Good morning! Y’all know I now treat every first day of the month like it’s a holiday, but today is actually a holiday. Sort of. It’s 901 Day and you can celebrate with $9.01 specials at several restaurants around town. Plus, the Rendezvous will open its alley for the first time for outdoor dining. (Fingers crossed for the weather.) 

New Memphis will also host Exposure, a virtual forum highlighting all the things we love about Memphis and including live performances, art demonstrations and a panel of Bluff City experts. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

Homeschool teacher Brie Smith (right) works with Idlewild Elementary second grader Izabelle Chinniah, 7, (left) on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)

Screen time: Shelby County Schools began its grand experiment with e-learning, connecting more than 100,000 students, teachers and staff members (and let’s be honest, also countless parents, siblings, helpers and households) all together. It was not without its challenges, but it also seems like students were ready to get back to school in whatever form it took. At my house, the experience included classmates introducing their baby brothers and trying to introduce their pets, parents obviously on work calls in the background and no one being able to figure out how to use Teams’ hand-raising tool. And our poor teacher saying “Unmute yourself, don’t forget to unmute yourself” at least 1,000 times. Just like any other conference call, right? 

Masked competition? Say what you will about beauty pageants, but Miss USA and Miss Teen USA will be held at Graceland in early November. A limited number of experience packages are being sold, giving fans access to the competitions, panel discussions with previous winners and tours of Graceland: “The Miss Universe Organization and the team at Graceland have created an innovative event that prioritizes the health and safety of the contestants, audience, and crew who will join us in Graceland,” said the president of the pageant organization. 

Dr. Shana Stoddard, assistant professor of chemistry at Rhodes College, had her freshman students working on therapies for the coronavirus last spring while studying remotely. (Houston Cofield/Special To The Daily Memphian)

Freshmen go viral: Rhodes College recently applied for a patent on an antiviral that could reduce how long a person is sick with the coronavirus. And last week, the work of 14 students — many of them freshmen — was published in the journal “Viruses.” It began when Shana Stoddard, who oversees Rhodes’ Molecular Immunotherapies Research lab, wanted to give her first-year chemistry students a meaningful lab even when they couldn’t meet in person and didn’t have access to chemicals, “let alone environments at home for mixing them.” Instead, they began to design drugs to fight the coronavirus.

MEET MEMPHIS

Peggy and James Jefferson have operated Sherrod’s Furniture & Variety Store at 3666 N. Watkins St. in Frayser since 1995. (Ziggy Mack/Special to Daily Memphian) 

When the City of Memphis closed all non-essential businesses because of the coronavirus in March, it came during tax refund season — and what was generally the best time of year for Sherrod’s Furniture and Variety Store in Frayser. Then, in June, owners James and Peggy Jefferson were both diagnosed with the coronavirus, with James hospitalized for more than two weeks. But now, months later, the store reopened and the couple’s health recovered, they are still trying to get back on their feet. They’ve been in business since 1995 in their current location, and Peggy says she’s “holding on and trusting that I’ll be able to withstand and stay in business.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

Ryan Silverfield in December 2019, without imagining what was to come. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian file)

First game just days away: The University of Memphis football team is slated to begin its season Saturday night against Arkansas State and, despite all that has happened since Ryan Silverfield was named head coach last December, he still says it’s his dream job to lead the team. Geoff Calkins noted yesterday that doesn’t guarantee Silverfield will be a successful coach in the long run, “but during an unprecedented offseason — one in which countless veteran coaches have made highly public mistakes — Silverfield demonstrated time and again why Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch was wise to give him a chance.”

Parks, police and lobbies: The Memphis City Council is expected to celebrate 901 Day with final votes on at least two proposals: One to rename city parks, streets and public places and another to audit reserve police officers’ annual hours. The council also plans to take up an ordinance that would require lobbyists who contact council members to disclose they are lobbyists. 

Wait, Watt? After six years, Ryan Watt is stepping down from the helm of Indie Memphis. Watt worked his way up, participating in the festival first as a volunteer and board member before becoming the executive director six years ago. He plans to stay until his replacement is selected — and a committee to conduct a national search has already been created — but Watt wants to return to being an entrepreneur.

Small sub: The Germantown Planning Commission may give preliminary approval tonight for a new infill development off Neshoba Road. If a zoning change is approved, the four-acre site could soon see seven single-family homes; the applicant also says there is potential for other small subdivisions like it.

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

All of Memphis’ murals. This site has put together a comprehensive map and tons of images of the area’s street art.

Happy 901 Day! See you tomorrow! 

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