© 2025 WKNO FM
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

BTH: Journalist Roundtable on Schools, Legislature, More

This week on Behind the Headlines, WKNO/Channel 10 host Eric Barnes hosts a journalist roundtable about some of Memphis’s top news with the Memphis Flyer's Toby Sells and Daily Memphian reporters Bill Dries and Laura Testino.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) terminated its contract with Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins less than a year after hiring her. In her place, the MSCS Board appointed Dr. Roderick Richmond as interim superintendent.

Testino discusses how the leadership change comes at a critical time. The district may face state oversight, raising concerns about its stability and future direction.

Additionally, on education, Testino explains how Tennessee lawmakers have approved Gov. Bill Lee's proposed expansion of the school voucher program. The new legislation is set to significantly broaden eligibility requirements, allowing more families to use state funds for private school tuition.

Also this week, Bill Dries discusses a Tennessee bill to establish a state Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency division and provide training opportunities for local law enforcement on apprehending and deporting illegal immigrants.

Dries pointed out that when President Donald Trump took office in 2017, Memphis saw two major protests—one led by women's rights advocates and another by the local immigrant population, who feared the consequences of Trump's initiatives. Dries described the latest immigration enforcement push as a build-up for "round two."

Regional One Health has announced an unexpected expansion plan, shifting away from previously proposed renovations of its current facility. According to Dries, the hospital has purchased 16 acres of land off Union Avenue—formerly the site of the Commercial Appeal—for $24 million. The existing building will be demolished to make way for a new hospital, estimated to cost between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion.

For over seven months, the Shelby County Clerk's Office has failed to enforce the collection of a newly implemented wheel tax increase. The tax was designed to prevent a proposed property tax hike, but the lapse has resulted in approximately $7 million in uncollected fees. Sells says the situation has raised concerns about financial oversight and government accountability.

Wrapping up, the discussion turns to how the Memphis Animal Shelter (MAS) is grappling with a crisis following an outbreak of canine distemper, a highly contagious and often fatal virus. The outbreak has led to mass euthanasia of infected animals and forced the shelter to suspend some of its operations.

Reporting from the gates of Graceland to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, Christopher has covered Memphis news, arts, culture and politics for more than 20 years in print and on the radio. He is currently WKNO's News Director and Senior Producer at the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. Join his conversations about the Memphis arts scene on the WKNO Culture Desk Facebook page.