The Early Word: Your flake news; plus, the state may go ‘nuclear’ on MSCS
Morning, friends! It’s Thursday, Jan. 9, National Word Nerd Day, and boy, do we have some word games for you. After you’ve fought for the top spot on your New York Times mini leaderboard, pop over to our Games page, where you’ll find Word Flower (think Spelling Bee) and both long and mini crossword puzzles. We also have sudoku, but hey, it’s not National Number Nerd Day.
Speaking of games, the Memphis Grizzlies have one tonight with the Houston Rockets, and our old pals Steven Adams and Dillon Brooks will be back in the Grindhouse. And maybe — just maybe — Ja Morant will be back for the face off.
Get your snowboards ready, Memphis. Snowfall is expected to start overnight and into tomorrow morning, and we may get up to five inches. And here’s the good news: This should be an “all-snow event,” meaning no wintry, icy mix. If all goes as predicted, we might even break a snow record. (And that’s snow joke!) It’s all fun and games unless the power goes out, right? Well, Memphis Light, Gas and Water CEO Doug McGowen doesn’t think that’s going to happen since wind speeds aren’t expected to reach more than 10 miles per hour. Plus, MLGW has been working to insulate equipment for the cold. So, if the power does go out this weekend, here are your receipts. (Need a snow cream recipe? I’ll be trying this one from TikTok Friday.)
State House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the state could take “nuclear options” if the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board fires school Superintendent Marie Feagins. The board has considered terminating Feagins over alleged mishandling of financial matters, claims Feagins called “meritless.” What does “nuclear” mean? Sexton warned that the state could even “come in and start running the schools ourselves.”
Plus, closing arguments were delivered in Ja Morant’s civil hearing, another Landers Center exec is fired and The Sporkful podcast is coming to Memphis.
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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. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time running marathons and ultras. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”
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