The Early Word: Edmund Ford Jr. heads to the feds; Ransom signs off
Welcome to the weekend, friends. It’s Friday, Feb. 28, the first day of Ramadan, which means you may have some friends and co-workers who are fasting from sunup to sundown until March 29. Later, after sunset, the Memphis Grizzlies will play the New York Knicks at FedExForum.
On Saturday, your dog can let the good times roll at Mardi Growl at Overton Bark, and you can help get guns off the street and into the garden at a safe-surrender event at Evergreen Presbyterian Church. Also, the Grizzlies play the San Antonio Spurs, and the Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team will play Tulsa — both at home.
On Sunday, you can pick art or basketball or both. The Metal Museum opens its “Light as Air” group exhibition, and the Memphis Youth Symphony Program hosts spring concerts. But also, the Tigers men’s basketball team plays UAB on the road. You’ll find other stuff to do in The To-Do List.
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. is expected to turn himself in to federal authorities today. Federal court documents don’t show any indictments or cases related to Ford, so his potential charges are unknown at press time. But the FBI did search a home associated with Ford in May 2023. At the time, Assistant District Attorney General Jeff Ridner said the search was part of an ongoing criminal investigation in relation to Junior Achievement.
The TV news guys who created WREG’s “Pass It On” segment will pass on his current ABC24 anchor chair to someone else. The local ABC affiliate’s longtime anchor Richard Ransom announced on Thursday that his last broadcast will be in a couple weeks. Ransom wouldn’t say what’s next, only to “stay tuned” and that he “couldn’t be more thrilled about” his next chapter. Ransom moved to Memphis in 1994 for a morning-news anchor job at Action News 5, and he went on to work at WREG, where he created the station’s popular “Pass It On” segment, in which he awarded cash on the spot to unsuspecting Memphians. He’s been with ABC24 since 2017.
Plus, The Peabody gets a makeover, an Asian hub comes to Cordova and there’s a good sign at the new Aldi.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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