‘If this were Poplar Avenue. … this would have been completed years ago’
A standing-room only crowd in Whitehaven heard that the Elvis Presley Boulevard project, begun in 2013, may last another five years.
Bill Dries
Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
There are 4292 articles by Bill Dries :
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June 2026
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Neighborhoods -
Shelby County Sixth special judicial race coming to Aug. 6 ballot
A Shelby County judge has moved up his retirement date, so the Election Commission is adding a race for his position to the other five already on the ballot.
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Shelby County County delays $18M lawsuit settlement as debate continues
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the county administration say they agree on dollar figures, but not a solution to the dispute.
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Shelby County Wanda Halbert seeks recount in primary loss
Halbert lost the Democratic primary for Criminal Court Clerk on the May 5 ballot by 126 votes to state Rep. Joe Towns Jr.
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Shelby County $18 million sheriff’s lawsuit settlement returns to County Commission
The expensive legal settlement grew more complex last week with word that the $18 million would have to be included in future Sheriff’s Office budgets.
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May 2026
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Premium
MetroLondon Lamar opens Congressional bid amid redistricting revamp
The political roundup also looks at vote totals in the May primaries, and reactions to the Trump “anti-weaponization fund,” and recalls a redistricting dust-up during Davy Crockett’s days.
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Behind The Headlines GOP nominee for county mayor defends state intervention in city and county
John DeBerry, the Republican nominee for Shelby County mayor, talked on “Behind The Headlines” about state intervention in Memphis and Shelby County as well as his hopes for a gradual withdrawal of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
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ElectionsDemocrats switch to campaign mode in new congressional districts
The political roundup looks at a shift in the fight over congressional redistricting and what it says about the tactics of both parties in the state of Tennessee.
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Shelby County DA sues over state laws requiring Task Force reports
In the Chancery Court lawsuit, attorneys are seeking to have the laws declared unconstitutional and a court order barring their enforcement.
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City of Memphis City Council lets impasse ordinance veto stand. Now the rewrite begins.
An ad hoc group will now work on another rewrite to overhaul the 48-year-old procedure for resolving impasses between the city administration and labor unions.
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City of Memphis The City Council’s impasse over the city impasse procedure
At its Tuesday, May 26 session, the City Council will also take up a hotel surcharge for the Hyatt Centric at Beale Street and Riverside Drive, along with a name change for part of Alston Avenue.
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Spirit of MemphisDries: CBS Radio News signs off for the last time, leaving one less network to hit at the top of the hour
CBS Radio News ends broadcasting Friday, May 22, after nearly a century airing on hundreds of radio stations across the country. The end is another change in a way of reporting that is becoming harder to find and define.
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Elections County primary election results have been certified, but there may be a challenge
The second-place finisher in one of the MSCS board Democratic primaries — the closest race in the May 5 county primaries — is reportedly weighing a recount.
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Shelby County$18M in additional funding for sheriff’s office hits snag
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris agreed earlier this month to settle Bonner’s lawsuit against Harris with a “confidential” deal for an $18 million amendment to the sheriff’s budget for the current fiscal year.
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Shelby County New rules for county ‘community’ grants head to committee
A new proposal would require receipts for money spent and a 5-year ban on new grants if nonprofits don’t follow the rules. The commission also set the stage for budget hearings.
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Shelby County Commission to consider new rules for one of the county’s ‘biggest financial concerns’ — grants
One commissioner is proposing to put more conditions on the $2.6 million the body allocates for grants days after Mayor Lee Harris warned that funding grants is a great share of the county’s budget.
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City of Memphis DA releases footage of police spraying protesters, fellow officers during No Kings march
The nearly 9 minutes of footage is from the body camera of one of the MPD officers who used pepper spray on No Kings marchers.
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State Government Cohen calls off congressional reelection campaign
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said Friday that he is exiting the August Congressional primaries after the Tennessee General Assembly redrew the state’s district lines, dividing Memphis among three Congressional districts and drawing Cohen out of the 9th District seat he’s held for 20 years.
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MetroCohen’s exit notes and Alexander’s memoir
In this political roundup, new congressional districts shake up contenders with August primaries around the corner. Plus, a senator explains what he’s learned from “JFK to Trump.”
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Behind The Headlines The fast track to the August state and federal primary elections
The quick shift from the May elections to the August elections is the main topic of discussion on this week’s “Behind The Headlines.”
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City of Memphis ‘We ain’t surprised’: NCRM’s Legacy Experience links past struggles to present politics
The $55-million renovation offers an expanded look at the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and of the movement since his death in 1968.
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Elections Election commission to seek $350K from state for district shake-up
Redistricting plans mean an “aggressive timeline” and overtime costs for the Shelby County Election Commission, Linda Phillips told reporters Tuesday.
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Elections Pearson staying in 9th, plus a few Memphis surprises on first congressional candidates list
Pearson declares ahead of a Friday filing deadline for the congressional seats with new district lines.
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City of Memphis City Council to consider resolution opposing new congressional district lines
The resolution is not binding on state lawmakers, who have already passed the controversial plan. Council members also take a look at affordable housing in Orange Mound.
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2026 elections
ElectionsLee greenlights special session for redistricting next week
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called a special session of the Tennessee Legislature to consider redrawing the lines of the state’s nine Congressional districts in a bid to turn the state’s largest and only blue district red in this year’s midterm elections.
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