The Early Word: When will the guard get here? What’s brewing near Broad?

Bianca Phillips By , Daily Memphian
Published: September 19, 2025 6:15 AM CT Premium

Just so you know, this is not the full Early Word, and you’re missing out. Become a subscriber, and you’ll get the full story in your inbox every week day.

Ahoy, Memphis! It’s Friday, Sept. 19, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and if you need some help brushing off your scallywag skills, this here pirate translator should help. On a more local note, it’s also Park(ing) Day, and the Downtown Memphis Commission has transformed parking spaces along Peabody Place into tiny parks. 

For more weekend fun, see The To-Do List. 

Partisan divide over guard: Support for the National Guard deployment in Memphis is deeply divided along party lines

‘Within the next two weeks’: That’s the timeline from Memphis Mayor Paul Young on the start of a federal crime-fighting effort.

Moving on up? If one Lakeland commissioner gets her way, she’ll have to start driving Downtown for commission meetings.

Brandon Clarke gets tackled … by second graders. Yes, our Memphis Grizzlies big man was nearly taken down by about 15 kids.

Ramble on: Something new is brewing near the Broad Avenue Arts District. 

You might get a kick out of this: Memphis is getting its own soccer team again.

How to ward off vampires: Keep this week’s $15 Deal in your back pocket for spooky szn.

Topics

The Early Word Subscriber Only

It’s GivingTuesday week! Will you join the celebration?

Donate now to help power our free community news access program.

You
know the value of having unlimited access to The Daily Memphian’s news. When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians with quality, in-depth local news through
  • free access at over 300 schools and libraries
  • free podcasts and radio broadcasts
  • free newsletters
  • and more!
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today. 

Thank you for keeping up with local news. Thank you for investing in our community. 
Bianca Phillips

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. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here