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49 recent articles by Bill Dries:
The marker south of Beale Street marks the site of a Chinese association founded in Memphis in the 1920s. It is also a testament to the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act that remained in place for 60 years in America.
The city council still has some difficult decisions to make. But past budget seasons show there is also still some compromise possible between what the mayor proposed and what the council decided last week.
Mayor Jim Strickland wants the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study planned changes to Tom Lee Park, adding contour to the mostly flat park. But Strickland said he remains committed to the idea of a park that is more active year-round.
In a "Behind The Headlines" interview, the managing partner of Graceland says the Memphis Grizzlies front office is blocking the deal over 80,000 square feet of new soundstages that it contends could be used as a new arena competing with FedExForum.
Local leaders cut the ribbon Wednesday on a new social media icon on Mud Island, and Orange Mound celebrated Memphis' bicentennial day by marking 100 years since it was annexed by the city.
The decision by the council to side with unions over the administration in impasse proceedings is hardly unprecedented. But finding the money in the budget sometimes takes the council and mayor around the impasse procedure.
The Memphis City Council has tentatively approved a bigger raise for police and firefighters than the 3 percent Mayor Jim Strickland proposed for public safety employees.
A series of events will mark the founding of Memphis, which is technically 200 years ago Wednesday.
City council members Tuesday will vote on the recommendations of seven council impasses committees concerning pay raises for city employees.
A new historical marker at FedExForum plaza will mark the site of the Lung Kong Tin Yee Association of the 1920s.
Monday was the first day for contenders on the October ballot to pull qualifying petitions, and 34 hopefuls began gathering signatures on opening day. They have until July 18 to get on the ballot, led by what promises to be a spirited race for Memphis mayor.
The headstone marks the grave of a woman who died in 1917 and whose spirit is part of tours of the Woodruff-Fontaine House in Victorian Village. Her real life story was remembered Sunday in Elmwood Cemetery.
The Memphis City Council votes Tuesday on recommendations from seven impasse committees, and that could leave the city's budget for the new fiscal year in the red.
Democratic state Reps. Antonio Parkinson and London Lamar say the Legislature has a problem with racism that goes beyond text messages in which House Speaker Glen Casada was included.
Jeff Lyash spoke Thursday at the second meeting of an advisory group to Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division on the question of ending or changing the utility's 80-year relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The "SCS is 901" campaign marks 150 years of organized public education as the city celebrates the 200th anniversary of the founding of Memphis.
Memphis River Parks Partnership plans to begin making changes to Tom Lee Park in the fall. The fall construction appears to steer clear of most, if not all, of the park used by the Memphis In May International Festival.
Mayor Jim Strickland signed an executive order implementing the Memphis 3.0 plan Tuesday at a South Memphis CDC, a week before the Memphis City Council takes the first of three votes on the plan.
The fate of local Democratic Party Chairman Michael Harris is sharing space with more mundane details, such as organizing political events and getting a local party with a lot of new blood better organized.
Here is a look at how the 18 races on the Oct. 3 Memphis ballot shape up a week before candidates are able to pull qualifying petitions signalling their official entry into a race.
Shelby County Democratic Party chairman Michael Harris called a special session of the local party's executive committee Thursday night to decide whether he should stay or be removed as leader of the party.
On "Behind The Headlines," Mayor Jim Strickland said North Memphis critics of the Memphis 3.0 proposed land use and development plan want the city to turn over the former Firestone plant site to them for uses other than manufacturing.
The hero who rescued 32 people on the Mississippi River south of Memphis in 1925 has a simple story but a complex legacy. It includes descendants dedicated to making sure he is remembered and connections to those he rescued as well as those rescued by others.
The Memphis City Council Tuesday delayed a vote on the Memphis 3.0 plan after a vocal critic filed a lawsuit against the council in federal court. The council also delayed for fourth time a vote on a Graceland expansion agreement.
A city council decision to return to a Beale Street cover charge for the remainder of May reignited a long-running debate. It follows two crowd "surges" and a shooting after two sold-out nights at the nearby Beale Street Music Festival last weekend.
Look for the river at Memphis to go just above flood stage of 34 feet this weekend.
The Memphis City Council returns to action Tuesday with Memphis 3.0, a Graceland expansion and $150 million in bonds for Memphis International Airport on the agenda, among other items.
Several members of the Shelby County Democratic Party's Grass Roots Council are questioning how the vote electing Michael Harris was taken at a party convention in April. There are also questions about bankruptcy filings by Harris.
Memphis City Council members begin scrutinizing the budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.
Damage is estimated at $5 million to one building under construction in the 205-unit development at Danny Thomas and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he wants to know county funding for the bus system will go to increasing ridership, and he also talks about whether Memphis Area Transit Authority should go to more frequent routes or broader coverage.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis reacted to Attorney General William Barr's no-show before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday by bringing a ceramic chicken and a bucket of KFC. The reaction of the city's Republican representatives in Washington has been decidedly different.
The president and CEO of MLGW outlines the Integrated Resources Plan that will play a large part in any recommendation from MLGW and what would happen if TVA tried to make a deal with the utility.
The mansion that Berry Brooks built atop a hill in Raleigh is coming down along with the hill for a new subdivision of affordable houses.
Two contenders for Memphis mayor called for change in the city's leadership during a lunch hour rally outside City Hall that featured competition from a rain storm and an active shooter scare.
Incumbent Mayor Mike Wissman is seeking his third term and has a challenge from one of the town's aldermen in early moves toward setting the Sept. 19 Arlington ballot.
Joris Ray's public campaign to go from interim to permanent superintendent was different, but the push to keep the school system's leadership local and from within the system has been a constant feature of choosing a superintendent.
The process for getting neighborhood speed humps and their distribution, and the cost of a modernized traffic intersection were among detailed line items City Council members reviewed on the first day of budget hearings Tuesday.
A 20-member advisory group on the idea of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division changing its relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority meets Tuesday for the first time.
A “People’s Convention," designed to develop a ticket of candidates in the 2019 Memphis elections around a particular agenda, is back on the calendar for June 8.
As board members of Shelby County Schools consider making interim Superintendent Joris Ray permanent, here's a look at superintendents who have lead Memphis schools over the past half century and how their selections altered the process.
Mayor Jim Strickland says city's challenges are the reason for his re-election bid. Challenger Tami Sawyer said white supremacist threats won't stop her campaign and the race for City Court Clerk grows.
The Raleigh segment of the Wolf River Greenway formally opened Saturday as the nearby estate house that once looked out on 200 acres of land that went all the way to the Wolf River is about to be demolished.
Making his second bid for elected office in a year, J.B. Smiley Jr. says his city council campaign this year is a mix of millennials and local political veterans.
Verizon announced Thursday Memphis is one of 20 cities across the country that will receive 5G Ultra Wideband service this year. Mayor Jim Strickland has been hinting at the announcement for several months as he’s talked about road and utility work underway across the city.
The city of Memphis has hired Extreme Networks Inc. of San Jose, California, to provide support for city government’s use of cameras and routing systems for transportation and logistics as well as the security of the city’s digital and computer network.
District 1 City Councilman Sherman Greer comes from a political background of detailed constituent services and keeping an eye on the Tennessee Legislature as he prepares to run for a full four-year term on the council.
A letter of intent signed Tuesday replaces one being pursued for a joint development by Loews and THM. THM wants to build the second convention center hotel at a restored 100 North Main Building.
The Memphis Branch NAACP honored three leaders of the efforts to remove Confederate monuments from two local parks and in the process Saturday reflected the balancing act that is a feature of the race for Memphis mayor.
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