Sending a spooky hello on this Friday the 13th! But, really, the only thing we should fear today is failure. The second Friday in January is known as Quitters Day, because, by this point, many people are expected to give up on their New Year’s resolutions. So let’s prove that theory wrong and get after those healthy habits. 

Tonight, the “First Lady of Southern Rap” Gangsta Boo, who died on New Year’s Day, will be honored with a “celebration of life” at Railgarten. She’ll be laid to rest on Saturday at Brown Baptist Church in Southaven. Also on Saturday, the Memphis Grizzlies will play the Indiana Pacers in an away game.

On Sunday, the Memphis Tigers are set to play the Temple Owls, and an exhibition of charcoal drawings by artist Jeanne Seagle opens at The Dixon Gallery & Gardens. For more weekend ideas, check out The To-Do List.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and The National Civil Rights Museum will host a King Day celebration with free museum admission, live music and more. The Memphis Grizzlies will play the Phoenix Suns in their annual nationally televised MLK game. See a full list of MLK Day events here.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Lisa Marie Presley and fans celebrated the birthday of Elvis Presley at Graceland on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Lisa Marie Presley dead at 54: Lisa Marie Presley — the only child of Elvis Presley — died on Thursday, Jan. 12, after being hospitalized for sudden cardiac arrest earlier that day. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known,” said mother Priscilla Presley. Lisa Marie appeared at Graceland last week to commemorate what would have been her father’s 88th birthday. As we look back on her life, here are 10 things you might not have known about Lisa Marie. 

The Memphis Police Department has hamstrung efforts to effectively respond to rising crime in the city, according to one officer. (The Daily Memphian file)

Memphis cop on MPD chase policy: In an opinion piece today, an anonymous Memphis Police officer lays out a carjacking scenario and runs through the reasons that he, as an officer, is prohibited by department policy from chasing the stolen car. While MPD does not have a “no chase” policy, there is “an extremely restrictive chase policy,” and he said “MPD needs to take responsibility and reign in this massive crime wave” by updating its rules on police pursuits. In response, Major Karen Rudolph of MPD’s Public Information Office shared why those restrictive pursuit policies are in place. 

Speaking of carjacking: Memphis Police say a group of six armed carjackers posing as police officers stole a car on Wednesday at the Hilton Hotel in East Memphis. The carjacking victims had minor injuries and were treated on the scene. 

In 2022, the Downtown Memphis Commission helped incentivize 38 development projects. (The Daily Memphian file)

State of Downtown: The Downtown Memphis Commission presented its annual “State of Downtown” report at The New Daisy on Beale. It was the first time an event was held in the concert hall since it closed in 2018, and the DMC is working to reopen the venue in the next few weeks. According to the DMC’s report, the organization helped incentivize 38 Downtown development projects in 2022, generating an additional $1.69 million in tax revenue last year. DMC President and CEO Paul Young also unveiled a new parking incentive for Downtown restaurant and hospitality workers.

QUOTED

“Here’s the rub. Drag racing is relatively hard to prove.”

— Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy
At a forum on reckless driving this week, Mulroy said reckless driving is easy to prove, but a situation must meet very specific criteria to qualify as drag racing. Drag racing is a more serious crime and comes with stiffer penalties.

THE NICE TO KNOW

This circa 1950 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows Jesse Brown in the cockpit of an F4U-4 Corsair fighter at an unidentified location. (U.S Navy/AP file)

From FedEx to filmmaking: FedEx founder Fred Smith financed the 2022 biographical film “Devotion,” which recounts the friendship between naval officers Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner, through his daughters’ production company, Black Label Media. Smith said Brown — the first Black pilot in the U.S. Navy — “is one of the great heroes of the republic who has been largely overlooked.” Future proceeds from the film, which is currently streaming on Paramount+, will be donated to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation to establish a fund in Brown and Hudner’s honor.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones helps paint a mural as he and other Grizzlies players and FedEx volunteers helped spruce up Springdale-Memphis Magnet Elementary school on Thursday. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Grizzlies give back: The Memphis Grizzlies will be busy playing their annual MLK game on Monday’s day of service, so they joined volunteers from FedEx at Springdale-Memphis Magnet Elementary to give back a little early. Ja Morant and Taylor Jenkins filled backpacks, while Tyus Jones and Steven Adams helped paint a mural. Speaking of the Grizzlies, The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington tells us that they’re the best in the league in alley-oops. (If you don’t know what an alley-oop looks like, here’s a beautiful one from the Grizzlies’ New Year’s Eve game.)

Collierville High senior Even Morasanchez demonstrators one of the school’s new flight simulators. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

License to fly: When I was in school, just getting your drivers’ license was a big deal. But Collierville High students will soon get the chance to earn a private pilot’s license. The Collierville Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a grant on Thursday that allows the district to purchase flight hours for training. “They actually go out in a physical plane and learn all the maneuvers,” said Superintendent Gary Lilly.

The Tops Bar-B-Q chicken sandwich is served in white sauce with tangy pickles. A combo, with the sandwich, a drink and two sides, is a $10 Deal. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

This deal is Tops: The service, not so much. Tops Bar-B-Q has a new chicken sandwich (pulled barbecue-style and dressed with an Alabama-style white sauce and pickles), and after hearing good things about it, The Daily Memphian’s Jennifer Biggs stopped into the Tops on Poplar Avenue in East Memphis for this week’s $10 Deal. Though she enjoyed her sandwich, Biggs waited 38 minutes for her food at the busy location. She’s got some tips on other Tops locations with faster service.

A motorist takes Miss. 302 past Braybourne Main, the primary entrance into the subdivision, while another driver stays put for an opportunity to join traffic. Residents there say pulling into the highway traffic can be quite hazardous. (Toni Lepeska/The Daily Memphian)

Sticker shock: Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams was shocked to learn how much money it would cost to fix a crash-prone area on Miss. 302. The State of Mississippi awarded a contract for a new traffic light, along with extensive curb work, at the Braybourne subdivision’s main outlet at Miss. 302. The cost: $4.6 million. “I would have thought we could put up five traffic lights for that much,” Adams said. The project will be funded solely through federal monies though, and residents in the area say accidents are frequent and the improvements are much needed.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Celebrities (like Sean Lennon and Octavia Spencer below) and ordinary fans around the world flooded Twitter with condolences for Lisa Marie Presley on Thursday evening. 

Have a great long weekend! The Early Word will be off on MLK Day, so I’ll see you again on Tuesday, Jan. 17. 

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