The Early Word: A ‘most horrific’ neglect case and a tight spot for Grizz
Morning! It’s Friday, April 11, and if you love Comeback Coffee, you’d better go today, or else you’ll never be able to come back. (Yes, I know “go back” is correct here, but stay with me.) The Pinch District shop is closing today. Later, the Memphis Grizzlies play another team that just fired its head coach, the Denver Nuggets, and it’s another game that matters.
On Saturday, Memphis in May International Festival will host its first-ever Mid-South Korean BBQ Festival at Grind City Brewing. And it’s the last day to pick up sweet treats from 17 Berkshire’s two locations before they close for good. The porches across Cooper-Young will be rockin’ all day with live music at Porchfest. And at Hampline Brewing, you can drink beer, suit up in armor and hit your friends with swords. (Seriously.)
Sunday is Shelby County Star Trek Day, a decade-old tradition started by none other than Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. There’s an event at Neil’s with Star Trek stars, costume contests and Trek-themed food. If you go, I double-dog dare you to wear your Starfleet uniform to the Grizzlies’ last regular-season home game against the Dallas Mavericks. For more weekend fun, The To-Do List’s got your back.
Bernice Jarrett, the woman arrested Tuesday after police discovered she was allegedly housing six developmentally disabled adults in a school bus, appeared in court on Thursday for neglect charges. One of those six adults reportedly died after she was admitted to a local hospital. Jarrett was also hauling three goats in a trailer attached to the bus. She was allegedly driving the disabled adults and goats from Texas to Virginia, and though it’s not clear why, her ex-husband told The Daily Memphian the two used to run a business to care for “mentally and physically disabled individuals.” The CEO of Meritan, the health care support provider called in to handle the situation, said the conditions on the bus were “really the most horrific thing.”
The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and the Minnesota Timberwolves Anthony Edwards gave the national TV-viewing audience what they’ve wanted all season on Thursday night: a Ja and Ant duel in a game that matters. But in the end, Grizz fans didn’t get what they wanted. The Grizz fell to the Wolves, 141-125, after a phenomenal performance by Edwards, especially in the Wolves’ 52-point, record-setting third quarter. The loss puts the Grizzlies in a tight spot that will now make it much harder to avoid falling into the NBA’s play-in tournament.
Plus, a missing boy is found dead, an anti-immigrant education bill moves ahead and soul food is coming back to Ms. Girlee’s.
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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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