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MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Big pay raises are coming for the next Shelby County mayor, sheriff, and county commissioners after the current commissioners debated the pay raise proposals this week. The commission approved an almost 20% pay hike for the next elected group of county commissioners and a 21% increase for the next elected sheriff and mayor meaning […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter spoke last Friday about 1,300 vaccine doses they let expire, she cited the winter storm. “You’re all aware we’ve had to close sites the last week because of weather conditions,” she said. But the Tennessee Department of Health’s investigation yielded more concerning results. “We […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County commissioners sounded off in a special called meeting Friday night after county health officials recently wasted more 2,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine instead of getting them into peoples’ arms.  “This is the final insult and miscarriage of justice,” Commissioner Mick Wright said. Fallout from the embarrassment has now reached the top, […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris told county commissioners that Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, has tendered her resignation Friday. As of Friday, Harris said, Haushalter is still an employee of the health department. There will be a “wind-down period” until March 15, and an interim director will be […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — You might not have heard of “vaccine tourism” until Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris brought it up on WREG Wednesday. “Folks in Mississippi might come here. Vaccine tourism is real,” Harris said. “Folks in Arkansas may come here. Vaccine tourism is real. We want to accommodate as many people as possible.” Commissioner […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Days after the Shelby County Health Department revealed that 1,315 doses of the Pfizer vaccine had to be thrown out because they had expired, the Tennessee Department of Health has announced that it will be investigating the matter.   Friday, Dr. Alisa Haushalter, who heads the Shelby County Health Department, said that […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright completed an isolation period following a positive COVID-19 test and is in full recovery after experiencing very minor symptoms, the commissioner’s office announced Friday. Wright represents District 3 on the county commission, comprising parts of Bartlett, Lakeland and Raleigh. A statement from the county stated Wright was […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If you’re one of the 60,000 people in the Memphis area who has recovered from COVID-19, you could help advance research and help others fighting the disease. Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright is one of the few people in the area who has donated convalescent plasma after recovering from COVID-19. The Commissioner […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Health said Friday they have contacted the FBI over the potential theft of COVID-19 vaccines by a volunteer from the Pipkin site in Memphis. Dr. Lisa Piercey with TDH said the incident may have occurred Feb. 3. The FBI was contacted Thursday night. “Yesterday was February 25th and that […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Restaurant workers joined county commissioners Monday to protest a proposed health directive that would have shut them down for two weeks. When the health department released the order later in the afternoon, restaurants were still allowed to stay open, but only at 25% capacity. The order went on to say that “on-site […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As the world is watching President Donald Trump’s battle with the coronavirus, local doctors and health officials alike are telling people in the Mid-South this should serve as a warning sign that anyone can get COVID-19. Dr. Jeff Warren, part of the Memphis/Shelby County Task Force, said even though it may appear […]