry beds of the Mississippi River model.

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

Bail Funds, GOP on Gender, & Phones

Lawmakers: limit bail outs, look at “visible genital anatomy,” and stop texting while driving.

YOUTH VILLAGES

e family of a participant in Youth Villages has led a wrongful death lawsuit against the organization.

Krystal Williams Buck is suing the organization following the death of her son Matthew De’Marcus Williams in 2025. Williams was killed in a shooting on April 9th following a meeting in Hickory Hill that was a part of Youth Villages’ violence intervention program, Memphis Allies.

ICE BILLBOARDS

A new billboard in Memphis targets the recent nancial costs of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions here. e billboards in the campaign will feature images of ICE agents detaining people with slogans like: “Your tax dollars wasted. ey get billions to beat us up. We get layo s and rent hikes.”

BAIL FUND LIMITS

A bill would limit community bail funds and others to only bailing out three defendants a year, and while similar bills have come in recent years, this one is the rst to gain any traction.

e bill is to prevent “gang bangers” from bailing out friends, said State Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), the bill’s sponsor. e only people who should be able to post bail, he said, should be a bail bondsman, a family member, or an employer — “someone who has a vested interest in getting that person out of jail.”

Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City, said similar bills have been led here before. While he was not surprised to see that it was led again this year, he was surprised to see the bill get traction.

He said nothing in the bill now would stop individuals — presumably like the gang members Taylor referenced — from posting bail for anyone else. But he said House debates on the bill have made it clear that the legislation is aimed at community bail funds like the one Just City has operated for the last eight years. Just City’s mission is “to transform local criminal justice policy and practice to ensure it is fair for all people regardless of wealth, race, or ethnicity.”

GOP DEFINES MALE, FEMALE

New legislation would rede ne the meaning and understanding of gender and identity by using “visible genital anatomy” to categorize individuals. Lawmakers said this is to protect women from “acts of abuse committed by biological men.”

If passed, government agencies, domestic violence shelters, correctional and juvenile detention facilities, and public schools would be a ected. LGBTQ advocates have condemned the bill. e Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) cited the bill in December in a policy brief, saying it could undermine protections for trans inmates.

DRIVING WITH PHONES

It could soon cost you more to get caught driving while texting. e State Senate passed a bill that increases court costs for the o ense. e legislation says drivers would be responsible for a $50 ne, a $29.50 privilege tax for court expenses, a $3 penalty for a victim’s fund, and about $40 in local litigation taxes.

FEEDING HUNGRY KIDS

A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to require Tennessee to use available federal funding to provide summer grocery funds to low-income students, bucking Gov. Bill Lee’s repeated insistence that the state doesn’t need the federal dollars to help feed 700,000 children during school breaks. Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

By Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout

‘Illegal Twice Over’

Judges hear oral arguments on legality of Gov. Lee’s deployment of National Guard to Memphis.

A

three-judge panel of the Tennessee Court of Appeals heard oral arguments last week over the legality of Gov. Bill Lee’s deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis.

e court is reviewing a November order by Chancery Court Judge Patricia Moskal to temporarily block the Guard from Shelby County in a challenge brought by local and state elected o cials, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.

Moskal’s order was placed on hold pending the outcome of the appeal, and Tennessee National Guard members continue to patrol Shelby County. e Court of Appeals did not rule on the matter last week and set no timeline for issuing a written opinion.

Matt Rice, the Tennessee Solicitor General defending Lee in the lawsuit, argued Moskal made three legal errors in reaching her ruling, all of which

distill down to whether Lee has the legal authority under state law or the Tennessee Constitution to unilaterally deploy the Guard on a crime- ghting mission.

“In September 2025, Memphis was the most violent city in the country,” Rice said. “So the governor took action. Our position is not that the governor can mobilize the National Guard just to stop crime,” he said. “But when you have the most violent city in the country, and you have a signi cant departure from the baseline with respect to crime, we do think that constitutes a grave emergency.”

Joshua Salzman, an attorney with Democracy Forward Foundation, which is representing the public o cials ling suit, argued Lee’s deployment of the Guard was “illegal twice over.”

Tennessee law allows the governor to deploy the Tennessee National Guard only under certain enumerated circumstances, none of which include

routine law enforcement, he said. And the Tennessee Constitution “clearly bars deployments of the militia unilaterally by the governor.”

Whether the National Guard is classi ed as a “militia” is a key legal question in the case. e Tennessee constitution restricts the use of the militia by the governor to cases of “rebellion or invasion.” Rice argued the Tennessee National Guard was a state army.

Salzman said the Tennessee National Guard met the de nition of a militia. He cited an opinion by former Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, which has since been removed from a state website, that concluded the Tennessee

National Guard is a militia.

Salzman argued against the notion that crime in Memphis constituted a “grave emergency” justifying Lee’s actions.

“ ere’s a long recognition that law enforcement, in particular, is something that is not to be conducted by military forces, and that there is something particularly pernicious when troops patrol the streets of a city,” Salzman said.

Of note, Salzman said, is that Lee has never issued any order or formal ndings that Memphis is facing a grave emergency.

“ ere was a press release, then troops showed up,” he said.

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AT LARGE By Bruce VanWyngarden

Gas Lighting

When everything goes wobbly.

Iwas scrolling through photos the other day, looking for a shot from a 2021 shing trip to Pennsylvania. In the process, I came across one I took on my way there, at a gas station in West Virginia. It showed a sticker of then-President Joe Biden pointing at the price on a gas pump with the words “I did that!” e price of gas was $2.89. e horror!

According to GasBuddy, a company that monitors U.S. gas prices, average prices at 439 stations in Memphis rose 42.0 cents per gallon last week, averaging $3.04 as of Monday. at’s 53.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and 32.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. e national average price of diesel increased 85.9 cents last week and stands at $4.60 per gallon, meaning the cost of delivering goods by semi-truck just went up 20 percent. And projections are that it’s going to get worse.

“In just a week, consumers have seen gasoline prices surge at one of the fastest rates in years, a er oil prices spiked following U.S. strikes on Iran and the e ective closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “With additional attacks across the Middle East over the weekend pushing oil above $100 per barrel for the rst time in years, fuel markets are now rapidly recalibrating to the risk of prolonged disruption to global supply ows. As a result, gasoline prices in many states could climb another 20 to 50 cents per gallon this week.”

massive joint assault with Israel on Iran that’s causing the world’s economy — and fuel prices — to go wobbly.

In a remarkable interview with Time magazine last week, Trump talked about the decision to attack Iran on February 27th. It happened at Mar-a-Lago. On one side of the club, members and guests danced and partied. On the other, Trump and various administration leaders sat in a makeshi command center and made the call to launch what they called a “decapitation strike.”

American long-range missiles and drones and Israeli jets struck hundreds of military installations, and also killed 86-year-old Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of senior o cials. Trump took personal credit for the success of the decapitation: “I’ve killed all their leaders,” Trump told Time. “ at room is gone.”

President Trump once boasted that he could “shoot someone in the middle of Fi h Avenue” and not lose a vote among his core supporters. More recently, evidence suggests that he could also molest teenage girls in the middle of Fi h Avenue and not lose a vote among that group. But pushing gas prices to over $5 a gallon may be a step too far. We shall see.

Trump is on a tear, and where it ends, nobody knows, including him, it appears. A er being snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize in February, Trump told Norway’s Prime Minister that he no longer felt bound “to think purely of peace.” It’s one of the few times where Trump has proven to be a man of his word. In fact, in little more than a year in o ce — a er campaigning that he would be the “president of peace” — Trump has authorized U.S. attacks on eight countries, including Venezuela, Yemen, and Ecuador(!), with Cuba up next. But of course, it’s Trump’s

Also “gone” was a girls’ school that su ered a direct hit, killing 175 people, mainly students. In addition, several other civilian areas, especially in Tehran, took heavy shelling, with multiple casualties. No comment from Trump as to his personal responsibility for those deaths.

