The Early Word: Z is for ‘zero’ in TDZ, and we ride along with a Memphis cop
Boo! And good morning. It’s Halloween, Oct. 31, and that means you’ll be making trips to the office break room all day to pilfer through the candy bowl. Here’s hoping someone brings Sour Patch Kids and leaves the candy corn at home.
Candy corn is scary. But do you know what’s even scarier? Forgetting to vote. Today is the last day to vote early, so get to those polls. Election Day is Tuesday, but who knows what Tuesday brings to your busy schedule?
And one more Halloween thing: The Memphis Grizzlies play the Milwaukee Bucks at home tonight, and if you get there early enough, you’ll take home a free, glow-in-the-dark “Ja-lloween” shirt.
The Liberty Park Tourism Development Zone collected the same amount of money last year that you pay to get into the Memphis Zoo on Tuesdays: zero dollars. The district that’s designed to capture sales-tax growth in Midtown, the Broad Avenue Arts District, Cooper-Young and Liberty Park didn’t capture any because sales-tax growth within the zone did not outstrip the broader sales-tax growth in Shelby County. And the TDZ only captures growth, not the tax itself. It matters because TDZ money is supposed to pay off the Memphis Sports and Event Center’s $100 million debt, and there’s a big payment coming up. New developments, including a bowling and ax-throwing venue, are planned for Liberty Park, so that could help, but it could be a hot minute.
Memphis police officer Amber Campos spent a recent Saturday night patrolling a ward in the North Main precinct area, and our reporter Aarron Fleming was in the passenger seat. During that ride-along, Campos helped an overdosing woman get medical help, and she showed Fleming a corner where two Memphis gangs, All Off the Blade (AOB) and EBG, like to hang out. So, needless to say, they dealt with some heavy stuff. But there was also some comedy, courtesy of a woman trying to crawl into a Wendy’s drive-thru window.
Plus, students are out for Election Day, Memphis chefs compete in world championships and the Grizzlies lose a game (and two star players).
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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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