Morning Memphis, and welcome to the first week day in February. It’s Monday, Feb. 3, and tonight is National Doggy Date Night. That sounds like the perfect excuse to order takeout and clear off a spot on the couch for you and your pup as the two of you watch the Memphis Grizzlies play the San Antonio Spurs. It’s a home game, so you could head Downtown instead, but your poor pooch would be sooooo sad.
For a look at what’s coming up, check out This Week in Memphis.
THE NEED TO KNOW
 Todd Mastry, former executive director of Southaven’s Landers Center, has filed a lawsuit alleging DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau violated the Civil Rights Act over his firing. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Fired for booking Black artists? Former Landers Center Director Todd Mastry, who was fired by the DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau board last month, is claiming he was let go because he’d been booking Black artists to play shows. In a lawsuit filed late last week, Mastry said the issues began when he booked rapper Lil Wayne for a 2016 performance. The suit alleges Supervisor Mark Gardner told Mastry that the CVB didn’t want “those people” performing and coming down to Southaven from Memphis. The filing goes on to state that “those people” referred to “Black artists who performed and Black Memphians who attended the concerts.”
 Memphis Light, Gas and Water has sent Elon Musk’s xAI several cutoff notices for its supercomputer but never shut off power. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)
Power failure: Late on your light bill? No worries; it seems that even billionaires can’t pay on time. Elon Musk’s xAI has been sent three notices that its electric and water service could be cut off due to payment failures. Memphis Light, Gas and Water never went so far as shutting off the supercomputer’s power, but at points last fall, xAI owed MLGW more than $400,000 in back payments. As of the end of January, the company is now current on its bills. XAI executive Brent Mayo blamed the late payments on “accounting and clerical discrepancies.”
 “MSCS welcomes ALL students at our schools and encourages them to continue attending,” Memphis-Shelby County Schools officials wrote to families in response to President Donald Trump’s new immigration directive. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
MSCS responds to new immigration rules: On his second day as president, Donald Trump’s administration reversed guidance that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from making arrests at schools. MSCS has now established a legal hotline for principals in case ICE shows up on campus. Principals are being told to ask ICE agents for identification and show any warrants they may have. In its guidance to school leaders, MSCS said it remains “committed to educating ALL students, regardless of national origin, immigration status or citizenship status.”
 Previous reporting by The Daily Memphian determined there had been at least 40 deaths inside 201 Poplar between 2019 and mid-2023. That number has steadily grown since then with the deaths often caused by drugs, violence or inmate health conditions. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Problems at 201: A Shelby County Jail inmate died on Friday at Methodist University Hospital after being found unresponsive from a “medical emergency.” At least 55 people have died at 201 Poplar since 2019. In other jail news, Shelby County Corrections deputy Bianca Grandberry is behind bars after being indicted for an inappropriate relationship with an inmate. Grandberry, who was arrested on Friday and now faces bribery and misconduct charges, allegedly video-chatted with inmate Martavious Williams on his contraband phone and purchased contraband items for him. Williams and his cellmate have been charged as well.
MEET MEMPHIS
 Wally Joe (left) said he and business partner Andrew Adams (right) are like brothers. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
The friendship between chefs Wally Joe and Andrew Adams, both of whom are semifinalists for James Beard Awards this year, dates back to the 1990s. Young Adams was an aspiring chef while in high school, when his mother learned of a James Beard Foundation dinner at Joe’s family’s restaurant in Cleveland, Mississippi. Adams applied for a job there and later went on to attend culinary school. In 2002, he went to work for Joe again, as chef de cuisine at Wally Joe’s now-closed namesake restaurant in East Memphis. The two opened Acre together in 2011. Our story on the chef duo is the first in a series on local chefs who are up for Beard Awards.
THE NICE TO KNOW
 Memphis guard PJ Carter celebrated after making a 3-pointer against Rice in Houston, Sunday, Feb. 2. (Ashley Landis/AP file)
Funny guy gets serious: The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team escaped with an 86-83 win against Rice on Sunday night, thanks in large part to PJ Carter. The reserve guard, who had logged more than 15 minutes in only a handful of games this season, made two free throws in the final seconds. Before those two points, the Tigers were up by only one point. Coach Penny Hardaway said Carter had transformed from a team jokester who wasn’t “serious enough” into “an unbelievable weapon.” Columnist John Martin reminds us that these Tigers are “doing what last year’s could not,” meaning winning against teams like Rice, Tulane, Florida Atlantic and North Texas. In other Tigers basketball news, the women’s team used a third-quarter advantage to cruise to a 75-69 victory over East Carolina on Saturday.
 Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. tried to get past Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez on Sunday, Feb. 2, in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash/AP)
2s > 3s: You’ve heard of girl math, but what about Grizz math? Last night, we learned that 2s are greater than 3s when the Memphis Grizzlies simply outmathed the Milwaukee Bucks by pouring in enough 2s in the paint to outweigh the Bucks’ 20 triples. In the end, the Grizz scored a 132-119 victory on national television. All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. got a busted lip in the process, but he’ll be fine. Desmond Bane, however, may be another story. Back to JJJ though: Our own Drew Hill published the first in a series today on Jackson’s new YouTube video series documenting his life. Turns out, Jackson is branching out beyond fashion and politics — two of his well-known, off-court passions — for a new venture: film.
 A BNSL locomotive led a line of freight cars Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (Sue Ogrocki/AP file)
All aboard: Memphis is the No. 2 city in the nation for cargo theft, just behind the Los Angeles area. The Tennessee Railroad Association is pushing for stricter penalties, and local rail companies and the Greater Memphis Chamber are backing those efforts. For now, the greater Memphis area is one of seven regions where the FBI operates a cargo task force. Since Memphis is so close to Tennessee and Arkansas, the feds have an easier time investigating cargo crimes that cross state lines.
 Jasmin Smith prepared an order of vegan wings at Plant-Based Heat. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Plant power: When I went vegan in 2004, there were no plant-based restaurants in Memphis. The only vegan cafe, tucked inside a Midtown food co-op, had closed months earlier. I could find things to eat at Vietnamese, Thai and Indian restaurants, but otherwise, I was left to fend for myself in my own kitchen. These days, plant-based options are everywhere. Memphis has several dedicated vegan restaurants and way more than a handful of omni spots with plant-based options. The Daily Memphian’s Christin Yates looks at the proliferation of vegan dining options in a city where barbecue still reigns supreme. (But might I suggest the vegan pulled “pork” sandwich at Imagine Vegan Cafe.)
THIS WEEK’S WEATHER
Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter yesterday, but from the looks of this week’s weather, it sounds like he’s losing touch. Bring on early spring!
Get out and enjoy this beautiful weather today with your dog!
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