Trump’s latest act of aggression hasn’t impacted most Americans yet. Troops aren’t dying — with six exceptions, as I write this — and Americans aren’t really being impacted, except in their pocketbooks. But Iran has been expecting and planning for something like this for decades. ere’s little doubt that terror cells exist in this country, and that ripe targets for them — nuclear plants, skyscrapers, power grids, schools — are ample. When asked if Americans should be worried about potential Iranian retaliation on U.S. soil., Trump replied, “I guess,” which nicely sums up his foreign policy. e reckless fools who are blowing up people all over the globe in our name are the same reckless fools charged with protecting us at home. Rising gas prices should be the least of our worries.

By AJ Kratz

Let It Go

Why you should free yourself from what no longer serves you.

ow is as good a time as any to revisit your life’s priorities and let go of the habits and behaviors that no longer serve you. Letting go allows you to rid yourself of draining habits, beliefs, processes and relationships that take away from your happiness and purpose. It also allows you to refocus your e orts on good nancial habits and personal routines that support your long term goals, nancial goals, and your overall nancial wellness.

Financial Bene ts of Letting Go

Leaving behind nancial habits that are no longer bene cial can help you to direct your nancial resources to e orts that will improve your long-term nancial security.

Streamlining your nancial lifestyle can lead to fewer possessions and less time and money spent on main-

Achieve additional freedom to pursue opportunities.

Letting go can give you the nancial freedom to make a change from a stressful, draining job to a career that brings you joy and ful llment. Or you may nd that shi ing your nancial resources from things to experiences enhances your happiness and sense of ful llment. Over time, these healthier nancial habits can support wealth building, long term savings and a more con dent nancial future.

Personal Bene ts of Letting Go

In addition to nancial bene ts, letting go of what no longer serves you can potentially enhance your personal life by:

• Reducing your stress and anxiety

• Enhancing your sense of clarity and purpose

• Allowing you the freedom to spend time with loved ones and engage in fullling hobbies, rather than maintaining “stu ”

tenance, cleaning, repairs, storage and upkeep. is kind of mindful spending can free up more money for saving, investing and building wealth.

Refocus on your most important nancial priorities.

Some spending patterns don’t help you progress toward your most important nancial goals. Consider what behaviors may be standing in your way. For example, perhaps you’ve been feeling pressured to “keep up with the Joneses,” or maybe your current level of spending isn’t sustainable over the long term and is crowding out long term saving and investing.

Whatever the cause, taking time to articulate your nancial priorities and focus on what’s truly important can give you the strength to shed harmful patterns and make nancial decisions that move you closer to lasting nancial success and nancial security.

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• Giving you the freedom to pursue healthy habits like exercise, time spent outdoors, and better sleep.

Letting go is ultimately about aligning your time, energy, and money with what matters most so your daily choices re ect your goals. And a nancial plan can help you make decisions that are in your long term best interests and avoid harmful nancial habits.

AJ Kratz, CFA, CFP, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory rms, providing comprehensive wealth management services to help align all elements of a client’s nancial life, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information, or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit creativeplanning.com.

is commentary is provided for general information purposes only, should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice, and does not constitute an attorney/client relationship. Past performance of any market results is no assurance of future performance. e information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

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THE WATCHERS

VECINDARIOS 901 EYES THE FRONT LINES OF TRUMP’S MEMPHIS TASK FORCE.

If you’ve ever wondered who — if anyone — keeps watch over the Memphis Safe Task Force, the answer is Vecindarios 901.

e Spanish word means “neighborhoods,” but in this context it really relates to the people who live in the city’s neighborhoods.

e volunteers with Vecindarios 901 are trained to know their rights as observers. ey are trained to know the rights of those neighbors who might be targeted by the Task

Force. ere are lots of these volunteers. And they talk to each other.

When someone sees a heavy police presence somewhere, a call goes out, almost like police dispatch. Available volunteers take these calls, arrive on the scene, witness Task Force members in the eld, and o en record their actions.

Sometimes the volunteers act as advocates, stepping in to ask questions about the stop or arrest. Sometimes they’ll

even help those arrested make arrangements for their cars.

(Read on to nd out why this is so important.)

Vecindarios 901 watches the front line of Donald Trump’s assault on violent criminals and, o en as not, nonviolent immigrants.

I spoke to several members who agreed to share their stories, un ltered. We agreed to give them as much anonymity as they wished. at’s only fair if U.S. Immigration and Customs

Enforcement (ICE) can wear masks, we thought.

As I heard these stories, it became apparent that these watchers did not need a reporter’s help to tell them. So, I stayed out of the way as much as I could.

ese stories have been lightly cut and condensed for space, only when absolutely necessary. e stories you are about to read have been read and approved by the people who experienced them.

— Toby Sells

CELIA

My husband and I rolled up on a situation. We didn’t know what was happening, but there were a lot of officers.

We drove up and several officers walked toward us and took photographs of us, walked around to the back of our car, and took photographs of our license plate.

They talked to us through the car saying we needed to leave the area and that we better get our priorities straight. They threatened us when we hadn’t even gotten out of the car.

Memphis Flyer: How did that make you feel, and what did y’all do?

Celia: It was really scary. It had happened to my husband before. I hadn’t experienced it. It made my heart beat very fast. I felt threatened. They were carrying weapons and my husband and I … we do not own weapons.

We were saying we’re just watching and that’s not against the law. Almost always, when we say it’s not against the law to observe, the officers say back, “We know.” So, there is an understanding that they know it’s not illegal to watch what they’re doing.

How do the Task Force members interact with people they target during these stops?

I have seen both. Officers will act in a very pleasant and congenial way. I have also seen the exact opposite. They’ve been very brusque, short-tempered, and angry. I’ve seen both from the same individual in one stop. They can be patient and kind and speak respectfully, and then in the next instant be brusque, shout, be rude, and physical.

What should people who have not seen what you’ve seen understand about this?

Just that we are all observers at this moment in time and that we all have the responsibility to stand up for our good, hardworking friends and neighbors who are being violently harassed and detained every day in our city without due process.

MIKHAILA

I learned very quickly that the Memphis Safe Task Force does not like to be observed.

I responded to a call last November in Southeast Memphis. I started recording as I was walking up because I could already see several federal agents going in and out of an apartment. They had a young Latino man handcuffed outside the building. As I stood there recording, they led a young Latina woman down the stairs as well.

I had only been watching for a few minutes when a [U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, D.E.A.] agent took notice of me. She took out her phone, tapped something on the screen, and pointed the camera toward me. She was recording me.

The First Amendment protects the right to observe and record law enforcement officers performing their duties in public spaces. When federal agents react by filming back, that’s retaliatory. It’s a violation of our constitutional rights. It felt like an attempt to intimidate me, when I was just standing there, peacefully observing.

Memphis Flyer: That had to make you feel scared. Mikhaila: I did feel scared. I was certainly intimidated. This person is armed, in tactical gear, and they are now recording me. But I continued to record the interaction, and eventually she lost interest in me.

MP

This horrific story still haunts me to this day. It happened in June and I was first on the scene. It was in a neighborhood, kind of off Macon near where I grew up. It was the first time I’d ever seen [Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE] break a passenger’s window.

It looked like the things you see in Minneapolis today. There were six or eight cars. I’d never seen that many before. The guys were whisked away within minutes of them breaking

the window. Nobody would identify themselves. I was filming the whole time. It was violent. They really manhandled the [targeted individuals]. Within five minutes, the entirety of the story became completely made known to me because they were like six houses down from one of the [targeted individuals’] homes. They were literally driving to work. Two kids — a teen and maybe like a 4- or 6-year-old — were standing outside barefoot on the sidewalk and witnessed the whole thing: their dad being taken away.

