The Early Word: AC problems close schools; Half Shell opens new hot spot
Welcome to another hot and sweaty summer day. It’s Tuesday, Aug. 6, and you may want to pack some extra deodorant and a neck fan in your work bag.
Things are heating up at the Memphis City Council meeting today, where they’ll be talking about ballot referendums, Liberty Park development and the appointment of Joann Massey as president of the Economic Development Growth Engine, among several other items.
Students at some Memphis-Shelby County Schools weren’t saved by the bell on Monday. No, they were saved by faulty air-conditioning. Twelve schools closed early on the first day of class because the AC was out in some classrooms and gyms on a day when the heat index was nearly 100 degrees, a problem one MSCS board member says the district has known about for weeks.
Locally owned seafood chain Half Shell is expanding with a new location in Germantown. Just last month, the restaurant was sold to Forest Hill Partners LLC by longtime restaurateur Danny Sumrall, who retired after about three decades in the business. Gene Barzizza, the head of Forest Hill Partners, said the new spot is part of a larger expansion of the restaurant group that also owns Forest Hill Grill.
Plus, two Memphis mayoral appointments go before the Memphis City Council, and we remember Cordell Walker and Tucker Rudd.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time running marathons and ultras. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
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