The Early Word: Lose weight with pickleball, and Bartlett gets a Belly
Is it hot enough for you, Memphis? Because if you thought Monday was bad, just wait until we reach “feels like 108” this afternoon. It’s Tuesday, June 25, and the temps won’t be the only hot topic today. The Memphis City Council is set to take a final vote on the city budget, which could come with a compromise on the city property-tax hike and a rise in vehicle-registration fees.
It should be nice and cool inside Temple Israel tonight for the screening of “Memphis 13,” a documentary on the 13 first-grade students who helped pioneer integration of Memphis City Schools in 1961.
Want to lose weight and have fun at the same time? Pickleball 901 founder Adam Clay has just the thing. Clay, who weighed 363 pounds just over a year ago, lost 100 pounds playing pickleball. But there’s a catch: The game became a stand-in for his evening beer. So, fewer beers, more pickleball. Got it. The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins talked to Clay about what his life was like before his weight loss and how it’s improved since.
Bartlett’s $162 million Union Depot mixed-use project has its first commercial tenant: Belly Acres. Yep, the former Overton Square, family-friendly burger joint is planning to open a new 5,500-square-foot space at the old Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home site by 2026. It’ll be located on the ground floor of The Westerly, one of Union Depot’s live/work buildings. “We wanted it to be kid-friendly. We didn’t want a restaurant that would be bar-heavy with a bunch of alcohol,” said Barry Maynard, Gill Properties senior vice president.
Plus, the DeSoto fugitive has a lengthy rap sheet, Memphis-Shelby County Schools students have mixed test scores and Ja Morant has something to smile about.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian with two decades of experience in local journalism and public relations. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time training for marathons and ultras. And she’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
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