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The Daily Memphian | The Early Word
 
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The Early Word: Remembering Tyre Nichols; Elwood’s got a new shack

I hope you’re staying warm, Memphis. Today is Wednesday, Feb. 1, and the ice storm warning has been extended through Thursday. (Just great!) Memphis-Shelby County Schools, and suburban districts have canceled classes again today.

This morning, Alcenia’s owner B.J. Chester-Tamayo is scheduled to appear on “Good Morning, America” to kick off Black History Month.

Funeral services for Tyre Nichols will be held this afternoon at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend, and Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy. 

The Shelby County Commission holds its committee meetings today, and there’s a resolution requesting a performance audit of the Shelby County Land Bank on the agenda. Downtown’s Design Review Board will consider a renovation and expansion for South Main’s Klein Fitness at its meeting. 

In sports news, the NCAA’s football signing period is now open. And tonight, veteran NBA player Danny Green is expected to make his Memphis Grizzlies debut in their game against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

THE NEED TO KNOW

A portrait of Tyre Nichols and his child sat in the pulpit at Mason Temple on Tuesday, January 31. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Remembering Tyre Nichols: As Tyre Nichols is laid to rest today, The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts offers a touching remembrance through the stories of Nichols’ friends and family. One former co-worker in Sacramento, where Nichols spent much of his life, remembers how he loved skating with kids in the mall parking lot. Another friend recalled a time when the two were stranded overnight in a broken down car: “We joked around, and we made the best of the situation. Since there was a gas station across the street, we went to grab a couple of snacks ... and just chopped it up about life.”

(From left to right): Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith are the Memphis Police officers terminated in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols. (Courtesy MPD)

Cops in Nichols’ case had previous infractions: The Daily Memphian took a look at the personnel records for the five Memphis Police officers fired following the death of Tyre Nichols. Four out of the five had previous procedural violations. In related news, an investigation by the Institute for Public Service Reporting found that Memphis Police officer Preston Hemphill, whose body camera footage showed Nichols’ initial traffic stop, was a detective with the now-disbanded SCORPION unit. The Institute’s Marc Perrusquia offers a look at Hemphill and some of the fired officers through court records showing actions by the SCORPION team. In the coming weeks, the City of Memphis will release the full audio and video footage of Tyre Nichols’ fatal encounter with police, once its administrative investigation is completed.

Memphis-based LGBTQ rights advocates stood outside a General Assembly hearing room on Tuesday, Jan. 31. From left: OUTMemphis youth advocate Vaniel Simmons, OUTMemphis trans services specialist Jenna Lee Dunn, UTHSC assistant professor of nursing Lacretia Carroll, OUTMemphis executive director Molly Quinn and Advocates for Immigrant Rights executive director Casey Bryant. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)

What rejecting HIV funds means for Memphis: Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to reject federal funding for HIV prevention would have the greatest impact on small organizations that offer STD testing and promote the use of medication to prevent HIV. Those organizations, such as OUTMemphis and Friends for Life, also double as affirming spaces for the LGBTQ community. “It’s a really debilitating and destabilizing move for our organization. This is funding we really counted on indefinitely to do our work,” said OUTMemphis director Molly Quinn. In other LGBTQ news, state lawmakers on Tuesday advanced proposals that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and limit where drag shows can take place.

Solar arrays will provide 216 kilowatts of power to two government buildings next to Shelby Farms Park. (Courtesy Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris' office)

New under the sun: Two Shelby County government buildings — code enforcement and information technology services — will soon be 100% solar-powered. Two new solar arrays are being installed adjacent to the buildings near Shelby Farms Park, with installation expected to wrap up by the end of the month. The county expects the switch will not only produce a savings but will also cut down on the county’s greenhouse gas emissions, 75% of which come from the government’s buildings.

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MEET MEMPHIS

Nicole J. Johnson is the new vice president for student life at Rhodes College. (Courtesy Rhodes College)

Nicole J. Johnson is Rhodes College’s new vice president for student life. Johnson comes to Rhodes from Goucher College, a private liberal arts college in Baltimore, Maryland, where she served as the dean of students and associate vice president for student affairs. She’s also held leadership positions at Elizabeth City State University, Virginia Tech, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the American College Professional Association.

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THE NICE TO KNOW

Tim Bednarski, owner of Elwood’s Shack, plans to open a second location at 4040 Park Ave. on March 1. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

Shack’s out of the bag: The long-awaited second location for Elwood’s Shack is official: It’ll be at 4040 Park Ave. in the old Consignment Music Store. And Memphis Sandwich Clique co-founder Reuben Skahill will be running the place, though it took a while for him to settle on his title of managing partner. “I thought about the bread honcho and then the chief of beef,” said Skahill. The new location will have the same popular menu as the original Elwood’s Shack, with the addition of a few new menu items that should delight longtime fans.

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren played during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Detroit. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

NBA’s Rising Stars: The NBA’s best young talent will take to the court in the league’s annual Jordan Rising Stars Game on Feb. 17. Among the featured players will be former Memphis Tigers big man and current Detroit Pistons rookie Jalen Duren and Memphis Grizzlies two-way player Kenneth Lofton Jr.

What’s brewing in Southaven: Scooter’s Coffee got unanimous approval from Southaven’s planning commission to open its first Mississippi location at the corner of Goodman and Malone roads. The coffee chain also won approval last year to open its first Memphis location at the site of the old CK’s Coffee Shop on Poplar Avenue in Midtown. 

The Sterick Building in Downtown Memphis. (Houston Cofield/The Daily Memphis file)

What’s up with the Sterick Building? In this week’s Inked column, The Daily Memphian’s Neil Strebig touches on RZA Construction’s new commercial division and the closing of a Downtown barbershop. And he answers a mailbag question about the fate of Downtown’s historic and long-vacant Sterick Building. 

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Danny Green is making his Grizzlies debut tonight, and Twitter is abuzz with expectations.

No pressure or anything, Danny. 

Alright, y’all. Be careful out there if you have to get out, and bundle up.

 
 
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