Theatre Memphis has set up a fund to aid and assist volunteers and staff of the Memphis theater community who are in medical or financial distress.  The account is called the Emergency Needs for the Theater Artists Community Fund.  A committee has been appointed by Theatre Memphis to monitor the process of who will receive the funds.  The fund will be open to the entire Memphis theater community as defined by the committee.  Each case will be reviewed with the priority going to medical needs and assistance.

This need came up when one of the community's actors, Jo Lynne Palmer, suffered a stroke and had no insurance. 

You can contribute donations to the current fund for Palmer at Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Ext., Memphis, TN, 38117, with a designation for the Palmer Account.  They will accept cash, checks or credit card donations.  To contribute, call 901-682-8601 or look for a link at w

Late last week, new county health rankings came down from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, and it isn’t good news for the Mid-South. Shelby County ranks 82 out of the 95 counties in Tennessee when it comes to the percentage of obese residents. 

In Shelby County, 34% of people? are obese. In Crittenden County, it’s 35%. In DeSoto County, it’s 32%, but in Tunica and Quitman Counties, it reaches up to 42%. Throughout our area (including Missouri), there isn’t a single county that falls below 30% obesity.  That means at least one out of every three people in our community is obese.

If you're looking to get out before the end of the weekend and enjoy some mild temperatures, you can join in for a special event.

The inaugural Kick It 5K, benefitting the Herb Kosten Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation, will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 27, at Shelby Farms. 

The Kosten Foundation is a collaborative effort between the Herb Kosten Family and the University of Tennessee, Memphis.    According to the American Cancer Society, the five year survival rate for all stages of pancreatic cancer is just five percent.