Eric Lipford

Nov 13, 2024 | wreg.com | Eric Lipford |David Royer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — City Council rejected a special-use permit for the proposed East Region high school in Cordova in a vote Tuesday, meaning it’s back to the drawing board for the Memphis-Shelby County school district. Plans called for the school to be built on Fischer Steel Road near Germantown Parkway. But city council members Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to reject the site, after parents and business owners voiced concerns about the school’s impact on traffic in the area.

Oct 30, 2024 | wreg.com | Eric Lipford

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — New figures from the Tennessee Department of Education show graduation rates are up in most Mid-South school districts. In the metro area, Memphis-Shelby County Schools saw their graduation rate for the 2023-2024 school year go up by nearly 3% compared to the previous school year. The MSCS graduation rate is 82.8%. Germantown and Millington schools also saw their graduation rates increase, with both districts climbing above 90%.

Oct 17, 2024 | wreg.com | Eric Lipford

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thursday was the biggest night of the year at the National Civil Rights Museum, for the annual Freedom Award ceremony. This year, the museum honored three people with the Freedom Award: civil and human rights activist and broadcasting executive Xernona Clayton; Sherrilyn Ifill, the president and director-counsel emeritus of the NAACP; and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee. WREG got a chance to speak with Lee and actor Chris Tucker on the red carpet before the ceremony.

Oct 17, 2024 | wreg.com | Eric Lipford

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Leaders in West Memphis, Arkansas are celebrating Thursday night after the Arkansas Supremem Court ruled that there will be two early voting sites in the city. The justices ruled that both the Seventh Street Church of Christ and First Baptist Church must be used as early voting sites. “This is a major victory for our city, ensuring greater access to voting for our community,” West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon said in a statement.

Oct 9, 2024 | wreg.com | Eric Lipford

The two major candidates in the race – Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) – are on the ballot in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Among third party and independent candidates, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are the only ones who are on the ballot in all three states – even though Kennedy has officially dropped out of the race.