Memphis Flyer: Any others? MP: Another time they allowed a woman to call her husband and leave the keys [to her car after they took her away]. So, there I am, just a middle-aged white woman waiting with another responder that had this woman’s car keys. The husband — somebody from his work drove him in — we’re looking at each other human to human, and he as a dad said, “Oh my God, what am I gonna tell my kids?” It was heart-wrenching.

LOUISE

The worst one I saw was a mom pulled over with her 5-year-old in the car. Another child was at school. The dad was out of town. Another volunteer and I thought she was going to be okay and that we would just help get her car home.

Then an ICE van showed up. They took the mom and the 5-year-old. The child was bawling. The mom was bawling.

I asked what would happen to the child at school, and the ICE driver said they would work it out. The other volunteer and I took the car home. I don’t know what happened after that.

Earlier that month, an [U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, HSI] officer I spoke with told me, “Just know that some of us agree with you.” He explained what his job usually is — long-term investigations, working with the FBI, child endangerment. He said this is not what they typically do. I got the sense he was trying to get [another man] released, but he said his chain of command wouldn’t let him.

He was riding with a female HSI officer, and I will never forget her expression. She said, “We were not told we were going to have to do this.”

LESLIE

There was the night that a young man got pulled over for tinted windows. By the time I got there, the entire block was full of law enforcement vehicles. So I parked a ways away and

went down there. He had been tased. He had been beaten.

They ended up searching his vehicle, of course, saying that the straws — like the drinking straws you get from Sonic or whatever — were drug paraphernalia and that he resisted and they took him in.

The strength of force and the interagency responses feel so excessive. So it’ll be [Memphis Police Department, MPD] and three to 10 unmarked vehicles with officers from all of the alphabet agencies, right? Or, it’ll be a state trooper and a slew of unmarked officers. It’s really the number of agents that are making these so-called traffic stops … it’s overwhelming. It’s overwhelming for me, and I’m not the one being stopped. It’s just intimidation.

Memphis Flyer: What should people who have not witnessed any of this stuff understand about the situation? Leslie: People aren’t being treated with dignity and humanity. And regardless of whether you think the individuals have a right to be here or not — as a country, we’ve always prided ourselves on treating humans with dignity and due process, and those things are no longer happening.

KARIN

I was in Hickory Hill area and I saw a state trooper pull a car over. I saw the car did absolutely nothing wrong. So I immediately pulled over and stopped, too. I could see that there was an unmarked car following the trooper. By the time I parked and got out of my car, the two HSI [officers] were already on the Hispanic man who was driving this little white sedan.

I said, I just saw you pull him over and I didn’t see anything wrong. Why did you stop him? He said his headlights weren’t on. I said, this is 11:15 in the morning. He said, well, it’s raining. And I said, it’s not raining now. He said, well, it’s the law.

I said you would never have pulled me over for that — a white lady. That’s ridiculous. He just stood there.

The lady who worked in the Cricket phone store recognized the guy as one of her customers and she spoke Spanish. So, she came out and was filming a bit, too. They took him out of the car and handcuffed him.

It was so powerful to me, how wrong it was. It was like 100 percent, no-grayarea, totally wrong. I actually started to cry. I didn’t know what to do.

I started to cry and I looked at

continued on page 10

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers photographed during a May dragnet

continued from page 9

the HSI guy and I said, ‘This is so wrong. This is not the United States of America.’ I said to him, ‘Please show your humanity.’ That’s just what came out of my mouth. I was horrified.

They actually did not impound his car. They ultimately let the Cricket lady take his keys and hold them. The man did not want a family member to come pick up his car while all the officers were there because he was afraid for their safety.

KB

I think one of the first stops I was at, it was down by the Rainbow Inn in North Memphis. I had pulled up to a call and they were talking to a Hispanic guy in a car with tinted windows.

They had a U.S. Marshal there who was translating, and me and few other responders were there just kind of watching and figuring out what to do. Eventually, they were like ‘All right, call your family,’ and had him call somebody to come pick up his car.

They put him in the back of the trooper vehicle. I had never seen somebody get detained like that before. It was painful to know that this person’s about to be ripped away from his family, all over tinted windows.

been there twice when ICE came to the back door and took people away. I don’t know their stories. I didn’t get close. There was a quiet nervousness inside the waiting room. I went to the back in my car and watched from my rear car window. I did not engage with ICE or disrupt their operation. I watched as they led six men and a woman out the back door with their hands zip-tied behind their backs. It was very tense because I had a friend inside who’s waiting and I’m watching ICE take these people away.

What do you do? It still worries me that somebody’s going to take her out the back door.

SEAN

There was a call. It was on a Sunday. It was at an apartment complex. When I arrived, there was another observer from V901 who was already there.

The story was that they had come looking for a person who they had a warrant for. They had broken down the door of the apartment. This guy was hiding in there and there were two other people.

I SAID, ‘THIS IS SO WRONG. THIS IS NOT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.’

A friend of a family member came and picked up his vehicle and then the convoy of vehicles drove off. But then they looped back onto Jackson.

I SAID, ‘PLEASE SHOW YOUR HUMANITY.’

We saw another vehicle come down. They pulled that vehicle over and pulled it over at the same spot — another car with Hispanic occupants and tinted windows. They never took out a tint gun or anything like that to actually check to make sure that the stop was justified.

The guy they got was a Hispanic man. He was already apprehended. He was sitting in one of cop vehicles when I arrived. But the other two people — both were women. One who I assumed was the mother of a girl who looked to me to be a minor.

We were trying to find out what was going on. They wouldn’t let us get real close to them. The U.S. Marshal is explaining, he’s kind of like being our friend. I’ve felt this a few times, too, where they’re trying to be innocent.

They’re saying, ‘Look, we got this man. We had a warrant. He has something of a violent nature. We have to be sure that there wasn’t some kind of human trafficking going on.’ He acted as if they were concerned for the safety of this girl.

They took the driver out of the car and searched him pretty invasively in front of everybody. Then, another officer searched him with his shirt pulled all the way up. They eventually let the passenger drive the vehicle.

They put the original driver in the backseat of the car with the other guy they had just picked up. It was like just in the span of 15 minutes, I saw two people have their lives ruined over tinted windows.

At one point, one of the HSI agents who had a mask on found the time to crack jokes and laugh with the state trooper.

I sit [at an immigration monitoring site] with a friend once a month. I’ve

This other car pulls up. These two guys jump out in masks. They just look the opposite of all these other guys. They try to take the young girl away from the other woman who, as it turns out, was an aunt.

They get a little bit physical with the older woman just to be able to pull the younger girl away. They pull the girl away, they throw her in the vehicle, and they drive off. The girl was without documents. I felt kind of stupid. Like why we weren’t we … I don’t know what we could have done. But you feel like you would’ve been, I don’t know, a little bit more assertive, a little bit more aggressive if you could have a sense of what’s going on.

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Stories That Burn

By Kimberly Ham

Emerald eatre Company revisits a work that holds special meaning for its co–artistic director Hal Harmon. Dragon Medicine, ten vivid monologues by Memphis playwright Howell Pearre, blends sharp humor with deeply human storytelling — and for Harmon, it’s a full-circle moment decades in the making.

Harmon rst encountered Pearre’s work in 1994, at auditions for the play. Fresh to theater and “totally out of his league,” as he recalls, he auditioned for a monologue. Pearre surprised him with an unexpected request: direct the show.

