The 901: SBC report of accused ministers is the start of momentum, survivor speaks out
Good morning, Memphis, where veterans, active-duty military and civilians were among thousands who came to the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day to honor those who died protecting our country.
But, first, after the Southern Baptist Convention leaders published a 205-page list, detailing the cases of hundreds of people accused of abuse, Jules Woodson found his name: Andy Savage, our Katherine Burgess reports.
“I felt acknowledged that they knew,” Woodson said. “But at the same time heartbreaking to see how many people they knew about and didn’t warn others.”
When Woodson first spoke publicly in 2018 about her story, Savage was a teaching pastor at Highpoint Church, a Memphis megachurch with Southern Baptist affiliations.
Read Woodson’s story and how the report released is the start of momentum.
Saint Francis aims to fix nurse training after COVID-19 disruption
The COVID-19 pandemic showed people something healthcare professionals have known for years: There are not enough nurses in this country.
The virus complicated the process of transitioning new nurses from the classroom to the bedside, our Corinne Kennedy reports. Many were not able to get hands-on training in hospitals due to strict safety protocols and, consequently, left nursing school with less practical experience than previous generations.
Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis is trying to close that gap.
“We recognize that during the pandemic, there were fewer opportunities for nurses to get actual clinical experience in an inpatient setting, and that can make the transition into providing patient care in a hospital intimidating,” said Cameron Murphy, chief nursing officer of Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis.
One dead, 12 injured in holiday weekend shootings
At least 12 people have been injured and one person was killed after separate Memorial Day weekend shootings, Corinne reports.
Corinne tells us everything we know, according to the Memphis Police Department, including where these shootings took place, who was injured and if there were any arrests.
Mid-South residents honor fallen service members on Memorial Day
Thousands of people came to the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery Monday to mark Memorial Day and honor those who died protecting our country, Corinne also reports.
“This pristine place holds a special meaning for me because it honors the servicemen and women that have given so much for our country,” said Rodney Shaw, director of the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery. “I have an awesome opportunity every day to remember and honor the great servicemen and women that paved the way for all of us. Our debt to these heroic men and women and their service to our country can never be repaid.”
Retired Brig. Gen. Harry D. Montgomery, Jr., said many people did not fully understand the meaning of Memorial Day or its importance. There's a growing disconnect between the community of active-duty military and veterans and the civilian population.
Ex-Memphis drug dealer cares more about gun violence than GOPers
Renardo Baker, an unelected citizen, is weary of seeing young people die from gun violence and is trying to save lives. Yet lawmakers, mostly Republicans, who are elected to solve difficult problems and who have access to resources, aren’t, our Tonyaa Weathersbee writes in her latest column for subscribers.
Here’s an excerpt:
Three fingers on Renardo Baker’s right hand remind him of a time when, as a teenager, he used his body, and not a gun, to vent.
He was angry that his father and his mother had divorced. Angry that although she worked, his mother still earned so little that sometimes, he had to eat cereal all day.
“As soon as I got home, I’d be eating cereal,” said Baker, 47. “What really saved me from getting involved in gangs, because I was angry that my father wasn’t in my life, was that my mother signed me up for pee-wee football.
“I played football from pee-wee, to middle school, to high school. Me, dealing with my anger issues, I could play football, and I could hit people very hard, because that was my moment of releasing all that. So, in high school, I hurt my shoulder real bad, and right now, these three fingers tingle because of the nerve [damage] in my shoulder.”
(Not a subscriber? Check out our latest deals and get full access to all our stories, including the subscriber-only stories mentioned in today's 901).
Italia Pizza Café still on the lookout for first Big Mama challenge winner
The Big Mama Challenge comes by its name honestly; It's a really, really big pizza, our Gina Butkovich reports.
The Italia Pizza Café claims it's the largest pizza in DeSoto County. Made up of a pound of sauce and 4 pounds of cheese, the pizza is 25 to 30 slices in total. The pizza sits at 28 inches and is the equivalent of around 5½ 12-inch pizzas.
So far, no one has been able to eat the entire thing in 30 minutes or less.
"That pizza itself has been really famous, but now with the challenge everyone is like 'I can do it, I can do it,'" owner Jose Morales said. "Everybody thinks it's easy but it's not. You get to that point where you hit that wall where you can't have no more and you're like 'never mind.' I'm still waiting for somebody to finish it."
How much will it cost the Grizzlies to keep core roster together?
The Grizzlies face at least four key personnel decisions that will determine whether the core of a roster that won finished second in the regular season stays intact, our Evan Barnes reports. Grizzlies’ General Manager Zach Kleiman said owner Robert Pera will spend whatever is needed to retain the players the franchise wants.
“We’re not worried about small market notions or any of this or that,” Kleiman said. “We’re not going to have any issue whatsoever keeping together whoever we ultimately decide along the way as we continue to prioritize continuity.”
Keith Smith, an NBA salary cap analyst for Spotrac, a website that details sports salary information, broke down the likely contracts’ costs in an interview with The Commercial Appeal.
The 901 is written by Ray Padilla, digital producer for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @Ray_Padilla_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: After SBC list of accused ministers, survivor tells her story
