The Early Word: DA’s office springs a leak, and Black Lodge plans a sequel
Hope you’re ready to rock and roll, because today is going to be a busy one. It’s Thursday, Aug. 15, and if all goes as planned, Elon Musk’s supercomputer in southwest Memphis should be fully operational. So far, the rollout of Grok’s new AI image generator has been, well, just as questionable as so many other AI art bots. So here’s hoping Grok learns fast.
Shelby County Commissioners meet today in a special session to take the second of three votes on a ballot referendum that would allow the commission to hire its own attorney. And the FedEx St. Jude Championship’s pro play starts today. Also today, as part of the FESJC, Memphis Tigers Coach Penny Hardaway and Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard will join a slew of other well-known names for the Danny Thomas Celebrity-Am golf tournament.
Memphis Police Officer Demetrice Johnson, who was killed in an Aug. 2 crash, will be laid to rest today at Memorial Park Cemetery after a funeral at Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church. The department held a “Sea of Blue” for Johnson. And finally, Elvis Presley fans will gather at the gates of Graceland tonight for the annual candlelight vigil.
What’s worse than accidentally hitting “reply all” on the office email? How about sending coworkers a spreadsheet that includes names of terminated employees and why they were fired? (Talk about tea!) That’s what happened at the Shelby County District Attorney’s office this week. The spreadsheet also included names, birthdays and Social Security numbers of nearly 300 former employees. District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said the office acted quickly to delete the info and prevent a further leak. But at least one former staffer is demanding further action.
The Crosstown event venue inspired by David Lynch’s red curtained, chevron-tiled house of nightmares in “Twin Peaks” is closing. Black Lodge, which got its start as a video store in Cooper-Young in 2000 and later reopened in Crosstown with a venue, arcade and bar, was a victim of rising rent and debt acquired during COVID-19. The Lodge will host its final events, including a zombie luau, this weekend. But no worries, film fans: The video rental side of the business is expected to make a comeback — er, a sequel? — in a new location with a little something extra for film memorabilia collectors.
Plus, MATA plans deep cuts, a Memphis Tigers basketball commit can’t play and our sports team has a hole (wink) lotta love for golf today.
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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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