MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Memphis, TN

Memphis-Shelby County Schools leaders have demanded additional information from Tennessee legislative leaders who made a broad allegation Thursday, June 12, that the school system was illegally destroying records ahead of a state-funded forensic audit.

“We are unaware of any such alleged acts by any MSCS representative or official, nor have we received any evidence substantiating these extremely serious claims and accusations,” district officials wrote in a statement published to social media Thursday afternoon.

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools Cameron Sexton Randy McNally Mark White Subscriber Only

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Laura Testino

Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter who writes about how public policy shapes Memphis. She is currently reporting from Frayser about education and housing. Please write her with your suggestions and story tips.

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ALDI announced it is bringing back its summer tradition of cutting grocery prices on seasonal items.

The grocery chain said it will be reducing prices on nearly 25% of its products. This amounts to more than 400 items, including meat and produce. The summer discount will run from June 5 through Labor Day.

ALDI will reduce prices by as much as 33% on over 400 products during the summer, according to Scott Patton, the company's chief commercial officer. He noted that nearly one in four households shop at ALDI stores, referencing data from Circana.

About two-thirds of Americans reported remaining very concerned about food and consumer goods prices, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 3,589 adults in April, making ALDI's announcement all the more timely.

A new ALDI location in Downtown Memphis, which opened in April, will allow more Memphians to take advantage of savings this summer.

How much have grocery prices gone up?

Data estimates from over 150,000 stores and more than 200 retail banners, in over 30,000 zip codes across the United States, show that grocery prices have increased by approximately 33% in all 50 states.

According to the grocery price index tool from Datasembly, grocery prices in Tennessee have increased by 37.1% as of May 25, 2025. This increase is relative to the cost of products collected during the first week of October 2019.

Since May 25, 2024, one year prior, grocery prices have increased by 3.2%, which is comparable to the increase in most other states.

Examining Tennessee's two largest metropolitan areas, grocery prices in Memphis have increased by 37.9%, while in Nashville, grocery costs have risen by 38.5%.

Here are the changes for groceries across Tennessee since Oct 2019 and May 2024 according to Datasembly:

ALDI locations in Memphis

There are over ten ALDI locations in the Memphis area.

Memphis has six locations found at:

Bartlett has one location found at:

Collierville has one location found at:

Cordova has one location found at:

Lakeland has one location found at:

Millington has one location found at:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Multiple agencies conducted a frantic, days-long search for a man who went missing in the Wolf River after a heroic act turned tragic. Search operations occurred Friday and Saturday. As of 8 a.m. Sunday morning, the rescue efforts continued.

Officials said 31-year-old Thaddeus Smiley was trying to rescue a young child when he was swept away.

According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, 11 people were hanging out on a sandbar in the middle of the river just before 2 p.m. Friday. A child started struggling to swim, then Smiley and another man went into the water to save the child.

The child and one of the rescuers made it back to dry land, but Smiley didn’t.

“More than 100 first responders and volunteers are involved in the search operations,” Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said.

On Sunday, the agencies involved include multiple divisions of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office including Volunteer Services Bureau, Uniform Patrol, Drone Team, Search and Rescue, and Emergency Services, as well as the Millington Fire Department Search and Rescue, Memphis Fire Department Search and Rescue, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resouces Agency (TWRA).

Six boat teams, partnering fire departments, three drone teams are deployed. TWRA are patrolling the river with three sonar teams scanning the riverbed using specialized equipment and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office dive team.

According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, 35 deputies, firefighters, and volunteers are searching over six miles of the river from Walnut Grove to the old Austin Peay overpass on Sunday.

“The current is moving at about six miles an hour, creating challenging and dangerous search conditions,” Buckner said.

Sheriff Floyd Bonner was on the scene. Partway through the search, Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley arrived.

JB Smiley told FOX13 Thaddeus Smiley is his nephew.

“Our hearts and our prayers certainly go out to Mr. Smiley, his family, and his friends,” Buckner said.

Buckner stressed the importance of teaching young people to swim and the dangers of the Wolf River.

In recent years, “secret beaches” along the riverbanks have become popular summertime destinations. According to Buckner, it can be impossible to tell whether debris is being swept under the water’s surface or whether the current will pick up and carry someone away.

“Even the most experienced swimmers can find themselves in trouble when they enter the Wolf River,” he said.

Buckner said the child Smiley was trying to rescue was not injured.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Day 3 of ongoing rescue efforts resumed on Sunday, June 1, after 31-year-old Thaddeus Smiley reportedly entered the Wolf River and did not resurface on Friday, May 30.

One person was rescued on Friday, but authorities are still actively searching for another, a spokesperson with the Memphis Fire Department (MFD) confirmed.

City Councilman JB Smiley said on social media that the missing person is his nephew and asked for prayers as the search continues.

"This afternoon, my nephew, Thaddeus Smiley, was swept away by the Wolf River," the post read. "He is still missing. Please keep my family in your prayers. Tough time for us. Thank you to all the First Responders and volunteers."

Ongoing efforts:

As of 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, search operations resumed for the search of 31-year-old Thaddeus Smiley, with the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies participating.

The following agencies were listed as participants:

Around 35 deputies, firefighters, and volunteers are actively searching over six miles of river from Walnut Grove to the old Austin Peay overpass.

As of 8 a.m. on Saturday, search operations resumed for the man who was swept away in the Wolf River while trying to save a child.

The second day's search involved a coordinated effort of multiple agencies, according to a social media post shared by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO).

The following agencies were listed as participants:

Resources deployed include three drone teams conducting aerial searches, six boat teams from the SCSO, in addition to partnering fire departments patrolling the river, and four sonar teams scanning the riverbed using specialized equipment from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Dive team.

Additionally, the Sonar Emily, a radio-controlled sonar boat, was used to inspect the river floor.

Three ground teams actively searched the riverbanks, and around 120 deputies, firefighters, and volunteers were actively engaged in the ongoing search of over 8 miles of river from Walnut Grove to the Hollywood overpass.

Initial Response:

A concentration of law enforcement and rescue workers was confirmed to be in the area of the Wolf River near Walnut Grove Road on Friday, May 30.

First responders with SCSO, along with the Memphis and Germantown fire departments, arrived at the scene at around 1:50 p.m., said SCSO Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner at a press conference.

A group of 11 family members and friends gathered at a sandbar in the river before a small child went into the water, said Buckner.

Two adult members of the group entered the river to rescue the child. One of them was successful in recovering that person from the water, and the other man was caught by the current.

The other man, identified as Thaddeus Smiley, was swept downstream. He was last seen wearing blue shorts, according to Buckner.

At the time of speaking, Buckner said the river was likely moving at around 6 mph.

Six boats, five sonar-equipped teams, three drones, and a specialized dive team were all deployed in the search.

The search area on Friday spanned about a one-mile radius of where Smiley went missing.