The Commercial Appeal
How governor candidates would handle AI, data centers
This story is an installment in The Tennessean's Q&A series On the Issues, where we asked the leading gubernatorial candidates to weigh in on some of the most pressing issues Tennessee’s next governor will face. Data centers and the artificial...
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Two midterms that shook up America
The conventional wisdom is that the Democratic Party has the advantage in the 2026 midterm elections and could become the majority party in one, or both, chambers of Congress. The margin of that anticipated victory is harder to predict. And the size...
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Data center moratorium fails with City Council tie vote
Memphis City Council declined to pass a moratorium on data center development in Memphis after a vote resulted in a 6-6 tie during an Oct. 20 meeting. Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-sutton was not present for the vote. Members of the crowd broke into...
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BUILDING UP VOTER TRUST
Recently, I moderated a national event that had college students speaking with election officials, something I often find myself doing this time of year. This year, a new question kept coming up: “If I’m voting by mail, can I trust my ballot will...
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Crash
It was not clear from the THP report who was driving the Corolla. “As Vehicle 1 (the MPD car) traveled through the intersection at Hickory Hill Rd, Vehicle 1 struck the driver-side of Vehicle 2 (the Toyota Corolla),” the narrative at the bottom of the...
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Inside Beifuss’ storied journalism career
When John Beifuss retired from The Commercial Appeal on Oct. 1 after 45 years as a reporter and film critic, his career statistics were fairly staggering. He worked for two major Memphis newspapers — the Press-scimitar and The Commercial Appeal — and...
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STAR Center expanding its music therapy services
A check for $25,000 is going a long way for music therapy services at the Star Center in Jackson, a vital service for people with disabilities. Music therapy is one of several programs at the Star Center and serves hundreds of individuals each year....
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Babian v. Salvaggio: Mayor seat open for first time in 12 years
A new beginning is set to take place in Germantown following the Nov. 3 election. Residents will vote on a new city mayor for the first time in 12 years. Longtime mayor Mike Palazzolo announced in June he isn’t seeking reelection at the end of his...
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Early voting is open
Oct. 14 marked the first day of early voting in Shelby County. For the next few weeks, registered voters can visit a number of polling locations across the county to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. The midterm elections feature a number of...
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TRUMP: MEMPHIS WAS ‘OUT OF CONTROL’
President Donald Trump made a recent campaign rally stop in Tennessee, where safety in Memphis was among his talking points. With supporters holding “Tennessee is Trump country” signs behind him, the president held a midterm campaign rally in...
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UTHSC aims to fulfill growing need for doctors in TN with new building
A new chapter in the University of Tennessee Health Sciences’ history is underway, with the Oct. 8 groundbreaking of a new building that will fill a crucial need for more medical professionals in Tennessee. The College of Medicine Interdisciplinary...
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Trump visits to ‘reward’ voters
CLARKSVILLE – Days before early voting begins in the 2026 midterms – where as many as three U.S. House seats in Gop-favored districts could be in play – President Donald Trump held a rare midterm rally in Clarksville on Saturday, Oct. 10 to “reward”...
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Memphis companies make impact around the world
Nestled on the Mighty Mississippi, Memphis has established itself as a world-class logistics and shipping hub, children’s cancer research epicenter, international paper-maker and a hub for other various innovative businesses and institutions. h During...
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Carlisle: We can be better
“happy to have engaged citizens but those people have to come to the table in good faith.” He said the council will need to “get noise out of the room,” so members can have clear communication, specifically on data centers. Per Carlisle, any...
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A family tradition, deep-fried to perfection
There are certain smells that bring you to a time and place in Memphis almost instantaneously. And one of the strongest, most nostalgic — and perhaps most welcoming — of Southern smells is that of a Pronto Pup hitting hot oil at the Mid-south...
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Edmund Ford Jr. sentenced to 2 years in federal bribery case
Former Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. was sentenced to two years in federal prison in his bribery and tax evasion case. Ford pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted tax evasion on Feb. 2, just under a year after being indicted for one...
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‘VERY ACTIVE DIALOGUES’
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, during an Oct. 5 media availability, gave brief updates on two Downtown Memphis developments and was vague when asked about the status of the Memphis Grizzlies’ new lease at the Fedexforum. Few details offered on Grizzlies...
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DJ Spanish Fly reaches new heights
For much of 2026, pioneering Memphis rap artist DJ Spanish Fly has been traveling the world, playing sold-out shows to adoring fans, many of whom don’t even speak English. This week, he will kick off another monthlong tour of Europe — which will see...
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MADAM GOVERNOR
One hundred and one years after a woman first became governor of one of the 50 states, Tennessee is poised to elect its own female governor. h For the first time in the state’s 230-year history, both major political parties selected women as their...
