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The 901 is your morning blend of Memphis news and commentary

Good morning from Memphis, and a belated happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Lots has happened since Friday, including word aboutthe closure of Mister B's in Germantown.But before getting to that ...

Director of Interpretation, Collections and Education Noelle Trent leads Vice President Mike Pence on a tour of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis on Sunday.(Photo: Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal)

Ahead of his boss's impeachment trial today, Vice President Mike Pence paid homage to a hero of his, Martin Luther King Jr., on Sunday near where he was killed in Memphis.

Our Katherine Burgess, Sam Hardiman and Laura Testino chronicled Pence'strip, which took him to the National Civil Rights Museum's Lorraine Motel where King was shot and killedon April 4, 1968and then to Raleigh's Holy City Church of God in Christ, where the historically black denomination's leaderspraised Pence's faith and values.

The church's warm welcome of Pence drew criticism from some, including our columnist Tonyaa Weathersbee, whosaw its members as being too polite. And while Pence touted the administration's focus on equality of opportunity, others including protesters outside objected to the inequality of outcomes, especially for minorities.

And that's the perfect segue into the Rev. Earle Fisher's latest controversial piece for The New Tri-State Defenderabout how the MLK "Day of Service" isa sham. The many local nonprofits that use the day to promote volunteerism probably disagree. Attacking a day of service is the exact wrong way to go about this, but Fisher makes good points. Among them is the need to move beyond cosmetic fixes and get at structural issues:

Community service only requires a sacrifice of our time. And when you are white, rich or privileged time is usually on your side. Time is not on [ex-convicted offender] Gregs side. In fact, Greg is trying to reconfigure his life to make up for time hes lost.

Of course, volunteerism cannot solve poverty. Or issues with reintegrating ex-offenders back into society. Or a million other structural issues. And no one says it can. AndMemphis is clearly making progress in addressing some of these deep-rooted issues, includingramping up funding for prekindergarten and public transit. But Fisher is exactly rightto call on Memphis to go deeper. Memphis is in dire need of solutions.

But solving these issueswill take both time and money. And more than that, it will take vision the kind of vision that King had, that rallied people around a belief that every person isinherently worthy of protection and investment and respect.

To that end, you should read this subscribers-only story on one of Memphis' deeper problems withhomelessnessfrom our Sarah Macaraeg. Read the story, thenread her follow-up piece aboutsome of the ways you can take action.

Speaking of MLK Day:The University of Memphis will soon take possession of the notes for King's famous "We Shall Overcome" speech, our Laura Testino reports.Also, NBC featured Shelby County School students in its MLK Day coverage. Watch here:

The Germantown institution that is Mister B'srestaurant quietly ended its 44-year run in December, although the owner is looking for a buyer, our Jennifer Chandler reports.

The owner, Theresa Baker-Penninger, cited her health issues as the reason for the closure, but said she wants to see the restaurant to keep operating, like it always has:

On Wednesday, the 100-seat restaurant looked just like it normally does before opening for dinner. Baker-Penninger is hopeful that she will sell the business.

I have several offers on the table, she said. But I am being particular. I want to make sure the person who buys it does not change anything.

What's next forBaker-Penninger? Maybe an art gallery, Jennifer goes on to write.

Want to meet some of the faces behind our bylines? Well, here's your chance:The Commercial Appeal brings its community town hall series to Cordova this Thursday.

Find all of the details here, but here are the basics:

The forum, held in partnership with Hope Church, starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:15 p.m. Starting at 5 p.m., a social hour will precede the forum. It will be held in Hope's Big Room (at Entrance 6). Parking is available throughout the church's lot. There is no cost to attend.

The purpose of the meeting is for Commercial Appeal staffers to meet Hope Church members and Cordova residents and discuss community issues.

Hope to see you there!

Last week, our Bob Mehr checked in with Memphian Evvie McKinney, who won the first season of FOX's singing competition show "The Four." The big news? She recently signed with Motowns Gospel label and Capitols CMG publishing company.

We'll fade out today with one of her covers, "God Only Knows," originally by the Christian group King & Country...

Like The Fadeout?The 901's Spotify playlist has all of the available featuredsongs from local artists.

Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reachhim at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.

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The 901: VP Mike Pence stirs controversy with visit to Memphis - Commercial Appeal