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Thoughts and prayers. Ladies and gentlemen, thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers across Shelby County. Hello, everybody. Welcome to Stars Country.
We are broadcasting in the principal Toyota Memphis studio this morning. Thoughts and prayers for the Democrats because Dr. Marie Fagins just threw a grenade into the county mayor's race, and it is going to be, dare I say, Delicious. Watching the Democrats imploding. This is, we are getting unconfirmed reports that J.B.
Smiley peed himself when he immediately heard of the news that Fagins had entered the race. And it is a wonderful thing. This is going to be a lot of fun, ladies and gentlemen, watching what's about to unfold. But late yesterday, and we've got the story up at kwamradio.com and you can read it for yourself. But Dr.
Marie Fagins, who was ousted by that mob over at the Memphis Shelby County School Board, the mob of illiterates, and the other chick, the one, she be kissing somebody's cat. What's her Tawana? That's her name, Tawana. The cat kisser. Yeah, she got booted, and now she has apparently filed the paperwork and is running in the Democrat primary for Shelby County mayor.
So, this is a huge, it's a very crowded, very crowded field. We understand that Dr. Fagins commented briefly. She was at a fundraiser yesterday, and the daily Memphium was able to get a hold of her. We've reached out as well, and we hope to get her on the morning show very, very soon.
But Dr. Fagin said, I think the opportunity is for anyone to get in, anyone who has a vision for the county in any regard. Everyone that believes in a Shelby County that can shine and thrive should take a seat, just as I shared in April.
So she has filed the paperwork, and we will see how all of this plays out.
So. Here's the question, and this is an opportunity.
Now. We don't know the particulars of Marie Fagan's politics. But I don't think that matters all that much because of where we are right now, because anything is better. Than the status quo. As a matter of fact, anything is better than what we've had.
And what Marie Fagins was able to demonstrate within her short tenure at the Shelby County school system is that she can go in and blow up all of the grift and the corruption. And that's why she got booted. A lot of these people, a lot of the people on the Shelby County School Board, or the Memphis Shelby County School Board, they're treating your tax dollars and our public schools like their own personal EBT cards. You're looking at a welfare school board. These people, it's I mean, just take a take a long, hard look.
Go and listen. Just listen to a school board meeting. Half of these people can't even pronunciate two-syllable words. It is absolutely unacceptable that 70% of the kids in this county are not at reading level. That's just unacceptable.
It's a complete and utter failure of the school system. And they all ought to be run out of town. Every single one of them ought to be run out of town. But we can't do that because there's a good chance some of them have actually committed crime.
So we still need them in Shelby County so we can make sure that they're brought to justice eventually. And that may happen if Maurice Fagans actually becomes Shelby County mayor.
So let me just say this, and we're going to open up the phone lines because we've got a big question here for the Republicans out there across Shelby County. And I don't mean this in a bad way. I just mean it in a very real way. It's kind of like. I don't know, a come to Jesus moment.
It's sort of like tough love. They can't find anybody on the Republican side of the aisle to run. They can't. I mean, you've got people coming out of the woodwork on the Democrat side. You've got JB Smiley, you've got Michael Lowry, you've got Heidi Kuhn, Melvin Burgess, Harold Collins, that's the Chief Administrative Officer.
I mean, just the list goes on and on and on. Nobody, they're literally having to beg people to run on the Republican side.
So here's my question for you Republicans out there. Do you Do you just close your eyes and do you Support Marie Fagin's. Is it best for the Republicans not even try to muster somebody up? Because there's no way. I mean unless unless Brent Taylor is running for the county mayor, and I don't think he is.
Do we all just does the Republican Party need to get behind and put the full force of the Republican Party sorry, I didn't mean to giggle the full force of the Republican Party behind Murray Vegas? Is that Is that the move here?
So I want to hear from you this morning. And I know some of you are like, well, I'm a Republican. I'll never vote for a Democrat. I'm a Democrat. I'll never vote for a Republican.
Let me just cut to the chase. A Democrat's getting elected county mayor.
