THE FLY-BY

April 1-7, 2021

MEM ernet

{WEEK THAT WAS By Flyer staff

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

MINECRAFTIN’

Instagram user Eric Huber is recreating Rust Hall, the iconic building central to the former Memphis College of Art campus, in Minecra . e whys of this project don’t matter at all. It’s simple internet genius.

POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @ERICHBER

KROGERIN’

A Nextdoor Kroger bash is still burning a er user Patti Ward complained last week that, a er 30 years of shopping at the Union Avenue location, she’ll “never again” shop there. e post racked up 229 comments. e discussion ranged from whether or not the issue was an issue at all, Big Brother, other Kroger locations, other stores, missing Seessel’s, and a proposed 30-day ban on bashing Kroger on Union. e post followed a March 15th post from Rita Baker calling the Union Kroger “the worst grocery store on the planet.”

EXPLAININ’

is week YouTuber Memphis Newz broke down the confusion over rapper Pooh Shiesty’s recent diss of South Memphis, his own neighborhood.

“Sometimes when a rapper gets big, their neighborhood will turn against them,” Memphis Newz said. “A lot of the time, it’s the rapper’s fault because they’ll be doing some hoeass shit.”

Shots, Bugs, & the “Electric Highway”

Vaccines open to all adults, a mosquito “boom,” and a plan for electric cars.

SHOTS OPENED

Local leaders opened COVID-19 vaccine appointments to all adults last week. e move came a er state o cials said they will open appointments to all adults no later than April 5th. State o cials also allowed counties to move through vaccine phases as they choose. e decision from state o cials was based on two things, according to Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey: low uptake and growing supply.

Piercey said uptake of the vaccine has been uneven across the state. Shot appointments were less than 20 percent lled in rural GEARGODZ | DREAMSTIME.COM SHELBY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT West Tennessee. But slots were more than 80 percent lled in the upper Cumberland region of COVID vaccine appointments in Shelby County are open to all adults (le ); Middle Tennessee, she said. For to combat a projected mosquito “boom,” crews pour larvicide this, she said anyone who cannot nd an appointment in their home county can travel to As for freezing temperatures killing o vast populations of another county for a vaccine. mosquitoes, Smith-Alexander said it doesn’t always happen.

Piercey announced a growing supply of vaccine doses Mosquitoes like warmer weather, anything over 80 degrees, headed for Tennessee. is week, she said, the state received she said. But some species of female mosquitoes can nd small about 311,000 doses. Next week, thanks to a resuming sup- holes or crevices and hibernate up to six months, she said. ply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the state is expected to get To battle mosquitoes in Shelby County, Smith-Alexander about 350,000 doses, a 30 percent bump from week to week. said crews here nd stagnant water — like in puddles and ditches — and use larvicide, granules of pesticide to kill mosA MOSQUITO “BOOM” quito babies. As harsh winter weather made a mess and broke water mains last month, optimists may have hoped that it, at least, might THE “ELECTRIC HIGHWAY” cut back the mosquito population this summer. According to e Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is leading a new, multihealth o cials here, that hope is misplaced. year plan to electrify roads from Chicago to Orlando, and from

Kasia Smith-Alexander, administrator of the Environmental Richmond to West Texas. Health division of the Shelby County Health Department, said Six major utilities, including TVA, formed the Electric the winter snow and ice likely helped to grow the mosquito Highway Coalition earlier this month for a network of chargpopulation here. ing stations along roads in 16 states in the South and parts of

“We are having a lot of water and moisture,” said Smith-Al- the Midwest. e plan strives for a “seamless network” of DC, exander. “So, we are anticipating more breeding of mosquitoes fast-charging stations to travel greater distances without the because we’ll have more areas for them to lay their eggs, for worry of “range anxiety.” e chargers for the stations will be them to continue their life cycle. on major routes and capable of getting drivers back on the

“We are anticipating there will be more of a boom for the road within 20 to 30 minutes. mosquito season this year because of all the melting of the snow. And days like today with more rain, that will give them Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of ample opportunity to replicate.” these stories and more local news.