Spirit of Memphis
Ask the Memphian: The lizards have invaded Memphis! But it’s not really a bad thing
Two species of geckos can now be found in Memphis, part of an “invasion” from Florida. But not to worry: they aren’t causing any trouble.
Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
There are 396 articles by Jody Callahan :
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September 2025
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Arts & CultureGrandpa and the National Guard: A Memphis comedian goes viral
Zach Williams has hit comedy gold with his online clips about Grandpa, a National Guard veteran remembering his time in the Bluff City, and a bunch of Memphis-centric inside jokes.
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Public Safety Bond set on day two of hearing for DeAndre, Vinessa Brown
“I’m absolutely befuddled why the city government, why the county government and why the state of Tennessee would give money to a person to run a nonprofit organization when they had been convicted of stealing money from a nonprofit organization in the past,” said Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee.
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Spirit of Memphis When NICU patients, parents and medical staff meet again, the reunion has all the emotions
Nurses, patients and more gathered at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Saturday, Sept. 20, for a neonatal intensive care reunion.
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Business FedEx reports positive first quarter results
However, FedEx Freight segment operating results fell.
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Music Mellencamp, McBride, Gales to honor Memphis Music Hall of Fame inductees
John Mellencamp, Martina McBride and Eric Gales will honor inductees at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame ceremony on Sept. 25.
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Spirit of Memphis Businessman, entrepreneur Walker Uhlhorn dies at 88
Walker and Ann Uhlhorn had a love that endured for 65 years, even though he often found himself making the bed because she beat him — again — on the golf course.
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Public SafetyMemphis task force ‘evolving,’ local leaders say
The state National Guard is also being sent to Memphis, although exactly what its job will be and where they will be deployed remain some of the biggest unanswered questions.
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The To-Do List Cooper-Young Fest, Pride Fest (again) and the co-creator of the Ninja Turtles
This week, Southaven launches its hummingbird fest, the Halloran Centre celebrates 10 years and Beale Street throws a 100th birthday party for B.B. King.
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City of MemphisCity to install 30 new traffic cameras — but enforcement efforts lack real teeth
Beginning Sept. 30, the cameras will be used to issue warnings to drivers who are speeding in those 15 areas, officials said. On Oct. 30, the grace period will end, and citations will begin with violators being mailed a ticket for $50.
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Education Total enrollment at U of M declines by 3%, but school officials find positives in the numbers
University officials said the school’s incoming freshmen averaged a 3.63 GPA, which officials said was the highest since the school began tracking that data in 2004.
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State Government West Tennessee ICE facility receives first detainees
The Mason, Tennessee, ICE detainment center was approved in August. However, the second vote was contentious and confusing, causing pushback from the ACLU.
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GermantownAt Germantown Festival, it’s all about weenies
Miniature dachshunds took over the Germantown Festival on Saturday, as they do most every year with the Running of the Weenies race.
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Public Safety Judge in police union vs. city case recuses herself
The case involves a battle over the rank of second lieutenant, which city officials created for the Memphis Police Department in an effort to get more front-line supervisors in the field.
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Shelby County Former Sheriff Bill Oldham dies
Oldham served as both the head of the Memphis Police Department as well as the Shelby County sheriff during a lengthy career in law enforcement.
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North MississippiOlive Branch will ‘cease communications’ with Daily Memphian
After being denied a free subscription to The Daily Memphian, the Olive Branch mayor says his city will no longer speak to anyone from the news site.
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Education U of M board approves $100,000 bonus for President Bill Hardgrave
Although some in the University of Memphis community are angry with President Bill Hardgrave over the recent end of the school’s DEI efforts, the school’s Board of Trustees awarded him a $100,000 performance bonus Wednesday.
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Education U of M hits record fundraising, but as donors and federal funding drop, causes for concern remain
“I think it’s incredible that with all the things going on in our country, that we’ve had record fundraising,” said a board member. “... We’re going to have to ride (our fundraisers) really hard and look for our community to help us.”
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Public Safety Woman accused of shooting Ricky Floyd charged with second-degree murder
Ricky Floyd, senior pastor of Pursuit of God Church, was killed early that morning outside Momma’s bar south of Downtown Memphis in the early morning of March 12.
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Visual Arts Memphis author and filmmaker’s latest work to debut at Venice Film Festival
Memphis filmmaker and author Robert Gordon and his partners are gearing up for the world premiere of “Newport & the Great Folk Dream,” and they want to be clear: It is not a music documentary.
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MetroAsk the Memphian: Justin Timberlake, his tequila and two annoyed women: How 901 Day began
After a barrage of ads for Justin Timberlake’s 901 Tequila annoyed them, two social media whizzes came up with the idea for 901 Day. Thirteen years later, it’s bigger than ever.
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August 2025
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Music What is power pop? And why is there a festival devoted to it at the Shell?
Local lovers of the genre are once again staging the Memphis Power Pop Festival. But what is power pop, anyway?
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The Connells bring their power pop sound back to Memphis for the first time in 23 years
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Music The Connells bring their power pop sound back to Memphis for the first time in 23 years
The Connells bring their jangle-pop sound back to Memphis for the first time in 23 years as part of the Memphis Power Pop Festival Saturday at the Overton Park Shell.
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Health Care With a long weekend ahead, two Memphis events encourage residents to embrace healthful living
“It is a long weekend, and this weekend starts obviously with a lot of activities. But we want people to come and have fun,” Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare CEO Michael Ugwueke said.
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City of MemphisMajority of MATA board quits as city flexes control over CEO search
The departing MATA board members appear to have been surprised by City Council members asserting a role in hiring the new permanent CEO. One former member called the move “insulting.”
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