Competing for a Live Interview

Beale Street club shut down
I had an interview set up with the DA following the closure of a Beale Street nightclub.  A reporter from a competing station wanted her too.  Fortunately, we were the first ones on the air and I snagged the interview.  Fortunately for the other reporter, I finished in time for her to have DA as well.  I think we were both happy in the end.

When Everything Comes Together

School district admits fault over child left in bus
I got a call last week about a kid who was left on a school bus in Earle, AR.  I rarely get to leave Memphis to cover the news.  But I finally got a chance to do this story.  I knew the little boy's mother would talk.  Fortunately, the boy's bus pulled up just as we arrived.  We interviewed him too.  And the superintendent of the tiny school district could not have been more accommodating.  Then there's the bus driver who allowed us aboard and demonstrated the alarm system.  It all made for an easy, yet productive, Monday.

Advancing A Story

MED sends unsecured emails with patient information
It should always be the goal of a good Reporter to advance a story.. Especially if it's a story that another station has already covered.  I was still trying to figure out how to advance this story about The MED mistakenly emailing patient information when I discovered internal paperwork lying on the ground outside the hospital.  It too included private information about a number of patients.

Facebook Helps Nab Theft Suspect

Facebook video catches theft suspect
So, I needed a story after 5:00 on a Monday.  Fortunately, people at the station monitor Facebook.  Personally, I no longer have an account.  This homeowner posted a video showing a theft suspect stealing stuff from underneath his garage.  The guy was caught within 4 hours.  One of the cameras was in full view.  I got to present the story from our studio "BMW.." or "big monitor wall."

Another 15 Year-Old Shot Outside a Memphis Church

Teen shot, killed while riding bike
This may have been the biggest crowd I've ever seen watching a police investigation begin.  Police say a 15 year-old boy was shot multiple times while riding his bicycle.  A woman was arrested.  This happened in Orange Mound.. A tight-knit community where one witness said everyone is "like family."  Unlike the shooting of a 15 year-old last week, this young man didn't make it.

Murder of Another Suburban Wife Seemingly Solved

Germantown Man Accused Of Killing Wife Appears In Court
I know there are cases of domestic murder within the city of Memphis.  But cases over the last few years that have gotten the most publicity are the murders of suburban wives.  Two of them have been teachers.. Including this most recent case involving a teacher who lived in Germantown and taught in Frayser.  They're the cases the media can't get enough of.. The ones that become episodes of crime shows on cable TV.  Perhaps it's because nothing bad is supposed to happen in these areas.. Or that seemingly perfect marriages aren't supposed to end this way.

Another Officer-Involved Shooting in Memphis

Memphis Police Kill Man After Being Struck By His Car
I was dispatched from a city council budget meeting to cover another officer-involved shooting.  Cops killed a man who they say struck them with his car.  Hundreds of people from the surrounding neighborhood came out to watch the investigation unfold.  Many questioned how police handled the situation.  It's a touchy subject given the number of these types of shootings in recent months.