Memphis man named Animal Control Officer of the Year
Memphis animal control officer Lawrence Higginbottom has won a national award for his daily efforts in the field to reunite pets with their owners.
Don Wade
Reporter
Don Wade has been a Memphis journalist since 1998 and he has won awards for both his sports and news/feature writing. He is originally from Kansas City and is married with three sons.
There are 589 articles by Don Wade :
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November 2022
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Arts & CultureJust a touch of ‘Ted Lasso’ for Craig Unger as part-owner of London soccer club
Yes, Memphis 901 FC President Craig Unger finds the TV comedy “Ted Lasso” amusing. But because he also has an ownership stake in Dagenham & Redbridge FC in East London, some moments “hit a little too close to home.”
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SportsMeet Me in Memphis: President of Redbirds, 901 FC left St. Louis to ‘bet on me’
Craig Unger left his dream of working for the St. Louis Cardinals in his hometown to become general manager of the Memphis Redbirds. Now, he’s added Memphis 901 FC under his reign and is considered “part of the Memphis fabric.”
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Just a touch of ‘Ted Lasso' for Craig Unger as part-owner of London soccer club
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December 2022
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City of MemphisAt the old Fairgrounds, Memphis bets big on competitive youth sports
The old fairgrounds is being repurposed as Liberty Park, a $126 million mixed-used project anchored by the 227,000-square-foot Memphis Sports & Events Center, including apartments, retail, a hotel and more.
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Mid-South Coliseum’s future uncertain despite Liberty Park transformation
Fond memories of old Fairgrounds and analysis of the competition led to Liberty Park
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MetroCrime, speeding, reckless driving top concerns for Summer Avenue area
Summer Avenue and the neighborhoods that surround it have, like most every area of the city, their fair share of problems with crime.
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MetroThe changing seasons of Summer Avenue
The Summer Avenue Merchants Association president wants to protect area small businesses, but says there’s value in national chains like Starbucks and Chick-fil-A, too.
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Crime, speeding, reckless driving top concerns for Summer Avenue area
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Sports AutoZone Park getting new video board and playing field
Craig Unger, president of the Memphis Redbirds and Memphis 901 FC, said the 12-year-old video board had “outlived its life.”
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Shelby CountyMission Impossible? DA says criminal justice reform and crime reduction can mix
Memphis has a massive crime problem. Steve Mulroy has lofty ideas about criminal justice reform, but priority is to reduce crime and make the city safer.
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January 2023
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Public SafetyKevin Ritz: Eagle Scout, rock band lead singer and now United States Attorney
After 17 years as an assistant U.S. Attorney here, Memphis native Kevin Ritz now has the top job. He is more than prepared, but it is also a different challenge: “It’s hard to be in this chair. But you put the facts and the law together, and you do the right thing.”
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Sports Cardinals Caravan rolls into Memphis with top prospects
If all goes as St. Louis would like, outfielder Jordan Walker won’t be back to Memphis but pitcher Tink Hence could be in a Redbirds uniform before the 2023 season is done.
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February 2023
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Public SafetyLocal response after Tyre Nichols’ death was relatively quick, but challenges remain
It took five years — five years — for New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo to be fired after Eric Garner’s death in 2014. In Memphis, in 2023, it took 13 days for five officers to be fired for their roles in Tyre Nichols’ death.
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Memphis Tigers FootballFormer Tiger goes from O-Line to ESPN radio
“As foolish as this sounds, there was never really a second thought when I was playing football, ‘What am I gonna do if football doesn’t work out?’” said Gabe Kuhn.
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Public SafetyAnd Danger for All: Police pursuits, even when necessary, inherently risky
“No pursuit is worth the loss of innocent life,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said.
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Public SafetyRisk of car accidents handcuffs police pursuits
Restrictive police pursuit policies are becoming the norm nationally and in the Memphis area. This means fewer crashes, fewer injuries and deaths. But some criminals know police probably won’t chase, so they get away.
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Public SafetyGPS darts can make police pursuits safer, but they’re no silver bullet
New GPS technology can be expensive, but it’s one way police are reducing the need for high-speed chases.
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SportsFull circle: Tim McCarver back home after living a life full of dreams
Tim McCarver, who died Thursday at age 81, was a three-sport star at Christian Brothers, a World Series hero for the St. Louis Cardinals, and a Baseball Hall-of-Fame inductee as a broadcaster.
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March 2023
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ArlingtonFamily Affair: A passion for coffee is in her DNA
Not long after Ashleigh Weaver moved from Nashville to Memphis, she turned her passion for coffee into a start-up business. “One thing I really like about Memphis is they are very big on locally made,” she said. “Nashville isn’t like that as much.”
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Public SafetyMemphis Allies’ mission to reduce gun violence will take time and patience
It’s difficult to measure success when there’s no way to quantify violence that doesn’t occur, but those behind the Memphis Allies initiative believe their lofty goals are worth the effort.
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Public Safety‘To save lives, you’ve got to try to intervene.’
Youth Villages’ Memphis Allies outreach program officials “lost sleep” over Ezekiel Kelly, who was indicted for charges connected to the September 2022 shooting spree. Now, they hope to rescue others like him while they still can.
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Public SafetyWorking in a world where ‘being a shooter is cool’
The Memphis Allies initiative offers a way out, for those living in a violent culture where shooting helps establish credibility.
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Public SafetyNo time to wait: SWITCH Youth is trying to stop juvenile gun violence
Intervening early can be the key to success, and Memphis Allies’ SWITCH Youth program seeks to do just that.
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Public SafetyViolence intervention must be a ‘team sport,’ crime researcher says
Violence intervention, several national experts said at a conference Monday in Memphis, requires much communication and collaboration if success is to be achieved and sustained.
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Memphis GrizzliesWherever it goes from here, Ja Morant’s story is only beginning
While Ja Morant’s image has taken a hit, experts say a forgiving public when it comes to sports figures gives him plenty of opportunity to change the narrative.
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Former Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp learning on the job as Cardinals coach
Former Memphis Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp had proved all there was to prove at Triple-A. His reward: a promotion to St. Louis to be first base and infield coach.
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Home Again: Memphis Redbirds manager Ben Johnson back where it all began
He went to his first St. Louis Cardinals game at age 2, was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school, and Monday night Ben Johnson will manage against them at AutoZone Park as skipper of their Triple-A team, the Memphis Redbirds.
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