Good morning Memphis! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Acrylic Painting with Gay Rhodes and 6 more events.
Today's riddle: What did the bartender say to the jumper cables when they walked in? 🤔 (Answer below!)
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1. The Early Word: 901 Day is here, and Olive Branch mayor starts Dolly drama (dailymemphian.com) — Memphis kicks off 901 Day with a packed slate of local news, from a major ICE raid in Berclair and new county officials taking office to a data center declining a tax break. Residents also see changes at Bass Pro's Pyramid store, moving escalators at the Hooks Central Library, and a quirky flag dispute over honoring Dolly Parton nearby.
2. MD116327 - Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News (dailymemphian.com) — Memphis-Shelby County's Air Pollution Control Board will hold a public meeting October 8 to review enforcement actions tied to two Summer Avenue properties and City of Memphis air rules. Residents can inspect case files beforehand at the Sycamore View Road office and offer public comments before the board decides whether to affirm, change, or reverse penalties.
3. How many data centers are coming, and what's the impact to residents? MLGW has answers (wreg.com) — Memphis utility leaders say existing and planned data centers are not raising residential power rates, thanks to hefty upfront capacity charges and higher TVA rates for those facilities. City Council members are still weighing how to regulate where future centers can be built, amid concerns they're clustering in Black neighborhoods and straining local infrastructure.
4. Shelby County sheriff to start national search for new chief jailer (commercialappeal.com) — Leadership at the Shelby County Jail is changing, as longtime chief jailer Kirk Fields retires and newly sworn-in Sheriff Anthony Buckner launches a national search for his replacement. For Memphis and Shelby County residents, the choice of a new chief jailer could shape jail conditions, safety, and criminal justice reforms for years to come.
5. Activists celebrate progress of Memphis' data center regulation efforts on 901 Day (actionnews5.com) — Memphis residents should know the City Council has advanced an ordinance that would pause new data center development citywide for a year, with a final vote in two weeks. Activists, including local NAACP leaders and Boxtown residents, say the move is vital to address pollution and environmental justice concerns tied to existing facilities like the large SpaceXAI data center.
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Ok Memphis! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Don't you 2 start anything (Thank you Mary L. for sending it in!)
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