The 901: Ja Morant named All-Star Game starter; profile of District AG Amy Weirich

Good Friday morning, Memphis, where the temperature is rising this weekend and we're celebrating a Tigers' victory Thursday over East Carolina University and the Grizzlies return to FedExForum tonight to face the Utah Jazz.

But, first, all hail Ja Morant, the Grizzlies' All Star point guard.

Morant has officially transitioned from rising player to superstar after being named an NBA All-Star game starter at age 22 in his third season with the Grizzlies, our Grizzlies beat reporter, Damichael Cole, reports in this story.

Morant, a former Murray State star, joins Marc Gasol in 2015 as the only Memphis Grizzlies players to start in an All-Star game. Along with Gasol and Morant, Zach Randolph and Paul Gasol are the only four Grizzlies to be selected to the game.

The All-Star Game will be played Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Morant celebrated his selection last night with his grandparents.

Amy Weirich has reputation for being tough on crime; critics say she's a flawed attorney general

Becoming district attorney general was never a goal for Amy Weirich, even when she’d spent her entire career in the district attorney’s office.

But when then-Gov. Bill Haslam recruited then-District Attorney General Bill Gibbons to become state commissioner of safety and homeland security, Gibbons asked Haslam if he’d appoint Weirich to his old position, our Katherine Burgess reports in this story for subscribers.

Weirich, after all, had been Gibbons’ deputy district attorney, the first woman to hold that job. Before that, she was chief prosecutor of the gang and narcotics prosecution unit and division leader for the special prosecution unit in criminal court. She’d joined the district attorney’s office in 1991 as a courtroom prosecutor, working her way up the ranks.

So when Haslam made Weirich district attorney general in January 2011, the first appointment of his term, Weirich had decided she was ready.

Weirich's tough-on-crime stance has garnered support across Shelby County, but she's also been followed by allegations of misconduct.

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Judge orders TVA to to supply power-supply documents

A federal judge in Memphis wants the Tennessee Valley Authority to fork over documents about the environmental impact — and potential hazards — of its long-term contract offer to supply Memphis with electricity, our Samuel Hardiman reports.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker issued an order Monday that compelled TVA to hand over further documents about how it came up with the contract offer in front of Memphis — a contract that 140-plus other local power companies have already signed.

Parker's order is in response to legal filings from Protect Our Aquifer, a Memphis-based nonprofit, and two other environmental nonprofits. Those nonprofits have argued that TVA's long-term contracts aren't actually 20-year deals but never-ending contracts that violate two federal laws — the TVA Act, which governs TVA, and the National Environmental Policy Act. Parker has not ruled on those claims.

Carrot Top, the building edition

South Point Grocery is not going to be hard to find. Even from a distance.

Store owners are looking to put an 11-foot-tall neon carrot on top of the shop, according to an application submitted to the Downtown Memphis Commission Design Review Board, our Corinne Kennedy reports.

The team is requesting a variance to allow for the larger than generally permitted signage. The owners are also looking to put other neon signage on the front of the store reading "South Point Grocery."

The Design Review Board will discuss the requests Wednesday.

Super Bowl recipes: Leftover steak on nachos?

Nachos are the ultimate Super Bowl food. They're delicious and pretty much universally beloved.

They're also easy to throw together, cook and serve entirely on a sheet pan, which means fewer dishes to worry about when your team looks like it might be putting together a game-winning drive, reports our colleague, Mackensy Lunsford of the Southern Kitchen.

And, of course, Memphis is known for barbeque nachos made in a variety of ways, all delicious as a snack for a few folks a meal for one.

Tigers beat East Carolina behind big games from Lester Quinones, Josh Minott

Josh Minott put up a double-double and Lester Quinones dropped a team-high 17 points to lead Memphis to a 71-54 victory over East Carolina on Thursday night at FedExForum, our Jason Munz reports in this story.

Minott, a freshman forward, accounted for 13 points and hauled in 12 rebounds to record his second career double-double.

It's the second straight win for Memphis (11-8, 5-4 AAC), who were without injured stars Jalen Duren, DeAndre Williams, Landers Nolley II and reserve player Jayden Hardaway again. The Pirates (11-8, 2-5) got 19 points from leading scorer Tristen Newton.

Mark Russell is executive editor of The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at mark.russell@commercialappeal.com or 901/288-4509. You can also follow him on Twitter: @MarkRussell44

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: Ja Morant named an All-Star Game starter