“ ey had never met me before,” Harmon says with a laugh. “But Howell said, ‘I see something in you.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I will.’” at leap ignited Harmon’s lifelong love of directing. ough he had dabbled in community theater before then, directing Dragon Medicine challenged him in new ways. e experience helped shape his creative path and eventually his work with Emerald eatre Company, as one of the resident companies at eatreWorks. e play itself unfolds through ten characters — each described metaphorically as a “dragon.” e title might conjure images of re-breathing creatures, Harmon admits, but the meaning is more personal. “ ese people have something built up inside them,” he says. “Trauma, loss, regret, or even joy. When they speak, the words are their re. Once they release it, there’s a sense of emotional and spiritual relief.”

Pearre’s writing mixes heartbreak with unexpected humor. Harmon says the balance between comedy and vulnerability in Pearre’s writing is carefully cultivated in rehearsal with each actor. e minimalist staging places the focus squarely on the performers. With little more than lighting, a table, and a stool, the actors must create entire worlds through Pearre’s language and their own delivery. ough the play’s roots are Southern, its themes resonate universally. “You don’t have to be from the South to understand it,” Harmon says. “It’s about listening.” at idea lies at the heart of Dragon Medicine: when people are ignored, tension grows — but when they’re truly heard, something transformative happens.

Ultimately, Harmon hopes audiences leave feeling both entertained and re ective. “Maybe they’ll have a favorite monologue,” he says. “Maybe something connects with them. But most of all, I want them to say, ‘ at was good.’”

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VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES March 12th - March 18th

Seussical

Playhouse on the Square, 66 South Cooper Street, Friday, March 13 –Sunday, April 12 is beloved musical brings the imaginative world of Dr. Seuss’ iconic characters to life in a magical stage production created by Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Audiences follow the heartwarming adventures of memorable characters like Horton the Elephant, the mischievous Cat in the Hat, and the imaginative young dreamer Jojo. As their stories unfold, the musical explores meaningful themes of friendship, kindness, courage, and the importance of community. e production travels through vibrant and whimsical settings, from the colorful Jungle of Nool to the lively and chaotic Circus McGurkus. Each scene is lled with playful music, imagina-

tive storytelling, and eye-catching visuals that capture the spirit of the original stories. Perfect for families and audiences of all ages, the show also invites thoughtful conversations about empathy, individuality, and believing in the power of one small voice.

Memphis Writing Workshop Beale Street Landing, 251 Riverside Drive, Saturday, March 14, 2-3:30 p.m.

e Memphis Writing Workshop is a community creative writing series sponsored by the University of Memphis and led by acclaimed poet and professor Marcus Wicker, Orgill Chair of English at U of M. All adult community members interested in writing poetry and/or ash ction are invited to attend. is event is free and open to the public.

Teas & Traditions

Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road, Saturday March 14, Starts at 10 a.m.

Step into timeless Japanese traditions with a hands-on cultural experience featuring activities like a tea ceremony and kimono try-ons. As part of Bloom Saturdays, guests are invited to spend the day at the Garden, where the grounds come alive every Saturday from March through May with themed programming that blends children’s activities, food trucks, a full bar, and live performances into an easy, joy- lled spring tradition – all set against the backdrop of peak seasonal blooms. is tea event is free with Garden admission, no reservation is necessary, and programming will be canceled in the event of rain.

If you are not in a position to give nancially, there are other ways you can support the Flyer — such as by patronizing and supporting our advertisers, by reading and sharing our work, and by passing along this message to others.

Above all, thank you for being part of our community. We’re in this together.

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MUSIC By Alex Greene

Graceland’s True Meaning

Bakithi Kumalo reminds us that all the world’s seeking harmony.

Aer rising up from poverty and making a name for himself as a bassist in the rough and tumble world of Soweto, South Africa, imagine the thrill Bakithi Kumalo felt when he got the call to play a recording session with a bona de reggae star, who would be coming to Soweto straight from Jamaica. Or so Kumalo thought.

“When I got hired to come and play for the session, they said, ‘It’s with Paul Simon, from Jamaica, Queens.’ I thought maybe that was part of Kingston, Jamaica, or something, right?” Kumalo laughs.

“ e reggae song, ‘Mother and Child Reunion,’ was popular on African radio, and it was a reggae tune, you know. But then I found out, no, he’s from Jamaica, Queens, New York!”

Nor was Kumalo familiar with Graceland, that mansion on Elvis Presley Boulevard from which Simon’s albumin-the-making would take its title. But he knew about Elvis. “In South Africa, we had heard about Elvis Presley, though we couldn’t spell his name because there was no school,” Kumalo recalls. “But as musicians, there was some music coming from America, and Elvis was one of them. We didn’t know what he was singing about, but the groove was nice. I didn’t know what Graceland was about, but I knew about Elvis.”

As it turned out, the backstory didn’t matter when the standard of musicianship in Soweto was so high, especially Kumalo’s galvanizing work on the fretless bass.

at’s his inimitable playing on such gems from Graceland as “You Can Call Me Al,” “ e Boy in the Bubble,” and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes,” lending such a unique sound to the album that Kumalo was recruited to tour with Simon shortly a er the album hit the charts.

“I’d never le South Africa until the Graceland album,” Kumalo says. “So things like, you know, Memphis, Tennessee, or ‘the Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar’ — when I was traveling the country, I was like, ‘Oh, so this is what Paul was talking about.’ Because really, when we recorded the stu , I just focused on being a bass player.”

In any case, that was some 40 years ago, and while Kumalo has played many tours with Simon since then, having moved to the U.S.

some years a er Graceland’s release, he’s also followed his own muse. Over the years, he’s played with luminaries as diverse as Joan Baez, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Randy Brecker, Grover Washington Jr., and Mickey Hart, not to mention creating his own music.

It’s the latter that’s bringing him to the Halloran Centre this Saturday, March 14th, with his own group, e South African All-Stars. “All the musicians are from South Africa,” says Kumalo. “Everybody came here, some of them went to school here and then wound up living in the States. Sometimes we’d meet at events hosted by South Africa. So I put this band together to play the show in Memphis.” And for the players, there’s a poignance in being able to focus on the music of their homeland. When he was growing up in Soweto, Kumalo says, “music was always around, especially on weekends, when the cops stayed relaxed. Everybody’s home, drinking and eating, and that’s when the bands would start playing. During the week, if you don’t have a job, you’d better hide. But the music was something like a religion. Or, living in the country, where there’s all kinds of cultures, every language is like music. ey sound like they’re singing, because it’s their language. en there were the churches and every tribe would come in and dance and sing in their language. It was really exciting. People would dress up in colors and sing. Even the garbage man, when he’s picking up the garbage, is singing.”

It’s that kind of spiritual devotion to music that Kumalo wants to convey — not only to the audience, but to young local musicians. To that end, students from the Memphis Jazz Workshop will also be appearing in the show. “At every concert, I like to invite the kids,” Kumalo says. “I might put them on the spot, playing South African music. But it’s all about having fun. I’m so excited to work with them.”

CALENDAR of EVENTS: March 12-18, 2026

OPENING RECEPTION

LENT

ATCALVARY

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“Bloom” Art Gallery Show by Sophie Samuels is collection of mixed media orals feels like a joyful garden party in full bloom. rough March 27.

MEMPHIS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

Creative Dialogues: Exploring Artistic Exchange Between Educators and Students

Creative Dialogues highlights the powerful artistic relationships that form between teachers and students during the high school years — a formative and o en overlooked stage in an artist’s career. Free. rough April 24.

BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

PREACHING SERIES & WAFFLE SHOP

FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 27

WEDNESDAYS - FRIDAYS calvarymemphis.org

Heather Parker Jones

A healing collection of art that o ers a gentle question: What if we linger here a little longer? ursday, March 12March 14.

FRATELLI’S

“March Transitions” Small group show by local artists. rough March 20.

