The Early Word: Beloved soul-food spot closes, and the weight falls off
Good morning, Memphis! It’s Monday, Dec. 23, and we’re only a couple days away from not having to hear “All I Want for Christmas is You” until at least next October. Rejoice.
Today is the first day of winter break for all Memphis-Shelby County Schools students and kids from all of the municipal schools. So, maybe take the kids to a Memphis Grizzlies game: The Grizzlies are playing the Los Angeles Clippers at home tonight. For more on what’s ahead, check out This Week in Memphis.
Soul food staple Ms. Girlee’s closed up shop for good on Friday, ending 85-year-old owner and chef Jimmie Leach’s 40-year cooking career. Leach opened Ms. Girlee’s on Chelsea Avenue in 2014, following a fire at her previous soul-food shop, Melanie’s Soul Food Restaurant, which had been open since 1984. The Daily Memphian’s Sophia Surrett talked to Leach and her family about their soul-food legacy and ties to the Civil Rights Movement.
If only there were a magic cure for weight loss … oh wait, there is. Ozempic and Wegovy and other such weight loss drugs are everywhere these days, and plenty of people credit them for rapid, massive weight loss. In Memphis, where more than a third of adults are obese, the drugs have potential to dramatically improve health outcomes. But there’s a catch: These drugs are incredibly spendy, with a monthly cost that’s far higher in the U.S. than in some other countries, and some Memphians who need them can’t afford them. The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts shares a few weight-loss drug success stories and digs into issues around access and affordability.
Plus, a reports detail what may have caused the Harvest plane crash, more MSCS schools make the grade and a Memphis Zoo bird’s squawk lives on in “The Lion King.”
Hey, since it’s almost Christmas, we’re still offering 20% off subscriptions to The Daily Memphian using the code EARLYWORDEVERYDAY. If you want to go back to receiving the full Early Word you got last week, subscribe now!
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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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