Happy Halloween, guys and ghouls! It’s Friday, Oct. 31, and if you’re looking for a place to show off your Coldplay kiss-cam couples costume, here’s our Halloween party guide. Halloween is also the Celtic holiday of Samhain, and Irish Network Memphis is hosting its first-ever Samhain Festival weekend, starting with a fancy whiskey dinner tonight at The Brass Door.

The Memphis Tigers football team plays Rice in a road game tonight, and the Memphis Grizzlies kick off the NBA’s in-season tournament with a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers. If there was ever an appropriate time to boo the opponent at a sports game, it’s on Halloween, right? 

Other weekend highlights include the Brooks Musuem’s Dia de los Muertos festival, the annual Broad Avenue Arts Walk and — my personal fave eating event — India Fest. If you’re going to the latter, skip breakfast. You can find more on those events and others in The To-Do List. And don’t forget to set those microwave clocks back on Sunday.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Members of the National Guard walked down Beale Street on Friday, Oct. 24. (George Walker IV/AP file)

Crime is down and justice system is strained: The Memphis Safe Task Force has made a lot of arrests — 1,700 as of Oct. 29, according to their social media — and overall crime continues to trend down. But the already overcrowded jail is even more overcrowded, and the local court system is overwhelmed. Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy has floated “night court” to keep up, and the federal public defender’s office is relying on private attorneys for help. General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer said, “everybody’s really working unpaid overtime right now.” And one inmate we spoke with described deplorable conditions at the Shelby County Jail. In related news, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to provide dozens of lawyers to the Justice Department for temp assignments in Memphis.

Another jail death: Shelby County Jail inmate Dalton Goddard, 24, was pronounced dead Wednesday after being found unresponsive in his cell. The cause of death is not yet known. Goddard was arrested on Oct. 19 after what was likely a Memphis Safe Task Force stop for speeding; he was charged with drug offenses. It’s at least the eighth jail death this year.

The Mid-South Food Bank is the area’s primary food supplier for food pantries and other outlets that distribute food to the needy. (Aisling Mäki/The Daily Memphian file)

Oh, SNAP! The City of Memphis is stepping up to help fill the SNAP gap. On Thursday, Memphis leaders announced the city would provide $500,000 to help “strengthen food access infrastructure for families” as federal benefits run out amid the government shutdown. The majority of that money will go directly to the Mid-South Food Bank.

Gina Sweat was the first woman to serve as director of fire services in the city’s history. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

No Sweat: The Memphis fire chief with the most appropriate name for the job is retiring. Gina Sweat, who has led the Memphis Fire Department since 2016, was the first woman to serve as director. She was one of only two women in her recruit class in the early 1990s, and she offered some sage advice for women looking to get into jobs that they may not feel 100% qualified for. 

QUOTED

Mill closings and the implementation of the company’s multiyear 80/20 strategic plan also contributed to International Paper’s losses, CEO Andy Silvernail said during an earnings call. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

“We were in a spiral that you cannot be in in a business. We have reversed that spiral in 18 months.”

— International Paper CEO Andy Silvernail
On Thursday, Memphis-based International Paper reported a $1.1 billion loss in the third quarter, falling short of analysts’ expectations. The company recently sold off its cellulose fibers business, closed some paper mills and made other cost-cutting changes. And Silvernail said he’s confident IP is “on the right path.”

THE NICE TO KNOW

Franco Bordonaro (left) and Sylvia Leon (right) stood in front of what will soon be The Pop Spot. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)

What’s poppin’: Pop art meets empanadas at a new eatery opening on Brookhaven Circle. The Pop Spot Bar & Grill is opening in the former Bangkok Alley space with a pop-art aesthetic and a menu that mixes tacos and Latin American-inspired dishes with burgers and salads. Read more on that in Food Files, plus details on a fried-chicken chain and a wine bar that have closed their doors. Speaking of closed doors, the building that housed the recently shuttered Raven + Lily restaurant in Collierville has a new owner.

Chief Revenue Officer Jeff Rhodin showed a rendering during a tour of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s new Downtown location on Aug. 28. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

State of the Art Museum: Memphis Art Museum — the soon-to-be new name for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art — is set to open in its new building Downtown next December. The museum will have 50% more gallery space and — get ready for it — 600% more public space. That includes a street-level courtyard and sculpture garden with river views. In preparation for the move, the Brooks (er, Art Museum) has named a new chief curator. (Let’s be honest: It’ll be years before Memphians stop calling it the Brooks.) In other visual-arts news, our November arts guide just dropped.

Sincere Parker led the Memphis Tigers against Auburn with 19 points on Thursday, Oct. 29. (Memphis Athletics)

Let’s call it a learning experience: The Memphis Tigers got completely clobbered by the Auburn Tigers Thursday night in their last preseason game, which ended with a 100-71 Auburn victory. The Memphis team, which is made up of 15 totally new guys, never led and trailed by as many as 36 points. Coach Penny Hardaway said he’d “be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked at how we played.” But he’s looking at the bright side: Hardway got the chance to see all 15 guys in action, and he says he can learn from that. 

Little Italy Downtown’s calzone comes topped with a herby, melted butter and parmesan cheese. (Erica Horton/Special to The Daily Memphian)

This is cheesy: If you’re looking for a calzone with a “cheese pull … like something out of the movies,” food writer Erica Horton says you should get to Little Italy Downtown. The very cheesy calzones start at $7.99 and can be customized with various fillings for $1.50 each. Horton added a couple of meats and got a calzone that was big enough for at least two meals.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Hope you planned a long-sleeved costume this year! Here’s your chilly Halloween forecast.

Have a bewitchingly good day! I’ll be out Monday and Tuesday morning, but our very own word wizard Chris Herrington will be waking up with you. 

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