Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How you can celebrate MLK Day free at the Civil Rights Museum

Coming up on the Memphis Patch calendar: Learn about Fostering

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Good morning Memphis! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How you can celebrate MLK Day free at the Civil Rights Museum
  • Are Memphis crime numbers dropping faster than residents actually feel safer?
  • What’s really changing inside Memphis’s troubled 201 Poplar jail?

Also on today's calendar: Learn about Fostering and 1 more event.

Find out what's happening in Memphisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: I’m trying to think of a new cloud joke. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Memphisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Sunday: Cloudy, windy; a p.m. t-storm, with a high of 76 and low of 30 degrees.
  • Monday: Some sun, then clouds; windy, temps: high: 38, low: 24.
  • Tuesday: Sunny and cold, with a high of 38 and low of 32 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. National Civil Rights Museum hosting celebration for 40th anniversary of MLK holiday (fox13memphis.com) — Memphis residents can look forward to free admission and a full day of activities at the National Civil Rights Museum on King Day 2026, marking 40 years of the federal MLK holiday. The celebration will also launch the museum’s “Legacy Year,” highlighting its 35th anniversary, newly renovated Legacy Experience, local performances, service projects, and community resource offerings.
   

2. Memphis serious crimes hit 25-year low (wreg.com) — Memphis officials say serious crime has fallen to a 25-year low, with homicides dropping to 182 in 2025 as the Memphis Safe Task Force ramps up arrests and gun seizures. Still, many residents interviewed downtown say the city doesn’t feel safer, underscoring the gap between statistics and daily experience in Memphis neighborhoods.
   

3. Shelby Co. Sheriff's Office cite jail improvements during 2025 (wreg.com) — Shelby County jail leaders say conditions at 201 Poplar in Downtown Memphis are improving after a year marked by overcrowding and 13 in-custody deaths. They report faster bookings and releases, added staff, population reductions through transfers, and major security upgrades, while also using regional and federal facilities to ease pressure on the Memphis jail.
   

4. MSCS leaders host donation drive for families affected by fire (fox13memphis.com) — Memphis-Shelby County Schools leaders rallied the community this weekend to support seven families displaced by a devastating fire at the Hamlet Apartments in Fox Meadows. With donations pouring in and even housing help from a local foundation, the drive was so successful that MSCS is extending collections through Monday to keep families supported as they rebuild.
   

5. What was happening in Memphis history on Dec. 27? A look back through the years (commercialappeal.com) — Memphis readers get a nostalgic look at what was happening around the city on past Dec. 27 dates, from high school basketball showdowns to long-running holiday charity efforts. The piece pulls moments from 1925 through 2000, highlighting how Mid-Southerners celebrated, competed, and supported neighbors over the decades.
   

📸 Around Memphis

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Found this puppy in the middle of the street almost hit him has has no fear of cars.
    I have him at my house for now but can not keep him. In need or foster or rescue or to find owner asap. Found at clearbrook and Winchester in Memphis. (Nextdoor Parkway Village)
  • We are missing our fur baby.
    Last seen in the area of Susie Lane and Tudor in Hornlake, Ms. She apparently slipped out of the house unnoticed while we were loading the car. We… (Nextdoor Graceland)
  • JCCs of North America posted a job opening for Jewish Activities Coordinator in Memphis. Apply here.
  • Cintas Corporation posted a job opening for Warehouse Associate - Loader/Unloader - 2nd Shift - $20.00/Hour in Memphis. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Memphis here.

Ok Memphis! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I haven’t the foggiest.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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