The Early Word: Mastry alleges racism in firing; xAI got MLGW cutoff notices
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.
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.”
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.”
Plus, Memphis-Shelby County Schools responds to new immigration rules, a Memphis Tigers jokester gets serious and JJJ is a vlogger.
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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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