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MEMernet A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web. STUNNER Photographer Russ Schaffer took and posted these amazing photos of a Memphis sunset last week, which he tweeted “stayed for six minutes.” POSTED TO TWITTER BY @RUSSTODAY
BAKER/ISBELL
POSTED TO TWITTER BY @JULIENRBAKER AND @JASONISBELL
March 25-31, 2021
Memphis-based singer-songwriter Julien Baker had a “massive honor” of singing “some Georgia music” with icon Jason Isbell last week. In a tweeted photo, “You can’t see how hard I’m cheesin’ but trust,” Baker said.
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NEON GRAMMY Memphis bassist and true original MonoNeon got big ups last week for playing on two Grammyrecognized songs. King’s Disease by Nas won and Djesse Vol. 3 by Jacob Collier was nominated. POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @UNAPOLOGETIC901
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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells
W E E K T H AT W A S By Flyer staff
Weather, Twitter, & COVID-19 Memphis dodges a bullet, “Memphis” banned, and restaurants get a break. COVID-19 RESTRAINTS RELAXED Restraints on restaurants got even more relaxed under a new health directive that went into effect Saturday, March 20th. Here are the key changes: • Increase in number of people at tables to 8 instead of 6. • Persons seated together must be of the same family unit or close contact group. • Bartenders are encouraged to wear a face shield or double mask while serving multiple groups at the bar, but are not required to do so. • Operating hours for dine-in service end at 1 a.m. (customers may stay until 1:30 a.m. to complete meal/ payment arrangements). • Two-hour limit for food service is removed. • Any location that serves beer or alcohol must serve food as required by state law (and have a permit to do so). • Removes the requirement of maintaining contact tracing records. “These revisions are deemed allowable now because our community has experienced reduced transmission of the virus for a period of greater than 14 days,” reads a statement from the health department. “Viral reproductive rate in Shelby County is currently estimated at 0.84 and has remained less than 1.0 since early January. Case numbers have continued to decline since early January. Weekly COVID-19 test positivity rates are the lowest they have been since October.” “DANGEROUS WEATHER” The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of “danPHOTO BY DREW BEAMER ON UNSPLASH gerous weather” for the area last week, though it missed Memphis. The area woke to thunder and rain Wednesday, The Mid-South braced for — and Memphis avoided — severe March 17th. The NWS predicted the possibility for weather, and COVID restrictions are relaxed for restaurants. severe weather Tuesday and said hazards could include large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Weather officials here doubled down on the prediction Wednesday many users’ attention early in the day when trying to use the morning in a tweet saying, “Dangerous weather is expected.” platform to talk about Dutch professional soccer player MemThe weather threat was enough for city of Memphis officials to phis Depay. Even just an isolated mention of “Memphis” would cancel all COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Wednesday. land a suspension. Users jumped on the bandwagon, egging each other on or MEMPHIS BAN HAMMER trying to goad others into saying Memphis. Even the Grizzlies The ban hammer shows no mercy. And on Twitter, it can befall Twitter account joined in on the shenanigans. anyone who uses hate speech, spreads disinformation, or … Eventually, Twitter came out with a statement, blaming the types out “Memphis”? whole fiasco on a “bug,” and promising that all the affected acLast week, many Twitter users found their accounts counts had been restored. Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of restricted with a short-term suspension because their tweets these stories and more local news. contained the word “Memphis.” The strange event came to