So the question is, what kind of a Democrat do you want? And I'd rather try, you know, shake things up a little bit and let's see what Murray Fagans can do. She did a great job at the school board, right? I mean, the schools were heading in the right direction, kids were going back to school. When the kids didn't show up, she went and found em and brought em in.
Maybe she could do that to some of these wayward Commissioners. They don't show up for the meeting. She goes to their house and drags em out. I'd love to see I'd we'd broadcast that live on K-WAM.
So, anyway, it's exciting news, and it is certainly going to spice up the race. And I think a lot of people are going to be very excited about this. And sure, she's going to have to answer a lot of questions. But you know what? She was doing a pretty darn good job running.
the school board or and the school system rather until the school board stepped in. No, yes, Cassie, I did. I said they were that they they were all they were they all have EBT cards. courtesy of of our tax dollars. All right, so our telephone number, 901-260-5926.
Again, that number, 901-260-5926. And we're going to be taking your calls. I want to hear from you on this because Republicans are going to have to strategize. They're either going to have to come up with one heck of a great candidate, And I would say it would probably need to be somewhere between, I don't know, St. Peter and Jesus to get elected here in Shelby County.
And if that's not the case, Do we get behind Marie Fagins? And I'll have a question because the Republicans are all about bona fides. And so the other issue is if all the Republicans do vote for Murray Fagans, at that point, Would they have to um Would they have to sit out some races?
So they'll have to get all that figured out.
So we're going to take your calls on this: 901-260-5926. Real quick, let's go to Dean in Memphis. Dean, what's your reaction to all of this?
Well, I wish her the best. Uh back in June of twenty four, I came up to y'all's station Mm-hmm. Justin Johnson and Kristen New, for the very first time, they invited me to the Republican uh Shelby County GOP meetings and this, that and the other. And Over the course of time, I mean, look, 2025, we got rid of those that supported Democrats. And I do think she would probably she's the best out of probably all those Democrat candidates.
But In good conscience, I can't vote for Democrat. I mean, I hope, you know. I don't see Republican candidate for mayor, Shelby County mayor coming out. Oh So I wish her the best. Dean, look, it's a fair point you're making here.
And, you know, everybody's going to have a decision to make. And we'll see how all this shakes out in the primary. But I think Marie Fagans is going to be either the Democrat nominee or the Independent nominee. And maybe if she were an Independent, she might be able to draw over some of those Republican votes. Dean, I got to run.
We got to take a break, but thank you for calling in. Again, our number, 901-260-5926. Coming up, Congressman David Kostoff joins us live. Right now, though, we need to check in with Commander Chuck to look at your traffic. All right, it is 64 degrees, light rainfalling, a lot of fog out there as well.
Sort of a dreary day, and we are going to have a lot of rain coming into the mid-south. Our vario-meteorologist, Laura Huckabee, will be along in just a moment. By the way, I also want to say thank you to our good friend John Covington and Kristen Yu filling in yesterday on the show. I was invited to speak to the Memphis Shelby County Optimist Club. They were meeting over at Memphis University School.
And may I just say, that cafeteria may have the best cheese grits in all of America. I said it, America. That was insane. Had a great time. And what a great club, the Optimist Club.
And real quick, I want to give a shout out to Bartlett High School. They've just been named a Civics All-Star School for the 2024 school year. And this is awarded to schools demonstrating a strong commitment to preparing students to be informed, engaged. Citizens statewide, only 63 schools earned the Civics All-Star Distinction, and we're so excited that Bartlett High School got it for us here in the Mid-South.
Well done, kids.
Well done, teachers, as well. I want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line and say hello to our congressman. You just heard his ad running a few moments ago, Congressman David Kustoff. Congressman, hope you're doing well this morning. Todd, good morning very much.
Thanks for having me on today. You know, Congressman, you've been touting the Memphis Safe Task Force, and of course, a lot of controversy now that the Chancellor Judge in Davidson County stepped in and said, well, nope, can't do that. We know the Tennessee Attorney General is appealing that. How important is it for us to have the Memphis Safe Task Force here in the Bluff City? Uh You taught a I am the I've done so many interviews with national outlets, including your national show.
