Hey, guys. Good morning. Today is Wednesday, May 12, and the area is eagerly (maybe anxiously?) awaiting our newest health directive, due out officially today, which is poised to lift the area’s mask mandate. 

Oh, and exciting, today is the first official day of the 2021 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

A crew inspects the ramps to the Hernando DeSoto bridge a few years ago. I don’t want to mislead you; this is totally a file photo. (The Daily Memphian file)

A crack where?!? Well, nothing like a crack on a huge bridge over the Mississippi River to stop you — and everybody else — in their tracks. Yesterday, traffic over I-40 and the Hernando DeSoto bridge was diverted to I-55 after a crack was discovered in the bottom of a truss. Tennessee officials will reportedly take the lead on repairs but there doesn’t seem to be a timetable yet for reopening the bridge. It will definitely remain closed this morning through rush hour.

Mask destruction? During the area’s coronavirus task force briefing yesterday, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said the county’s upcoming health directive would shift “from a mandatory approach to a recommendation approach.” It was almost exactly a year ago that the Shelby County Commission passed a resolution asking the Health Department to require face coverings through September. Though we don’t know exactly what it will say, all signs point to the Health Directive suggesting and recommending people continue to wear masks but not requiring them to do so. But that doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily be seeing smiles. For one local expert, the lifting of the mask mandate doesn’t mean cases of the virus might tick up; it means cases of the virus most certainly will tick up — especially in specific ZIP codes. “There will be absolutely no question,” said Dr. Scott Strome. 

Sweetgrass and Next Door owner Ryan Trimm (left) prepped dinner with a skeleton crew last spring. Local restaurateurs are concerned about the removal of the area’s mask mandate. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian file)

Another thing on their plate: Restaurants have been a behavioral battleground since the pandemic began and, as we head into a possibly new, mask-less reality, local restaurateurs are frustrated that diners will be left to their own devices. Business owners will still have the right to require masks, but that’s also setting them up for arguments with potential customers. And what restaurants would really like to see, instead of the mask mandate lifted, is the removal of the so-called 6-foot rule.

Officer indicted: A former Memphis Police Department officer is facing criminal charges stemming from a January 2019 interaction with a mentally disabled man. William Skelton was indicted by the grand jury in November after allegedly pepper spraying a man detained in handcuffs, who Skelton had also taken into custody the night before. He’s the second officer charged by the area’s new Conduct Review Team, which was formed by District Attorney Amy Weirich last summer. 

QUOTED

“Decision to Leave. Magnolia Plantation on the Cane River, Louisiana, 2013” from the exhibit, “Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” 2002-2016. (Courtesy of Jeanine Michna-Bales) 

“Originally, I was looking at this as just capturing Underground Railroad stops, but then I thought it really needed to be from the first-person perspective.”

— Photographer Jeanine Michna-Bales
Michna-Bales’ “Through Darkness to Light” is currently on exhibit at the Museum of Science and History — Pink Palace until Aug. 11 and chronicles the journey that slaves would have undertaken to get to the Canadian border. The photographs, part of a project that took almost 14 years to complete, were all taken at night to show how the locations might have been seen by freedom seekers.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Workers from Balton Sign Company reassemble the restored Sputnik star the last time it was repaired. (Daily Memphian file)

Shiny, but not new: A long-time (and much beloved) Midtown star has dropped back to Earth, temporarily. The so-called Sputnik star, a rotating, colorful ball located outside of Joe’s Wines & Liquor in Midtown, is currently in the shop for repairs. But the liquor store’s owner says the sign will soon light up the night again. 

Sharron Johnson’s garden will be featured in this year’s Cooper-Young Garden Walk. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Over the garden wall: Kim Halyak is trying to make Memphis a premier garden tourist destination, and one of the ways she’s doing that is the Cooper-Young Garden Walk. The annual event, which is on May 15 and 16 this year, features 90 Cooper-Young gardens (42 of which are designated as secret gardens and require tickets). Attendees might expect to see herb gardens, Ameraucana hens, a tree of heaven and maybe even a she shed.

Vaccine irregularities: There was a time when a dose of vaccine seemed worth its weight in gold: People were waiting in hours-long lines or perhaps sneaking across state lines to get one. And in that environment, the State of Tennessee alleged that Shelby County’s vaccination efforts were marred by theft, waste and improper temperatures. But a report on those issues has not yet been released, and County Mayor Lee Harris says he’s not been able to validate the state’s more serious charges. 

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Another PSA around Barbecue Fest. 

Sauce, no matter how thick, is a liquid. Smoke is clearly a no-no, but I don’t know why you’d need to check your seasonings. I think I’d want to keep my secret spices close. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

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