Cheers to the weekend, Memphis! We made it. It’s Friday, Feb. 24, and Ballet Memphis pays homage to love in “Winter Mix: Love Songs/Love Stories” tonight.

It may be Lent, but your dog doesn’t care: There’s a Mardi Growl party for pups at Overton Bark on Saturday. In the afternoon, filmmaker Mike McCarthy will screen his new film, “Beatnik Manor,” and you can catch a Shaft double feature at the Time Warp Drive-in Saturday night. Also on Saturday night, the Memphis Grizzlies are back at home to play the Denver Nuggets (and the team’s two-time MVP Nikola Jokic).

There’s more basketball at home on Sunday as the Memphis Tigers take on the Cincinnati Bearcats at FedExForum. For more weekend ideas, check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Advocates gathered for a rally at the state capitol complex in Nashville to oppose a series of bills that target the LGBTQ community. (Jonathan Mattise/AP file)

Trans youth care ban could become law: A state bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth passed the Tennessee House on Thursday, 77-16. Now the bill heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for a signature. The bill prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming care, like puberty blockers and hormones, to anyone under the age of 18. It passed on a mostly partisan Republican vote, but three Democrats (including two from Memphis) voted for it. Civil rights groups have vowed an immediate lawsuit if the bill becomes law. None of the health care-related organizations that contribute the most heavily to Tennessee politicians publicly opposed the bill.

Suspects in a mass shooting that took place in the early morning hours of Feb. 19 are out on bond. (Jasmine McCraven/The Daily Memphian)

Whitehaven shooting suspects out on bond: Ladarius Marion and Julius Freeman, the two suspects in a mass shooting that occurred in and around Whitehaven’s Live Lounge nightclub, on Feb. 19, have posted bond. Bonds for both Marion and Freeman were lowered to $25,000 — from $800,000 and $150,000, respectively. Defense attorney Leslie Ballin, who is representing Marion, provided a couple of reasons as to why his client’s bail was lowered. 

FedEx pilots embarked from a chartered bus to picket outside of the Air Operations center on June 28, 2022. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Strike one: FedEx pilots are one step closer to a strike. On Wednesday, the Air Line Pilots Association confirmed that its FedEx Express Master Executive Council unanimously approved a strike authorization vote. Since May 2021, the pilot’s union has been in negotiations with FedEx over a contract that would increase retirement benefits and take into account quality of life issues. Despite the vote in favor of a strike, there are several other steps in the process before the pilots could actually begin a strike.

One of the heroes of Thursday night was Memphis Tigers guard Johnathan Lawson. (Kevin M. Cox/AP file)

One for the road: It was a close game, but the Memphis Tigers were the victor in their Thursday night road match with the Wichita State Shockers, 83-78. Point guard Kendric Davis returned after his Feb. 16 ankle injury, scoring a team-high 19 points despite lingering pain. The youngest Tiger, Johnathan Lawson, drained a critical shot with just over a minute left and called it “one of the best moments in my Tigers career so far.” The win means the Tigers have some breathing room as the team sits squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins tells us why this is a team that “so richly deserves a trip to the NCAAs.” In not-so-great news, guard Keonté Kennedy punched a wall and broke his hand after the team’s loss to Houston last week; he’s out for the rest of the season. That Houston loss led to some national talk on whether Coach Penny Hardaway was “the right guy at Memphis,” and our own John Martin has no doubt that he is.

MEET MEMPHIS

Germantown Pharmacy co-owner Tammy Folk and her partner Steve Thornton started the pharmacy to provide patient-friendly interactions. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Germantown Pharmacy co-owner Tammy Folk began working at a Super D in the suburb when she was 15 years old, and she eventually became a pharmacy technician. Steve Thornton, Germantown Pharmacy’s other co-owner, was a district manager for Super D. When the two opened their own pharmacy, they tried to duplicate Super D’s business model with a focus on customer care and patient-friendly interaction. Now, after three years of running their business through a pandemic, Germantown Pharmacy has outgrown its space.

THE NICE TO KNOW

An adult entree order, like these Swedish meatballs (right), scores you two free kids meals on Wednesdays at Ikea. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

No assembly required: Ikea may be known for its cheap furniture, but the food is affordable, too. On Wednesdays, two kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal, so The Daily Memphian’s Jennifer Biggs loaded up the grandkids and headed to the Swedish superstore. For $7.99 (plus tax), Biggs got a full plate of Ikea’s trademark Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lignonberry jam, and the little ones had meatballs, chicken tenders and fries. Don’t have little kids? There are different meal deals every week day at Ikea. (And here’s a bonus $10 deal that you won’t find in the story: Ikea’s veggie dog is 75 cents, so you can get 13 dogs for under $10, before tax. Thirteen!)

Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant (left), went up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid on Thursday, Feb. 23, in Philadelphia. (Matt Slocum/AP)

Last-minute loss: It really seemed like the Memphis Grizzlies would win their Thursday night match with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the win slipped away in the final 39 seconds. The 76ers eked out a 110-105 win, despite Memphis leading every minute of the game from the 10:38 mark. Desmond Bane started the game on a tear from 3-point range and scored 21 points in the first half. Our own Drew Hill points out that Bane was “as hot as teammate John Konchar’s sunburn.” (Konchar must have had a nice, sunny NBA All-Star break.) But in the final seconds, Bane missed two open 3-point tries to tie the game. And then Jaren Jackson Jr. missed the next one. Bummer.

“It’s a crucial area for the city,” said Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright of the Interstate 40-Canada Road area. “In some ways, it’s their front door.” (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

New TIF for Lakeland Gateway: The Shelby County Commission approved Lakeland’s third tax-increment-financing (TIF) district on Wednesday. The new TIF covers the Lakeland Gateway area in the two northern quadrants of the I-40 and Canada Road interchange. That area includes about 30 properties, including the proposed, 100-acre Ashmont mixed-use development. “This area of Lakeland has repeatedly been called out to me as an area of concern from a public safety perspective. … so that was part of the appeal of passing this,” said Commissioner Mick Wright.

Top of the ‘Sip, which is south of Goodman Road on the west side of Snowden Lane, will feature nearly 100,000 square feet of commercial and office space. (Credit: Courtesy Fisher Arnold)

Sip on this: Another big project is coming to Southaven’s Snowden District. The Southaven Board of Aldermen gave unanimous approval this week to a 16-acre, planned development called Top of the ’Sip. The project will bring 100,000 square feet of retail and office space, as well as pedestrian trails, an outdoor stage and a potential hotel, to the city’s entertainment and leisure core. The board also approved the master plan for the 12-acre Crossover mixed-use project this week.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

As a vegan, I have no opinion on Memphis barbecue. But if you do, you might want to watch this TikTok video. In it, images of Memphis’ most popular barbecue spots flash on the right as the woman on the left sings Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” But she stops singing when the video shows a place she doesn’t like. Shade is thrown. 

I hope your weekend is a winner. See you on the flip side.

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