The Early Word: Rape-kit suit ends, and so do some Grind City beer sales
Hi. It’s Friday, May 30, and it’s getting swampy out here. Artist Hank Miles Smith’s exhibition of work, inspired by the Ghost River and other regional wetlands, opens at Ugly Art Co.
On Saturday, you can start the day with a fresh juice from The Juice Joint’s new location at Crosstown Concourse. And then keep the healthy vibes going at Memphis Vegan Fest in Fourth Bluff Park. (Full disclosure: I’ll be there signing copies of my vegan cookbook, Cookin’ Crunk. Come see me!) Later on Saturday, you can throw those health goals to the wind (hey, you’ve earned it), and try spelling big words after a few beers at Crosstown Brewing Co.
Sunday brings the first-ever Cooper-Young Cat Walking Tour, which is like a garden tour. But the gardens are cats. For more, check out The To-Do List.
More than a decade after it was originally filed, the longstanding lawsuit against the City of Memphis over its rape-kit testing backlog is over. The suit began in 2014 when three local women sued the city and Shelby County for allegedly mishandling their rape kits after they were sexually assaulted by the same man. At the time, the Memphis Police Department had a 12,000-person backlog on rape-kit testing. But the claims against the city were effectively dismissed this week when the Tennessee Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, over a state Court of Appeals ruling last year in the city’s favor. That appeals court ruling was based on the state’s statute of limitations.
If you want to enjoy some Grind City Godhopper on a bar patio or stock up on cans at the grocery store, you’d better do it soon. The Uptown brewery announced this week that it’ll soon stop selling its beer in stores and bars. But you’ll still be able to enjoy a beer from the taproom, with its sweeping views of Downtown Memphis. Plus, big changes are coming to the space.
Plus, a retired judge will focus on thinning the jail population, the Central High Jazz Band gets their own day and Bahama Mamas aren’t coming back.
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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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