Breckenridge Brewery Closes When Breckenridge Brewery closed last week, it was surprising and not surprising – depending on whom you asked. According to a Breckenridge employee, early Tuesday morning the locks were changed at the Peabody Place restaurant by Belz Enterprises, which holds the lease on the space, just as the brewery’s cleaning crew was arriving. The employee says Breckenridge was completely unprepared for this action, even though the restaurant was behind on its rent. Belz spokesman Andy Groveman won’t go into specifics about the closing but points out that the Colorado-based company has been shutting down its brew pubs and suggests that these latest events are a strategic move on the part of the brewery. Reports that the brewpub was being sold to Rock Bottom Restaurants began circulating several weeks ago, which Breckenridge management then denied. A spokesman for Rock Bottom declines to comment. In addition, Chuck Skypeck, co-owner of Boscos Pizza Kitchen and Brewery in Germantown, says he was approached about taking over the restaurant last fall. “It took us by surprise, unfortunately,” says Breckenridge CEO Ed Cerkovnik of the closing. He says he hopes to come to a resolution with Belz, and adds, “There are two sides to every story, and it’s not our policy to air those differences in the press.” Groveman says that Belz already has prospects for filling the space. – Susan Ellis City Allowed To Prosecute Vicious-Dog Cases The Tennessee legislature has passed a bill that will give Memphis city government more control over how dangerous-dog cases are handled. The city hasn’t had a vicious-dog ordinance since 1991, when the previous law was struck down by Judge Janice Holder on the grounds that it was breed-specific and was preempted by state law. The current Tennessee statute, adopted in 1978, outlines when a dangerous dog may be euthanized, specifying that it may only be done upon the order of a Circuit Court judge. The new amendment, which applies to counties of a certain population size – a number that just happens to be exactly the same as Shelby County’s – would give Memphis the authority to prosecute dangerous-dog cases locally, in General Sessions Court. “It will be much quicker,” says city attorney Robert Spence. “We’re talking 30 to 60 days in General Sessions, whereas cases can be tied up for months or even years in Circuit Court.” City officials have wanted to have more control over the dangerous-dog situation since the 1990 death of St. Mary’s teacher Betty Lou Stidham, who was mauled by two pit bulls. Last year the city was held liable for the incident because the animal shelter failed to follow up on its order to have the dogs undergo obedience training. Though state law caps such liability settlements at $130,000, with accumulated interest the city had to pay more than $176,000. The amended dangerous-dog bill passed unanimously in both the state House and Senate, and Governor Don Sundquist is expected to sign it. The city council will then be free to write and approve its own version. – Debbie Gilbert Armentrout Is Back Downtown Former Center City Commission president Edmund Armentrout is still sensitive when asked what he’s doing these days. He sticks to vague generalities. “I’m pretty actively engaged in all kinds of real-estate ventures right now,” he says. “I don’t have much to say publicly about what I’m doing. I’m a private citizen just going about my private business. “I’m involved in a number of projects downtown,” he continues. “I’m very active downtown.” It’s hard not to notice him, though, eating at places like the Arcade on South Main, surrounded by movers and shakers who are trying to make a profit and redevelop downtown at the same time. He’s doing this despite a spotty record at the CCC. After Armentrout stepped down in June, an audit showed that double payments and over-payments of expenditures netted him $27,000. The city is asking him to pay back the money. Armentrout claims the CCC owes him that much in back pay. Armentrout has teamed up with Gary Garland, a newcomer to downtown development, as an independent contractor. “He is arguably the most knowledgeable person on downtown Memphis at this time,” Garland says. “He pretty much knows what’s going on at every building. We’re going to take his [knowledge] and try to properly serve the owners of this market.” With Armentrout’s help, Garland is about to acquire two properties, 409 and 421 S. Main, and redevelop the properties into 29 loft apartments. And Garland is working with Armentrout on at least two other downtown projects, all of which have to get approval from Armentrout’s former employer before they can move forward. – Phil Campbell Saving the Star It’s not often that a fallen star returns to the sky, but it looks like one Midtown landmark is doing just that. The Sputnik Star, a spiky neon sign that has been in front of Joe’s Liquor Store at 1681 Poplar since the early 1960s, was recently taken down to be restored to its former, moving glory. The sign, which used to spin around wildly (the whole ball rotated 360 degrees, while the two halves of the ball each rotated 180 degrees), fell into disrepair in the 1980s. And the main internal problem? “A large bicycle chain had busted,” says Joe’s Liquor owner Brad Larson, “but the engine still worked.” The bicycle chain helped turn the ball. Along with the chain, Larson said that they