Shelby County hiring freeze ends
Under a compromise, Mayor Lee Harris and other county leaders will be allowed to fill positions in their budgets after a committee review.
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 3903 articles by Bill Dries :
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September 2020
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Metro -
Shelby County County police reform measures move to final vote
A set of four ordinances affecting the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the county corrections division advanced through second reading Monday, Sept. 28, at the Shelby County Commission. And the use of electric shields by deputies at a Downtown demonstration last week was part of the commission’s discussion. Final votes are scheduled for Oct. 12.
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Elections Funding for ballot delayed, could mean long November vote count
Shelby County commissioners put off a vote Monday, Sept. 28, on $5.8 million to buy a new voting system, a move that election officials say could mean it will take days to count all the votes in the presidential general election.
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City of Memphis City’s housing mix could take hard hit in pandemic
The city’s mix of housing has flipped in recent years, with renters now making up the majority as investors continue to buy single-family homes.
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Video
EducationShelby County Schools’ return to in-person will be gradual, Joris Ray says
During an appearance on “Behind The Headlines,” Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray also pushed back against the narrative that no high school football games for the state’s largest school system could limit the path to higher education for student athletes.
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Podcast
On the RecordCity Council grants process evolves and adjusts for pandemic
Martavius Jones, the Memphis City Council budget committee chairman who oversaw pitches by more than 150 nonprofits seeking a share of $1.95 million, has problems with the way grants are awarded.
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State Government Alexander: Fill U.S. Supreme Court vacancy now
Tennessee’s senior Senator ended a Sunday of speculation about where he would stand on the move to fill the vacancy with a written statement Sunday afternoon.
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Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: Police reform in the Sheriff’s Office
Three police reform measures cleared the Shelby County Commission on the first of three readings this week. But it amounted to a test vote with more votes in play than were committed. Our commission scorecard shows where the division is on the specific issues.
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Video
Behind The HeadlinesSheriff says Shelby County Jail implementing COVID-19 changes
On “Behind The Headlines,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. also said he sees an “appetite” for reform among law enforcement in general but has some hesitation about trying to codify reform measures he’s taken to apply to future sheriffs.
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City of Memphis ‘Better Jefferson’ project emerges from pandemic delay
Tentative plans for a 2-mile stretch between Front and Cleveland include better pedestrian crossings, protected bike lanes and landscaping. A public meeting Thursday resumes a process that was paused in March for the pandemic.
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City of Memphis MLGW close to hiring familiar consulting firm in TVA exploration
GDS Associates, a Georgia company whose report in February 2019 kicked off MLGW’s examination of cutting ties to the Tennessee Valley Authority, is recommended for the $520,000 contract.
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Metro More than 5,300 disconnected by MLGW since utility cutoffs resumed
MLGW branch offices remain closed to the public, but have drive-thru service to pay bills. But the drive-thru service doesn’t include working out a payment plan.
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City of Memphis City Council, MLGW board could meet on utility cutoffs
MLGW declared a moratorium on utility cutoffs in mid-March as the worldwide pandemic was declared. This month, when the moratorium was lifted, the utility received an overwhelming number of calls to work out payment plans and avoid cutoffs.
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Shelby County Three county police reform ordinances get rough reception at County Commission
The trio of ordinances affecting the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and corrections officers advanced automatically in Monday’s first of three votes on the measures. A second reading will be held in two weeks and a third is tentatively set in October.
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Shelby County County hiring freeze continues to thaw
A total of 78 positions in various parts of county government are the latest exceptions to a hiring freeze. But as they approved the waivers Monday, county commissioners signaled they are about to make a decision on the hiring freeze’s viability possibly by the end of this month.
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City of Memphis Payday lending resolution, lobbying disclosures top City Council agenda
The payday loan resolution is not binding on the Tennessee Legislature and is the latest discussion by a local elected body about the impact such businesses have on citizens’ financial health.
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Podcast
On the RecordVan Turner: Reform vote ‘is not against law enforcement’
Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner has seen first hand the impact of violent crime on his commission district which includes Hickory Hill. But Turner says it’s possible to back law enforcement and be opposed to a militarization of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Memphis Police Department.
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Shelby County Debate on police reform proposals at County Commission gets heated
The three ordinances are scheduled for the first of three votes on Monday. And still to weigh in on the proposals is Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: Finding the BLM divide and changing Lamar
The latest edition of our City Council scorecard finds a healthy council majority in favor of changing street names as part of a slate of Black Lives Matter proposals. Plus, the Council held a unanimous vote to begin changing the business streetscape along a stretch of Lamar Avenue.
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Metro Late Curtis Person Jr. known for state Senate, Juvenile Court
Former Republican state Senator and Juvenile Court Judge Curtis Person Jr. died Friday at the age of 85. He began his political career as a Democratic state Representative and ended it 48 years later with a single term as one of only three elected Juvenile Court Judges in Shelby County over the past 55 years.
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City of Memphis MLGW-TVA: A Timeline of the relationship
Here are some of the key dates in the MLGW-TVA saga over the last eight decades, starting with Nov. 6, 1934.
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City of Memphis MLGW-TVA: Crump’s political power brought electrical power to Memphis
The political boss believed in public ownership of utilities from the dawn of his considerable influence over the city when he was a city commissioner. And Crump saw private owners of such utilities as political adversaries.
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City of Memphis MLGW-TVA: What happened the last time they split
Memphis has left the Tennessee Valley Authority before, for a period that included the city building its own electric power plant. There are a lot of similarities between various turbulent chapters in the city's relationship with TVA as MLGW leaders again consider an exit from the federal agency.
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Podcast
On the RecordMississippi Blvd. pastor calls for ‘clear, identifiable shifts’ in policing
The pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church thinks the first part of Mayor Jim Strickland’s effort to reform the Memphis Police Department didn’t go far enough.
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Video
Behind The HeadlinesSchools open before Labor Day break with varying plans
The seven public school systems in Shelby County opened in one way or another before the Labor Day weekend with plans that vary to some degree.
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