The Early Word: Grizz, Tigers get big wins; leaders get discreet Forum tours
Welcome to the weekend, Memphis! If you’re doing Dry January, congrats, you have made it, so let’s toast to that. But maybe wait until tomorrow. It’s Friday, Jan. 31, and you can see playwright Tennessee Williams’ paintings — some of them NSFW — at Rhodes College, beginning tonight. Speaking of playwrights, Anne Chmelewsky’s “Through the Looking Screen,” a play about online dating, opens at Germantown Community Theatre. Maybe take your Tinder match.
Saturday is opening day of an exhibition that brings six larger-than-life trolls to the Memphis Botanic Garden, and it’s also the first day for Good Fortune Co.’s month-long Lunar New Year bar crawl. The latter event gives you a good excuse to check out the new Bao Toan at Crosstown Concourse. As for sports, the Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team will play East Carolina at home.
Sunday is Groundhog Day, and here’s hoping for a repeat of the Memphis Grizzlies’ Martin Luther King Day win over the Minnesota Timberwolves when they play them again on their home court. The Tigers men will be ballin’ too, against Rice in Texas. Plus, the Memphis Restaurant Association’s annual food fest is on Sunday, and you can see if GloRilla gets a Grammy at a Dru’s Bar watch party. For even more weekend fun, go here.
The Grizzlies finally did it! They beat the Houston Rockets, 120-119, for the first time this season. And it was a win that stretched beyond a single W. The haters have been saying the Grizzlies couldn’t beat good teams, so they had something to prove with this one. And though they trailed until the end, star (ahem, All-Star) Jaren Jackson Jr. changed that with his game-winning free throws in the final seconds.
Speaking of teams our guys can’t seem to shake, Tulane has traditionally been that for the Memphis Tigers when they play them in New Orleans. But the Tigers finally beat the Green Wave, 68-56, on the road, for the first time since 2020. It didn’t look like a win would happen though, until sharpshooter Colby Rogers nailed a triple on his eighth try. That turned a one-point deficit for Memphis into a two-point lead, and the Tigers never trailed again.
Memphis City Council members and Shelby County commissioners have been getting private tours (“quiet tours,” as The Daily Memphian’s Samuel Hardiman calls them) of FedExForum over the past week, and they’re being briefed on the details of the arena’s planned renovations. This is happening as the city is considering spending $80 million for the first phase of renovations, part of a $550 million, multi-year project. Because these small tours are hosting just a couple of elected officials at a time, they’re allowed to be briefed on the expenditure of public funds without violating the Tennessee Open Meetings Act (hence the “quiet”). Here’s a look at what we know about the first phase of renovations though.
Plus, Shelby County wants more control over Memphis-Shelby County Schools funds, broken jail doors will take two years to fix and another big live music venue is on the way.
Topics
The Early Word Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
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.
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.