were also refurbishing the neon to the original colors. The repairs to the star cost over $8,000, but were offset by a fund-raiser and a silent auction. The Sputnik Star is tentatively scheduled for relaunch in early June. Larson says there might even be a party, a band, maybe even some fireworks to mark the occasion. It’s enough to make even NASA proud. – Mary Cashiola Local Playwright and Critic Howell Pearre Dies Death has stayed the pen of Memphis’ most prolific, and certainly best-loved, playwright. Howell Pearre lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away on Wednesday, March 24th at Baptist Memorial East. He was 65. Funeral services were held this past Sunday at Spring Hill Cemetery in his native Nashville. Short in stature but larger than life, Pearre was a rapier-tongued realist known for his buckshot-laden bon mots. He could often be found at Zinnie’s East, holding forth on topics both tasteful and trashy, to the rapt delight of his many admirers, who knew that behind the acerbic front was a gentle soul with tremendous compassion for all of the wonderful human oddities who populate the American South. That same compassion fueled his 40-plus dramatic works, which include Tommy Pine’s Greatest Hits, Dixie Dreams, and an exquisite 10-minute masterpiece called simply Catechism. Pearre also adapted to the stage works of poetry and prose by authors as diverse as O. Henry, Bram Stoker, and fellow Mid-Southerner John Fergus Ryan. Thoroughly dedicated to his craft, he was also a co-founder and past president of Playwright’s Forum, a theatre troupe dedicated exclusively to soliciting and performing original works by other emerging playwrights. In addition to his theatrical career, Pearre was a columnist for Memphis magazine, worked for the Salvation Army, and served as theatre critic for the now-defunct Nashville Banner. Recently retired from Union Planters Bank, he had expressed joy at finally being able to devote more time to the theatre. A memorial service, which will include readings from his plays, performance videos, and special music, will be held at TheatreWorks on April 5th at 7 p.m. – Chris Davis Cops Throw Party for Suspended Colleagues Memphis Police Department officials had no comment on the party that was thrown for two suspended patrol officers disciplined for fighting each other while on duty. The officers, Cory Hale and J.R. Howell, were suspended for 40 days in late January. They’re both members of the department’s elite Street Crime Abatement Team (SCAT). The FBI has subpoenaed internal-affairs files on the matter, so much of what could be known about the fight is sealed from public view. The FBI appears to be reviewing to see if, during the incident, the civil rights of Deonte Douglass were violated. Douglass was being taken into custody when the two officers started fighting. The “suspension party,” as it was billed, took place earlier this month at Club Six-1-Six. News of it was widely known throughout the department well in advance. In at least one precinct, a flier advertised the party. Numerous fliers were plastered around the SCAT offices. “They came by and asked me if they could use the place on a Sunday night,” says club owner Wilbur Hensley. “They assured me that the bartender would make some money.” Hensley says he doesn’t know how many went to the party, but, he says, “I’m sure it was well-attended.” The party was organized by Hale and Tracy Gossett, another SCAT officer. The depart-ment’s internal affairs division had investigated Gossett, who was at the scene of the incident, but he was not punished for any wrongdoing. Gossett couldn’t be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday. Hale and Howell’s suspensions are unpaid, according to Capt. Steve Brown, president of the Memphis Police Association. The officers who threw the party sold tickets in an attempt to help the officers out financially. “The officers probably feel the suspension they got was pretty severe for what occurred in that situation,” Brown says, quickly adding that the party was not sanctioned by the union. Brown says that he had heard that about $1,800 had been raised – $900 apiece for Hale and Howell. – Phil Campbell Living In America: Death And Birth Touch Family by EILEEN LOH-HARRIST Watching Faiza Khader dart after her two toddlers, it’s hard to believe she gave birth just seven days ago. Faiza – who proudly carries her newborn daughter over to show to a visitor – is one of the elder children in the refugee Abbas family, whose travails of resettlement in America have been chronicled by the Flyer since December. These days, things look bleak for the Iraqi family. Faiza’s postpartum resiliency, for instance, isn’t merely fortunate: It’s necessary. Her family members depend on the income of whomever is lucky enough to have landed temporary manual labor. Even in the last few weeks of her pregnancy, that was Faiza. Her job kept her from so many of her medical appointments, in fact, that her obstetrician nearly dropped her as a patient. “She had not made her appointments because she was working some day labor, cash jobs here and there, and didn’t want to take time off,” says Diane Ragsdale, whose husband, attorney Duncan Ragsdale, represents several refugee families. “She said the family needed the money. ... We pleaded her case and she got to stay with her doctor.” Now, no one is working. Nineteen-year-old Haitem