How’s it going, Memphis? It’s Wednesday, Dec. 17, and the owner of The Station has a new Memphis Alcohol Commission hearing today to try again for a license to sell liquor in his liquor store. Downtown’s Center City Development Corp. will consider a grant request for the old Club 616, which could be become a coworking space.

The Memphis Tigers face a big hurdle today as they take on undefeated Vanderbilt, a team that’s currently on the nation’s fifth-longest winning streak. And the Memphis Grizzlies will play the Minnesota Timberwolves — possibly without Ja Morant.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The Memphis City Council voted Tuesday, Dec. 16, to approve an additional 2% raise for Memphis firefighters. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)

Money matters: The Memphis Firefighters Association got an early Christmas present from the Memphis City Council Tuesday. The council finally passed the 2% raise the union had been pushing for, despite concerns by some over how to pay for it. And in other council money news, members approved the shifting of city capital funds from various projects to pay for Memphis Parks improvements. Among them: a new Audubon Golf Clubhouse and renovations to the Galloway Golf Course.

Memphis Theological Seminary may be closing next year. (The Daily Memphian file)

Trouble in higher ed: Memphis Theological Seminary in Midtown may close next year. The Board of Trustees for the clergy training center has recommended closure by next summer due to the school’s financial situation and its inability to find a partner institution. And in other news of troubled religious colleges, Christian Brothers University has eliminated 16 more positions. That news comes just days after CBU announced that it was finally on good terms with its accrediting body. CBU has struggled with money problems over the last two years and has cut more than 50 jobs and millions in programming to get off probation. The new job cuts hit hardest in the arts department.

Five Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members are suing over a change that cuts their terms short. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

On their terms: Five Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members are suing the Shelby County Election Commission over changes that would shorten their terms from four years to two years. A law passed earlier this year allowed the Shelby County Commission to move all nine MSCS board seats to the 2026 election. That move could effectively recall several board members, who claim the move was meant to punish them for ousting former Superintendent Marie Feagins.

Memphis Academy of Health Sciences Middle and High schools closed at the end of the 2021-22 school year. (Courtesy of the Office of State Comptroller)

School theft charges dismissed: A local judge has dismissed theft charges against the former executive director of Memphis Academy of Health Sciences and the school’s former finance director. Corey Johnson and Robert Williams were charged in 2021 for allegedly stealing money from the school to use for travel, child support and Grizzlies tickets. A third man was also charged, but it’s not clear where his case stands.

MEET MEMPHIS

Bodybuilding champion Kevin Swannigan, 71, owns Elemental Fitness and Performance of Memphis. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Kevin Swannigan is 71 years old. But you certainly wouldn’t know by the looks of him. The personal trainer at Elemental Fitness and Performance of Memphis, the gym he owns, has been working out since he was 11. That’s when he saved up money to buy a set of weights from the Sears catalog. Swannigan went on to become a competive bodybuilder, first in his 20s and again in his 50s. But his biggest claim to muscled fame is this: Swannigan was the model for the National Civil Rights Museum logo. 

THE NICE TO KNOW

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (middle) celebrated with his teammates after making a shot against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 9, 2022. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Big BC: The No. 17th best Memphis Grizzly in columnist Chris Herrington’s Top 25 is a guy who’s been injured more than he’s been on the court lately. (No, not Ja Morant or Zach Edey.) It’s bench warrior Brandon Clarke, the highest-ranked player in our Grizzlies 25 to have come off the bench in the majority of his games. Clarke may be injured a lot, but he’s had more staying power than most bench players of the past or present. And there’s good BC news today: He may make his comeback in tonight’s game.

The Bartlett TIF will help save Quail Ridge Golf Course. (The Daily Memphian file)

You get a TIF, you get a TIF: Monday was a TIF-tastic day at Shelby County Commission. Commissioners approved new tax-increment-financing districts for Lakeland and Bartlett. The Lakeland one expands on previous TIF boundaries to go beyond The Lake District development, and it resets a 20-year timeline. And the Bartlett TIF will use taxes generated by the Union Depot development to pay for traffic safety upgrades and help revive the Quail Ridge Golf Course.

Collierville residents and fire crews ceremonially pushed a fire truck into the city’s new Fire Station No. 6 on Tuesday, Dec. 16. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

That’s hot: Collierville celebrated the opening of its new fire station Tuesday. At 16,000 square feet, it’s the biggest station in town, and it has heated bays and those cool fire poles to slide down. It also has new, private bedrooms for the night shift designed to minimize sleep disruption for those not needed on a call. The station has been in the works for a while, but Collierville Fire Chief John Selberg kind of saw it coming first in a fortune cookie.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the third installment in director James Cameron’s heavily animated, labor-of-love sci-fi series. (Courtesy 20th Century Fox)

And more fire news: Are you ready to sit in a theater for three-plus hours? Director James Cameron’s “Avatar” series is back this week with the third installment, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which resumes the fight for the future of the imagined planet Pandora. Personally, I love the “Avatar” movies, but these are the kind of films I prefer to save for home viewing so I can stretch it out over several days. You do you though. Read more on “Avatar” and movie buff Chris Herrington’s other pics in Memphis Movies This Week. 

WHAT WE’RE TALKING SINGING ABOUT

Looking for an alternative to Wham and Mariah Carey Christmas songs on repeat? Listen to “Lost Nog: A Small Batch Holiday Compilation,” on Bandcamp. It’s a compilation of holiday songs by Memphis musicians, including Jeff Hulett, JD Reager, Alicja Trout, Graham Winchester and others. 

Enjoy! Oh, and our 2025 end-of-year fundraiser is underway. We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. Give today to support The Daily Memphian’s work.

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