Happy Monday, Memphis! It’s Dec. 4, National Cookie Day, which makes sense as we’ve officially entered holiday cookie season. If you’re looking for recipes, why not give these Greek kourambiethes a try? They were a Memphis Greek Festival favorite of our late dining editor Jennifer Biggs, and she recommended making them for Christmas.

The Shelby County Commission meets today, and they’ll vote on the final piece of funding for Whitehaven High School’s new STEM center.

And if you’re planning the rest of your week, check out This Week in Memphis, where you can read more on big events happening in the days ahead.

THE NEED TO KNOW

“There are 97 security companies in Memphis. Probably 12 are legitimate,” said Black Flag Security CEO Courtney Simpson. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Sense of security: With Memphis crime on the rise, local businesses are spending more on security measures. It’s not cheap, and some businesses are feeling the pinch. “We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Josh Hammond, president of Buster’s Liquor & Wines. And now some security companies are no longer willing to provide unarmed guards. “They have to have a way to defend themselves,” said Black Flag Security owner Courtney Simpson. In one case though, an unlicensed armed guard from Allied Universal Security Services, Gregory Livingston, shot and killed a man at a Kroger gas station on Poplar Avenue in 2021 over loud music. Now, Allied is being fined by the state for using unlicensed guards, and one local security professional said the situation has “given us a major black eye.”

Demetrius Haley

Inmates tried to warn of ex-cops’ behavior: Demetrius Haley, one of the five former Memphis Police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death, worked as a Shelby County corrections officer before his time with the MPD. And inmates at the jail sent a letter to the former county mayor and other officials to warn them of Haley’s alleged dangerous behavior. Personnel records for Haley revealed that he had multiple allegations of violating departmental policy during his time at the jail, including excessive use of force related to an incident with inmate Cordarlrius Sledge. Most of the claims against Haley were found to be unsubstantiated, but the inmates’ letter pleaded with former Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to look into Haley “before someone gets hurt really bad or lose(s) their life.”

Memphis City Council chair Martavius D. Jones (right) and council member JB Smiley Jr. both traveled with other council members to Washington twice this year. In the last 18 months, the council has spent more than $66,000 on travel. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Hey, big spenders: Memphis City Council spending records show that members have racked up large bills using taxpayer-funded credit cards for catering, travel, lobbyists and more. The council spent more than $32,000 on catering this year and part of last year, including an $1,800 bill for council chair Martavius Jones’ birthday party. And they spent more than $66,000 on travel, including charges to four-star hotels in Nashville and Washington D.C. The council’s spending documents were made public after council member Edmund Ford Sr. asked for an audit of the council’s spending. Ford appeared to accuse Jones and council member JB Smiley Jr. of financial mismanagement.

MEET MEMPHIS

“I needed to find something to take him to the next level,” said Arieale Munson of her son, Steven Cole Jr. Munson received a voucher to pay for Cole’s private-school education. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Arieale Munson and her son Steven Cole Jr., a seventh-grader, were the first Shelby County recipients for state-funded private school vouchers. Cole, who wants to be a paleontologist, was performing far above grade level at a local STEM charter school, and Munson didn’t believe the school had the resources he needed. Now the voucher program is paying part of Cole’s tuition at St. George’s Independent School, and Munson has become a fierce advocate for Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account program. It allows families to use public dollars to pay for private school tuition, and it’s now expanding statewide with no income limits. Critics of the program say taxpayer money should instead be used to strengthen public schools.

THE NICE TO KNOW

“Memphis is my home, just like Japan is. When I couldn’t find what I craved, I knew I needed to fill the culinary void,” said Aika Renzo, owner of Wagashi Japanese Bakery. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Cats, coffee, cocktails and Japanese sweets … but not together. Memphis now has its first Japanese bakery. Owner Aika Renzo opened the delivery-only Wagashi Japanese Bakery this month, serving Japanese pastries, like melonpan (a sweet, crusty bun) and matcha mochi bars. And in other baked good news, Christian Brothers University student Sahra Hernandez has opened a cat-themed coffee shop called The Cats Cottage at N. Graham Street and Summer Avenue. In addition to coffee and tea, the shop sells cookies, doughnuts and baked goods from local bakeries. (I wonder if they sell cat-puccinos.) And finally, Black Lodge is unmasking a new cocktail bar, called Masquerade, in the front of the store, reserving its back bar and kitchen for events. The name is a nod to “Phantom of the Opera,” and classic cocktails and high-end wines are served as old black-and-white films play behind the bar.

