The Early Word: xAI is ahead, jail food is bad and Rose sets a personal best
Wake up, Memphis! It’s Monday, June 17, and the Shelby County Commission might actually wrap up its budget season today. The commission is scheduled to take votes on the county operating budget, capital budget and property-tax rate at its regular Monday meeting.
For a look at what’s ahead, check out This Week in Memphis.
This may come as no surprise, but the food’s not good in jail, folks. That’s what we learned from looking over nearly 70 food complaints filed by 201 Poplar inmates between Jan. 1, 2023, to March 6, 2024. The grievances ranged from moldy and cold food to portions so small “even a toddler would ask for more,” according to one complaint. The Shelby County Commission approved a $5.6 million contract renewal with the jail’s food service provider, Aramark Correctional Services LLC, back in December, but some commissioners have concerns.
Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer could be ready this summer, up to a year ahead of its planned 2025 goal. Work is already underway to convert the old Electrolux site into Musk’s so-called “gigafactory,” which will train chatbot Grok. The site isn’t yet on the Tennessee Valley Authority grid, so until that time, it’s being powered by gas turbines and cooled by water that’s being trucked in. The rush would give xAI a competitive edge amid a worldwide AI tech race.
Memphis-raised Olympian Gabrielle Rose — by far the oldest athlete in the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at age 46 — set a new personal record of 1:08.32 in the 100-meter breaststroke at the second of two Olympic semifinals on Sunday. But the two-time Olympian’s new PR earned her 10th place overall, which was two spots away from qualifying for today’s finals. That means Rose, who competed in the trails after a two-decade break, won’t be competing in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. (But she’s certainly a winner in our hearts.)
Plus, Flyway beers are now in Memphis, Holiday Deli lives on and you’ve got two more weeks to eat at The Cheesecake Factory.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time running marathons and ultras. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
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