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Pastor helps mobilize Black churches after redistricting
The Rev. J. Lawrence Turner led a passionate church service in early September, giving his weekly sermon between interludes from a swaying choir standing around him behind the altar. But what brought the couple hundred people at Mississippi Boulevard...
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Queen of country’s dazzling legacy
Dolly Parton’s niece, Rebecca Seaver, has a favorite place inside the Life of Many Colors Museum: a rocking chair beneath wooden beams made to match those in the Tennessee mountain home where Parton was born. It is a small, quiet corner in a museum...
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Fedex data head talks using AI in daily operations at Memphis summit
Some of the nation’s largest logistics and supply chain companies are gathering in Memphis this week. The Greater Memphis Chamber and Memphis World Trade Club hosted Sept. 30 the Memphis Logistics Summit at Peabody Hotel. The event is part of the...
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‘We have a lot of work ahead of us’
The Memphis-shelby County Schools board elected a new chair and vice chair during a Sept. 29 business meeting. The board elected Tamarques Porter, who represents District 4, as board chair, and Sable Otey, who represents District 5, as vice...
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From church pews to doorsteps, a new fight for power across the South
When the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana this year, it also severely weakened a landmark Civil Rights-era law that has increased minority representation in Congress. Spurred by President Donald Trump...
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‘Something has to give’
Sitting in a recliner inside his living room, a baseball bat visible underneath the slight rock of the tan chair, Jason Haley reflects on the last 14 months. Since July 2025, he has seen his neighborhood, Colonial Hills, go from a quiet collection of...
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The shrinking continues
Memphis-shelby County Schools continues to lose students year over year, with over 2,000 fewer enrolled in the district compared to last August. At an Aug. 25 board meeting, Executive Director of Accountability Bill White said just over 101,000...
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END OF AN ERA
On May 26, 1916, The Commercial Appeal declared the newly opened Brooks Memorial Art Gallery in Overton Park to be “a proclamation to posterity” that was destined “never to be closed in the face of lovers of art and creators of things artistic.” h...
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‘Property Crawl’
About 400 people visited South Main Street in Downtown Memphis Sept. 17 to tour some of the area’s available prime real estate. h Organized by the Downtown Memphis Commission, its “Property Crawl” invited current and prospective small business owners,...
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‘It absolutely is still possible’
For many people thinking about buying their first home in their 20s, 30s and even 40s, purchasing a home could be more within reach than one might assume, despite higher interest rates. As reports on rising interest rates — specifically 6.67% as of...
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Boozer talks connection to national marrow donation
Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer visited Baptist Memorial Hospital on Sept. 22 to encourage the public to donate to the National Marrow Donor Program. Boozer, selected third overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, had his cord blood donated when he was...
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‘Tell the kids I love them’
Whenever I reflect on my father, my focus inevitably shifts to our final car ride together. I was 14. Much of my memory of that September morning in 1986 is lost to time, so I must recreate parts of it in my imagination. h I can picture us sitting...
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Kohen Wiley investigation handed over to Miss. attorney general
The investigation into the death of Kohen Wiley, the 1-year-old who was shot and killed by police officers in Senatobia, Mississippi, is now in the hands of the Mississippi attorney general, Senatobia’s interim Chief of Police Angelica Maze announced...
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UNPLUGGED
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person classroom instruction to go virtual, students suddenly needed to have their own laptops or tablets in order to interact with teachers and complete assignments. Most states used federal pandemic funding to...
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Dismissed
Since the Memphis Safe Task Force began making arrests in the Bluff City nearly a year ago, more than 400 criminal cases have been filed in federal court, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee filing nearly 40 criminal...
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DIGITAL DETOX
A trove of recent articles bemoan the collapse in recreational reading among younger Americans, with COVID-19 pandemic-related reading declines, artificial intelligence and social media often described as causes. But as the authors of “How Gen Z...
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U.S. human rights scores plummet
In the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections, how is the U.S. government performing in terms of human rights? Listening to politicians, it can be difficult to know. On one hand, some have pointed to a number of potential human rights abuses committed...
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‘It is past time to step up and do something’
After weeks of discussion — and two and a half years with one of the nation’s largest hyperscale data center projects in its backyard — the Memphis City Council moved forward in placing guardrails on data center development, while pausing on a...
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SEX-TRAFFICKING CRACKDOWN STALLS
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has repeatedly said the fight against sex trafficking is one of its top priorities. But investigations have stalled and prosecutions declined because of staffing shortages, funding cuts, immigration enforcement...