And I talk about the success of the task force. I also tell people around the country that. Memphis really is a great city. We have a lot to offer. We We have some of the friendliest people in the entire country.
living right here in our community. But You look at the stats and This is through Tuesday. There are over almost 2,900 arrests That the task force has made since it's been on the ground in September. 2,888 arrests. They've arrested.
three hundred and ten known gang members. To me, this is an incredible statistic for everybody listening. They have located 116 missing children. Turn. I challenge anybody in the media.
The the the the media methods as not reported anything about the missing children prior to this Task Force. I bet people listening had no idea that there were 116 missing children in our community to begin with. They've looked, the task force has located. Those children. And so You know, you think about the perception and the attitude of people in our community.
We we know how they felt. before the task force going to the gas station, going to the grocery store, going downtown. There was Concern about safety. I do think there's a different vibe in Memphis and Shelby County as it relates to safety, and it's all due to this task force. You've got to give the credit to President Trump for recognizing that, and to our Governor Bill Lee, for.
committing the highway patrolman who are patrolling our streets in the in the community, are Senators Blackburn and Haggerty for working with us and the President to try to get the task force instituted.
So It's a win-win-win all the way around. And so you you know, you asked about the the legal challenge, I have a pretty good confidence that the state is going to prevail on appeal. The state, Governor Lee and Attorney General Jonathan Scrametti, have announced that they'll be appealing that chancellor's ruling in Nashville. The fact of the matter is, is the governor has the right To commit the National Guard in Tennessee where he deems necessary, and so does the President of the United States. You know, when you look at the numbers and it's just off the charts, and I know Senator Blackburn was talking about this yesterday.
As a matter of fact, can we play cut number two, please? When my colleague objects to this, he is objecting to what the good people of Memphis in this fabulous iconic city are seeing, the results that they are seeing. They want Memphis to be the safest city in the country, not the most violent.
So they have objected to the arrest of nearly 2,900 criminals in the last 50 days, including sex offenders, murderers, and other violent criminals. They've objected to the rescue of 116 missing children, 116 children that have been recovered. They've objected to over 300 known gang members being apprehended. And they've objected to the seizure of 470 illegal firearms. Yeah.
We are going to continue to work to make certain that Memphis is the safest city in the United States. All right.
So, Congressman, we had the senator on day before yesterday, and she was really frustrated with County Mayor Lee Harris and these other Democrats that say, you know what, we don't need the National Guard here. My question, Congressman, what are we supposed to do? Return the children back to the human traffickers? I mean, what the heck?
Well, you know what? I truly believe that it doesn't matter what party you belong to in Memphis and Shelby County, what side of the city you live on. Who you are? You want to be safe. And I talk to So many of these officers and agents, Todd, who are literally here from all over the country.
I mean, you talk about. On the federal side, the marshals, deputy marshals, the FBI agents, the Homeland Security, the DEA, they're here from all over. they will they will tell you the people are coming up to them and the National Guard and thanking them for for being here.
So it's just like anything else and I I see it here in Washington. You have a loud minority of people in the end look they're loud but they're they're in the minority and they don't make up the majority. Whether you're White, whether you're African American, whether you're Hispanic, whether you're Republican, Democrat, Whig. You want to be safe. You want to be safe going to the grocery store, not worrying about being carjacked and not worrying about being robbed at the grocery store.
I I I understand what uh the county mayor and others are Are doing and what they're trying to do legally, but they don't speak for the majority in our community.
Well, I'm glad you understand because I sure don't. And it's driving a lot of people nuts that this is happening. And by the way, we have to give a huge, a huge thank you, Congressman, to State Senator Brent Taylor. I mean, he's the guy that's been out there just pushing this from day one, this effort to make Memphis matter. Brent's done a terrific job.
You've been very vocal. He is he truly is making Memphis matter. at the state legislature and and look, we've got a tremendous amount of state resources that have come in here These I don't think people realize with the highway patrol Not only on the interstate, but on Walnut Grove and on other streets in and around Memphis. That's taken responsibility off of Memphis Police and the Shelby County Sheriffs doing traffic duty where they can be doing. other things and being involved in these apprehensions you look at all these federal agents on the ground, state agents, local agents And we've got over 2,000 personnel.
that are working hard to make Memphis statement. Congressman, big, big, big news here in Tennessee, of course, this gubernatorial race. And we've noticed that a lot of lawmakers, I know Tim Birch is thrown in with Marshall Blackburn. We have John Rose running. We have Monty Fritz running.
