News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Tuesday December 16th 2025
Movie Corner: Elvis
Elvis
Warner Bros. Pictures 2022
★★★★★
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
Elvis died tragically at the age of 42 on August 16, 1977. But when he died, the rock
star had recorded about 700 songs and sold more than one billion records worldwide, which was more than anyone in the record industry.
Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s (William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet [1996], Moulin Rouge! [2001], The Great Gatsby [2013]) new film project is Elvis, starring Austin Butler who plays the character Elvis in exceptional fashion. Austin’s performance is worthy of an Oscar nomination in a leading role.
The film starts with Elvis (Chaydon Jay)as a boy in Tupelo, Mississippi, who is exposed to Black music – both profane and gospel – living in a mostly Black neighborhood. Those were the days: 1940s, the pre-Civil Rights era when de jure segregation was solidly in place.
Fast forward to Elvis’ teen years on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, where he mingles
among the Black people going to and fro from the clubs. In one of the clubs he meets B.B. King
(Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and in another club, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Yola Quartey). As the night
goes on, he runs into Little Richard (Alton Mason) energizing the crowd in yet another bar.… Read the rest “Movie Corner: Elvis”
Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 9!
Find out where you vote and what’s on your ballot by visiting mnvotes.org
Remember, your polling place may have changed because of redistricting.
About Primary Elections
WHAT IS A PRIMARY ELECTION? A primary election determines which candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election. For example, five candidates from one political party might run for governor. Only one candidate can be on the ballot in November. The winner of the August primary election will represent their party on the November election ballot. There may be two kinds of offices on your primary ballot: partisan offices and nonpartisan offices.
PARTISAN OFFICES Partisan offices will list a political party next to a candidate’s name on the ballot. All state and federal offices—such as U.S. representatives or Minnesota senators—are partisan offices. Partisan candidates will be listed in four columns on the front side of the primary ballot.
The columns list candidates from Minnesota’s major political parties: the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party, the Legal Marijuana Now party, and the Republican Party. You can only vote for candidates from one political party. If you vote for candidates from both political parties, your votes will not count. You decide which one of the two parties you will vote for— Minnesota does not have political party registration.… Read the rest “Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 9!”
Tales from the Cemetery August ’22
by Sue Hunter Weir
The bad news: Several large tree branches have come down in recent storms and either have been or will be removed by the Park Board. On the Fourth of July, a stolen van loaded with fireworks crashed into the fence near the Cedar-Lake bus stop. The good news: The trim on the caretaker’s cottage has a fresh coat of paint, and the 50-foot-tall flagpole has also been repainted. Elizabeth Avenue, the cemetery’s only road has been seal coated. On July 8th, three new markers, all for infants, were placed. Architects from Miller- Dunwiddie have been surveying the limestone pillars and restoration will begin soon.
When a street in South Minneapolis was renamed to honor John Cheatham, Minneapolis’ first Black firefighter, it was a big news story. It was picked up by all of the local television stations, by Minneapolis Public Radio and by the Atlanta Black Star and the Grio, a national news outlet that focuses on stories of interest to African-Americans.
The fact that he was Minneapolis’ first Black firefighter is an important story but it isn’t the whole story. His is also a story about character and community.… Read the rest “Tales from the Cemetery August ’22”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
