Both e-commerce and early shopping could be contributors to the smaller-than-normal crowds, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Nov.23, the Health Department reported that 89% of the area’s acute care hospital beds were occupied.

Concerns about the spread of the coronavirus forced organizers to cancel the Whitehaven Christmas Parade and the Memphis Holiday Parade.

MemFeast, the annual Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and those in need, had to change the way it distributes meals because of the pandemic. Six churches will serve meals from food trucks in their parking lots.

No location has been decided on for the re-interment, according to SCV leader Lee Millar. But court documents suggest the remains and equestrian statue of Forrest removed from Health Sciences Park could be bound for a new National Confederate Museum in Columbia, Tn. 

Overton Park Conservancy is asking the public to complete by Nov. 30 a 21-question survey to help guide a new master plan for the park’s east side. The survey is found at www.overtonpark.org/zone1.

The Council Scorecard dives deeper into the political winds blowing in what turned into a race for council chairman and the mixed results in a set of proposed convenience stores with gas pumps.

While the wait until completion likely won’t be as long as the years long push for a new facility, there’s no Ed Rice center available while those improvements are underway.

Council member JB Smiley is also seeking a change in council rules that would allow the chairman of the body to bar a council member who does what Ford did twice during Tuesday’s council meetings.

The task force is among the recommendations in a violent crime blueprint touted by council member Jeff Warren for the past year. Meanwhile, the city should have a new police director by the spring and the head of the MPD is a key player in such a task force.

Frank Colvett won election as City Council chairman Tuesday over Martavius Jones. But Colvett’s selection did not come without some controversy. 

The Family Safety Center and Memphis police said during the holidays, they see an increase in domestic violence incidents. And during the pandemic, they have also seen an increase in cases. 

Council members set votes for Dec. 1 after getting answers to questions about both proposals. 

Founder of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative saw huge potential in the bustling swath of land that is home to six hospitals, two colleges.

Related story: Calkins: Tommy Pacello was given a year to live — and he lived like all of us should

The Memphis City Council agenda Tuesday also includes a new violent crime task force, a ban on bottled water at all city facilities post pandemic and the election of a new chairman for 2021.

A variety of community voices spoke out on police reform during two discussions last week. 

Two conversations about police reform show the more detailed the proposed reforms become, the more differences they reveal.

Memphis is ahead of the curve in reversing the results of old rules and regulations that encouraged segregation and created pockets of poverty. So changes in the federal fair housing policy have had little impact. 

The effort short of a statewide mask mandate includes a coalition of local leaders across West Tennessee. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said he is also working on a long-term plan for the county to continue to deal with the pandemic through 2021 and after federal CARES Act funding runs out at the end of December.

The Metal Museum has raised $12 million toward a $35 million goal to both renovate Rust Hall and create an endowment, states a resolution before the City Council.

With no room for mass-scale adoptions, MAS is trying to keep pets with their owners, often going door-to-door to find them.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel in Mississippi’s long-running challenge of Memphis’ right to withdraw water from Middle Claiborne Aquifer. 

On Behind The Headlines, Republican Party Chairman Chris Tutor says “don’t vote Democrat” if you want to see Memphis have more power in the state capitol. Democratic Party Chairman Michael Harris says Republicans in state government are explicitly ignoring Memphis.

The City Council-appointed citizens panel decided Thursday its priority will be eliminating Confederacy-related names from city street and finding problematic street names for first responders. The group is to make recommendations to the Memphis City Council.

VoicesUnited created the installation in partnership with the Mariposas Collective.