Calkins: It was bedlam at City Hall — as Memphis is at the center of a national debate once again
“There is a reason Memphian — and Americans — have become deeply skeptical about data centers. And that skepticism was on vivid display Tuesday night,” Geoff Calkins writes. (Noah McLane/The Daily Memphian)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
At just after 5 p.m., Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. issued a request.
“If you are in support of this moratorium, please stand up,” he said.
Hundreds stood up.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
data center moratorium xAI Elon Musk Justin Pearson Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Geoff Calkins on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Geoff Calkins' stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
A data center in Memphis just filed a $575M permit — and it’s not SpaceXAI
In 2025, an official said the data center project would create more than 250 jobs with an investment of more than $500 million.
Anger erupts at City Hall as data center pause vote pushed yet again
It was the first item on the agenda of more than 30, but the rest of the meeting was canceled after police and City Hall security cleared the Memphis City Council chamber, those on the scene said.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.