The Early Word: Ja’s fall takes us all down; plus, expert says xAI isn’t so bad
Rub that sleep out of your eyes, friends. It’s Friday, April 25, and if you stayed up late for that tragic Memphis Grizzlies-Oklahoma City Thunder game, you might be feeling it physically — and emotionally — right now. (I know I am.)
Today, xAI finally has a public hearing for an air-emissions permit from the Shelby County Health Department for 15 of its natural-gas turbines. And you can watch Food Network host Guy Fieri go to Flavortown — aka Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken — on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
If you’ve been feeling an itch to get outside, this weekend’s City Nature Challenge can help. Shelby County will be competing with places all over the world to see which area’s residents can document the most wildlife diversity. Read more here.
On Saturday afternoon, the Grizzlies get another go at the Oklahoma City Thunder in game four, and well, this one is make it or break it. If you just can’t bear to watch, the Memphis Tigers play their spring football game around the same time. For some artsier weekend ideas, check out The To-Do List.
Back to that game: The Memphis Grizzlies were absolutely killing it Thursday night — finally. They were taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the playoffs. They’d built the lead to 29, and then it all came crashing down, starting with Ja Morant. Morant fell hard on his hip toward the end of the second quarter and exited the game after his free throws. He never returned (literally), and neither did his team (figuratively). The Thunder slowly drained that lead away for a 114-108 win, and at the same time, Grizzlies fans felt their joy melt away, too. It was so painful to watch, and our own Chris Herrington weighs whether it was the worst home playoff loss in Memphis Grizzlies history.
And back to xAI: The supercomputer facility has been using natural-gas turbines as a temporary power source. And there’s been lots of concern from environmentalists and residents over potential pollution from those turbines. So, Memphis Mayor Paul Young asked a University of Memphis professor to, uh, mess around and find out just how bad that pollution could be. Chunrong Jia used info from xAI’s permit application to the health department. And while he admits he’s not sure how accurate his findings are, Jia said pollution from xAI may not be that bad.
Plus, the Memphis Police Department has eyes on Downtown, late-night Chinese food is coming and we meet the man behind Bartlett’s social media.
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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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