WREG wins regional Murrow Award for MATA investigation
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — WREG has been awarded a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for its continuing investigation into the Memphis Area Transit Authority, its finances, and its impact on everyday bus riders.
The Radio Television Digital News Association announced regional award winners Wednesday.
►
WREG Investigators spent months digging deeper into the transit authority and its $60 million deficit. They pored through records, listened to hours of meetings and pressed for answers to find out what went wrong.
See all the stories in this series:– – – – –
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Looking deeper into Carter Malone Group's invoices to Memphis Shelby County Schools
SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — The Memphis Shelby County School board hired a public relations firm behind closed doors last fall. It sparked concerns among some taxpayers as they demanded to see how the board is spending their money. 'Who's paying the fees for outside legal and PR firms? Is it us taxpayers?' one taxpayer asked the board during a meeting in January. The hire came just weeks before the board voted to fire the MSCS Superintendent, Dr. Marie Feagins. How much is MSCS paying Carter Malone Group for public relations? 'I think people were more concerned about it being done at the time it was done,' said school board Chairwoman Joyce Dorse-Coleman. This wasn't the first time the board hired the Carter Malone Group to help them with their PR. Last summer, Feagins cancelled the previous contract. Dorse-Coleman said that soon after, the internal communications department fell apart. Records WREG obtained show that at least four communications staffers resigned within months. 'When we were reaching out for communications support, we weren't receiving it,' said Dorse-Coleman. 'We had no support.' The board entered into another contract with the Carter Malone Group in November. A move that wasn't discussed or voted on publicly, because the bill would 'not exceed $70,000.' The policy states board approval is only necessary for professional service contracts above $75,000. Because there was no vote, the contract wasn't posted for you to see, either. WREG Investigators received a copy through someone connected within the district. It stated the firm would keep a detailed log of their work and then bill the board every month based on the hourly rates listed in the contract. Deidre Malone opens up about why MSCS hired her PR firm 'A public relations agency is just like a law firm. We believe it is important for our clients to know everything that we do for them,' said the firm's president and CEO, Deidre Malone. 'If my director of public relations is writing the chair's report, then she's going to document that. What that time looks like and what that costs.' In January, we asked for those invoices, and four months later, the district handed them over. In December, the invoice totaled more than $23,000. A majority of it had to do with the board's efforts to fire Feagins. The firm charged $900 for a communications strategy with the chair and another $1,200 to attend the meeting. They also prepared videos, statements and press releases based on various outcomes and provided media training and scripts. MSCS-Dec-2024-SubstantiationDownload The line items are similar in January's invoice, but the bill was slightly cheaper at around $19,000. The firm was again charged to prep for and attend the second special-called meeting where Feagins was terminated. They also charged $40 for a snow day social media post that month, $150 to meet with a lawmaker, and another $200 to tag along for an appearance on Your News Leader. That's right, their bill grew with each media appearance as the media asked your questions. 'It shouldn't be awkward because our role is to work with the media to get you what you need, and if your interview is an interview with the chair or one of the board members, then it's our role to coordinate that,' Green stated. The firm also charged $175 to help the chair draft a response in April when another board member threatened to deport a Hispanic woman who criticized her work. Original story: School board member won't apologize for deportation threat Followup story: School board member apologizes for deportation threat MSCS-Apr-2025-SubstantiationDownload There were more interview preps, press releases, and phone calls. Plus, another $1,700 for the new interim superintendent's media training. Malone said they wanted to detail everything they did, so the public could understand what they were paying for. 'When you're dealing with clients that are government clients, it's so important for them to understand everything that an agency does for them, so that's the reason why we itemize,' she said. The chair admits that information should be easier to obtain. 'We as a district have to do better at explaining why and the hows of certain things, like why do we have to feel like we needed an outside PR firm?' Dorse-Coleman said. 'Yes, the trust has been distorted. We know that,' Dorse-Coleman said. 'We have to do better, and our interim superintendent is committed and the board is committed to being more transparent.' The chair said she wanted every contract published, but it's unclear when that will happen. Get the latest from the WREG Investigators in your inbox The Carter Malone Group's contract ended last month. They reached the $70,000 limit before that, but continued to work through May without charging the district. Dorse-Coleman said the board is now utilizing the internal communications team again, but stated if they do not provide the support they need, she's not opposed to entering into another contract with the Carter Malone Group. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Restaurant Inspection Scores, May 27
