The Early Word: ICE targets U of M students; would a Grizz loss be good?
Rise and shine, Memphis
coffee brews, headlines beckon,
the world wakes anew.
It’s Thursday, April 17, National Haiku Day. So, impress your friends all day with a little 5-7-5 poetry. Those headlines are beckoning though, so let’s get to it.
Five international students at the University of Memphis are being told to leave the country after ICE terminated their visas. The students had visas through the Student Exchange Visa Information System, which is run by ICE. The agency has access to any law-enforcement infractions, even minor traffic tickets. But local immigration expert Greg Siskind says it’s possible these students have never even had an interaction with the law. “There’s no way for us to learn why because the government is not telling anyone,” Siskind said.
Should the Grizzlies lose on Friday? That’s the question some basketball nerds are pondering right now. And here’s why: If the Grizzlies beat the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in the play-in elimination game, they’ll go on to a playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team the Grizzlies have lost nine straight games to. But if they lose, they’ll get to keep the first-round draft pick they sent to Washington along with Marcus Smart. The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill and Geoff Calkins discuss. Of course, real ones know a playoff series (no matter how short) and a new Growl Towel design are worth far more than some rookie pick next year.
Plus, Baron Von Opperbean gets big bucks, a school takeover compromise is coming and a Midtown bar owner brings “fun times” to Millington.
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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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