Merry (early) Christmas, Memphis! Today is Friday, Dec. 22, and this will be the last Early Word until next Wednesday, so I’m wishing you season’s greetings now. 

If you like the idea of Christmas caroling but can’t carry a note in a bucket, no worries: At Phil Kline’s “Unsilent Night” in the Cooper-Young neighborhood this evening, “carolers” will play music through portable speakers as they stroll through the streets. Or if you’d rather skip the Christmas events altogether, Black Lodge is hosting a “Seinfeld”-inspired Festivus celebration tonight, complete with an “airing of grievances.” 

On Saturday, last-minute shoppers can pick up locally made arts and crafts at Crosstown Brewing, and the Memphis Tigers take on Vanderbilt at FedExForum. Fans may get to see new Kansas State transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin in action, but that’s still up in the air, as is Jaykwon Walton’s injury status. If you’re staying home Saturday night, cozy up on the couch with some spiked nog and watch the Memphis Grizzlies play the Atlanta Hawks. 

Sunday, of course, is Christmas Eve, and if you’re looking for a place to eat, check out our guide to what’s open over the holidays.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Only nine of Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ nearly 200 schools received A grades in Tennessee’s rollout of school letter grades. East High School was one of the nine. (The Daily Memphian file)

Honor roll: If the state were handing out report card money, only nine Memphis-Shelby County Schools — out of 198 — would get the max. That’s how many schools received an A under the state’s new letter-grading system to evaluate performance. The grades are based on a week of Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests, and raw test scores are valued more than how much students have improved. MSCS officials said the new grading system misrepresents high-poverty schools and that education quality is more complicated than a letter grade. See how all of district’s schools were graded. Suburban schools fared quite a bit better, scoring mostly As and Bs, though one Collierville school received an F.

The Memphis International Airport is getting ready to embark on several years of massive construction projects, including the modernization of the front of the terminal, not touched since the building opened in 1963. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Out-of-town firm gets big airport job: Miami engineering and architectural firm EXP U.S. Services Inc. was chosen to design what could be a $250 million parking ramp for the car rental business at Memphis International Airport. At minimum, the contract will grow to about $15 million. Four firms bid to do the design, but none were local, which raised questions among some Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority commissioners on Thursday. “It upsets me that no one locally bid. Is that our fault or their fault?” said Commissioner Jack Sammons. The project is just one of several construction jobs coming up at the airport, including the modernization of the front of the terminal, which hasn’t been touched since it opened in 1963.

Attorney Ben Crump hugged Shona Garner-White, the mother of Alegend Jones, a teenager who died while in the care of Youth Villages, at a Nov. 29, press conference at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Youth Villages resident who died had rhabdo: Medical records for 17-year-old Alegend Jones, who died while in Youth Villages care, show she suffered from compression of the brain, acute kidney failure and cardiac arrest before her death. The records also show she was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis (more commonly called rhabdo), a condition in which damaged muscle tissue causes damage to the heart and kidneys. Although rare, it’s most commonly associated with long-distance runners and weight lifters. Attorney Ben Crump, who has been hired by Jones’ family, released the medical records on Thursday and urged Youth Villages to release video of the incident that led to her death. Youth Villages has denied the family’s claims of abuse by its staff.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reported an officer-involved shooting Thursday morning near the Nike North America Logistics Campus in Frayser. (Ben Wheeler/The Daily Memphian)

Suspect dies in shoot-out with deputies: A suspect wanted in connection with an attempted murder is dead after a gunfire exchange with Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday in Frayser. According to an SCSO statement, deputies attempted to stop a suspect wanted by the Germantown Police Department. The driver sped away and later collided with a van before opening fire on deputies. In other news related to an officer-involved shooting, the Poplar-White Station Library in East Memphis has been renamed Officer Geoffrey Redd Library, and the new sign was unveiled on Thursday. Redd died on Feb. 18, two weeks after he was shot by a suspect at the library. 

QUOTED

“We cannot simply rely on hearsay or rumors. We also cannot simply rely on evidence that Ms. [Wanda] Halbert is ‘bad’ at her job.”

— Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty G. Wamp
In a letter to Shelby County Commissioners, Wamp, the special prosecutor investigating Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert, said she’s heard plenty of complaints about how Halbert is running her office. But to date, she said her office has not received a formal written complaint. Wamp also said the investigation has been slow moving with unreturned phone calls and denied records requests.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was back in FedExForum Thursday night as he helped lead the team to a win over the Indiana Pacers. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Jaggle Bell Rock: If all you’ve been wanting for Christmas was Ja Morant and a Memphis Grizzlies home win, you got it last night as the star returned to FedExForum and helped lead the team to a 116-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Morant handed out plenty of presents (a 26-foot 3-pointer, an effortless pass to Ziaire Williams for an alley-oop slam, etc.), but the more reassuring part was that all three Grizz stars, including Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, combined for this win, with each scoring 20 points or more. It looked like the team really had their mojo back. As The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins said, “Morant has brought at least one more thing back to this season: Hope for a postseason, too.”

Russell Dyer has been named Collierville’s next superintendent. The board interviewed him and four internal candidates last week. (Abigail Warren/The Daily Memphian)

Second time’s a charm: Russell Dyer, the superintendent for Cleveland Schools near Chattanooga, will be the new superintendent for Collierville Schools. The district’s board approved Dyer in a special meeting on Thursday. Dyer, who previously worked for legacy Shelby County Schools, was a finalist for the Collierville district’s top job four years ago when retiring Superintendent Gary Lilly was ultimately chosen. This time, Dyer was selected from five finalists interviewed for the position. 

Fino’s South Philly sandwich has ham, coppa, provolone, lettuce and tomato-onion dressing. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

(Sand)wich craft: If you’re holding out for a hero or a hoagie, Fino’s from the Hill has you covered with so many options, you may experience menu “analysis paralysis,” according to food writer Joshua Carlucci. If you need some help narrowing down which ’wich to order, he recommends the South Philly, which is this week’s $10 Deal. “Super thin gabagool and ham dance saltily with the other fillings, the frictionless interaction mediated by the tomato-onion dressing,” writes Carlucci. (And who can say no to that poetry?) In Memphis Food Files, we’ve got news on the second location of Kukuruku Crispy Chicken. And in Inked, we’ve got more on a new Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe opening in Arlington.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

You’ve no doubt heard that dogs in the office are good for morale. But what about dogs in the airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year? Yes, please. 

Have a happy holiday! And The Early Word will return on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

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