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Johnson: Congress shouldn’t lead AI safety
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said that artificial intelligence developers, not Congress, bear responsibility for ensuring their products are safe and rejected a national moratorium on AI buildout during a Sept. 13 appearance on CNN’S “State of the...
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‘I AM OUT. AND I GOT OUT ALIVE.’
Memphis Commercial Appeal USA TODAY NETWORK – TENNESSEE When Lee Harris assumed the role of Shelby County mayor eight years ago, his goal was to shift the public debate to issues that actually mattered to the average Memphian. h He was fed up with...
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THE FLAVOR OF HOME
Abarbecue restaurant in St. Louis was bragging about its Memphis-style barbecue. h That, in itself, might not sound particularly remarkable. Restaurants borrow from one another all the time. Regional styles travel. Recipes migrate. Pitmasters...
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TN’S population grew nearly 1% in a year
A Smartasset study analyzed yearover-year population changes in all 50 states to determine which saw the greatest growth or loss between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the U.S. Census. The study also identified which states have the...
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A GENERATION OF AFTERSHOCK
Aquarter-century later, 9/11 still echoes. h The worst terrorist attack in U.S. history has been followed by other seismic events, from a once-in-a-century global pandemic to the rise of artificial intelligence that is transforming commerce, education...
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‘Blessing to be here’
Big Cypress Lodge and Wahlburgers joined forces on Sept. 8 to present “Above the City” — a first-look event celebrating the renovations to multiple dining outlets at the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, including The Lookout and the relaunch of a new...
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Meet ‘Miss Kathy’ Sulentic, Memphis football’s quiet, viral godsend
It’s more than three hours until kickoff — the first one at the University of Memphis’ splendidly spruced-up Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium — on Sept. 5. It is sweltering, and Kathy Sulentic is scrambling to help get ticket scanners in place before...
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‘ISOLATED’
Severe storms, heat waves and wildfires can shut down the social life of a community, flooding out festivals, canceling community events and keeping people indoors. They’re also evidence of how climate change isn’t just changing the environments we...
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Memphis adventurer Dale Sanders reclaims Appalachian Trail record
Dale Sanders, a Memphis-area man who goes by the alias “Greybeard,” became the oldest person to hike the entire Appalachian Trail on Aug. 31. Sanders, 91, summitted Mount Katahdin in Maine around noon on the last day of August with five days to spare,...
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FIRST LOOK
Reimagined as the Memphis Art Museum, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is relocating to a Front Street river bluff, after 110 years in Overton Park. h Its migration follows the dissolution of the Memphis College of Art, which closed in 2020, after 61...
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Protestors show support for Memphis ICE detainees
About two dozen protestors gathered in nearly 100-degree heat outside a West Tennessee prison this week to support ICE detainees on hunger strike and demand better conditions for them. The Sept. 2 protest in the small, rural town of Mason — about 45...
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Inside Satellite Music Hall
After 18 months of planning and construction, Memphis’ latest concert venue, Satellite Music Hall, officially opens its doors this week. Operated by the Beverly Hills, California, entertainment giant Live Nation, Satellite Music Hall is located at...
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Officials divided over data center moratorium
A temporary 12-month data center moratorium in Memphis could be put on hold after Memphis City Council approved newly introduced resolutions that could eliminate such action. The newly introduced resolutions come two weeks after the council moved...
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Shelby County swears in mayor, sheriff, officials
Now-former Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery and now-former Shelby County Chief Deputy Sheriff Anthony Buckner were the highlights of Aug. 31’s Shelby County government swearing-in ceremony. Lowery now holds the position of Shelby County mayor...
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Inside new Grizzlies Prep charter school
Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School is in its 15th year, but it’s going through changes. The school, supported by the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation, is entering a new era — it recently added a new school for girls and it’s the school’s first...
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3 Memphis innovators tell how Epicenter boosted their startups
Over a decade after its founding, one downtown-based nonprofit is driving job growth in Memphis through the hundreds of startups it has helped get off the ground. Epicenter, founded in 2015, operates as educators, early investors and a support system...
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$226.5M RENOVATION
For years, as Memphis repeatedly tried and failed to join a power conference, school officials began to believe there were a few key things holding them back in those discussions. h Specifically: Academic standards that needed to be raised, a football...
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Colleges confront decline in reading
Anyone who has spent time on a college campus lately has probably heard laments from faculty about their students’ reading habits, or rather nonreading habits. Such complaints are more than an unfounded nostalgia for a bygone age. Reading – not just...
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Cramsey, trick play called ‘cuckoo’ led Kevin Decker to Memphis
The group chat has been growing for close to two decades now. It includes Arkansas offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and the quarterbacks who have played for him and who have graduated from college. There are 12 quarterbacks from his time as a...
