The Early Word: IP lays off more staff; Tiger Tyreek Smith has NIL concerns
Howdy, Memphis. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 22, and the all-new Memphis Area Transit Authority board meets for the first time this afternoon. The first order of business may be suspending the bus-route cuts approved by the former board just last month. That was one of a consultant’s recommendations in a report that says MATA needs more — not fewer — buses.
Planning ahead for Halloweekend? It’s just days away, and our trick-or-treating, decor and party guide will get you ready.
Memphis-based International Paper said on Monday that it would let go of an additional 500 workers and close five plants, including one in Cleveland, Tennessee. That’s in addition to the 400 Memphis workers and 250 other layoffs announced last week. The affected Memphis workers are expected to be from IP’s corporate office. The news comes as the company is in the process of acquiring London-based paper company DS Smith for nearly $10 billion.
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Memphis Tigers basketball player Tyreek Smith was unhappy with the amount of playing time he was allowed during the Tigers exhibition game against North Carolina last Tuesday and that he was leaving before the season began. But Smith’s mentor Hellion “Boog” Knight said on X that Smith was trying to work out issues around name, image and likeness (NIL) payments. In other Tigers news, injured running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. could make his return to the field soon.
Plus, a sheriff’s deputy remains in critical condition after a crash, early-voting totals are down so far and JJJ can’t come out to play Wednesday.
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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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