The Early Word: Theaters open early, a pause on Broad and patio tips
Shelby County officials give local theaters a path for reopening, while the proposed gas station on Broad Avenue hits another roadblock. Meanwhile: Patios and masks for everyone.
Chris Herrington
Columnist
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life.
There are 2042 articles by Chris Herrington :
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June 2020
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The Early Word -
The Early Word: Memphis masks up, County Commission goes late to pass budget
Mayors Jim Strickland and Lee Harris encourage Memphis to don masks and hope we don't have to move backward amid rising COVID rates. Meanwhile, Shelby County Commissioners stay up late to get it right and Broad Avenue stakeholders line up against a gas station.
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HERRINGTON
Chris HerringtonQuick takes on rising COVID cases, police residency, the demise of ‘Bluff City Law’ and more
Our rising coronavirus rates pre-date the protests – they correspond to our general loosening of restrictions and specifically to Memorial Day – and there’s no specific tracing evidence at the moment that ties cases to them.
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The Early Word The Early Word: After another record day of COVID cases, what will a new week bring?
Shelby County had its highest day ever for new COVID cases on Saturday, with 385, just six days after a previous record 256. There's plenty to sort out, but the trendlines are troubling. What will a new week bring? Plus: Secret shopping at local grocers, Memphis takes Talladega and more.
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Podcast
Grizzlies PodcastBuilding a bubble is complicated, but Ja Morant is ready
Chris Herrington and Drew Hill talk about the questions the NBA and the Grizzlies do still have to answer in this week’s Daily Memphian Grizzlies Podcast, as well as about Hill’s feature this week on rookie forward Brandon Clarke.
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Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies Notebook: Roster questions grow, Ja Morant takes flight and more
With the NBA season headed to a start in Orlando, questions linger on the Grizzlies roster, injuries and the steps to clearing those questions.
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Arts & Culture ‘Secret Memphis’ chronicles civic oddities and goes deeper into the familiar
Subtitled “A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure,” Holly Whitfield's book highlights close to 100 Memphis places from the oddball (“Sex Pistols Taco Bell”) to the sober (Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum).
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Herrington
Spirit of MemphisDoing the right thing is complicated, as protest and pandemic collide
The public protests of the past week would seem to violate current health directives against mass gatherings of 50 or more. Given the cause for the gatherings, it would be a mistake for officials to use that as a pretext for breaking them up. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t worry about them.
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Herrington
Chris HerringtonThe call for police reform is coming from inside – and outside – the house
When people ask why protests in Memphis have been so different than in most other cities, they’re fishing for a compliment. But there’s one aspect that is never mentioned: They have been smaller than in most other cities.
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Protest live blog: Night of protests ends peacefully, before curfew
Protests began early Saturday with two events (one was billed as a rally) occurring in Collierville.
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Podcast
Grizzlies PodcastThe NBA is on the road to return
With the Grizzlies returning, so does the Daily Memphian Grizzlies Podcast, with columnist Chris Herrington and new Grizzlies beat writer Drew Hill discussing the way the NBA is coming back, the potential pitfalls along the path and what it all means for the Grizzlies.
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies president Jason Wexler on the NBA’s looming return
The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the outline of a plan that will bring 22 teams to a Disney campus in Orlando next month for eight more regular-season games and a full-scale 16-team playoffs. Wexler appears satisfied.
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Memphis Grizzlies Prepare for a ‘play-in’: As NBA resumes, Grizzlies will have work left to do
With the NBA’s Board of Governors now expected on Thursday to approve a plan for completing the 2019-2020 season, some initial reactions on what this means for the Grizzlies: -
Metro Floyd protest Day 6 blog: Night of protests ends quietly
Protest groups moved around, as did police. But it all ended peacefully as everyone went home before the 10 p.m. curfew.
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Herrington
Chris HerringtonNotes from a sixth night of protest in Memphis
If there’s a commonality among many who disagree about protest tactics as well as those who by profession are on the other side of a line, maybe it’s a care for the city. Defensive pride in place is a Memphis throughline, and it may be serving us here.
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Herrington
Chris HerringtonMemphis’ largely peaceful protests warrant praise and relief, but also action
Protesters distributed a list of “suggested demands” at a weekend rally. Some are easier to achieve than others given the coronavirus-spiked budgeting chaos. All, perhaps, are debatable. But it would do the city great good for the current moment to become a more actionable one.
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May 2020
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Sound Bites Destination: Delicious Podcast: New and old restaurants opening
Jennifer Biggs is joined by Chris Herrington to talk about new and old restaurants opening, the all-important ampersand, what bbq they like and where they like it, at-home paella and more.
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Chris HerringtonThe most painful chord in American memory: We all just watched two lynchings
So, yes, I do not care about whether a college basketball player stands up for an anthem. To complain about such a thing in this moment seems to me pointless, trivial, a kind of profanity.
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Memphis Grizzlies As the NBA plans a path forward, does the league have it in for the Grizzlies?
As the NBA looks at a variety of plans to return to the court, the Memphis Grizzlies path to the playoffs has a lot of different scenarios -- some good; some not rewarding the team for its regular-season performance so far.
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Chris HerringtonHerrington: Our coronavirus situation is stable, but we still have choices to make
When the Memphis/Shelby County Joint COVID Task Force moved from daily to twice-weekly briefings this week, I saw it as a sign that living with the virus, and accepting that you’re living with it, means not being gripped by a crisis report day after day after day.
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies questions and answers as the NBA prepares for return
The NBA has been in discussions with the Walt Disney World about hosting games in a controlled “campus” or “bubble” environment in Orlando. And it looks like the Grizzlies will be part of the picture.
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies final report: Dillon Brooks and the rest of the team’s wings
The Memphis Grizzlies will enter the offseason with a lot of options but plenty of unanswered questions on the wing.
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Chris HerringtonHerrington: Tom Lee Park is on the right path, but questions remain
The general footprint of the plan to renovate the park – three “stages” with separation and a smaller covered venue – mimics the footprint of Memphis in May's Beale Street Music Fest, but in a way that would make a good park even without it.
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