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New Shelby County sheriff talks transition, first steps
Shelby County Sheriff-elect Anthony Buckner hosted the first of what he said will be many transition team meetings on Aug. 24 at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. The transition team meeting saw nearly 40 officials and...
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Country legend, gone
Dolly Parton, music icon, Hollywood icon, business icon, philanthropic icon, Tennessee icon and American original, who inspired children to read, workers to not be satisfied with their 9 to 5 existence and Whitney Houston to sing about always loving...
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Opportunity flourishes for Memphis youth at Urban Roots of Tennessee garden
Urban Roots of Tennessee, a new agricultural training center for youth in Raleigh is set to provide transformative learning experiences, generate opportunities for children and allow them to give back to the community. A ribbon-cutting was held Aug....
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TVA establishes new rate class for data centers
With the debate over data center development taking center stage in Memphis, the power supplier of Memphis Light, Gas and Water — which provides electricity to the city — is looking to insulate residential customers from utility bill hikes due to...
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A LOT AT STAKE
Elon Musk’s Spacexai will see one of its major litigation hurdles as the company and its affiliate, MZX Tech LLC, head to federal court. But when that happens is now up in the air. h The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi was...
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Toyota teams with Comfort Cases, stuffs bags for foster kids
Toyota Tennessee and Comfort Cases have partnered to give youth in foster care across West Tennessee backpacks filled with essential supplies. Dozens of Toyota team members gathered to fill 150 backpacks that will be distributed to youth in 20...
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Longtime Collierville-based window supplier expands
Owner of Maximus Building Supply Richard Cooper is continuing to push forward with the company’s latest growth strategy in the marketplace. Cooper said Maximus saw an opportunity to create a new revenue stream by expanding its focus and footprint. The...
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‘CURRENCY OF HOPE’
Army efficiency, family loyalty, forensic anthropology and “the currency of hope” merged Aug. 17 in Memphis to bring overdue emotional closure and a fitting ceremonial finish to a story that one participant termed “absolutely phenomenal.” h Eighty-two...
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TOO LATE TO RECONSIDER?
It felt inevitable. When Scottie Scheffler shook off a fluky bogey on the third hole at TPC Southwind on Aug. 16 by birdying two of the next three, a feeling of predictability started blanketing the Fedex St. Jude Championship. There was no way...
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REMEMBERING ELVIS
Lola Sewell had never been outside of Australia until her son, Jason Sewell, brought her to Memphis for Elvis Week. The trip was a birthday present. A 90th birthday present. The Sewells considered delaying their visit until Elvis Week 2027, which...
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Darana Hybrid, Spacexai battle over millions
A legal battle continues between Spacexai and service provider Darana Hybrid, an international electro-mechanical contractor. More than half a billion in construction liens have been filed against Spacexai affiliates, CTC Property LLC and MZX Tech...
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Meatloaf and a ‘missing’ King
Two of Elvis Presley’s closest friends from his inner circle were Charles Stone and Sam Thompson, both of whom were part of the King’s Graceland years in the 1970s. The two now live in Dallas and have gotten together with other friends for a weekly...
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Cancer survivor gets Purple Eagle plane honor
The night before surgery, Southaven's Luis Carlos admitted he feared the worst. He was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in 2022 at age 11. It's is a fast-growing, cancerous brain tumor that starts in the cerebellum, the lower back part of the brain that...
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From free speech to AI, new laws reshape landscape of education
As the new school year gets underway in Tennessee, several new education laws are changing the landscape for teachers, students and parents alike. Most notably, lawmakers expanded the state’s taxpayer-funded voucher program that gives families money...
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Critics take aim at Trump vaccine order
President Donald Trump hailed his new order on childhood vaccines as a win for parental choice as doctors slammed the move, saying it could lead to greater risk of diseases that were rarely seen for generations. Trump signed an executive order Aug. 10...
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Made-in-memphis ‘faith’ film gets national release
Can the influence of a Duck Commander, the strength of a former Hercules and the power of a “redemption arc” be a winning combination for a small-scale but big-hearted made-inmemphis movie? That’s the hope of the filmmakers and film distributors...
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Inside the King’s closet
“We wanted to show how cool his closet is.” Manifestos generally aren’t slangy, but that comment from Graceland archivist Angie Marchese might be the mission statement for “Elvis: The Fashion Icon,” an inevitable and even overdue exhibit that...
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UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Memphis has been home to a PGA Tour event for the past 68 years. h The tournament — in its various incarnations, from what was dubbed the Memphis Invitation in 1958, to the current Fedex St. Jude Championship — is the longest-running professional...
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