The Early Word: Liquor stores fight in the east, and Google’s heading west
How’s it going, Memphis? It’s Tuesday, May 20, and the Memphis City Council will take its first votes on a new “framework for environmental reform.”
And now you’re asking what the heck does that mean, right? The new rules would require “digital water systems” — like xAI’s pending water-recycling facility — to register with the city. And if operators are caught using subcontractors or shell entities to evade permitting, they’ll be fined. Our own Bill Dries has more.
Some folks are upset that the old Bed, Bath & Beyond on White Station Road is going to be a liquor store and not a Trader Joe’s. But that’s not the only reason people are mad. The Station, the name for the planned liquor store with fancy wine- and beer-tasting bars, may be less than 1,500 feet from Woodland Presbyterian Church and School, depending on how you measure it. And that’s led to a spirited fight, if you will. In the past, city code mandated that liquor stores be located further than 1,500 feet from schools and churches, but the code was amended in 2012, and now it’s not so clear. But that hasn’t stopped a lawsuit from Buster’s, three other liquor stores and two moms with kids who go to Woodland.
More big tech is coming, y’all. Google, the place we all turn to when we need to know what happened to that one actor from that show we used to like, is planning a data center in West Memphis. The West Memphis communications director said the city is under a strict non-disclosure agreement and can’t release many details yet. But on Thursday, the West Memphis City Council approved a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) deal for a 900,000-square-foot data center.
Plus, Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants more security, Edmund Ford Jr. says the budget fix is in and the Hard Times Deli guys are at it again.
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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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