With the approval of a new COVID-19 vaccine, FedEx is preparing to increase the number of doses it delivers on behalf of the federal government each week.

The owners of Tops Bar-B-Q have sold at least seven of their 15 restaurant buildings to a Phoenix firm that buys the real estate of businesses and leases it back to them.

It seems counterintuitive, but traffic fatalities and accidents with injuries were actually up in Memphis last year, even though the COVID-19 pandemic caused fewer people to be on the roads. The reduced traffic may have just opened up the roadways for dangerous drivers.

Going forward, vaccinating the citizens of Shelby County against COVID-19 is under the authority of the City of Memphis after the state transferred custody of the vaccine and administration of the process away from county leaders. It took a dizzying array of missteps for this to occur, and Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says: “The public deserves to know what happened.”

Related story:
County vaccination timeline

Students from Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School reached out to places where they wanted to work to land three-day internships. 

Veterans Services (USA) plans to transform the East Memphis Crowne Plaza into a mixed-use development marketed to veterans and other seniors. The organization’s goal is to operate such a facility in all 50 states.

The second location of Marshall Steakhouse will hold 340 customers and occupy 7,800 square feet on two levels with a brewery onsite.

Analysts say local hotels should do better financially in 2021 than they did last year. But how long it will take for the hospitality industry to fully recover from COVID-19 losses is a matter for debate.

Kristin Fox-Trautman runs Inspire Community Cafe right next door to her husband’s gym, Stardust Jiu-Jitsu. Both are located in the Binghampton Gateway Center at the intersection of Sam Cooper Boulevard and Tillman Street. 

On “Behind The Headlines,” Greater Memphis Chamber President Beverly Robertson and Economic Development Chief Ted Townsend talked about a new round of PILOT reform discussions, “resiliency” and the local economy’s comeback from the COVID pandemic.

The Downtown Memphis Commission board may meet in a special called meeting over the next few weeks to consider the search committee’s selection.

A new ownership group has bought Earnestine & Hazel’s for $900,000 and and a nearby warehouse for $200,000. The old bar will reopen soon, and the new owner promises to keep those Soul Burgers sizzling.

Balancing work and family became even more challenging for working women during the pandemic, forcing many to make very difficult decisions. 

If FedEx wins the case, it could lead to changes in the way multinational companies are charged on income earned overseas.

LeMoyne-Owen College is helping the Shelby County Health Department better plan and execute coronavirus care.

The mammoth K.T.G. (USA) plant in North Memphis has room to add a new equipment line. The $20 million investment also means the hiring of another 27 employees who will be paid more than $20 an hour.

The former Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home site is considered a prime location in Bartlett due to its high acreage and its proximity to both U.S. Highways 64 and 70.

AutoZone will pay its workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The applicants argued unsuccessfully to the Board of Adjustment that their flexible-loan business is not as financially punishing to customers as payday or title loan shops.

The new owner of an apartment building near the Highland Strip applied for a variance allowing a dumpster to be placed near Walker Avenue. The retroactive request will require the owner to make significant changes for approval amid significant opposition. 

Leonard’s Pit Barbecue might end up on the chopping block if Dan Brown doesn’t find a new owner for Memphis’ oldest barbecue restaurant.

There’s a new end of the line for the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s Main Street trolley service.

Michigan-based Gordon Food Service — which caters both to restaurants and the food-service industry as well as the general public — has stores in Nashville and Knoxville but none yet in Memphis. 

Salad Expressions will be wedged between the new URBN on Union buildings. The restaurant will open at 1308 Union, which formerly housed E’s 24 Hour Café.

The sales director for the Hyatt Centric offered journalists an early, sneak peek of the $75 million, 227-room luxury hotel that is nearly finished at 33 Beale.