WKNO FM | NPR for the Mid-South

Heart Disease Bankrupted Him Once. Now He Faces Another $10,000 Medical Bill

Matthew Fentress was just 25 when he passed out while stuffing cannolis as a cook at a senior living facility six years ago. Doctors diagnosed him with viral cardiomyopathy , heart disease that developed after a bout of the flu. Three years later, in 2017, Fentress' condition had worsened, and doctors placed him in a medically induced coma and inserted a pacemaker and defibrillator. Despite having insurance, he couldn't pay what he owed the hospital he went to in Louisville, Ky. So Baptist...

Florida Republicans Take Aim At Efforts To Pay Felons' Fines So They Can Vote

Civil Rights Groups Say If Facebook Won't Act On Election Misinformation, They Will

BTH: SCS Superintendent Joris Ray on COVID-19 Decisions

By Savannah Smith • Sep 25, 2020

Shelby County Schools have gone completely virtual for the 2020-2021 school year as a result of COVID-19. Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray says the decision to go virtual ensures the health and safety of students and staff. Dr. Ray says that 77% of SCS parents who responded to a survey supported online learning. SCS plans to remain virtual until the number of COVID-19 cases in the Mid-South reaches single digits.

Special Coverage: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lies In State At U.S. Capitol

By Savannah Smith • Sep 25, 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being remembered in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, where she will lie in state in Statuary Hall. Watch the ceremony live Friday, September 25 at 8:30 AM.

Watch: Shelby County Joint Task Force

By Savannah Smith • Sep 24, 2020

Watch the Shelby County Joint Task Force briefing on COVID-19, from September 24th (starting at 12:00PM).

Click here to watch.

Small Memphis Demonstration Follows Grand Jury Decision in Breonna Taylor Case

By Katie Riordan • Sep 24, 2020

Shouting the now familiar refrains, “Say Her Name,” and “No Justice, No Peace,” a group of about 20 marched in Downtown Memphis Wednesday evening to denounce a grand jury’s decision not to charge officers for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

MPD Introduces Form Advising "Complainants" of Right to Pursue Criminal Charges Against Officers

By Marc Perrusquia • Sep 24, 2020

Citizens who file excessive force complaints with the Memphis Police Department are now being advised -- on paper -- of their right to pursue criminal charges against officers.

A new "Complainant Rights Form" was recently handed to Chelsea Glass, 32, a supporter of Black Lives Matter who recently reported a patrolman to supervisors after he allegedly posted memes on Facebook that seemed to celebrate the shooting deaths of two activists in Wisconsin.

After filing her intitial complaint, she said the officer sent her a direct message on Facebook.

Women's Eye Health

By Church Health • Sep 23, 2020

As matriarchs of their families, most women understand the importance of visiting their doctors regularly. However, for some women, an eye exam is often missed in their list of annual health visits.

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Special Coverage: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lies In Repose At Supreme Court

By Savannah Smith • Sep 23, 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being remembered in a private ceremony at the high court, where her body is lying in repose. Watch the ceremony live on Wednesday, September 23 at 8:30AM.

County Health Department Greenlights Reopening of Bars

By Katie Riordan • Sep 22, 2020

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After months of closure and uncertainty, limited-service restaurants or bars will be allowed to reopen as early as Wednesday in Shelby County under a set of restrictions.

The Shelby County Health Department’s latest decision affects some 40 establishments whose state license gives them bar status and were ordered to close in July amid surging COVID cases and dwindling hospital capacity.

Six Months After Tennessee’s First COVID Death, Dozens Die Some Days Without Mention

By Blake Farmer • Sep 22, 2020

Thirty-two new deaths from the coronavirus in Tennessee would have been every headline for days in March. But six months later, the rising death toll jumped on Friday with almost no attention from the public. The first confirmed death in Tennessee was a Davidson County man, March 20. He was 73 with underlying conditions — like many who’ve been claimed by COVID-19. More than 2,216 people in Tennessee have died since then, with no end in sight.

Watch: Shelby County Joint Task Force

By Savannah Smith • Sep 22, 2020

Watch the Shelby County Joint Task Force briefing on COVID-19, from September 22nd (starting at 12:00PM).

Click here to watch.

COVID-19 Daily Cases On The Rise In Nearly Half Of U.S. States

By Jason Slotkin • 10 minutes ago

The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the U.S. continued to rise this past week, driven by upward trends in nearly half the states that have pushed total cases in the country past 7 million. At the same time, a recent study suggests the vast majority of Americans haven't been exposed, far below what's required to quell the virus's spread through "herd immunity."

Daily cases were largely on a downward trend through August and early September from highs in July, but are now going up again.