‘Ducks Unlimited Park’ tackles wetland restoration
The goal is to return 1,500 acres across from Downtown Memphis to floodplain, which naturally absorbs water from the Mississippi River and filters it before returning it to the river.
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 :
-
April 2023
-
Metro -
City of Memphis Memphis aquifer’s protective layer looking ‘more like Swiss cheese’
A five-year, $5 million study of the Memphis aquifer is nearing completion; it already has identified 23 previously undetected breaches in the aquifer’s protective clay layer.
-
Spirit of Memphis ‘Be Like Mike’: MLGW honored fallen lineman Michael Stewart
“Mr. Stewart was admired for his warmth and compassion,” Graves said. “So much that community members created T-shirts urging people to ‘Be Like Mike.’”
-
City of Memphis City Council looks to help Section 8 voucher holders become homeowners
The idea’s benefits could be many: It would allow people to build equity, and it would lessen the backlog of the city’s renter program. It could also bring a new steel frame manufacturer to the city.
-
City of Memphis Ideas addressing blight and illegal dumping get City Council support
A working group, chaired by Memphis City Councilwoman Rhonda Logan, has met monthly since last summer to draft guidance for the city on used tires, solid waste, beautification, Environmental Court and community outreach.
-
-
May 2023
-
Shelby County First countywide solid-waste study since ‘90s gets city, county support
The study will consider how much waste enters landfills compared to recycling, composting or other waste-processing facilities over the course of at least two seasons.
-
City of Memphis Army Corps replaces 75-year-old river grader with 1 million pound machine
The new $22.5 million grader, delivered to its home port at Ensley Engineering Yard in Memphis in April, will service more than 950 miles of the lower Mississippi River, from Cairo, Illinois, to the gulf.
-
Premium
Health CareMiles away, years apart: Air pollution steals time from Black communities
Air pollution is a global issue when it comes to longevity. In Shelby County, there are five air monitoring sites but not one in southwest Memphis, where residents have some of the area’s lowest life expectancies.
-
City of Memphis ‘The grid everybody deserves': MLGW’s McGowen suggests new focus at energy conference
MLGW’s number of customer minutes without power has tripled since the 1990s; utility CEO Doug McGowen said Tuesday the question needs to change from how cheaply MLGW can purchase energy to how it can buy enough to meet demand.
-
Premium
Health CareMiles away, years apart: How redlining left its mark on Chickasaw Gardens, Binghampton, Harbor Town
A recent study shows that current race-class concentrations are linked to home values, and both are strongly linked to life expectancy. And to at least one expert, it’s proof that redlining produced long-lasting harm.
-
North Memphis Uptown greenline an ‘ending and beginning’ for county trail system
The North Memphis Greenline formally opened to the public Tuesday. It will eventually connect to the Wolf River Greenway and extend to Shelby Farms Park for upwards of 40 miles of continuous trails.
-
Shelby County Shelby County pollution program clears air with state board
For several years, Shelby County’s air monitoring program has been understaffed, behind schedule on issuing permits for major emitters and out of compliance with federal standards. But the office reports it’s fixed some of its issues.
-
As mass migration winds down, Overton Park is for the birds
Local birders will be out Saturday for World Migratory Bird Day, adding to a global ornithological count for the Audubon Society.
-
City of Memphis Dumpster tire: Blight group’s ideas roll at Memphis City Council
“We have been dealing with tires for a very long time, and it is a major epidemic in our community,” said council member Rhonda Logan, who chaired the city’s Blight and Illegal Dumping Task Force.
-
City of Memphis City Council may set aside $150,000 for indigent, elderly in Environmental Court
Shelby County Environmental Court wants to create a fund that would help indigent and elderly people remediate blight on their property.
Related Story:
Dumpster tire: Blight group’s ideas roll at Memphis City Council
-
Shelby County Former Collierville leader tapped for MLGW board
James Lewellen could become an advisory member of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water board as early as next month.
-
Premium
MetroFive months and five severe storms in, McGowen looks to take MLGW into the future
He’s seen combat, worked to resolve the city’s sexual assault kit backlog and led the area’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Now, Doug McGowen is taking on Memphis’ publicly owned utility.
-
Premium
NeighborhoodsSeed funding: Nonprofits give free garden beds to about 100 homeowners
The Works and Big Green recently gave away 100 raised garden beds for free, complete with seeds, starters, a watering can, fertilizer and more than 60 pounds of soil.
-
-
June 2023
-
City of Memphis Paper cups now recyclable in Memphis (no, they weren’t before)
Paper cups are mostly made from a fiber that’s desirable to recycling mills, and there are a growing number of mills that accept plastic-coated paper cups included in bales of other paper materials.
-
South Memphis Neighborhood studies next step against cancer-causing chemical
Ethylene oxide, or EtO, has been on the community’s radar since the Environmental Protection Agency identified a Florida Street business as one of 23 high-risk polluters.
-
City of Memphis MLGW ditches employee residency requirement
Since 2005, all MLGW employees have been required to live in Shelby County within six months of being hired. The board has voted to change that, and the utility also is looking at signing bonuses that could range from $1,500 to $15,000 for new employees.
-
Shelby County EPA comes to Memphis for EtO emissions feedback
The EPA returned to Memphis officially for the first time since last fall when the agency explained the health risks created by local EtO emissions. Representatives discussed proposals to reduce the community’s risks from the chemical.
-
City of Memphis 55,000 MLGW customers without power as triple-digit temperatures approach
By Tuesday morning, power had been restored for about half of the Shelby County residents who lost electricity during Sunday night’s super cell thunderstorms.
Related story:
Why does Memphis lose power after storms? That and a few more questions answered
-
City of Memphis MLGW expects boil water advisory to end tomorrow
MLGW President and CEO Doug McGowen said Tuesday that power has been restored to the pumping stations and water pressure is continuing to build.
Related story:
55,000 MLGW customers without power as triple-digit temperatures approach
-
City of Memphis Shelby County declares state of emergency in storm aftermath
The 50,000 customers still waiting on power to be restored can cool down at Baker Community Center as temperatures approach triple digits.
Related stories:
MLGW expects boil water advisory to end tomorrow
55,000 MLGW customers without power as triple-digit temperatures approach
-