had a good prospect in the Kimbeeco machine shop in North Memphis, but an on-the-job accident cost him two fingers. Haitem has recovered and wants to work, but the family says Kimbeeco owner Mike Holt will not rehire him. Holt did not return a call to the Flyer for comment. Other family members face bureaucratic nightmares with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, trying to obtain passports so they can get back to their homeland. Faiza wants to return to her husband Mohmed, who could not come to America with his family. “He hasn’t seen his baby,” the 21-year-old says in faltering English. “Every day he [cries] on the telephone.” Faiza applied for three passports months ago, for herself and her toddlers. “They say, ‘We will finish 15 March,’” says Faiza, who has not heard from the INS since. “Where is my passport?” Faiza’s aunt Ghanima Jassim is also trying to return to Syria – to rush to the bedside of her son, injured in a car wreck. What she does not know is that Sabah, 27, has been killed. Ghanima is a petite woman who dresses from head to toe in black, a symbol of mourning for her husband and two sons – casualties of the Iran-Iraqi war. She moved to America last summer with the Abbas’ and another surviving son. Sabah stayed in Syria with his wife and two children, to finish medical school. The crash that killed him happened in mid-March, just after Sabah took his medical licensing exam. His wife broke her back, and his infant daughter broke both feet. The Abbas family knows the truth, but will keep the news from Ghanima for as long as possible. They want to spare her the excruciating pain they know will come. Financial problems abound. The Abbas’ rent is paid until the end of March, so they know they have a home for at least another couple of weeks. Improving, at least, are their medical problems. Mother Zahara anticipates back surgery for a ruptured disk that has plagued her for years. Maisoun, 24, now sees a specialist for her severe asthma. Still, no one is working, and they have lived in America for almost eight months – the maximum period of time the federal government provides assistance to refugees. Yet a ray of hope remains in the Abbas home: the lone American citizen, 1-week-old Istbrk, sleeping in a donated baby seat – oblivious to all this tragedy and uncertainty surrounding her. “She was born in America,” says her mother, stroking her downy head. “She is an American.” – Eileen Loh-Harrist

			Fly on the Wall The Body Politic “This bill defines ‘body piercing’ as the creation of an opening in the body of a human being for the purpose of inserting jewelry or other decoration. ‘Body piercing’ does not include piercing an ear with a disposable, single-use stud or solid needle that is applied using a mechanical device to force the needle or stud through the ear.” – The Tennessee legislature comes through with the legalese necessary for coming to terms with the folkways of late-millennial hipsterism in the form of House Bill 211, which unanimously passed the state House of Representatives early last week. The bill requires minors age 17 or younger to be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the creation of an opening in their body such as is herein described. Big Story, Tiny Correction “The February 16, 1999, issue of STAR contained an article entitled ‘REVEALED: Clinton had secret affair with jailbird Susan McDougal.’ The article contained two photographs taken in 1977 of Bill Clinton and a woman identified by STAR as Susan McDougal. STAR has since learned that the woman in the photographs is not, in fact, Susan McDougal. STAR apologizes for this error.” – STAR magazine’s March 23rd correction to a front-page story about Bill Clinton and Susan McDougal. The woman in the pictures, which the tabloid devoted a full page to, was in fact Memphian Janet Smith, daughter of Justine’s proprietors Justine and Dayton Smith, who included the photos in a recent memoir/cookbook devoted to the restaurant. The Scarlet Jacket Last week, the Tennessee Senate approved a bill that would allow first-time drunk drivers to spend 32 hours picking up trash on the state’s roadways while wearing orange jackets saying “I am a drunk driver,” rather than spending 48 hours in jail. Those who opt for the alternative will still be required, however, to spend two consecutive nights in jail. As the Associated Press reports, a similar bill, passed last year, was vetoed by Governor Sundquist because he considered it too lenient. He is expected to sign off on this version, however, despite its disturbing lack of provisions for dunking stools or public floggings. Cat Fight “They are dangerous cats and can eat an arm off. I’m not against the animals, but this ain’t the place for a zoo and they have got to go.” – a neighbor of Tiger Haven, speaking to the Associated Press, about the need to get rid of the non-profit sanctuary for lions, tigers, and other big cats in Roane County east of Nashville. The 30-acre facility is home to some 65 cats and has been run by Joe and Mary Lynn Parker for almost a decade, but has only recently been threatened with closure for zoning violations. Not all of the compound’s neighbors are worried about their arms, however. “It’s wonderful to have them as neighbors,” says another. “This is the only place in Tennessee where you can hear a rooster crow, a cow moo, and a lion roar, all at the same time.”