Newest Restaurant Report Card | If you want the latest Shelby County restaurant scores sent directly to your inbox, sign up for it today on WREG's Newsletter Bamboo Noodles House990 N Germantown Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38018Score: 85Violations Include: Pink and brown build-up in the ice machine, and sanitizer in the dish machine is low. Full report. Pops Bar and Grill6365 Navy Rd, Millington, TN 38053Score: 78Violations include: Ground beef and eggs improperly stored over fish; pink build-up inside ice machine; raw chicken wings, eggs, sausage, bacon, and ham not maintained at 41 degrees. Full report. Pho House1278 Jefferson Ave, Memphis, TN 38104Score: 59Violations include: Raw beef over cooked noodles, multiple food items read above 41 degrees, no thermometer present inside freezers, excessive food stored on the floor, staff not wearing hair nets in kitchen, microwave and grills need to be deep cleaned for excessive buildup, and dog on property in fence. Full report. Captain J J Fish & Chicken2447 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38112Score: 75Violations include: Employee scraped prep cooler cutting board with knife to clean it, then scraped the knife on garbage can to clean the knife, no labels on raw items in the walk-in cooler, no working thermometers inside cooling equipment, frozen raw hamburger and gyro meat are uncovered in the freezers. Full report. Countyline Chicken & Deli4635 Tchulahoma Rd, Memphis, TN 38118Score: 58Violations include: Raw shrimp and chicken not maintained at proper cold hold temp of 41 degrees, fish improperly thawing in the compartment sink, bag of fries and breaded okra improperly stored under prep table, no labels on food containers, ice build-up in deep freezer. Full report. The Slider2117 Peabody Ave, Memphis, TN 38104Score: 78Violations include: Raw pork and chicken stored above pico and raw ground beef, no thermometers on freezers outside, slushy mix stored on the floor in walk-in cooler. Full report. Neil's5727 Quince Rd, Memphis, TN 38119Score: 84Violations include: Cutting board has log of ground beef on it with potatoes also sitting on board; flies in the kitchen; buckets of French fries, beer, and water on the floor in walk-in cooler; employees not wearing hair nets; ice build-up in refrigerators; heavy buildup of debris and grease all over stoves and equipment. Full report. The Dulce Wagon, 6400 Dower Rd, Millington, TN 38053Nancy's Slush Fund, 9424 Barkley Hall Dr, Collierville, TN 38017Ben and Jerry's Catering Scoop Shop, 5007 Black Rd, Memphis, TN 38117901 Gyro & Wings, 4133 Crain Rd, Memphis, TN 38128Hummus Republic, 750 N Germantown Pkwy STE 105, Memphis, TN 38018Taqueria El Norteno, 4275 Jamerson Rd, Memphis, TN 38122Smackers, 681 Walnut Street, Memphis, TN 38126Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Kroger addresses concerns about rodents in Midtown store
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Kroger says there is no rodent issue at its Union Avenue store, despite WREG showing the company a video of a mouse running down an aisle away from employees Wednesday morning. This comes two weeks after someone posted a video of a bread bag with holes in it, claiming the Midtown store was infested with mice and rats. Another person also posted a video of a mouse running across what looked like a store aisle. 'The video that you had from yesterday was taken to the pest control company, and the goal is to find out how that mouse got into the building and make sure it doesn't happen again,' said Associate Communications and Engagement Manager George Brown. Brown said as soon as Kroger saw the social media posts, they contacted a pest control company to investigate, and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture did not find any signs of rodents in the building. 'We really want to thank the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which came out right away. They didn't find any rodent activity in any of the food areas, which was great because we could confidently serve our customers,' said Brown. The TDA told WREG its Food Safety office has not received any consumer complaints, but decided to inspect the store after also noticing the social media posts. During a May 14 visit, the TDA reported that no rodent activity was observed, but acknowledged that a store manager had previously reported seeing signs of rodent activity. Kroger said it has taken steps to protect the property from rats spotted outside near a former fast-food restaurant next door. The business has been closed for years, and it appears that homeless individuals have been staying there, leaving behind food and trash. Several rats were spotted in the shrubs surrounding the vacant property on Thursday. 'As you saw, that abandoned property is attracting rodents and other issues. We contacted the health department and reported that we want to protect our business, and we also want to protect the neighborhood, because if that building stays that way, the problem could get worse,' Brown said. Several rat traps have been placed around the former restaurant. Kroger has also placed traps around the back of its store. A spokesperson for the city stated that another company has purchased the restaurant property, but code enforcement is referring the matter to environmental court through the Neighborhood Preservation Act. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said it will conduct a follow-up visit to the Kroger store within the next 30 days. Kroger said they always want customers to feel safe in their stores and know that the food they are getting is safe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