ST. GEORGE’S ART GALLERY AT ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

“Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020: An Enduring Legacy”

It’s tting that the nal exhibition mounted by Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in its

original home in Overton Park is a celebration of the Memphis College of Art, its sister organization. rough September 30.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“Oracle”

Reminiscent of Dutch still lifes, Libby Johnson’s paintings depict fruit and owers with careful attention to balance, light, and shadow. Tuesday, March 17-April 18.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

Pinkney Herbert: “In Between”

Known for his expressive abstraction in oil and acrylic, Herbert translates energy, place, and sound into gesture, color, and form. rough March 14.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Portraits of Black Memphians 2026” is vibrant exhibition features artwork created by K–12 students from Memphis and Shelby County as part of the museum’s annual Student Art Contest. rough April 30.

PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

“River Coral”: New Works by Anthony Lee Depictions of fantastic, uid gures and shapes. rough March 30.

BUCKMAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Shroud Encounter

A free multimedia presentation exploring the history and science of the Shroud of Tu-

rin. Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. | Sunday, March 15, 7 p.m.

ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH

“Three Visions of Nature”: Photography by Becky Ross McRae, Michael Pachis, and Allen Sparks

An exhibit exploring nature through the camera lenses of three photographers. Free. rough March 27.

WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER Town Beautiful Commission’s “Unofficial Town Flower” is community-inspired exhibition invited residents and students to imagine and depict which ower they would nominate as Collierville’s uno cial town ower. rough March 14.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

“What We Surround Ourselves With”

“What We Surround Ourselves With” serves as a love letter to the evolution of the cra , work, and stories shared through the museum’s community. rough July 31.

METAL MUSEUM

ART HAPPENINGS

Spring Opening

Reception is opening reception brings together three distinct bodies of work spanning painting, installation, and multimedia

exploration across our galleries and screening spaces. Friday, March 13, 6 p.m.

THE GALLERIES AT CROSSTOWN ARTS

Studio Visit: Maysey Craddock

Enjoy an inspiring afternoon inside the studio of acclaimed Memphis artist Maysey Craddock, presented by the Art Now Collective. Sunday, March 15, 2-4 p.m.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

BOOK EVENTS

Amy D. McDowell with Eva Payne: Whispers in the Pews

This story reveals how mundane social interactions in an evangelical church silence difference and reinforce right-wing conformity. Tuesday, March 17, 6 p.m.

NOVEL

I Lived to Tell the Story: A Memoir of Love, Legacy, and Resilience

Experience an intimate conversation with Tamika D. Mallory, co-founder of the Women’s March, and one of today’s most influential social justice voices. Free. Thursday, March 12, 6-7 p.m.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

CLASS / WORKSHOP

Hallelujah Hoedown

Partake in three beginner line dance lessons and an entire night of line dancing and partner dancing to Christian music. Thursday, March 12, 7 p.m.

WHISKEY JILL’S

Memphis Writing Workshop

Free writing workshop series led by poet and U of M creative writing professor Marcus Wicker. Saturday, March 14, 2-3:30 p.m.

BEALE STREET LANDING

Music Production Programs at Music Box

Music production programs for kids and adults. Access to professional gear and tech, knowledgeable instructors, who are actively and successfully producing music. Through May 5.

MUSIC BOX INC.

COMMUNITY

Streetdog Foundation’s Barking Bingo - St. Patrick’s Day Edition

St. Patrick’s Barking Bingo at Flyway Brewing benefiting Streetdog Foundation. Bingo, prizes, adoptable pups, brews, and fun.

Wednesday, March 18, 7-9 p.m.

FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY

DANCE

Act 1 Talent

Act 1 Talent is a regional dance competition tour that travels to dozens of US cities each year. Friday, March 13-March 15

RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER

Dance in 30

Dance In 30 is 30 minutes of dance paired with 30 minutes of conversation. $30/Dance in 30 . Friday, March 13, 6-7 p.m. | Saturday, March 14, 6-7 p.m.

BALLET MEMPHIS

FAMILY

Spring Break Camp

Spring Break Camp takes kids on a journey through the Dixon. For grades 1-4. Monday, March 16, 9 a.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

FILM

Billy Idol Should Be Dead

A documentary premiere screening. Thursday, March 12, 8 p.m.

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Hardware

A cult classic of dystopian science fiction, Hardware is a ferocious blast of cyberpunk

paranoia and industrial-age anxiety. Thursday, March 12, 7 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

FOOD AND DRINK

Memphis St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

Bar Crawl 2026

Join us for our Memphis St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl. Enjoy the best bars in Memphis on this St. Paddy’s Pub Crawl. $7.99/group rate, $11.99/general admission. Saturday, March 14, 1-8 p.m.

OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY

The Official Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl

Enjoy the ultimate St. Paddy’s Bar Crawl where good vibes, green drinks, and festive fun collide. $14.03/general admission. Saturday, March 14, 4-11:45 p.m.

PEOPLES ON BEALE

Trivia with Cerrito Entertainment

Enjoy all the trivia fun with Cerrito Entertainment, along with prizes, drinks, and food. Wednesday, March 18, 7 p.m.

CELTIC CROSSING

LECTURE

Munch and Learn: A World on Fire

Talk on “A World on Fire” by Roger Allan Cleaves, and Mallory Wurtzburger featured

artist Free. Wednesday, March 18, noon-1 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

PERFORMING ARTS

Freakshow

Freakshow is an open stage for everyone who wants to try something new or perfect their performance, any type of performance, from magic, puppetry, or dance, and more. Sunday, March 15, 8:30 p.m.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

SPECIAL EVENTS

Orpheum Broadway Season Reveal

Experience an exciting free event revealing the 2026-2027 Orpheum Broadway Season. Free. Monday, March 16, 6-7:30 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Teas & Tradition

From tea ceremony to kimono try-ons, this Bloom Saturday event offers a hands-on introduction to timeless Japanese traditions. Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

THEATER

Godspell

A show that revisits the idea of Jesus as a revolutionary figure, one who challenged authority

Crossword

ACROSS

1 Getting close

5 Having obligations

11 Antiquated

14 Making a crossing, maybe

15 Not so savvy about the ways of the world

16 Top of an outfit, for short?

17 1938 Alfred Hitchcock mystery

20 Air

21 Well-padded coat

22 Fictional Charles

23 Assert openly

25 1999 Garry Marshall comedy

29 They can be dangerous when split

30 Cabin-building items

31 Bussing on a bus, e.g., for short

34 Scandalous suffix

35 Conveyances on and off base

37 Silent type

38 “___ sells seashells …”

39 List for the forward-thinking

40 Like some oil and remarks

41 1933 James Whale sci-fi horror film, with “The”

44 Dutch master who painted “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window”

47 Czech or Pole

48 Self-evident truth

49 Appealing to lascivious desires

53 Amorality … as suggested by 17-, 25- and 41-Across?

56 “Rocks”

57 Mathematician John who discovered logarithms

58 Stationery shade

59 The shakes, for short

60 Former friend

61 Clog or pump

1 Light amount?

2 Eponym of the world’s largest tennis stadium

3 Part of a film archive

4 August, e.g., but not May or June

5 One of the Gandhis

6 Contradict

7 Cruddy joint

8 Adán’s mate in la Biblia

9 Jerry’s partner in the frozen food aisle

10 Camera stabilizers

11 Shade in a desert landscape

12 Relatives of shallots

13 Crepes in Indian cuisine

18 Asserts openly

19 On

and preached a new, radical message to the world: “love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.” Friday, March 13, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m.

GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

Mama Mia!

This energetic and irresistible story is set on a remote Greek island where a young girl plans her wedding while trying to discover who of three men may be her father. Featuring the classic hits of ABBA. Thursday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. | Friday, March 13, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

Seussical

From Horton the Elephant to The Cat in the Hat and Jojo, it’s a journey through themes of friendship and community. Friday, March 13, 8 p.m. | Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m. | Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

Under an Irish Moon: Tales & Tunes from Lady Gregory’s Hearth Music, Irish dancing, cocktails, and the poetic verse that inspired Ireland’s literary revival and spurred its fight for independence. Curated and directed by Stephanie Shine on the Tabor Stage. Sunday, March 15, 3 p.m. | Tuesday, March 17, 7 p.m.

TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Sea creature resembling a flower

Santa ___, Calif.

“Don’t worry, everything’s fine”

Country that, according to its tourist bureau, has

Don’t you believe it!

Title meaning “commander”

Cracks

We Saw You.

with MICHAEL DONAHUE

None other than Grammy-winning Eric Gales was the special guest/headliner at the “Studio to Stadium” event presented by Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South Passport to Opportunity, held February 20th at the Memphis Masonic Temple on Court Avenue.

JA president and CEO Leigh Mansberg taught Gales at Overton High School. Gales’ voice broke when he told the audience about Mansberg encouraging him when he was at Overton.

Gales got laughs when he toured the Junior Achievement Wang Experiential Learning Center. “ ese four- and ve-year-old kids know how to balance a checkbook,” he said. “Who thinks of that?”

As the event’s news release states, “Eric stood on the world stage once again, this time accepting a Grammy Award for his contributions to the soundtrack of the acclaimed lm Sinners alongside fellow Memphian (Lawrence) ‘Boo’ Mitchell.”

above: (le to right) Chiquilla and Eric

to

and

and

bottom row: (le to right) Daniel Carter, Col. Phillip Penny, Stuart Frisch; Josh and Lindsey Hammond, Nicole and Jason McNeil

FOOD By Michael Donahue

A Taste of Local Lime

Restaurant o ers a di erent take on Mexican food.

Local Lime’s rustic tortilla soup was the instigator of this story. Someone said I should try it, which was one of the delicacies featured at the recent Youth Villages Soup Sunday at e Kent. I did. And I went back for another cup. And then I went back for another cup.

e soup is on the menu at the restaurant at 7605 West Farmington Boulevard in Saddle Creek in Germantown, Tennessee.

According to the menu, rustic tortilla soup is Local Lime’s “signature rich chile broth with grilled chicken, topped with avocado, fried corn tortilla strips, jack cheese, and cilantro.”

verde instead of red tomato sauce.” And they wanted “more fresh salads” and “more chili sauces over sh instead of burritos.”

Local Lime uses “a lot of herbs and spices that are more vibrant.” People rave about their salsas, she says. “ ey are so standout and unique. ere are six of them.” And, she adds, “People order our salsas more than guacamole. ey’re very di erent. And you can’t get things that taste like them anywhere else.”

I’d never been to Local Lime, so I set up an interview with one of the restaurant’s founders, Amber Brewer of the Yellow Rocket Concepts team, to learn more about the place and its food.

“ ere are only three locations of Local Lime that exist,” Brewer told me. “ e rst one we opened 15 years ago in West Little Rock. So, we’ve been around.” e next one was in Rogers, Arkansas, seven years ago. e one in Germantown is their third location. “We opened it two years ago and it’s gone wonderfully. So much so that we are going to be opening another location out of state.” ey are planning one for Leawood, Kansas, and are opening one in Frontenac, Missouri, near St. Louis. “We don’t want to go too far out of the Southeast.”

So, what makes Local Lime di erent? “ e idea with Local Lime was, man, we had a ton of Tex-Mex options around. Right? Little Rock also claims to have invented cheese dip.” But their group wanted to do something di erent. ey wanted Baja-style Mexican food. “ e type of Mexican food you get in California versus the type of Mexican food in Texas,” Brewer says. eir chefs wanted to feature “a fresh, light, and bright spin on Mexican food. People were craving something lighter and more vibrant,” says Brewer. ey were craving “queso” dip, “which is made di erently with di erent cheese.” ey also were craving “more salsa

Chris McMillan, from Little Rock, is their executive chef. “We have multiple chefs that have contributed to this. He leads our executive chef team. He is the one who leads the entire e ort to bring his menus to life. He makes sure everything is perfect.”

e interior of Local Lime, in Saddle Creek on the north side of Poplar, is very inviting. Brewer, the team’s chief creative o cer, designs the Local Lime interiors. “What I was going for was an airy vibe that mimics the food, taking cues from the California coast and Mexican cafes.” She used a lot of cement blocks and tiles — “materials typically used in those locations.” She also used “a lot of slatted wood, which was meant to mimic outdoor pergolas or shutters.” And she used terracotta and adobe.

General manager Scarlett Sta ord told me the salmon Vera Cruz skillet and the birria quesadilla plato were two popular items. I chose the salmon dish, which included grilled salmon with tomato, peppers, garlic, grilled onions, green olives, cebolitas (Mexican spring onions), capers, roasted lemons, grilled jalapeño, and cilantro. Served sizzling hot in a cast iron skillet, it was fantastic.

I also had my Soup Sunday favorite, the rustic tortilla soup, which was as delicious as it was at the event. And I got a lot more of it in a bigger bowl than in the little cups at the Youth Villages tasting.

A wedge of lime graced everything I ordered, including the delicious Key lime pie. All the cuisine at Local Lime is better with that “hint of citric acid right before you enjoy it,” Brewer says. And it looks pretty, too.

Mended Therapy

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By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication

Wait, What?

Folks in Camden, New Jersey, head to Donkey’s Place for their famous cheesesteaks, but it’s another of their icons that has the restaurant in the news. NJ.com reported on Jan. 7 that someone pilfered their walrus baculum — that’d be a penis bone — and owner Rob Lucas Jr. wants it back. Lucas said it’s a conversation piece and he often lets people guess what it is. Here’s how it went down: “The bartender handed it out for them [customers] to figure out what it was,” Lucas said. “She went to the back to do something else and then one dude stole it. We got his picture, but I don’t think he’s from around town.” Lucas said he doesn’t want to press charges. “We just want the thing back.” [NJ. com, 1/7/2026]

Well, This Is Awkward

CTV News reported on Jan. 6 that a Toronto-based sex toy store received a return of “adult items” accompanied by a letter from the U.S. Department of Defense. It seems the products had ended up on a U.S. naval base in Bahrain — a big no-no. “Please notify the sender that pornographic materials or devices are not allowed in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the letter read. “We didn’t even know it was going to Bahrain until it came back to us months later,” said Bonjibon owner Grace Bennett, 34. “It just kind of unraveled this whole hilarious moment.” She wonders if the soldiers stationed there know that such products are off-limits. “This sounds like a you problem,” she said. “I’m sad they didn’t get their order.” [CTV News, 1/6/2026]

The Way the World Works

• A 19-year-old girl identified as Pim sought the wisdom of a fortuneteller in Pattaya, Thailand, early on New Year’s Day, The Independent reported. The sage, 38, told her that she would meet with misfortune and lose something valuable, and he suggested she pay him to avert the bad luck. She declined and walked away — then realized her iPhone was missing. Pim went back to the spot where the fortuneteller was working and confronted the man, who said the missing phone was proof of his accuracy. Bystanders stepped in and found the phone in the fortuneteller’s bag, and police

were called. Pim’s phone was returned to her, and the shyster was taken into custody. [The Independent, 1/2/2026]

• Back in the 1940s, carpenters would sometimes slide a newspaper between the floorboards of a house to fix uneven planks, The Washington Post reported. On Jan. 14, contractor Vincent Vincent tore up boards in a home in Fargo, North Dakota, and unsurprisingly found a newspaper page from Oct. 6, 1946. When he showed the paper to the homeowner, Casey Chapman, 75, Chapman recognized someone in the photo on the page: his mother. “It was just a shock,” Chapman said. His family had no connection to the home before he bought it in 2017. That issue of the Fargo Forum featured the seven nominees for North Dakota Agricultural College’s homecoming queen, one of which was Marty Anderson, Chapman’s mom. (She won, by the way.) Anderson died in 2014. Chapman said she was “very active, and not afraid to take on leadership roles. My mother was a wonderful lady.” He and his wife have already framed the clipping and will hang it in their renovated bedroom.