And I'm wondering: are you going to be making an endorsement in that race? Who are you going to back? You know, I typically don't get involved in these. state races or local races. My feeling is, I'm going to be working with somebody, and both Senator Blackburn and John Rose are.
colleagues and I work with them On a daily basis, I don't see myself I just want to make sure that whoever is nominated, whoever wins the Republican nomination is going to win the. governor's election. that they truly have Memphis and Shelby County and West Tennessee best intentions at heart. and that they understand our Community. And as you know, Tennessee's almost, it is three different states, right?
The East, Middle, West. Each Grand Division is so different in and of itself. Unless you're from here. It's hard to understand. That's just in Shelby County.
And so one thing I I see myself doing is making sure that all the candidates running for governor Understand the importance and the significance of Memphis and Shelby County and West Tennessee, and that we're not forgotten in Nashville once they're elected as governor. Good stuff. And Congressman, you're watching the clock because we have to take a break here and catch up on our news. But we appreciate you calling into K-WAN this morning, and thanks. We're looking out for West Tennessee.
Perfect, Tom. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me on this call. All right, Congressman David Kostoff, and we've got more from Marsha Blackburn coming up, as well as Randy Hutchison from the Better Business Bureau. Your calls: 901-260-5926.
We'll be right back, everybody. All right, it is now 64 degrees here in East Memphis. It is going to be a very ugly day, but that's okay. It's a great day to put on a pot of chili and some cornbread and relax and have a good time. By the way, if you're heading to the airport, just fair warning: a holiday travel season starts Friday.
Memphis International is saying they're expecting more than 90,000 people to pass through the airport's checkpoint.
So we're looking at November 21 through December 1st. Be sure to get to the airport about two hours before your scheduled departure time. TSA checkpoints should be fine now that the government's back open, the Schumer shutdown's over.
So just keep that in mind and be sure to pack some extra patients with you if you're looking for parking over there at Memphis International with all the construction. All right, want to go to the phones real quick here: 901-260-5926, Justin in Collierville. Justin, what do you think about Marie Fagan's making that big news last night? Hey, good morning, Todd.
So first, I want to talk about the primary system. Uh, our Republican supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly has our elections so messed up by having the open primary system. Nobody in Tennessee. Is a registered Republican or a Democrat. Everybody by default is an independent, and we have this whole system which has corrupted our primaries.
So if anybody believes themselves to be a Republican, they should never vote in a Democrat primary. Let the Democrats have the most radical opponent like a Justin Pearson and let them destroy their own party. Don't give don't we don't need Republicans crossing over and voting in Democrat primaries. And giving them a uh A moderate candidate. I mean, as a Republican, why would you want to vote in a Democratic primary and align yourself with the party of child mutilation?
um chaos in your city. etcetera all that other Stuff.
So, Marie Fagans, like, I understand she did great with the school board. But if she wants to align herself with the Democrat party, let her go until all that chaos of that party is. Republicans should only vote in Republican primaries. All right.
And, Justin, that's a fair point. I just see the Democrats putting out all of these wonderful candidates. I mean, they've got a potpourri of candidates, cornucopia of candidates, and the Republicans have deadly squat going on right now. I'm hearing a rumor right now that there is going to be a candidate for mayor of Shelby County on the Republican side. I don't know who it is, but I've been here rumbling.
That there will be a candidate.
Okay.
Well, no, no, no, no.
Well, we, yeah, we, we're, we're waiting.
So, uh, you know, we'll wait and see what the party decides to do. Uh, but the clock is a ticking, so uh, they need to get on the move on there.
So we shall see if the Republicans are able to put forward a candidate. Um, 901-260-5926. Justin, thank you for the call. That's 901-260-5926. Daniel Irwin here with the Better Business Bureau.
Randy taking the day off. Daniel, good to have you with us today. Thanks for having me, Randy. Thanks.
So, yeah, absolutely.