North Memphis farmer Marius Blake worked in his greenhouse to bring fresh produce to the neighborhood. “There’s a crisis going on right now,” Blake said. “We’ve got a food crisis.” (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Rooting for their communities: Areas of North and South Memphis lack access to full-service grocery stores, so gardeners are taking matters into their own hands. In North Memphis’ Hyde Park, Marius Blake grows vegetables to donate to neighbors and restaurants. “He’s the best guy in the neighborhood for trying to help people … Whatever he touches turns to gold,” said Blake’s neighbor, Tommie “T.C.” Reddic. A nearly identical story is playing out in South Memphis’ Greenlaw neighborhood with Derravia and Bobby Rich’s Black Seeds Urban Farms. The Daily Memphian’s Keely Brewer looks at the city’s food desert problem and introduces us to the gardeners who are trying to fix it.

Yvonne Bobo (left) and Brendan Duffy are leading the creation of the Off the Rails Art Line, a two-mile path along an abandoned rail track. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Art walk: A proposed, two-mile path, tentatively named Off the Rails Art Line, across an abandoned section of the Norfolk Southern railroad could connect Memphis neighborhoods with elements of art along the way. “You could walk from Sun to Stax pretty quick this way, or you could walk from Elmwood [Cemetery] to the [Edge District’s] Ravine,” said Brendan Duffy of Off the Walls Arts. Duffy and his wife, sculptor Yvonne Bobo, have secured a three-year lease for the project. The couple has plenty of potential plans for the path, but my favorite is this: They’ve mused about a collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who builds giant trolls around the world. “We’d love to do a project with him here, something like a giant troll over the bridge at MLK,” said Bobo. “Every bridge needs a troll, right?”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose worked to the basket against Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, front left, in Dallas, on Friday, Dec. 1. (Tony Gutierrez/AP)

Weekend sports: The weekend was a mixed bag for basketball. The Memphis Grizzlies lost its Saturday night game with the Phoenix Suns, 116-109, but not without a battle. They had much better luck on Friday night with a 108-94 win over the Dallas Mavericks, who were missing their star player/new father Luka Doncic. Guard Jaylen Nowell, who is helping the team out on a hardship contract, started in Saturday’s game. And on Sunday, he was signed to a new 10-day contract. On Saturday, the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team fell to Ole Miss, 80-77, but fans did get to see a vicious dunk by Tigers forward Malcolm Dandridge. In Tigers football news, we learned on Sunday that the team is staying home to play Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29, so mark your calenders. And finally, for something a little different, our own Kambui Bomani offers a look at the University of Memphis rugby club, which is heading to the Final Four later this week.

Eric Flores stood outside his family’s taco truck, Taqueria Chelita, on Germantown Parkway. Menu items are made from scratch from his grandmother’s recipes. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

More tacos, por favor: Between 2010 and 2020, Memphis’ Hispanic and Latino population grew by nearly 6,000 people. And that’s fueling the growth of Mexican and other Latin American-inspired restaurants and taco trucks, including the Taco Cat truck’s new brick-and-mortar and new, coming-soon locations of Tekila Modern Mexican and Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos. “Most of these restaurateurs weren’t chefs in their own countries. They need to make it here and we love food, so that’s how it starts,” said Mauricio Calvo, executive director of non-profit organization Latino Memphis.

THIS WEEK’S WEATHER

We’re looking at a week of cold nights, chilly days and lots of sunshine. Pack a jacket.

Let’s go conquer the week, friends! Have a great one.

.....