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Rise and shine, Memphis. It’s Thursday, Feb. 8, and speaking of shine, the Land Use Control Board will consider updates today that could place more scrutiny on large-scale county solar projects. The changes were proposed during the county’s solar project moratorium, which was just extended until early May.
The NBA trade deadline is 2 p.m. today, but we’ve already seen some major shake-ups on the Memphis Grizzlies roster. In better news, the Grizzlies are debuting a new-look court at FedExForum tonight as they play the Chicago Bulls. And the Memphis Tigers will have a chance to show fans if they’re really turning a corner when they take on Temple tonight.
THE NEED TO KNOW
 Hundreds of people every year have attended the Interfaith Dinner, hosted by the Memphis Islamic Center. This was to have been the 17th year. (Courtesy Alim Khandekar)
Interfaith dinner called off: What would have been the 17th annual Interfaith Dinner, hosted by Memphis’ Muslim community, has been canceled due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Planners of what would have been the March 17 dinner say sensitivities on both sides make sitting down to a meal together too uncomfortable. The Memphis Islamic Center emailed its cancellation this week to more than 1,000 people, including elected officials, community leaders and hundreds of people in the local faith community, including representation from Memphis synagogues. The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts talked to the organizers and some regular dinner guests who expressed their disappointment.
 Ursula Madden is MLGW’s new VP of corporate communications. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)
News flash: Ursula Madden, who spent 17 years at Action News 5 and worked as the city’s chief communications officer, is Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s new vice president of corporate communications, a position previously held by Gale Jones Carson. And in other MLGW news, if you’ve got one of those constantly flashing streetlights in your neighborhood, your seizure fears could soon be over. Memphis Light, Gas and Water is entering the second phase of its project to replace the city’s old sodium streetlights with LED bulbs, and they’ll be fixing the flashing lights.
Teen to be tried as adult in ‘watermelon man’ death: Demarion Tackett, 16, was transferred to adult court on Wednesday for the shooting death of watermelon vendor John Materna. Tackett will now have his case sent to a grand jury for an indictment decision. Matera, 76, died after being shot while selling watermelons in The Heights on May 15 of last year. A handful of witnesses were called on Wednesday, including two victims whom Tackett allegedly robbed while they were doing yard work.
 Memphis Light, Gas and Water crews trimmed trees on Aug. 29, 2023. When trees die or when land is cleared to make way for power lines, most trees end up in landfills. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
North Star for North Memphis? Or no? Memphis Urban Wood and The Works Inc. want to redevelop a 10-acre blighted property on North Watkins Street in Klondike into a facility that would recycle wood waste into lumber and compost. But a planned Memphis City Council vote on the facility was rescheduled on Tuesday after the plan got pushback from North Memphis residents. The project’s site manager called the project a “North Star for North Memphis,” but council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas, who represents that district, said “North Memphis is not here to save your environment.”
QUOTED
“If [Yehuda Netanel] could pay us off in 12 months, that would be great, but it’s never going to happen.”
— Wes Roitman of Romspen Investment Corp.
In the final day of The Lake District development’s bankruptcy case, Roitman, who represents the project’s lender, was among the witnesses who cast doubt on developer Yehuda Netanel’s plan to sell off parcels on the Lakeland site. Roitman noted that Netanel has only sold $6 million to $7 million of the project’s property over four years but now thinks he can sell $50 million “miraculously” over the next 12 months.
THE NICE TO KNOW
 Memphis Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman controlled the ball during a game against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 13, 2022, in Detroit. (Carlos Osorio/AP file)
Shipping up to Boston: Memphis Grizzlies fans may never hear Pete Pranica utter the words “X gon’ give it to ya” again — unless Pranica moves to Boston. (And with the way things are going, would that be a surprise?) A day ahead of the NBA trade deadline, the Grizzlies traded center Xavier Tillman Sr. to the Boston Celtics in exchange for two second-round picks. That news dropped less than a week after the Grizzlies announced they were trading center Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets. (Can we just boycott the rest of the season, please?)
 Artis Whitehead celebrated outside the Walter L. Bailey Jr. Criminal Justice System after finding out he was exonerated. He served nearly 21 years in prison for a robbery he didn’t commit. (Carter Malone Group)
Life on the outside: Artis Whitehead was released from prison in mid-December after serving nearly 21 years of a 249-year prison sentence for a robbery he didn’t commit. Whitehead was convicted for a 2002 robbery at B.B. King’s on Beale Street and charged with kidnapping and assault. His arrest followed a CrimeStoppers tip from a man who later admitted to falsely accusing Whitehead, and through the Tennessee Innocence Project, he was finally able to gain freedom. The Daily Memphian’s Julia Baker caught up with Whitehead, who was exonerated on Jan. 31, to see how he’s catching up with family and adjusting to new technology.
 Plans for the proposed Holiday Inn Express at the Dermon Building in Downtown Memphis were approved on Wednesday, Feb. 7. (Courtesy Cnct)
Chillin’ at the Holiday Inn: Designs for a new Holiday Inn Express in the historic Dermon Building were approved by Downtown’s Design Review Board on Wednesday. Developers plan to retain the building’s unique brown-and-yellow terra cotta for what will be a 10-story, 159-room hotel. In other Downtown development news, the team behind the renovation of Memphis’ tallest tower, 100 N. Main, is applying for a 30-year tax incentive and a 5% Tourism Development Zone surcharge. Once complete, 100 N. Main promises a four-star hotel, about 200 multifamily apartments, office space, retail space and a — straight out of the 1960s — rotating rooftop bar.
 South Carolina offensive lineman Jaylen Nichols looked at the scoreboard during an NCAA college football game against Charlotte on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Nichols joins nine other offensive linemen who signed to the Memphis Tigers 2024 class in December. (Artie Walker Jr./AP file)
New recruits: Wednesday was National Signing Day for high-school student-athletes, and the Memphis Tigers football team added four new players to beef up their defensive secondary. That’s in addition to 34 players who were added to the 2024 recruiting class during the early signing period in December.
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
Thanks for everything, Xavier Tillman Sr. He may be heading up north, but let’s keep following him on Instagram for good, wholesome content.
Have a great day, and here’s hoping the Grizzlies are done making big moves for awhile.
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