And just like that, it’s the weekend again. I hope your Friday is off to a great start. 

It’s Dec. 9, and tonight, you can get buck at Imagine Vegan Cafe — literally. Jookin’ dancer Charles “Lil Buck” Riley created a purple vegan cheese sauce called “Buck Up Sauce,” and you can be the first to try it at a special dinner this evening. After you eat, catch the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in their second game against the Detroit Pistons in a week’s time.

On Saturday, the Memphis Sports & Events Center at Liberty Park will formally open to the public with a community open house, and the Memphis Holiday Parade kicks off on Beale Street. Plus, the Memphis Tigers will play Auburn in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta.

And on Sunday, there’s a tree lighting ceremony for Southland Mall’s new tree, which residents recently raised $25,000 to purchase. Want even more weekend ideas? Check out The To-Do List.

THE NEED TO KNOW

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo discuss the 3G deal on WKNO’s “Behind the Headlines.” (Screenshot)

Behind the 3G deal: Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants to build a new $100 million high school in Cordova, and Germantown High will be sold for as much as $22.5 million to help fund the construction of the new school. That’s part of the 3G deal announced on Monday, which is still moving through the approvals process. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo appeared on WKNO’s “Behind The Headlines” on Thursday to discuss the terms of the deal.

Monica Timmerman (left) was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 7, and was charged with a DUI. She was hired in mid-November and is pictured with Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft (center) and Steve Mulroy. (Courtesy Shelby County District Attorney’s Office)

New assistant DA gets DUI: Monica Timmerman, a newly hired Shelby County assistant district attorney, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after leaving the Shelby County District Attorney Office’s holiday party at the Midtown Blue Monkey on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Timmerman crashed into a utility pole at the northeast corner of Poplar Avenue and East Parkway and told officers she didn’t know where she was at the time.

Questions remain after the Memphis Light, Gas & Water board rejected the Tennessee Valley Authority’s long-term proposal. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Next steps with TVA: Now that the Memphis Light, Gas & Water board has rejected the Tennessee Valley Authority’s long-term contract, some board members are encouraging the utility to work closely with TVA to negotiate an agreement that best suits Memphis and its ratepayers. “We’re 10% of their business, and I encourage them and their CEO to continue to do the extra things for their largest utility,” said MLGW board chair Mitch Graves. But clean energy advocates say there are other “wrongdoings that TVA could start to work to correct,” such as ending the practice of trucking coal ash through South Memphis.

QUOTED

“If [the new Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent is] not a systems change leader, we’re going to keep having the same problems we’ve been having.”

— Community member Rachel Spriggs
Memphis-Shelby County Schools held the first of four public input sessions on Thursday to gather thoughts from the community on the district’s search for a new superintendent.

THE NICE TO KNOW

Vinegar Jim’s, Arlington’s oldest restaurant, will close Dec. 14. (Courtesy Vinegar Jim’s)

Sweet and sour: Arlington’s oldest restaurant, Vinegar Jim’s, will serve its last meals on Dec. 14. Owners Jaclyn Miller and Brandon Nelson are closing the diner, which opened in 1989, to spend more time with their family. Miller stressed that economic conditions had nothing to do with their decision: “We’ve been busier than ever. It’s not a terrible economy for restaurants right now.” But this may not be the end for the Vinegar Jim’s brand.

Deni (right) and Patrick Reilly hosted the soft opening of their restaurant, Cocozza, in Harbor Town on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Cozy up at Cocozza: Cocozza American Italian is now open in Harbor Town, serving familiar classics like meatballs, eggplant parmesan and lasagna, as well as a craft cocktail menu. The restaurant, from The Majestic Grill’s Deni and Patrick Reilly, started as a pop-up inside Majestic during the height of the pandemic. They eventually secured the former Movie & A Pizza space in Harbor Town to open Cocozza as a separate restaurant. Although Cocozza is open for business now, Deni Reilly said the space is “going to get prettier” in the coming weeks.

Baptist Memorial Health Care is opening a $16 million emergency department in Arlington at 5150 Airline Road. (Courtesy Baptist Memorial Health Care)

New ER: Baptist Memorial Health Care’s new $16 million emergency department in Arlington is expected to welcome its first patients on Jan. 9. The facility, created in partnership with Regional One Health, is the first freestanding ER in Shelby County. “Much of it is for the current community, but a lot of it is also in anticipation of the uptick in growth of the region. Arlington will probably be the closest level of care for a situation like a construction worker that gets hurt at BlueOval,” said Arlington Mayor Mike Wissman.

Plate lunches at Bob’s Barksdale Restaurant. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

A true meat and three: These days, most “meat and three” plates are really a “meat and two,” according to The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington. But not so at Midtown’s Bob’s Barksdale Restaurant. You’ll get a legit three sides there, and the whole thing comes in at an even $10. Herrington stopped by to try the breaded pork chop and country fried steak. He says it may not be the best homestyle Southern food in the city, but it’ll remind you of something your mama used to make. (I don’t know about y’all’s mamas, but mine makes the best food in the world.)

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Uh oh. Are we in for a white Christmas?

Have a festive weekend! I’ll be mailing out my holiday cards and wrapping up gift shopping. Holiday crunch time is here.

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