[Washington Post, 2/11/2026]

It Was Only a Matter of Time Anthony Sapienza, 63, was charged with two counts of felony battery on Feb. 8 in Port Orange, Florida, after a brawl broke out during a pickleball game at the Spruce Creek Country Club, The Associated Press reported. Sapienza’s wife, Julianne Sapienza, 51, was charged with a single count of felony battery. The Sapienzas were playing against another couple when an argument began about a rule; words were exchanged between the men before the accused hit his opponent with his paddle, then punched him on the ground. Before it was all over, about 20 players became involved in the fight, police said. The victim was over age 65. [AP, 2/12/2026]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In theater, “breaking the fourth wall” means acknowledging the audience. An actor steps out of the pretense that what’s happening on stage is real. It’s a disruptive moment of truth that can deepen the experience. I would love you to break the fourth wall in your own life, Aries. It’s a favorable time to slip free of any roles you’ve been performing by rote and just blurt out the more interesting truths. Tell someone, “This isn’t working for me.” Or say, “I need to be my pure self with greater authenticity.” Breaking the fourth wall won’t ruin the show; it will be more fun and real and entertaining.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): English speakers like me use the terms “destiny” and “fate” interchangeably. But a scholar of ancient Sumer claims they had different meanings in that culture. Nam, the word for “destiny,” was fixed and immutable. Namtar, meaning “fate,” could be manipulated, adjusted, and even cheated. I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because I believe you now have a golden chance to veer off a path that leads to an uninteresting or unproductive destiny and start gliding along a fateful detour.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The coming months will be a favorable time for you to shed the fairy-tale story of success that once inspired you when you were younger and more idealistic. A riper vision is emerging, calling you toward a more realistic and satisfying version of your life’s purpose. The transformation may at first feel unsettling, but I believe it will ultimately awaken even deeper zeal and greater creativity than your original dream. Bonus: Your revised, more mature goals will lead you to the very rewards your youthful hopes imagined but never quite delivered.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Even if you’re not actually far from home, Cancerian, I bet you’re on a pilgrimage or odyssey of some kind. The astrological omens tell me that you’re being drawn away from familiar ideas and feelings and are en route to an unknown country. You’re transforming, but you’re not sure how yet. During this phase of exploration, I suggest that you adopt a nickname that celebrates being on a quest. This will be a playful alias that helps you focus on the pregnant potential of this interlude. A few you might want to consider: Journey Seed, Threshold Traveler, Holy Rambler, Map-Edge Maverick, or Wanderlust Wonderer. Others? Choose one that tickles you with the sense that you are being born again while you travel.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Love is more than a gentle glow in your heart or a pleasurable spark in your body. When

By Rob Brezsny

fully awakened and activated, it becomes a revolutionary way of being in the world that invites you to challenge and rethink all you’ve been taught about reality. It’s a bold magic that alters everything it encounters. You can certainly choose a milder, tamer version of love if you wish. But if you’d like to evolve into a love maestro — as you very well could during the next 12 months — I suggest you give yourself to the deeper, wilder form. Do you dare?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Octopuses have neuron clusters in their arms that enable them to “think with their limbs.” Let’s make them your spirit creature for now, Virgo. Your body’s intuitions are offering you guidance that might even be as helpful as your fine mind. This enhanced somatic brilliance can serve you in practical ways: a creative breakthrough while doing housework, a challenging transition handled with aplomb, a fresh alignment between your feelings and ideas. I hope you will listen to your body as if it were a beloved mentor. Trust your movements and physical sensations to reveal what you need to know.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I love your diplomatic genius: the capacity to understand all sides, to hold space for contradictions, to find the middle ground. But right now it’s in danger of curdling into a kind of self-erasure where your own desires become the one thing you can’t quite locate. Another way to understand this: You are so skilled at seeing everyone’s perspective that you sometimes lose track of your own. Here’s the antidote I recommend: Practice the revolutionary act of having strong opinions, of preferring one thing over another without immediately undercutting your preference with a counter-argument. I guarantee that your relationships will survive your decisiveness. In fact, they will deepen as people locate the real you beneath your exquisite balance.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): New love cravings have been welling up inside you, Scorpio. These cries of the heart may confuse you even as they delight you and invigorate you. One of your main tasks is to listen closely to what they’re telling you, but to wait a while before expressing their messages to other people. You need to study them in detail before spilling them out. Another prime task is to feel patient awe and reverence for the immensity and intensity of these deep, wild desires.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you are fulfilling your birthright as a Sagittarius, you are a philosopher-adventurer with a yearning for deep meaning. As you seek out interesting truths, your restless curiosity is a spiritual necessity.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Can you compel acts of grace to intervene in your destiny? Can bursts of divine favor be summoned through the power of your will? Some spiritual scholars say, “Absolutely not.” They claim life’s wild benevolence arrives only through the mysterious tides of fate — impossible to solicit and impossible to predict. But other observers, more open-minded, speculate that your intelligent goodness might indeed attract the vivid generosity of cosmic energies. I bring this up because I suspect you Pisceans are either receiving or will soon receive blessings that feel like divine favor. Did you earn them, or are you just lucky — or some of both? It doesn’t matter. Enjoy the gift.

You understand that wisdom comes from collecting diverse, sometimes contradictory experiences and weaving them into a coherent worldview. You have a fundamental need to keep expanding and reinventing what freedom means to you. All these qualities may make some people nervous, but they really are among your primary assignments now and forever. They are especially important to cultivate these days.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In traditional navigation, “dead reckoning” means finding your position by tracking your previous movements. Where you have been tells you where you are. But it only works if you’ve been honest about your course. If you’ve been misleading yourself about the direction you have been traveling, dead reckoning will get you lost. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because I really want you to rededicate yourself to telling yourself the deepest, strongest, clearest truths. Where have you actually been going? Not where you told yourself you were going or where other people imagined you were going, but where your choices have actually been taking you. Look at the pattern of your real movements, not your stated intentions. Once you know your true position, you can chart a true course for the future.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’re entering a rambling zigzag phase. Each plot twist will branch into two more, and every supposed finale will reveal itself as the opening act of another surprise. Fortunately, your gift for quick thinking and innovative adaptation is sharper than ever, which means you will flourish where others might freeze. My suggestion? Forget the script. Approach the unpredictable adventures like an improv exercise: spontaneous, playful, and open to the fertile mysteries .

Nominations Are Open!

It’s time to pitch us on the best and brightest leaders in Memphis.

OF THE YEAR 2026

Every year, Memphis Magazine honors several CEOs who have proven to be exemplary in their fields, leading their companies to success on local, regional, national, and international stages.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2026 CEO of the Year awards. Memphis is blessed with tremendously talented executives in charge of their companies and organizations, and we want to hear from you about the best in the business. Pitch us on why they should get the award: vision, achievements, business philosophy, employee relations, management style, and special qualities. Several candidates will be selected for the 2026 awards and will be featured in the May issue of Memphis Magazine

A breakfast will be held to honor the winners on May 21st at Memphis Botanic Gardens, Hardin Hall. Please send nominations to nominate@ memphismagazine.com by:

Friday, March 13th

Back From the Grave and Ready to Party

Everything that’s good and bad about e Bride! can be seen in its central character. Ida (Jessie Buckley) is a classic gun moll straight out of a Depression-era gangster picture. Alongside the champagne cocktails, furs, and jewels, she’s also privy to a lot of the violence her thuggish boyfriends commit as a matter of course. When she gets a little too lit and mouths o about Lupino (Zlatko Burić), a powerful mob boss who gets his jollies killing working girls and tearing their tongues out, his goons throw her down the stairs — a common occupational hazard for gun molls. But then, things get weird. Ida’s body is dragged up by Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening), who uses super-science to bring her back to life. e reanimated Ida can’t remember much about who she was before “the accident,” but she quickly proves that she still has a mind of her own when it is revealed that the reason for her revivi cation is that she is to become the bride of Frankenstein. Or

rather, Frankenstein’s monster, who now goes by Frank (Christian Bale). So far, so good, right? But here’s the thing: e reason Ida fatally mouthed o to the mob boss is because she was suddenly possessed by the restless spirit of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (also Jessie Buckley) who continues to possess and torment the unfortunate moll even a er she is reanimated.

