Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
There are 429 articles by Jody Callahan :
In this week’s Ask the Memphian, we wondered why folks invest so much on their Halloween displays. The answers? Whimsy, fun and, for at least one person, revenge.
The National Civil Rights Museum celebrated the opening of the BlueCross Healthy Place at Founders Park on Saturday, the first phase of the museum’s two-part, $38 million expansion.
For roughly three decades, the only musicians who played what is now the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium were marching bands. But why?
Robert Hodges, otherwise known as Prince Mongo from the planet Zambodia, has irked as many Memphians as he’s charmed throughout the years. But in an odd quirk of fate, he may well have changed Memphis history.
In the latest installment of “Ask the Memphian,” we try to answer why Memphis seems to be overrun with temporary tags on cars. But it’s not just a Memphis problem.
Who created barbecue nachos? Well, it depends on who you ask, and be careful if you do ask because both sides are feisty about the answer.
Virtually any time Memphis gets enough wind, ice, rain or snow to disrupt the power, the howls start up again: Bury the power lines no matter the cost! But that cost usually dampens those howls.
Wherever you go, be safe, watch out for others and make sure to do at least one cannonball off the diving board.
In this week’s “Ask the Memphian,” we answer a reader's question: How did the city’s parkways get their names, and why are parts of them so confusing?
Everyone hates potholes. Here’s what they are and what you can do if you spot — or hit — one.
Shelby Farms is home to a herd of bison, 20 miles of trails and, unbeknownst to many, at least one cemetery. Here is the story of that lonely, forgotten graveyard.
In April of this year, the Wolf River had its fourth-highest crest on record in Germantown, inundating parts of that city and areas of Memphis. But experts say fatal flooding is unlikely.
Union Avenue once reversed lane directions twice a day in a bold attempt to reduce traffic congestion. It may have worked for a while, but it became a confusing jumble that contributed to numerous accidents.
The Mississippi River is a treacherous, deceptive body of water that will kill you if you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s why many experts caution people to be very wary around the river, wear protective gear if you must but stay out of it if at all possible.
For that matter, what is a viaduct, anyway?
In what a former Memphis police chief laughingly calls a “goat rodeo from the word go,” three bumbling crooks hatched a harebrained scheme to steal the body of Elvis Presley two weeks after his death. It didn’t go very well.
After a barrage of ads for Justin Timberlake’s 901 Tequila annoyed them, two social media whizzes came up with the idea for 901 Day. Thirteen years later, it’s bigger than ever.
Two species of geckos can now be found in Memphis, part of an “invasion” from Florida. But not to worry: they aren’t causing any trouble.
Beleaguered CBU lost a third of its student population from last year while other local colleges saw modest declines or, in the case of LeMoyne-Owen, a small increase.
A Memphis rape kit from 1997 links to an assault in Dyersburg, Tennessee, plus the 1991 murder of four girls at an Austin, Texas, yogurt shop.
While its cause is serious, Wifflestock isn’t. Welcome to the world of Wiffle ball for adults, where the players talk trash while raising money for the Ronald McDonald House.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Memphis Police Department officers responding to a report of gunfire in the Parkway Village area shot a man Saturday.
Scott’s donation is part of a larger campaign by the United Negro College Fund to raise $370 million to fund a pooled endowment for each of the country’s 37 HBCUs.
The Memphis Police Department has created a permanent traffic enforcement shift as part of an effort that is targeting four of the city’s main traffic arteries.
“I’m absolutely befuddled why the city government, why the county government and why the state of Tennessee would give money to a person to run a nonprofit organization when they had been convicted of stealing money from a nonprofit organization in the past,” said Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee.