The Early Word: Measles is here, and the Malco Drive-in can be yours
Happy birthday to Cameo, Mary’s B.O.T.E. and Sir Meatball! It’s Friday, March 28, and the two Midtown bars are celebrating three years and one year in business, respectively, with birthday bashes at both locations tonight.
As for Sir Meatball, Memphis’ most famous bulldog is having his birthday party at Grind City Brewing Co. on Saturday, and your dog is invited. There are free treats for dogs, but humans will have to pay for their beer and pizza, as it should be. Also on Saturday, Memphis in May is in Collierville in March with a new barbecue block party event. And in Southaven, the Silo Square Arts Festival is back for its second year. Back in Memphis, the Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers will battle for the No. 4 spot in the West at FedExForum.
Sunday brings the kick-off of the Memphis Showboats’ season with a home opener against the Michigan Panthers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. But the team just lost their head coach last week. You can also celebrate the Hindu spring holiday of Holi at Shelby Farms Park with a color run and kite fest. There are even more ideas in The To-Do List.
Shelby County’s first case of measles has been confirmed. And now public health officials are working to determine if anyone else was exposed. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that causes a spotty rash. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, talks or sneezes. At this time, the Shelby County Health Department said the risk to the general public is low. But we’ve all heard this before, so now would be a good time to check with your mom about your vaccination status. (She’d probably love a phone call anyway.) And if you’re a vaccinated adult of a certain age, you might want to schedule another vaccine.
Want to buy a drive-in movie theater? The Malco Summer Drive-In could be yours. Malco Theatres is “putting out feelers” to see if developers have ideas for what to do with the 31-acre, four-screen theater. Attendance has been down, and the theater is expensive to operate, said Malco’s David Tashie. The theater is one of fewer than 500 drive-ins left in the country.
Plus, President Donald Trump could let xAI off the hook for air pollution, the state takeover bill could snare other school districts and JoJo’s Espresso has a latte more space.
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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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