Liberty Park hotel, apartments could break ground this fall, city says
Work on a hotel and apartments at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds property may begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. The projected opening date is in early 2027.
Samuel Hardiman
Reporter
Samuel Hardiman is a reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on xAI, energy needs and how local governments spend money.
There are 498 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
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May 2025
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City of Memphis Chamber: xAI does not plan to use turbines at Whitehaven site
Documents show artificial intelligence company xAI considered using dozens of natural-gas turbines to power the second data center. However, the Greater Memphis Chamber said the company is “is demobilizing turbines in Shelby County.”
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North MississippiElon Musk’s xAI could power Memphis data center from Mississippi
Earlier this month, MLGW said xAI could need more power than the Tennessee Valley Authority, the region’s energy provider, can supply.
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City of Memphis City wants court to sanction Tyre Nichols family’s attorneys
The City of Memphis moved for sanctions Tuesday, May 13, in response to a Monday statement from RowVaughn Wells’ legal team that said any discussion of the civil case bankrupting the city is fearmongering.
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State GovernmentMinority contracting programs banned statewide
Local minority contracting programs have been thrown into legal limbo after the Tennessee General Assembly effectively banned them statewide earlier this spring.
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City of MemphisArchitect tapped for $550 million FedExForum renovations
The firm has done work on stadium renovations around the country, including the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indianapolis Pacers.
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City of MemphisThis Memphis budget season is all about ‘sacred cows’
“Over the next 24 months, I don’t know if there will be a more critical time to set the city up for success or failure,” Memphis City Council Budget Chair Chase Carlisle said.
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Business XAI removing some turbines in next two months
XAI has operated the turbines currently running without an air-emissions permit — using a temporary-use exemption that allows the machines to run for the first 364 days without a permit.
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XAI’s second data center could use enough electricity to power 40% of Memphis
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South Memphis XAI’s second data center could use enough electricity to power 40% of Memphis
MLGW said that it has discussed xAI using up to 1.1 gigawatts of power at its Tulane Road data center. However, MLGW said that amount of power is not poised to be delivered soon and is not formally being studied.
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City of MemphisBudget takeaways: What Wanda Halbert’s mistake cost and more
Due to a delay in collecting the increased car-registration fee, a county clerk misstep cost the city more than expected. Plus, there’s no money for Mud Island amphitheater renovation this year.
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April 2025
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City of Memphis Community turns raucous against xAI at public hearing
Hundreds of people packed into Fairley High’s gymnasium in Whitehaven on Friday evening largely to vent their frustration about the artificial intelligence company’s use of natural gas turbines.
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Public Safety MPD chief: South Memphis shooting near high school was gang-related
Both Memphis Police Department Chief C.J. Davis and Mayor Paul Young became emotional speaking about the violence in the city.
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City of MemphisProfessor says xAI turbines don’t affect air quality if company’s claims are true
Chunrong Jia, a professor in the University of Memphis’ division of epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health, modeled the impact of what xAI’s turbines would have on air quality in Southwest Memphis.
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South MemphisColossus: Can Memphis stop Elon Musk?
To many, xAI is just another chapter in what residents said they think is a legacy of industrial racism and pollution. The debate centers on one central question: Is Colossus worth the cost?
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City of MemphisCity looks for money for AutoZone Park renovations
With the Redbirds’ future at AutoZone Park potentially in question, the City of Memphis’ capital improvement budget contains at least one notable absence.
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City of MemphisColossus: The race to build the world’s most powerful machine in Memphis
XAI’s first Memphis data center Colossus dwells in a former Electrolux plant in Southwest Memphis. It is arguably one of the most valuable machines in the world controlled by someone with unrivaled wealth and galactic ambitions.
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City of MemphisColossus: How will TVA, MLGW keep up with xAI’s power needs?
The U.S. does not have enough electricity to continue powering the artificial intelligence boom, according to experts and studies, which raises questions on how Memphis can provide power to xAI’s supercomputers.
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Public Safety Scammers convicted in City of Memphis phishing hoax
Two Texas men were convicted of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering related to the $773,695.45 lost by the City of Memphis during a 2022 phishing scam.
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City of MemphisHere’s what xAI will pay in property taxes
XAI is being taxed on $2.2 billion in investments, not the $12 billion the Greater Memphis Chamber touted throughout the past year.
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City of Memphis Environmental groups say xAI violating federal law with turbines
The groups are urging the Health Department to issue an emergency order to stop xAI’s operation of what appear to be dozens of natural gas turbines in Southwest Memphis.
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City of Memphis City Council votes to raise hotel-motel tax
The tax increase puts together the last public dollars for a renovation intended to keep the Memphis Grizzlies in the city for the long term.
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City of MemphisAs city faces tight budget, consulting contracts add up
The Daily Memphian examined city consulting contracts executed in 2025, which focus on technology, improving the police department’s efficiency and more.
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March 2025
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NeighborhoodsTrump could exempt xAI from air-emissions permit
President Donald Trump could potentially exempt a large portion of heavy industry from emissions standards. Here’s what that could mean for xAI in Memphis.
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City of Memphis Mayor faces community uproar about xAI
Environmental advocates are looking to stop Elon Musk’s xAI from receiving an air-emissions permit for the natural turbines that partially power its data center in Southwest Memphis.
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Public Safety City wants MPD Chief protected from Nichols lawsuit
The push to exclude C.J. Davis came amid a flurry of legal filings Friday, including one that argued that Nichols’ family’s attorneys had access to federal documents that were supposed to be sealed.
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