Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Why is this vacant Memphis home racking up $1,000 utility bills?

Also check out Ring in the New Year at Dave & Buster's! on the Memphis Patch calendar

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Wednesday December 31st Patch AM
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What's up Memphis! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why is this vacant Memphis home racking up $1,000 utility bills?
  • Who fired into an Orange Mound kitchen and vanished into the night?
  • How a Memphis family’s $2,500 headstone order vanished into a scam

Also on today's calendar: Ring in the New Year at Dave & Buster's! .

Find out what's happening in Memphisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: I think I’ll wear only one boot today. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Memphisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 52 and low of 36 degrees.
  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 57, low: 49.
  • Friday: Cloudy, a shower in the p.m., with a high of 58 and low of 43 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Family questions MLGW bills at empty home (wreg.com) — A Memphis family says they’re being billed hundreds of dollars a month by Memphis Light, Gas and Water for a house that’s been empty since late 2024, with only a single dusk‑to‑dawn light in use. They’ve paid off the previous balance and paid to move service into their name, but now question nearly $1,000 bills and say they still haven’t received an explanation from MLGW.
   

2. MPD seek suspect in Orange Mound apartment shooting (wreg.com) — Memphis police are searching for a gunman who fired multiple shots into a Pendleton Place Apartments unit in Orange Mound, wounding a man in the back as he washed dishes. The shooting happened around 1:40 a.m. on Dec. 17, and investigators are asking anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.
   

3. Family scammed, left without headstone for woman with mystery illness (wreg.com) — In Memphis, the family of Shanyna Isom says they paid more than $2,500 for a custom headstone at Elmwood Cemetery but later learned they’d been scammed by a man tied to a monument company. The business owner denies receiving the money, says the contractor was unauthorized, and has offered help, while the grieving family still waits for a proper memorial nearly a year after Isom’s death.
   

4. TN Lottery Mega Millions, Cash4Life winning numbers for Dec. 30, 2025 (tennessean.com subscription) — Memphis lottery players can now check the Dec. 30 Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Cash 3, Cash 4, and Daily Tennessee Jackpot winning numbers and see how to claim prizes locally. The Tennessee Lottery’s Memphis District Office on U.S. Highway 64 can cash winnings up to $199,999, with clear instructions for in-person and mail-in claims.
   

5. 'On a path to health': Gettysburg family is gifted a new car (wgal.com) — A Gettysburg family that regularly travels to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis for their young son’s treatment just received a new Honda HR-V from their credit union. The safer car will help them manage the long drives to Tennessee for Charlie’s ongoing clinical trial visits in 2026, easing some stress during his fight with a rare brain tumor.
   

📸 Around Memphis

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • REUNITED 12/30/25 9:40pm Anyone missing a dog?
    Found wandering near Hollywood Feed on Union moments ago. I do not have the pet just posting for the individual that found it. *not chipped In touch… (Nextdoor Central Gardens)
  • This good boy has been hanging around our house for a while now.
    We brought him in so he wouldn't be out in the cold last night. Just found out that one of the neighbors moved out and left him behind. I can't keep… (Nextdoor Magnolia Barksdale Civic Club)
  • Sam's Club posted a job opening for Baker and Packager Associate in Memphis. Apply here.
  • TAK Broadband posted a job opening for Installation Operations Manager, Telecom Fulfillment in Memphis. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Memphis here.

Ok Memphis! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I heard there’s only a 50 percent chance of snow.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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