See what I mean? It’s one element too many. Not only do we have the classic Frankenstein theme of “scientists so preoccupied with whether or not they could they didn’t stop to think if they should” plus a feminist revenge fantasy, but we also have a ghost story and the meta ctional aspect of an author becoming a character in the story they inspired. It’s just too many high concepts to shove into one movie. And yet! Without the possession element, we would not be treated to Jessie Buckley ipping e ortlessly between a Chicago apper accent and a rather posh English accent — o en

Buckley is a generational virtuoso, and Maggie Gyllenhaal understands what makes her fascinating.

within a single sentence! Buckley is a generational virtuoso, and actorfascinating to watch. At rst, the revived Ida, who Frank

of a monster stitched together from cadavers. But eventually, she comes around to him. He’s considerate, a big movie fan, and can cut a rug. Plus, chicks dig scars. But their relationship doesn’t really take off until Frank kills a couple of would-be rapists who get handsy with Penelope while she is dancing to Swedish electroclash phenom Fever Ray. (Like Streets of Fire, The Bride! can’t decide which decade it’s in.) They embark on a cross-country reign of extremely fun terror, pursued by a couple of detectives (Penélope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard), and inspiring a feminist revolution along the way.

I was laughing all the way through The Bride! Sometimes, it wasn’t the good kind of laughter. But I’m not sure this crew cares if you’re laughing with them

or at them. The actors are all having the time of their lives, and their enthusiasm is infectious. Gyllenhaal had a unique vision, and she produces a gusher of startlingly beautiful images.

The Bride! is all contradictions. Remaking Bride of Frankenstein, one of the greatest horror films ever made, is a big lift. Crossing it with Bonnie and Clyde, another classic, is certainly a choice. Gyllenhaal almost pulls it off. Or maybe she does pull it off. On page three of my notes, I wrote “train wreck;” on the last page, I wrote “glorious train wreck.” Is it a good movie? I don’t know. Is it entertaining? As hell!

The Bride!

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LEGAL NOTICE

Seeking title for: 2016 Ford Escape, black 4-door VIN# 1FMCU0GX3GUC56071

Anyone with an interest in this vehicle, contact Allen King, 2614 School Ave., Memphis, TN 38112, within 10 business days of this notice.

EMPLOYMENT

SR. MANAGER - IT

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objectives & targets; enterprise resource planning & product lc mgmt apps along w/ IT service mgmt concepts & ITIL framework; PLM funct; supporting & leading activities/teams in successful full-cycle impl (Blueprint, Build, Testing, & Go-Live) of SAP; SAP funct, business processes, & integration points across var mods; transition of proj deliverables & support to AMS staff incl setup of team structure, processes, & governance model; coord & managing activities across mult suppliers in support of functional (config) & tech reqs (BASIS, Security, PIPO, & ABAP); IT service mgmt in enterprise envrnmt delivering & maintaining co.’s IT services; Waterfall & AGILE proj methodols; leading & motivating teams; IT systems & tools; managing business demands, prog reporting, & status utilizing service desk ticketing system; & w/ MS Office tools (Excel, Word, Visio, & Proj). Must have legal authority to work in U.S. EEOE. Resume to: K. Gibson, HR Ops Specialist, Global Mobility, TK Elevator Corp., 788 Cir 75 Pkwy SE, Ste 500, Atlanta, GA 30339 or karin.gibson@tkelevator.com. Ref GJ93 + job title in cvr ltr/sub line.

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WANTED:

Not Optional

Accessible public transit is a civil rights issue.

Why are the civil rights of MATAplus riders treated as optional? For thousands of Memphians who rely on MATAplus, that question isn’t hypothetical. It is reality. It is the only way to get to work, school, medical appointments, grocery stores, faith services, and community events. I am one of those riders. For the operators behind the wheel, it is demanding public service work that requires focus, patience, and care.

Accessible transit is not charity. It is infrastructure. But it must be more than available — it must be safe, reliable, and accountable.

During Transit Equity Day, our community a rmed that public transportation is a civil rights issue. at a rmation must include paratransit. MATAplus is not a side service, and it is not solely medical transport. It is the core infrastructure that enables people with disabilities to participate fully in community life.

Too o en, MATAplus is treated like a safety net — framed primarily for medical appointments, or as an option for individuals whose families believe the xed-route system is unsafe. At times, it is even spoken about as if it were a separate bus system — a place where “those riders” belong. at framing is harmful. It reinforces stigma, lowers expectations, and quietly signals that some riders can tolerate inconsistency while others deserve reliability. MATAplus is not charity. It is not a courtesy. It exists because federal civil rights law requires public transit to be accessible. Period.

MATA leadership has emphasized e orts to be good stewards of public funds by reinvesting in portions of the existing eet while also purchasing new buses. Fiscal responsibility matters. But stewardship is measured not only by what is purchased, but by what is maintained, disclosed, and addressed.

Operators have described serious concerns about vehicle conditions, including exhaust fumes so strong that heat had to be turned o because breathing became di cult. If accurate, that is both a worker safety issue and a passenger safety issue. Paratransit vehicles transport riders with disabilities, many with underlying health conditions. Air quality inside a vehicle directly a ects vulnerable passengers and frontline workers alike.

On a recent ride, a driver suggested I consider arranging an alternative way home because the vehicle was running late. I had to take an Uber, which cost nearly $30 — an option many riders cannot a ord. For those who rely on power chairs, there is no practical alternative: Memphis has virtually no accessible ride-hailing options, and I know of only one accessible taxi driver. Even minor delays on MATAplus can leave riders stranded, highlighting the system’s critical role and the urgency of accountability.

Accountability builds trust. Trust builds investment. Memphis residents are o en asked to support transit funding initiatives. Transparency, oversight, and responsiveness are not barriers — they are prerequisites.

If Memphis is serious about transit equity, governance must be strengthened alongside funding. at means not only reinstating a fully appointed MATA Board of Directors, but also restoring the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee — the body that serves as a liaison between MATAplus riders and leadership. Even with such a committee, our community must have a seat at the larger decision-making table, ensuring that MATAplus is not treated as an a erthought, but as an integral part of the city’s transit system.

at begins with clear answers: What is the current condition assessment of the MATAplus eet? How are vehicle safety concerns documented and resolved? What is the unmet demand rate for paratransit trips? What formal crisis-response support exists for operators a er critical incidents? When will a full MATA Board be appointed to ensure transparent oversight?

Separate can never be equal. Accessible transit should never be treated as optional. If equity applies only to xed-route riders, then it isn’t equity at all. And if Memphis is comfortable underinvesting in the very service that guarantees access for disabled residents, we are not talking about e ciency. We are talking about whose mobility we value.

MATAplus cannot remain an a erthought. It is not an add-on. It is not a favor. It is a civil rights obligation — a cornerstone of community living. Equity requires accountability.

Memphians who depend on accessible transit deserve a system that works for everyone. If you rely on MATAplus, ride it, report concerns, and speak up. If you don’t, remember that public transit is our community’s backbone — and its fairness a ects us all.

Allison Donald is an independent living specialist/community organizer with Disability Connection Midsouth.