Top stories of 2023: Here’s what you read on WREG.com

David Royer
·5 min read
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was a huge year for news in Memphis and the Mid-South area this year, and more people than ever turned to WREG.com, plus the WREG app and social media accounts for WREG News Channel 3, to stay informed.

The year began with the death of Tyre Nichols, a driver beaten by officers during a traffic stop January 7. A few weeks later, police released explosive video from body and surveillance cameras showing the incident.

That news rocked the city, dominating headlines in Memphis and echoing across the country all year long. Four of the most-read stories on our website were from that single event.

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But that’s not the only story that drove record audience numbers for our website this year. We compiled the top 10 biggest stories of 2023 on WREG.com based on digital traffic. No. 1 was a surprise, even to us.

Remember, we didn’t choose these as the top stories — you did.

Here we go:

  • 10) Arkabutla, MS man accused of killing ex-wife, 5 others (Feb. 17)
    One man’s shooting spree in a small town in north Mississippi killed six people in February.
    A 52-year-old man allegedly killed his ex-wife, then continued shooting at a home and nearby store. The violence even prompted a response from President Joe Biden.

  • 9) Police officer killed in shooting at Memphis library (Feb. 2)
    A police confrontation with a man at the Poplar-White Station Library in East Memphis ended with the critical wounding of Officer Geoffrey Redd, who later died from his injuries. The library was renamed in his honor.

  • 8) Tyre Nichols video: When will police release body cam footage? (Jan. 27)
    Tyre Nichols was killed after a Jan. 7 traffic stop. Twenty days later, the calls were growing louder for police to release video of the incident.

  • 7) Driver stays in truck 33 hours to avoid being towed (Nov. 15)
    WREG’s digital reporter Melissa Moon followed up on repeated complaints by truck drivers going through Memphis who claim they were targeted by a particular towing company. This story is one in a series. The company has denied all allegations, but some truck drivers were going to great lengths to avoid towing and fees.

  • 6) Teen Cheddar’s employee beaten unconscious by customers (July 24)
    A group of people thought they had waited long enough to be seated at a Cordova restaurant, and took their frustration out on the host, who was left in critical condition.

  • 5) Five former officers in Tyre Nichols death booked into jail (Jan. 26)
    Five Memphis Police officers involved in the Tyre Nichols traffic stop had already been fired by this point. On Jan. 26 they were criminally charged, indicted by a grand jury and taken into custody.

  • 4) MPD: Man tries to deposit, withdraw $19,000 check (Feb. 17)
    Sometimes a simple story goes viral, for whatever reason. This was one of those one-off stories.

  • 3) Five MPD Officers fired after Nichols investigation (Jan. 20)
    Our investigative team compiled a timeline of all the events in the Tyre Nichols incident we knew at that time. By the time it hit our website, though, there was one more event to add: the firing of the officers involved.

  • 2) Tyre Nichols video released by Memphis Police (Jan. 29)
    This was the bombshell that finally dropped Jan. 29, three weeks after the incident. “In my 36 years in law enforcement, I don’t think I have witnessed the disregard for a human being displayed in this video,” Police Chief C.J. Davis said. Warning: Graphic Content.

  • 1) Instacart shoppers banned after woman checks Kroger receipt (Jan. 22)
    With everything that was happening in January, it’s hard to believe that this rose to the top of the most-read list for 2023. But here it is, our undisputed top story. For what it’s worth, the victim got her money back and Instacart didn’t allow those shoppers to work anymore. They were not affiliated with Kroger.

Here are a few more big stories that came close to making the list:

Our producers and reporters, both on the digital and television sides of WREG, work hard to bring you the latest breaking news first. Most of these stories had multiple updates, with new facts added in real time as we obtained them.

Thanks for trusting WREG.com, our app and social media accounts, the No. 1 source for news in Memphis and the Mid-South. We hope to see you again in 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.