Also happening this week: Shelby County marks the fifth anniversary of the first local COVID-19 case, and Daylight Saving Time begins.

Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson dismissed most of the claims in the Friends for Our Riverfront lawsuit seeking to stop construction of the new museum. But she kept the central question in the case.

More than 100 Memphians gathered at Poplar and Highland Wednesday afternoon to protest the current administration and its recent decisions supporting Russia in that country’s invasion of Ukraine.

North Memphis residents met Tuesday night to hear the latest on the long-delayed plan for a pedestrian and bike pathway stretching from Chelsea and Evergreen to Washington Park. 

Controversial talk-radio host and blogger Thaddeus Matthews died at 67 after a heart-related illness.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young took his town hall approach to a corner of the internet this week, responding directly to Reddit users’ top concerns. 

Author Jared Sullivan wrote a book critical about TVA but he doesn’t think the state should give up on the federal power provider. 

Former federal Judge Bernice Donald will lead a team of nine local task force members, including Toney Armstrong, former director of MPD. 

Also happening this week: Michalyn Easter-Thomas provides a Chelsea Greenline update, and Evergreen Presbyterian turns guns into garden tools. 

The affordable housing market in Memphis continues to show investors competing with first-time homebuyers for starter homes. 

Last year, xAI agreed to lease 552 acres from the Economic Development Growth Engine. For months, it has been unclear what plans xAI had for the land. 

Temperatures in the area are expected to plunge into the teens Thursday. The high temperature on Friday is predicted to hover near freezing.

The Memphis City Council addressed MATA funding, Uptown parking, the Cleveland TIF, a blight fee and whether or not the Mud Island amphitheater is safe to use.

The Memphis City Council voted Tuesday to allocate $80 million in cash — supplied by the state — for repairs to outdated infrastructure at FedExForum and potentially reimburse the Grizzlies for work already done at the publicly owned arena. 

The city filed a motion on Monday, Feb. 17, to dismiss the suit, just like it did in 2023 when the lawsuit was filed. 

In addition to competing, barbecue teams will have the opportunity to sell select menu items to attendees. 

The Memphis City Council will return to the proposed city sale of land to a subsidiary of xAI, and up for a vote Tuesday, Feb. 18, is a $10.5 million budget amendment, including $5 million in emergency funding for MATA.

Also happening this week: The five officers charged in the Tyre Nichols case are back in court, and MRPP celebrates Tom Lee’s birthday.

After the ribbon-cutting for the adult wellness crisis center, Alliance Healthcare Services broke ground on the neighboring $11 million children’s wellness center.

On Thursday, xAI’s plans to use natural gas turbines in the long term became public after The Daily Memphian received the company’s recent application to the Shelby County Health Department for an air-emissions permit.

Several employees confirmed to The Daily Memphian that two paychecks appeared in their accounts on Friday and late Thursday.

CTC Property, a subsidiary of xAI, applied for air-emissions permits for its fleet of natural gas turbines in January.

The City of Memphis confirmed Thursday, Feb. 13, that payday is coming a tad later than normal for some of its 8,000-plus employees after a clerical error.