The Early Word: IP cuts more jobs, and xAI’s short-term power plan goes long
Good morning, loves. It’s Friday, Feb. 14, and if you’re partnered, you’d better make a quick run to Kroger for last-minute flowers if you don’t have anything planned for your Valentine. (You can thank me for the reminder later.) If you’re single, buy yourself some flowers and whatever else your little heart desires. Self-care is not selfish.
Looking for date-night ideas? We’ve got a few. Check out our Valentine’s Day event guide. And if you’re staying in, might I suggest the NBA Rising Stars game on TNT? Memphis Grizzlies rookies Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells are playing in this kick-off to NBA All-Star Weekend. (If you’re watching, check out Wells’ shoes.) If you want to watch something besides basketball, our own Chris Herrington goes off-topic in his Grizzlies Mailbag with some romantic movie recs.
On Saturday, artist Jamond Bullock’s Artifacts Gallery opens a new group show with a focus on the “struggle, beauty and triumphs embedded in Black life.” And for sports fans, the Memphis Tigers women will play UTSA in an away game.
On Sunday, you can get a head start on Mardi Gras with the Tennessee Equality Project’s gumbo contest. Or you can stay in and watch the Tigers men’s basketball team play Wichita State and Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. play in the NBA All-Star game. For more weekend fun, check out The To-Do List.
Memphis-based International Paper, which laid off more than 1,800 people last fall, is closing four more operations, none of which are in Memphis. That means 675 people, including 179 salaried workers, are about to be updating their LinkedIn profiles. In an interview in January, IP’s new chairman and CEO Andy Silvernail said the company was transforming to become a stronger, more sustainable packaging company by eliminating some facilities.
Elon Musk’s xAI plans to use its temporary natural-gas turbines for the long term. The company said Memphis Light, Gas and Water isn’t ready to provide all of the power needed for its supercomputer, so it applied for air-emissions permits for the fleet of turbines that it had intended to use on a short-term basis. No permit is needed if the turbines aren’t permanent, so xAI doesn’t currently have one. Environmental groups say the pollutants that come from the machines could harm nearby communities and cause more air-quality issues in Memphis.
Plus, former MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins’ literacy hire resigns, a woman sues Germantown over a skeleton and you can get baby shower food without the baby.
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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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