So, look, we're talking Black Friday coming up, and it's going to be insane. It always is insane. But there are always a lot of scams that pop up around Black Friday. Yeah, online shopping scams are one of the nastiest scams around, and it's the number one reported scam to the Better Business Bureau. And we always see an uptick in that around the holidays.
Already started to see it. You want to be on the lookout for not only fake websites, but imposter websites that pretend to be websites you know. And part of the problem is that so many people now shop on their phones and we don't see the full URL, right? Because we're not on a computer.
So we think we may be on a site like Amazon.com, but we're really on a fake site like Amazon-calm, which is supposed to mimic the real site.
So you just have to be really careful out there. There's so many different kinds of scams associated with the shopping, and it's just crazy. Is there an easy clue for people, you know, if they're on a website to make sure they're on the actual legitimate website? Yeah, so you want to look at the full URL and you want to look at the actual like website you're on, right? And you don't want to click on links because you don't know how where that's going to take you.
So it's best to just type in, and we'll use Amazon as an example because everyone knows it, type in amazon.com or type in, you know, home depot.com and don't just click on a link. And be really careful on social.
Social media.
So many people get sideways on social media because they see an advertisement, they click on it, and it takes them to a fake website. And not only do you not get your merchandise after you've bought something, but they've got your card number and then it's off to the races, and you're left having to pick up the pieces and dispute all those charges. Another big issue: gift cards. Yes. Gift cards are for gifts, not payments, but you got to be really careful this holiday season when you're buying a gift card.
You want to make sure that it's not tampered with in any type, shape, form, or fashion. You want to make sure that you get a gift card at the back of the kiosk and not the front, because gift card scams are very, very popular. It's almost impossible to resolve those. Especially here in the Mid-South. Last year, there was a huge scandal where I guess these folks from Nigeria were convincing, you know, they were going after elderly women, widows, and saying, oh, you know, we need gift cards, you know, we need help.
And they would just, in some cases, clean out their bank accounts and send these gift cards to folks. Yeah. And also, remember, gift cards are the way that scammers want payment, right?
So anytime anyone wants you to pay via gift card, you know, that's a time to sit back and think and be like, is this real? Because again, you know, scammers want that form of payment because you can't get your money back and you've kind of washed that money for them. They'll take the money off that. very quickly.
So let's say, and oh, the other big thing, because I want to get, you've got some great advice on what to do if you've been the victim of a scam, but also these porch pirates, you know, and people delivering. How do you deal with that?
Well, I think it's the best thing you can do is we have so many purchases. You know, we all have to shop online. Just make a list of what's coming and when, and make sure that, you know, you're making arrangements for someone to be there. If it's a small package, that's one thing. But if it's a major item that costs a lot of money, you need to make arrangements even if you can't be there for that package.
Because remember, what we see in the Mid-South a lot is criminals following behind delivery trucks. They drop the package off, and then 30 seconds later, someone jumps on your porch, grabs it, gets into a waiting car, and drives off. That's insane.
So you're literally following around the, I mean, it's sort of smart if you're a criminal, but it is, but we don't think of how that affects local businesses, though, because let's say that you're a small local business and you've shipped an item, right? And it's been delivered, but then a criminal takes it off of the front porch 20 Minutes after someone's delivered it, well, as a consumer, you're wanting the business to do the right thing and reship that item. But if you're a small business, you don't, I mean, you know, so it's a hard, it's a kind of crime that only not only does go after the consumer, but it also hurts businesses. Daniel Irwin joining us with the Better Business Bureau. All right, let's talk solutions here.
What are some things shoppers can do to safeguard themselves when they go out on Black Friday and get into the holiday shopping season?
Well, if you're shopping online, make sure you use a credit card and not a debit card. You have way more protections with a credit card than you do a debit card. And if you're on a site that you've never been before and you see an item that is a hot item and it's for $400 everywhere else, and then you're on a website you've never heard of before and it's $200, you have to ask yourself why. Also, if you're on a website you've never been on before and you're shopping, scroll to the contact us page, scroll all the way down. If you don't see a full address and contact information, that's a huge red flag and a telltale sign.
