MATA Goes to Abbreviated Service for Thanksgiving

The Memphis Area Transit Authority will operate city buses and other transportation services on a Sunday schedule for the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday, Nov. 24, as well as Friday, Nov. 25.

The abbreviated service and Sunday schedule applies to fixed-route business service and MATAplus service.

MATA trolleys will not run at all Thursday but will return to service Friday on a Sunday schedule.

The lobby of the Airways Transit Centers will be open from midnight to noon Thursday and Friday. The lobby of the American Way Transit Center is open both days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The William Hudson Transit Center at Central Station will be open both days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. And the MATA Customer Service Center will be closed Thursday and Friday, with the customer information automated line available at 901-274-MATA.

– Bill Dries

Pure Passion Temporarily Closes After Violence

The owners of Pure Passion nightclub, 1849 E. Brooks Road, agreed Monday, Nov. 21, to close the business for a month after meeting with Memphis Police brass, lawyers with the city attorney’s office and prosecutors with the Shelby County district attorney general’s office.

The meeting followed three separate shootings on the property in less than a month.

The club has agreed to add new security measures by the scheduled Dec. 20 reopening, including more security cameras that will be monitored by Memphis Police in the Real Time Crime Center.

As a strip club, Pure Passion was closed by authorities in 2008 as a public nuisance under a court order. It reopened after agreeing to additional safety measures.

– Bill Dries

Grizzlies Beat Charlotte For Fifth Straight Win

Point guard Mike Conley scored a season-high 31 points and center Marc Gasol nearly had a triple-double as the Grizzlies cruised to a 105-90 win at Charlotte Monday night for their fifth consecutive victory.

Conley finished 11 of 21 from the floor and hit five 3-pointers against the Hornets. Gasol scored 13 points, handed out nine assists and grabbed eight rebounds.

Memphis (9-5) grabbed control early and led by 11 points after a quarter and carried a 69-45 lead into halftime.

“It started with our defense,” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. “We said our defense will travel and it traveled tonight and led to being unselfish on the offensive end.”

Forward Zach Randolph had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench; forward JaMychal Green scored 12 points with eight rebounds; and swingman Tony Allen chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist. Vince Carter contributed 10 points, five assists and a steal off the bench.

Memphis shot 47.6 percent overall and made 12 of 26 from long distance for 46.2 percent. The Hornets (8-5) shot 41.1 percent and were led by Frank Kaminsky’s 23 points.

The Grizzlies continue their brief two-game road trip at Philadelphia on Wednesday, Nov. 23, then return to FedExForum for a 7 p.m. game Friday, Nov. 25, vs. the Miami Heat.

– Don Wade

Medtronic Profit Surges, Revenue Misses Expectations

Medtronic PLC’s fiscal second-quarter profit more than doubled on higher sales of its heart and surgical devices. But revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations, helping to drag shares lower.

The medical device company earned $1.12 billion, or 80 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for amortization and restructuring costs, came to $1.12 per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 18 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.11 per share.

Revenue rose 4 percent to $7.35 billion in the period, which missed Street forecasts. Seventeen analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $7.46 billion.

The revenue boost came from a broad range of divisions. Revenue from the cardiac and vascular unit, which includes implantable heart devices and valves, rose 4 percent to $2.58 billion. Revenue from minimally invasive therapies, which includes patient monitoring and surgical devices, rose 5 percent to $2.47 billion. The company’s restorative therapies unit saw revenue rise 4 percent to $1.83 billion, while the diabetes care unit saw revenue rise 3 percent to $462 million.

Medtronic expects full-year earnings in the range of $4.55 to $4.60 per share.

– The Associated Press