News

CLEVELAND, MISS. (JAN. 21, 2025) — GRAMMY®-nominated songwriter, singer and producer David Porter — known for penning songs for artists such as James Brown, Celine Dion, Drake, Eminem, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Otis Redding, ZZ Top, and more — will make a special appearance at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi for an installment of their An Evening With series.

The program will be moderated by Gebre Waddell. Gebre Waddell is an American entrepreneur, author, and audio engineer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the CEO and co-founder of Sound Credit, a pioneering technology platform for the music industry, and serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy.

Sponsored by Mississippi Arts Commission and Visit Mississippi, the event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Sanders Soundstage. A reception will take place before the event at 6 p.m. featuring a cash bar and light hors d'oeuvres.

“We are thrilled to welcome one of the most esteemed and accomplished songwriters of our generation, David Porter, to our Museum for a special evening of conversation,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “From his longtime association with the legendary Stax Records, to the songs he’s written and composed for many award-winning artists, David has made such an immeasurable impact on American music. We look forward to having him here to share the many highlights of his prolific career.”

Tickets to An Evening With David Porter are $20 for GRAMMY Museum Mississippi members and $25 for non-members. Tickets are currently on sale at grammymuseumms.org.

Memphis International Airport prepares for winter weather operations

MEMPHIS, TENN. (January 8, 2025) – With winter precipitation in the forecast this week, Memphis International Airport (MEM) is providing passengers with information about how winter weather affects air travel and how the airport works to keep flights arriving and departing safely:

Snow Operations:

• When winter weather is forecast, MEM schedules its crews based on the amount, duration and type of the expected precipitation. Snow and ice require different types of treatment.
• The goal is to prevent the buildup of ice and snow on runways and taxiways so that aircraft can continue to operate safely. Crews also work around the clock to clear ramps, service roads, terminal roadways, fuel farm loading areas and more.
• MEM has more than 40 vehicles dedicated to snow/ice removal, including snow brooms, plow trucks, snow blowers, liquid and granular de-icing trucks, and tractors.
• Approximately 140 employees from airfield and building maintenance are available for snow operations, along with staff from Operations, Communications, Airport Police, Procurement, and other areas. The vast majority of the Airport Authority’s 300 employees are involved in winter weather operations in some capacity.
• Airfield crews will work around the clock to clear runways.
• MEM’s centralized deicing facility will be active for airlines to perform deicing operations as needed.

Airlines:

• Passengers should contact their airline before traveling. Airlines manage all aspects of scheduling and will have the most up-to-date information. Early morning flights in particular could be affected.
• Even if MEM is open with flights arriving and departing, weather across the U.S. could disrupt airline schedules this week.
• Airlines are responsible for all aspects of ticketing, baggage, and gate operations.

• While MEM is responsible for clearing runways and taxiways, airlines handle all aspects of deicing aircraft including staffing, application and equipment maintenance.

Other Passenger Information:

• Allow for extra time to get to the airport due to road conditions. It is recommended that they arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to their scheduled departure.

Additional Links

• Flight Information
• Airline Contact Info

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Glen Thomas, C.M. Director of Strategic Marketing& Communications/PIO 2491 Winchester Road, Suite 113 Memphis TN 38116-3856 901-922-8301 gthomas@flymemphis.com flymemphis.com

Join Backbeat Tours, Overton Park Shell, and the Memphis Rock'n'Soul Museum for a one-day-only event to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Live Rock'n'Roll.

Check out this article in the Memphis Flyer!

https://www.memphisflyer.com/elvis-at-the-shell-2

Check out this great blog post that Kim Halyak shared.

Blog post about Cooper-Young Garden Walk

Neighborhood Beautification Grows Greenbacks!

Memphis Zoo has been nominated again for USA Today 10 Best Zoos in the nation. Help us make it to the top by voting every day until March 6th. The link is included below.

Vote here!

Kim Halyak with Cooper Young Garden Association has 2 speaking engagements this week. Tuesday, Feb. 7, 6pm--I'll be at the MBG, to talk to the Memphis Horticultural Society about Garden Tourism, and their city-wide garden walk, Experience Memphis Gardens.

Saturday, Feb. 11, she'll be at the @Concourse Theatre for this year's TEDTalks to talk about "Gardening Grows Tourism Dollars". #TEDxmemphis Come check it out. Use code TED_DARE_23 to get $25 off your tickets to any session for the reduced Early Bird rate!

The tour begins with a continental breakfast and presentations on the airport's history, current activities, finances, projects, air service development efforts, and FedEx operations. The presentations are followed by a comprehensive bus tour around the airfield, including the FedEx World Hub and the Tennessee Air National Guard base. At the conclusion of the bus tour, attendees will also have the option of a walking tour of the new modernized concourse.

“The World Class Tour allows the public to learn about the past, present and future as it relates to MEM and its operations and projects,” said Scott Brockman, President and CEO of Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. “This is a unique opportunity for our community to have a behind-the-scenes airport experience.”

Register online at www.flymemphis.com/jon-k-thompson-world-class-tour. For more information, email wct@flymemphis.com or call 901-922-8079.