Julie Barrett went to her very first game at FedExForum Thursday. But you’d have to travel a long way (1,000 miles, anyway) to find a more devoted Memphis Tigers fan. 

State Sen. Brian Kelsey embodies the problem Memphis has with the Tennessee General Assembly. In many cases, he is the actual problem Memphis has with the Tennessee General Assembly.

The expansive discount chain – with seemingly a store on every corner in Memphis — is mired in a financial and public relations nightmare of its own making because it put corporate profits over public safety.

Opinion: Loosening the residency requirement for both the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is not the sole answer to the law enforcement shortage, but it is a needed and effective tool in recruitment and retention efforts.

“I used to think that everyone past a certain age — maybe 15 — should be required to wear a name tag, introduce themselves when they see you including maiden names and nicknames, and be arrested for stealth name calling if they sneak up on you.”

“ ... imagine my delight when I learned this week that Memphis-Shelby County Schools and one of its top schools academically — White Station High — intend to press ahead with an even deeper dive into the accurate history of the African American experience in this country.”

“Be cautious dealing with someone who knocks on your door offering to help repair damage after a storm, including removing trees or limbs.”

“A few years back, Jem Cohen, who co-owns Fond Object shop, indulged me when I asked him to play an interesting-looking record that caught my eye in one of his bins.”

“RCV makes elections fairer, faster, easier and cheaper, reducing barriers to participation by allowing voters to go to the polls just once rather than having to come back a second time for a runoff election” but the Tennessee Legislature is considering a bill that would outlaw it.

After a harrowing flight to Minnesota, a young adman learns three important lessons, one of which is you’re never very far from Memphis.

When teens learn to deal positively with the challenges of social media, they build emotional awareness and intelligence and become more resilient.

This week, Chris Herrington and Jennifer Biggs discuss the best pizzas in Memphis, and while their lists match up a little, they also differ.

“Saying that white people are responsible for COVID lingering is untrue and once again an aim to racially divide,” letter writer Jane Maners says of Otis Sanford’s column.

Scott Morris: “What if more of us could truly believe God loves us in the peace-giving way of my patient all those years ago? How would we approach the complexity of an ongoing pandemic and other dangers life gives us?”

Letter to the editor: Otis Sanford’s words not only drive a wedge within the already too-segregated Memphis community, but also present a scientifically lacking perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Pete Bale called. Out of the blue. Probably a decade since we talked. It took about 10 seconds before we were laughing, since we remembered the sound of that, of each other.”

“Every time I step inside FedExForum for a Grizzlies game and make my way through the crowd to my seat, the anecdotal evidence about how people view COVID-19 differently is on clear display,” Sanford says.

In addition to continuing creating jobs for Memphians, what can Memphis business leaders do to help so that everyone feels safer in their communities?

Black women have contributed mightily to the growth of this country since its beginning. And it’s high time that one of them represent what should be a more diverse makeup of the nation’s highest court.

“We failed Eric Dale Martin, we lost some of ourselves on that sidewalk, and we must mourn the loss,” says Dan Conaway.

“In Otis Sanford’s opinion column, ‘Blackburn proves she can be queen of mean,’ he gets a little bit too carried away in criticizing Sen. Marsha Blackburn.”

“We strongly fear that if current plans are approved as-is, the character of our neighborhood would be injured, and its future put in question.”

There’s a reason Penny Hardaway still has a good chance to become a successful coach at Memphis. That reason is love.