The Early Word: Feagins is fired, Davis is back and Jan. 6 rioters are pardoned
Hope you’re staying warm on this Wednesday, Jan. 22. It’s around 12 degrees as this goes to press. And if you’re following the Tennessee Valley Authority’s voluntary call, you may be reserving power until 9 a.m. today. Guess that’s good news for everyone who gets to sleep in under the warm covers and bad news for the early birdies.
If they’re not all frozen, Shelby County Commissioners are set to meet in committee today, and the Memphis Grizzlies will play the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum tonight. Speaking of the Grizzlies, we’re about midway through the regular season, and The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington goes deep on whether they should be considered playoff contenders at this point.
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board voted 6-3 to fire Superintendent Marie Feagins Tuesday night. The school board’s lawyer, Robert Spence, said an investigation into her alleged mishandling of financial matters found that she violated her contract eight times and board policy nine times. That report will be made public, but you’ll have to wait a few days. Since Feagins was fired “for cause,” she’ll leave without pay. But Feagins and her attorney, Alan Crone, are planning a legal challenge, with Crone saying the “board chose chaos over children.”
Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis was reappointed by the Memphis City Council Tuesday after a year in an interim chief role. Memphis Mayor Paul Young tried to have her reappointed when he took office last January, but some council members wanted to see a drop in crime before naming her chief again.
Hours after he was sworn in, President Donald Trump issued an executive order pardoning his supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Among them were at least four people from the Memphis area, including Richard Barnett, who was released from prison on Monday.
Plus, the Chickasaw Gardens gates hit a roadblock and Missy Elliot will “work it” on the river.
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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. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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