** local.xml

<newsevents_index_index>

		<reference name="root">
            		<action method="setTemplate"><template>page/2columns-right.phtml</template></action>
        	</reference>

		<reference name="content">
			<block type="mme_newsevents/homepage" template="newsevents/homepage.phtml">
			</block>

		</reference>

</newsevents_index_index>

** local / Mme / Newsevents / etc / config.xml

<config>
	<modules>
		<Mme_Newsevents>
			<version>0.1.0</version>
		</Mme_Newsevents>
	</modules>
	<global>
		<blocks>
			<newsevents>
				<class>Mme_Newsevents_Block</class>
			</newsevents>
		</blocks>
	</global>
	<frontend>
		<routers>
			<newsevents>
				<use>standard</use>
				<args>
					<module>Mme_Newsevents</module>
					<frontName>news-events</frontName>
				</args>
			</newsevents>
		</routers>
	</frontend>
</config>

** local / Mme / Newsevents / Block / Homepage.php

<?php

class Mme_Newsevents_Block_Homepage extends Fishpig_Wordpress_Block_Post_List_Wrapper_Abstract {

}

?>

For reference, if I change the block type to <block type="wordpress/homepage" template="newsevents/homepage.phtml"> (that these were based on) it works!  Hence I assume my issue is based onthe custom block type.