Oil spill drill brings out first responders

Submitted by Jeramia Trotter, WMCTV.com

Friday, September 3rd, 2010, 11:48am

If you saw a bunch of flashing lights and heard a lot of sirens this morning, don’t worry – it was just a drill.

Local first responders were practicing what they would do if there was an oil spill at the W.M. Barr and Company facility on Channel Drive.

Here’s the information on the drill:

The scenario is an unknown person opens a valve on a pipeline between a barge unloading its cargo and the holding tank on shore. The open valve is discovered when a barge tankerman begins to notice the odor of mineral spirits. When the source of the odor is located and a leak is discovered, W.M. Barr executes its emergency response plan and emergency responders are called to the scene. The drill will include response, notification, containment, investigation, possible domestic terrorism and clean up.

.Photo courtesy Flickr user Mulad.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Labor Day garbage collection schedule

Submitted by Jeramia Trotter, WMCTV.com

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010, 4:10pm

Information sent by the City of Memphis:

The City of Memphis will observe the Labor Day holiday, Monday, Sept. 6.

Residents of Memphis serviced by City of Memphis Solid Waste Management whose regular collection day is Monday will receive garbage and recycling collection on Tuesday, Sept 7. Since Tuesday is a double collection day, there will be little or no collection of excess trash and yard debris on Tuesday, while crews concentrate on garbage (carts) and recycling only.

Residents serviced by city contractors All Star Waste Systems and Waste Connections will receive garbage (cart) and recycling collection one day later all week; however, there will be no collection of yard debris and excess trash placed outside the cart on Saturday.

Normal collection schedules will resume the following week.

View Comments | Post a Comment

LeMoyne-Owen honoring victims of Middle Passage

Submitted by Jeramia Trotter, WMCTV.com

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010, 5:30pm

Information provided by LeMoyne-Owen College

On Tuesday, September 7, 2010, LeMoyne-Owen College will observe its Seventeenth Annual Middle Passage Commemoration featuring noted film director and speaker Katrina Browne of Boston, MA. Ms. Browne directed the documentary film, "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North," in which she and nine other descendants of the DeWolf family are featured as they travel from Rhode Island to Ghana and Cuba to sites related to the family’s slave trading business that flourished from 1769-1820.

The Middle Passage was the sea route that took kidnapped Africans away from their homelands to foreign shores such as the United States where they were destined for lives of enslavement.

View Comments | Post a Comment

High school students create Chucalissa exhibit

Submitted by Jeramia Trotter, WMCTV.com

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010, 2:51pm

A group of Memphis City Schools students worked through the summer to create a new attraction at the Chucalissa museum and archeological site.

Here’s the information:

The C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa premieres a new exhibit “The African American Cultural Heritage in Southwest Memphis” on Saturday, September 11. The opening reception and program will take place from 12:00 – 2:00 PM. There is no charge to attend the reception or to view the exhibit on September 11.

The exhibit was created by nine high school students living in the 38109 zip code area of southwest Memphis. Over a five-week period this summer, the students participated in a host of activities as they prepared to create and install the exhibit.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Midtown family hosts supply drive for the troops

Submitted by Steve Crain, WMCTV.com

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010, 12:28pm

Information from Project Care Troops

Henley Distributing Co., LLC and Project Care Troops will host a supply drive for the troops on September 11, 2010 starting at 9:00a.m. and ending at 2:00 p.m.

Volunteers will be on hand to collect the items outside Henley Distributing which is located at 3090 Broad Ave in Memphis. Organizers will also have available a small area set up so visitors can create cards or letters for the troops. Those cards and letters will be placed into the care packages headed overseas.

Items requested include:

View Comments | Post a Comment

Live music at Metal Museum

Submitted by Jeramia Trotter, WMCTV.com

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010, 5:02pm

Information from the Metal Museum:

The Metal Museum will produce a live music series featuring local talent on the museum grounds.

Scheduled on Thursday nights during September, Thursday Night Live will offer the Metal Museum as an exciting, new venue for Memphis music lovers. The program strives to bring new audiences to this city treasure as art and music create a unique Memphis experience.

Each concert was coordinated through an organization that presents live concerts and events around the city - Stax Music Academy, Ardent Records, Latino Memphis and Rebirth of Soul Entertainment.

The series features the classical soul of the Soulsville Charter School Philharmonic Orchestra, Star & Micey’s folk pop, a Latin heritage salute from Marcela Pinilla and a Rebirth of Soul Revue with Tim Terry.

View Comments | Post a Comment

SoMe Farmers Market already planning for next year

Submitted by Jeramia Trotter, WMCTV.com

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010, 2:58pm

Grocery shopping isn’t an easy feat if you live in South Memphis. If you rely on city busses, the one-way trip can require two transfers and take up to 40 minutes.

“People here are dependent on the corner stores,” said Curtis Thomas, deputy executive director of The Works, a South Memphis community development corporation. “They sell frozen burritos and stuff, but no fresh food.”

The Works started as a housing ministry at St. Andrew’s AME Church in 1993, but has since become affiliated with the United Way. The group concentrated on things like new homeowner classes, home repairs for the elderly and started a charter school.

View Comments | Post a Comment