The Early Word: Lobster Pronto Pups are back, and firefighters are fired up
Good morning, Shelby County. It’s Tuesday, Sept. 3, and here’s hoping you had a restful Labor Day weekend, because we’re in for a busy week.
Memorial services for former Arlington Community Schools Superintendent Jeff Mayo, who died last week after a battle with cancer, will be held today at Bellevue Baptist Church.
Chef Michael Patrick is bringing some old Rizzo’s faves, like his Lobster Pronto Pups and Nawlins Style Shrimp, to a new restaurant in the former BT Prime Steakhouse in Nesbit, Mississippi. The steakhouse at Bonne Terre closed earlier this year as the wedding venue’s owners looked for a chef to take over the space. Patrick’s new restaurant will be called Magnolia Bend Grille and will serve elevated Southern fare.
At least five lieutenants with the Memphis Fire Department have filed complaints with the city’s DEI office alleging the MFD’s promotional testing process discriminates against Black employees. They say the test, which allows lieutenants to move up to the rank of battalion chief, favors younger white employees with less experience than tenured Black employees. And data obtained by The Daily Memphian seems to back that up.
Plus, Memphis rents are dropping (but still pricy), the Tigers football team is off to a great start and we tell you why you might want to take the stairs at 201 Poplar.
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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. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time running marathons and ultras. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
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