![](/assets/images/early-word-logo.jpg)
The Early Word: An old phish tale surfaces; plus, a sneak peek of Ja 2s
Sup, dawgs. Get ready to relish this day, Memphis, because it’s National Hot Dog Day. Yes, today, Wednesday, July 17, will be the best day (and not the wurst!).
Puns (and buns) aside, the Shelby County Commission meets in a special session today to override a veto from County Mayor Lee Harris. Harris vetoed the commission’s sweeping changes to the county land bank back in June. Also today, the Economic Development Growth Engine will consider a request for more money from the 100 N. Main developers.
And tonight, the Memphis Grizzlies summer league team plays the Orlando Magic. Will Zach Edey be back on the court? We’ll have to wait and see.
An alleged phishing scam cost Memphis taxpayers nearly $774,000 back in February 2022. That’s back when Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was in charge, and no, it appears he didn’t fall for that old Nigerian prince scheme. According to recently obtained public records, a city employee paid a company they believed to be Zellner Construction. But the payment instead went to an alleged scammer impersonating the locally owned construction company. At the time, the city was operating under relaxed pandemic protocols for wire transactions.
Move over, Ja 1s. The new Nike Ja 2s are about to be in town. Leaked images reveal the shoe will be a high-top, as opposed to the low-top original model.
Plus, Tennessee leads the country in FAFSA completion, the old Abuelo’s site gets new life and BT Prime Steakhouse is closed — but it’s coming back.
Topics
The Early Word Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian with two decades of experience in local journalism and public relations. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time training for marathons and ultras. And she’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.