The prayers of a Tennessee church were answered when whoever stole a moving truck near its building didn’t keep what they found inside: old organ pipes, and lots of them. Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Memphis had loaded a Penske truck earlier this month with nearly 2,000 organ pipes for transport to Spencer Organ Company … Read more
A fire in a South Memphis neighborhood killed four children Wednesday afternoon, and police detained their father, authorities said. The blaze erupted shortly before 3 p.m. at a two-story apartment building in the Washington Heights area. It took around 50 firefighters about a half-hour to control the fire, the Memphis Fire Department tweeted. Four children, … Read more
A beloved roadside waternelon vendor has died of his injuries after he was shot by a robber two weeks ago,. A longtime friend of John Materna confirms the man’s death Monday night after his family decided to remove life support. Materna was known by most people as Red the Watermelon Man. For decades, he often … Read more
Police in Tennessee conducted a welfare check Wednesday on suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and say “he is fine” after cryptic messages appeared on his Instagram account and were later deleted. The post from earlier Wednesday included messages and pictures saying “Love ya ma,” “Love ya pops” and “You da greatest babygirl love ya.” … Read more
26 people in Tennessee have been recently convicted or face charges for possessing “switches,” devices that convert semi-automatic firearms into a machine guns, which can be made with 3-D printers and bought on the internet. Federal investigators and local law enforcement officers in Memphis and Jackson have been trying to slow down the proliferation of … Read more
Part of a CSX Corp. train carrying grain and carbon material derailed early Thursday in rural west Tennessee, but no injuries were reported and there was no danger to the public, officials said. CSX said nine loaded cars derailed at about 4:20 a.m. in Mason, a small town about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of … Read more
A shot was fired at a Memphis television station on Tuesday, but no one was wounded, the station said. The suspect then hid in a nearby business before he was arrested about two hours later, police said. WHBQ, the Fox affiliate in Tennessee’s second-largest city, reported that the shot was fired about 11:30 a.m. The … Read more
A former Memphis police officer who hit Tyre Nichols with a stun gun during a traffic stop that preceded Nichols’ brutal beating by other officers won’t be charged criminally, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Nichols’ slaying was one in a string of violent encounters between police and Black people that have spurred protests and renewed debate … Read more
Ya Ya the giant panda began its trip to China on Wednesday from the Memphis Zoo, where it has spent the past 20 years as part of a loan agreement. The zoo said Ya Ya was being accompanied on its return to China by a veterinarian who will manage the panda’s medical needs and a … Read more
The family of Tyre Nichols, who died after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers, announced Wednesday – a federal lawsuit against the officers and the city of Memphis , blaming them for his death and accusing officials of allowing a special unit’s aggressive tactics to go unchecked despite warning signs. The federal suit … Read more