You want to stay away from that website. It's good advice. And if somebody has been scammed or they think they've been scammed, how can you guys help them out at the Better Business Bureau?
So, we have a great tool called Scam Tracker that you can link to from our website, bbb.org. It's a tool that allows you to put in a website or a phone number that's called you and you put it into our scam tracker, and it'll instantaneously tell you anybody in the country that has reported that number, that website, as a scam and what scam it was associated with. But more importantly, it allows you to warn others about that scam. Just because you didn't fall for it doesn't mean someone else won't. See, I love that because that's I've actually used that before, and because I get so many crazy emails or someone's wanting to pitch this or that, and in some cases, they've actually been scammers.
Yeah, and we see scams at the Better Business Bureau as a community problem, and scam tracker is kind of our community solution to that. You know, we all end this together, and just because you didn't fall for it doesn't mean someone else won't. And remember, scammers wouldn't be doing this if people weren't falling for it at mass.
So, you know, it's just our. Way of trying to help that out. And also, if people have actually been a victim, where can they go to report that information?
So, you can go to our website, bbb.org/slash/scamtracker. You can go to the Federal Trade Commission's website, but more importantly, if you've lost money to a scam, your first call needs to be to the police. Oh, that's a great point. And real quick here, because we live in the most philanthropic city in America, people love giving here to charity, and that's another big scam, especially around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Yes, you want to vet the charity that you're giving money to.
There's a lot of charity navigators out there. We have one called Give.org. That's the charity arm of the Better Business Bureau. But you just want to make sure that that charity is real. Be really careful of social media.
Sometimes, you know, you'll see something on social media that'll be tugging at your heartstrings. Just because a charity says they're a charity doesn't mean they are. You just want to vet it the best you can. Make sure that you're giving your money to an organization that can actually do what it says. They're going to do all right.
And Daniel, again, give folks the information. Where can they go to get more info? You can search all this at our website, bbb.org, or you can give us a call at 901-759-1300. We have people that answer the phones and they're very good at what they do, and they've seen it all, so they can advise you. All right, Daniel Erwin, good to see you.
It's been a while. Yes, sir. Thank you for having me. No, the last time we ran into each other was the Kroger in Germantown. I don't know why.
I remember that. We have the same shopping schedule. That's why I guess we do. Yes, there's a specific time, and I'm not telling people when it is. I can get in and get out.
I see in line all the time. That's it. All right, Daniel, great to see you. Yes, sir. By the way, folks, big, big game tonight.
The Memphis Tigers taking on Purdue in the Bahamas. That is at 6 o'clock tonight. And that's going to be, you'll be able to watch it on Fu. Is it Fubo? Fubo.
Is it Fubo? Daniel Erwin, help me out here. Fubo. I really don't know. And the Paramount.
App.
So it's Fubo. Fubo think. Thank you, Cassie. All these newfangled Jin Z names. I can't, I just can't handle it.
Jeez Lalou. All right, hang tight. Aiden Pettit is standing by with your K-Wave Entertainment report. And welcome back to Starge Country here in the Principal Toyota Memphis studio. And again, going back to the big story, of course, Marie Fagans.
This is a massive shakeup within the Democrat Party. Marie Fagans jumping into the race for county mayor. We will see how all that plays out. A lot of candidates, and we've got a lot of time before the election. I will say this, and again, it's: I'm a card-carrying member of the Republican Party.
I donate to the Republican Party, so I don't think anybody can say I'm not a loyal Republican, but I will say this: we've got to get busy and we've got to find candidates, and we've got to get those candidates out. And the reason why, because the Republicans are the minority party here in this area. And so, whoever that candidate is, they're going to have to get out boots on the ground to every single event out there known to mankind. It is going to be an uphill climb. It can be done, but we've got to make sure that whoever is running on the Republican side, we've got that person in front of a lot of people so they can do basically retail politicking.
And that's what Monty Fritz is doing. You know, Monty Fritz, you know, everybody's talking about Marsha and John Rose. And I get it. They're the frontrunners. Marsha is the frontrunner when you're looking at all the polling data.
But Monty Fritz is out there. And do not underestimate the power of local politicking. And Monty is out there. He's not going to the high-dollar donors and dinners. He's going out there and meeting with the people in the diners, at the county fairs, at the festivals.
