The Early Word: Roads have improved, and a late war hero gets a new home
You cold enough yet, Memphis? It’s Thursday, Feb. 20, and schools are still closed today due to icy streets. But if you need to get out, the roads have improved quite a bit since Tuesday morning. Just watch for black ice.
Also, Memphis Light, Gas and Water is asking customers to conserve energy this morning and Friday morning through 10 a.m. So, turn that thermostat down, and put on your fuzzy pants.
If you’re staying home under blankets tonight, at least NBA basketball is back. The Memphis Grizzlies return after the long All-Star Break with an away game against the Indianapolis Pacers. Also, it’s National Margarita Day, so treat yourself.
Major Donald J. Reilly died on Dec. 9, 1965, when enemy fire struck his helicopter in the Vietnam War. He’d been trying to evacuate wounded Marines from the battlefield, a job that he did despite the danger, because someone had to “give it a bloody go.” Reilly was buried at Memorial Park in Memphis, but his family long believed the hero should have been interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Now, 59 years later, that’s finally happening, thanks to the tireless effort of his daughter, Allison Gorman. Our own Geoff Calkins has the story.
Plus, xAI may build a solar farm, Memphis police officers are at fault for most of their crashes and Ja Morant is here to stay.
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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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