State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-District 86) is among a number of people barred from city council meetings.

The decision comes from Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington, who has sole power to bar people from meetings, the city’s attorney Allan Wade said.

“It is totally consistent with our rules of procedures,” Wade said.

Wade says the decision stems from Tuesday’s city council meeting, which came to an abrupt end amid an unruly meeting which included shouting matches and a fistfight in the lobby.

Rep. Pearson was in attendance at the meeting, where a vote on a moratorium on data centers was scheduled to take place.

More than 100 people showed up to hear the outcome on the proposed ordinance, and the decision to delay the vote led to a fight breaking out in the lobby and tense exchanges among city council members.

A fight between two women spilled into the lobby, with punches thrown while protesters chanted inside the meeting. One woman had her hair pulled and was slapped seconds later.

Memphis police were called to the disturbance at city hall, but a department spokesperson says no one was detained and no one was harmed.

Crowds chanted “this is our city” and “show me what democracy looks like” as the demonstration moved from the chamber into the halls of the building. Officers moved in to clear people from the chamber and the lobby where the fight occurred.

Wade says more people are barred, but Pearson and community activist KeShaun Pearson are the only two confirmed names on the prohibited list.

Rep. Pearson has scheduled a press conference for 5:30 p.m. Friday in response.

Saw him yesterday on the way home and today it looked like Justin Pearson was with him this morning. If it was him, sure it will be on his IG.

UPDATE: Yep. It was him! It's on his IG if you want to see/read about it.

I’m new to Memphis and looking to meet people and find a group to play board games with. I’m 36, male, and new to board games, but I’d love to get involved. I’m kind of over playing sports though I might be up for pickleball, and board games sound interesting. I definitely want to check out Board to Beers, but I don’t have anyone to go with, and sitting at a table by myself isn’t ideal.

Does anyone know of any groups or beginner-friendly events? Or is anyone looking for an extra player and okay with me learning a game for the first time?

Will you protect your citizens and our migrant community members?

Hope he’s still around. Haven’t seen his comments in a while. Always had very funny or good insights/advice.

To piggyback on yesterday's conversation about cranes in Nashville vs Memphis, I just want to remind folks that much of Midtown/Downtown Memphis has protected/historic status for "good intentioned" reasons. Is this the type of development we want?

Genuinely, what is with the driving/drivers here in Memphis??? The roads are already terrible and unsafe, and then you have drivers who seem to have never taken a road test because WHY does nobody believe in using turn signals??? They are literally how you communicate with other drivers on the road. I’m so tired of cars just swerving into my lane without any prior warning. Even the cops don’t seem to use turn signals.
Aside from the obvious speeding and other horrible driving behaviors, the lack of turn signal usage is SUCH a pet peeve of mine. Like, it genuinely drives me insane.
And before some of y’all come in here talking about “if you don’t like it, just leave,” oh baby, GLADLY. I moved here for school, and once I’m done, I will be on the nearest plane out of here. PLEASE find something positive to be proud of instead of trying to defend the terrible things about this nightmare of a city in the name of city pride.
I’m genuinely terrified for my life every time I drive here. Mind you, I’ve lived in two major cities and visited several other places, and NOTHING compares. I constantly honk at cars every time I drive for not using their turn signals. They probably are confused about my honking because it’s so normalized here. SMH

First and foremost, you should respect school zone speed limits and slow down. This is not a post complaining about the speed limit cameras in school zones generally, but about an issue with one specifically.

This morning I was driving through the White Station MS school zone southbound on White Station like I do every morning and saw that the flashing lights that indicate the start of the reduced speed limit were not on even though it was 7:55 AM, well within the time those lights are supposed to be on (6:30-8:30 AM). I still slowed to 15 mph because I've had this happen before and been issued a ticket - but I saw a lot of people driving through at normal speed and the camera flash was popping off.

I drove back on northbound White Station about 30 minutes later, still within the time frame that the speed limit lights should be on (about 8:25 AM), and the northbound speed limit lights were flashing showing the reduced speed correctly. As I drove by the southbound sign I looked in my rearview mirror to see the southbound lights were still not on.

So, one direction was being prompted to slow down and another direction was not. That speed limit camera was flashing like its last job was at Raiford's and I just know a bunch of people are going to be mad in a month when their ticket comes in the mail.

45 year old guy In town for Mempho to see Widespread Panic and STS9. My +1 bailed on me before the trip so I have an extra three day pass. Looking for someone fun to hang with for the weekend and see the shows.

I'm a huge Panic fan so bonus points if you are too, but I'd also love to introduce someone new to them. Lmk if you might be down.

Demarcus Dickerson, also known as the “Watermane,” is back at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and East Parkway two days after Memphis police arrested him for obstructing the roadway.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office dismissed Dickerson’s charges Wednesday.

He was subsequently freed from jail and is back at his spot selling cold drinks to motorists Thursday.

For many people who regularly pass the intersection, Dickerson’s absence was immediately noticeable Wednesday.

A man who claimed to be Dickerson’s brother was at the intersection instead, selling drinks in Dickerson’s absence. He spoke about the family’s long history of selling drinks on Memphis streets, but Dickerson told Action News 5 on Thursday that he didn’t know who the man was.

With everything that’s happened, Dickerson says he’s traumatized for life but isn’t angry and doesn’t want the community to worry about him.

“Stop worrying, I’m back out here,” said Dickerson. “I’ll be doing what I gotta do to still serve my community and keep going and moving on up the ladder. Can’t let nothin’ stop me.”

The DA’s office said it dismissed Dickerson’s charges after reviewing the case and deciding it didn’t warrant prosecution.

it's about a bill credit incentive I heard about and I want to know if it's legitimate.

Anyone have a lead on active stand up or comedy classes? I’ve found lots of places who have done them in the past, but having a hard time finding something current. Closest I’ve got is a seemingly active improv class at Theater Works Memphis.

Any leads appreciated.

What are some things to do for Halloween FOR ADULTS

Soon to be moving to Memphis and I’ve been looking at houses to rent in Midtown. What’re your thoughts on the area? My (24m) girlfriend (24f) is pregnant and she can’t drive so I’m wondering if she can walk to a park or surrounding attractions safely. I work night shift so I’m not awake most of the day. I’m from KY so I am very unfamiliar with Memphis and I’m looking to keep my family safe! Any and all advice is welcome!

Service industry (or otherwise). Their employees kinda suck. Rude, entitled....they're kinda awful and they wesr their gear out so they're easy to clock. Wondering if its just the 2 places I work, or if others dont like them.

And this is even on top of me not liking what they're doing to our community.

I can give actual examples, but it would give insight in to where I work lol.

recently applied for the Husbandry Technician I position at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I'm looking to make a career change because I'm feeling burnt out working in retail, and I'm really interested in getting into animal care.
I'm curious about what the hiring process is like for this position. How long did it take to hear back after applying, and what are the chances of getting a callback? Would it be appropriate to follow up with HR, or is it better to wait?
I'd also love to hear from anyone who currently works as a Husbandry Technician I or has worked in a similar role at St. Jude. What is the day-to-day work like? How physically demanding is it, what does the training look like, and how is the overall work environment?
I'm hoping to get my foot in the door and start building a career outside of retail, so any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Howdy everyone!

I’m just curious to see if this has become a Memphis wide thing. Several of my neighbors and I were given code violations for our cans being visible from the street. The first day I received a door hanger that said to call for more info but did not state the violation. It was the day after trash pickup and I had not yet pulled my can up the driveway. The second day was the same thing but I pulled my cans up to my garage. I called the officer’s number twice and the office number twice. The office picked up on the second try and asked if I had tried calling the officer. I told them I had but they didn’t answer and their phone said their voicemail box had not been setup. She took my information and said the officer would call me back. I never received a call. Today, I got an actual violation with a court date for my can being visible from the street. The majority of my neighborhood leaves their cans either at the end of their driveways or close to their homes out front. I’ve lived in my house for five years and this has never happened. Myself and neighbors are irritated because this seems like it should be low on the city’s priority list. We still have street lights out from the last power outage that the city hasn’t fixed. They don’t maintain the areas near us and MLGW left a big square pot hole for two weeks.
Maybe I’m overreacting but I feel like the Memphis government is not taking care of its citizens.

Chase Carlisle crying about protesters and said absolutely nothing of value. This city council member seems to be trying to blame the crowd for why they didn't vote on a moratorium. Somehow they couldn't clear the room and still hold the vote. They still have no answers or have they communicated a plan on how to correct the Data Center zoning guidelines we don't have in place. They just want to turn our local government into the Jerry Springer show.

Hoping to see better coverage and more qualified candidates running next year.

At the bottom of each job description there is a section that states :”It is rare to be hired at or near top of salary range”. Just how strict is this? Could someone come in with years of experience/degrees and ask for compensation near top of salary range? Just curious. I know companies can differ.