Severe winds knock power out for thousands of MLGW customers
MLGW has temporarily suspended all disconnections for non-payment so that call center representatives can focus on restoring power to customers.
Keely Brewer
Reporter
Keely Brewer is a Report for America corps member covering environmental impacts on communities of color in Memphis. She is working in partnership with the Ag & Water Desk, a sustainable reporting network aimed at telling water and agriculture stories across the Mississippi River Basin.
There are 322 articles by Keely Brewer :
-
March 2023
-
City of Memphis -
Shelby County Three projects to prevent another 2011 flood move forward
Shelby County received $60 million for climate resilience projects in 2016 and work is ongoing in Raleigh, Frayser and Millington. A project along South Cypress Creek is just beginning.
-
Shelby County Memphis gets FEMA funds for recent winter storms
Little more than a month after rolling blackouts and a precautionary boil water advisory, severe winter weather hit Shelby County again.
-
Shelby County County poised to join city to ask facility to reduce cancer-causing emissions
A small, but patient, group of South Memphis residents concerned about a cancer-causing pollutant in their neighborhood waited five hours to address the Shelby County Board of Commissioners yesterday.
-
State Government Solar panels are a first for Shelby County government
County government celebrates its “MLGW independence day.”
-
City of Memphis ‘The future is arriving very quickly’ for MLGW
The utility already has a five-year, $1 billion infrastructure investment plan, but if Shelby County is to be prepared for a rapidly changing energy market, MLGW President Doug McGowen said they need to think further ahead.
-
Metro EPA proposes limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
PFAS are a class of more than 12,000 human-made compounds. They accumulate in the environment and human bodies over time and don’t easily degrade, which is why some call them “forever chemicals.”
-
City of Memphis Smart meters still failing as MLGW tackles 34,000+ delayed bills
MLGW has processed bills for more than 34,000 users who were behind on payments because of faulty meters. That’s about 8% of MLGW electricity customers.
-
South Memphis Citywide LED streetlight replacement program begins
Memphis will spend $42 million to replace all 77,000 of its high-pressure sodium streetlights by the end of the year — a move that is equivalent to taking about 10,000 cars off the road.
-
Health Care County’s first cancer cluster study to be released
The Shelby County Health Department commissioned the cancer cluster study last fall to learn about historical cancer rates in a South Memphis neighborhood.
-
South Memphis County urges South Memphis facility to reduce cancer-causing emissions
The County Commission vote approves a nonbinding piece of legislation, but it’s a show of support for residents and groups such as Memphis Community Against Pollution.
-
Premium
City of MemphisMLGW power provider bid process was flawed, consultants say
In the summer of 2022, the price of natural gas spiked. While the rest of the companies interested in MLGW’s power supply contract adjusted their prices, TVA was still using pricing prior to that time. Their bid came in lower, and everyone else’s came in higher — much higher.
-
South Memphis College students pick up 75,000 pounds of trash from McKellar Lake
College students from nearly a dozen universities removed 75,000 pounds of trash from McKellar Lake in the past three weeks, intercepting it before it entered the Mississippi River.
-
Ford Megasite BlueOval City campus draws Gov. Bill Lee, other state leaders
“Never in my life did I anticipate that there would be this happening in rural West Tennessee,” said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. “Welcome to one of the most exciting days celebrating one of the most exciting events in this region.”
Related story:
Ford to build next electric truck — Project T3 — at BlueOval City
-
Metro Energy efficiency lags in Tennessee, but new report says time is ripe for investment
It’s cheaper for utilities to cut energy waste than build more power plants, according to the executive director of the Southern Alliance of Clean Energy.
-
Shelby County Health Department study finds no cancer clusters near EtO producer
The Shelby County Health Department shared the results of its first-ever cancer incidence study on Tuesday, March 28. It found no evidence of cancer clusters near a South Memphis facility that emits a cancer-causing chemical called ethylene oxide, or EtO.
-
City of Memphis $100M+ for water infrastructure heading to Memphis
As the state allocates more than $200 million into water projects, Memphis’ share accounted for more than half the total grant amount.
-
-
April 2023
-
Metro Tornado warnings expire, damage reported in Covington area
For the first time in more than two years, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center issued a rare “high risk” forecast for Memphis Friday afternoon.
Related stories:
-
Metro Covington ‘impassable’ after tornado; Arkansas under state of emergency
Clean-up efforts are underway in Covington after long-track supercell storms pushed through Arkansas, crossed the Mississippi River and hit the city.
Related stories:
-
City of Memphis MLGW disparity study expected to be completed in May
To help inform the study into MWBE contracting, an Atlanta-based firm wants community members to share their experiences — positive and negative — of doing or pursuing business with MLGW.
-
Premium
MidtownBinghampton gets bright idea in streetlight switch: recycling
Memphis is on track to replace 77,000 streetlights with LED bulbs by the end of the year, and as they do, all the old light fixtures are heading to Binghampton.
-
Shelby County Health department hires consultants to help with air monitoring
Last summer, the Shelby County Health Department’s air monitoring branch was operating with only two employees, and the State of Tennessee gave the local program until June of this year to resolve the issue.
-
Metro More severe weather predicted for Southwest Tennessee
The forecast is milder than last week’s weather, which caused the death of three Memphians and 15 people in total across the state.
Related story:
-
Update
MetroNWS cancels tornado watch for Shelby County
The National Weather Service of Memphis canceled the tornado watch for Shelby County just after 2 p.m.
-
South Memphis New EPA rules could cut EtO emissions by 80% in South Memphis
However, it could take years for the proposed regulations, which would govern emissions of a cancer-causing chemical, to be finalized and enforced.
-