And that is going to make a difference for a lot of people.
So you cannot discount that just the opportunity to go out there, meet a candidate in person, shake their hand, and hear what they have to say. Look that person in the eyes.
So there you go. And we'll keep an eye on that. Again, we're working right now. Even as we speak, I was doing some texting during the break, and we're going to get Marie Fagans on the show to talk about what her platform might look like. By the way, Mm.
Have you already done your Thanksgiving shopping? Is that already done? You've got the. What the you've got the turkey. I don't know how long it takes for a turkey to thaw.
I don't like turkeys.
So, but anyway, it takes a while to thaw a turkey. But anyway, do you have all of that stuff ready to go? I'm curious what your final bill was because we now, you know, we've been hearing all these reports that, well, you know, turkeys, you know, the Thanksgiving dinner, it's costing us more. And other people say, no, it's costing us just a little bit less. But you know, well, now we can tell you officially what the numbers are.
The American Farm Bureau Federation has been doing a survey for the past 40 years, and they basically put together the average cost. of a Thanksgiving meal. And they released those numbers. They've been doing this. It has they are the standard when it comes to figuring out how much a Thanksgiving dinner is going to cost.
And are you ready for this? A Thanksgiving feast. For 10 people. Is about $55.18 or about $5.52 a person. That is a 5% decrease from 2024, which is a very exciting number.
So, all of you folks out there who did not think that President Trump was working hard to bring down prices, here is your proof from the American Farm Bureau Federation that President Trump did just that.
So officially, Thanksgiving dinner drops 5% of the cost. Three years of we've had three years of declines, but the record high cost of a Thanksgiving meal set in 2022 at $64.05.
So there you go. So this ought to make you feel a little bit better about the economy. And again, The administration probably, I guess they needed to do a better job of getting this information out there and creating a narrative that, yeah, things are high, but here's how things are coming down. And it's not going to come down dramatically in a very fast fashion. It will happen over time.
But we're heading in the right direction. And here are the numbers. We're heading in the right direction. According to the Farm Bureau. The turkey dramatically decreased in price.
The average price for a 16-pound frozen turkey, $21.50. That's $1.34 a pound. That's down more than 16% from last year. That's huge. The wholesale price for fresh turkey is up from twenty twenty four, and grocery stores are featuring Thanksgiving deals and all that kind of good stuff.
But again, this is a pretty exciting thing, and thank you, Farm Bureau. Oh, you m Cassie's wondering what do they have in the what's what's the what's the menu look like? It's not a bad menu. You've got this, includes the $55.18. You got the turkey.
This is all for 10 people, by the way. You got the turkey. You got the stuffing. You've got sweet potatoes, rolls. Peas, cranberri ooh, peas.
Who put who eats peas at Thanksgiving? Come on. Cranberries, a veggie tray, not in the Stearns household, and pumpkin pie with the whipped cream. Not whipped topping, the whipped cream. And there you go.
And by the way, they make it they they present it like you can even get second.
So it's not like this is a meager meal for fifty five dollars. This is a bountiful meal for that much money. All right.
I wonder how much the sausage balls are. Let me, may I just brag on two people: Kristen New and Kristen Hicks. We call them the Kristens, the real housewives of Germantown. Uh, Kristen Hicks bakes the best freaking apple pie I've ever had in my life. And Kristen knew those sausage balls, oh my gosh, I was popping them like it was like.
Crack cocaine. It was.
Well, not that I would know about that, but they were very good. Very good.
So, we have some great chefs here in the Mid-South. That's all I'm saying about that. Oh, one final note about turkey, and you need to know about this in advance: the big Memphis Turkey Trot. Our friends asking us to make this big announcement. And I know the Sternings family's been over there a time or two.
The Memphis Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving morning at Shelby Farms. And you can go to Memphisturkey Trot. Raceroster.com. If you want information on how to join, Pigby Coffee is going to be there as well. I'll be serving up all sorts of great stuff.
Folks, get out there. Have a great day, Memphis. We will see you later today, 11 o'clock, right here on the Mighty 990. I'm Todd Stearns.
