Gov. Lee calls for changes in plea deals during Memphis visit
Gov. Bill Lee was in Memphis Friday, Sept. 9, touting stricter laws targeting violent repeat offenders passed during his tenure.
Bill Dries
Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for more than 40 years.
There are 3662 articles by Bill Dries :
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September 2022
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Public Safety -
Elections Deadline is noon Wednesday to file petition for City Court judge
The election will fill the vacancy left when Tarik Sugarmon resigned last month to become Juvenile Court Judge.
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Public Safety City Council wants 50 Highway Patrol troopers to support MPD
In wide-ranging discussion about violent crime, the Memphis City Council voted to ask the state for at least 50 more state troopers for at least six months and a digital messaging system similar to Amber Alert.
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State Government Weirich pushes back on criticism of 2020 Kelly plea deal
Former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich talked to The Daily Memphian about the 2020 plea deal for Ezekiel Kelly that Gov. Bill Lee called an example of “soft-on-crime plea deals.”
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Gov. Lee calls for changes in plea deals during Memphis visit
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Elections Nine make qualifying deadline for City Court judge special election
The Shelby County Election Commission also approved two new polling places for the Nov. 8 election day.
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Public Safety Blackburn and Hagerty cite Memphis violence in call for federal funding to fight violent crime
The proposed “Restoring Law and Order Act” would include federal grant programs for more police and detectives focused on violent crime as well as a General Accounting Office examination of delays in processing rape kits.
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State Government Gubernatorial candidate faults Lee, state Legislature for DNA test delays
During a campaign stop Thursday, Sept. 15, in Memphis, Dr. Jason Martin pointed to low funding levels for the TBI crime lab despite a state surplus of $2 billion
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Update
DowntownTom Lee Park cutbank bluff to be named for One Beale developers
The Carlisle name follows a $1.5 million donation by the developers to the $62 million Tom Lee Park redesign. It honors the late Gene Carlisle, the family patriarch who called the One Beale real estate “the best piece of dirt in Memphis.”
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Behind The Headlines Two weeks of violent crime trauma sees uneasy mix of calls for change
The chairman of the local crime commission and a Memphis City Council member talk on “Behind The Headlines” about the reaction to weeks of violence.
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Elections County Commission Scorecard: Settling an old score in a new term
The Commission Scorecard tracks votes on an attempt to change who investigates ethics complaints and selection of a new chairman and chairman pro tempore at the first meeting of the term.
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Shelby County Harris cites new problems in county clerk’s office, urges extended hours
“Unfortunately, over the course of the last several weeks there have been many reports of new operations and customer service issues at your offices,” the county mayor wrote in the memo to Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
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County Clerk’s office closes to public for second weeklong ‘blackout’
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Education School board chair plans run for Memphis mayor
Michelle McKissack is currently chairwoman of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board and is looking at a potential run for Memphis mayor.
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Shelby County County Clerk’s office closes to public for second weeklong ‘blackout’
County Court Clerk Wanda Halbert said the weeklong closing to the public, which begins Monday, Sept. 19, is necessary to clear a backlog of car titles. It’s the Shelby County Clerk’s second closing in a month.
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Elections City Court Judge special election field holds at nine
Between the Sept. 14 deadline to file qualifying petitions with the Shelby County Election Commission and this past Sunday’s deadline for candidates to withdraw the field stayed the same in the last judicial race of this election year.
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Elections Canvassing groups tackle voter registration — and voter turnout
The voter registration deadline for the Nov. 8 ballot gives a sense of urgency to the latest canvassing forays into the city to increase not only voter registration but voter turnout.
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Public Safety General Sessions Court judges offer to screen judicial commissioner applicants
The Shelby County Commission that took office this month has three judicial commissioners to appoint. It’s part of a chain reaction from the dozens of judicial races decided on the August ballot.
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Elections County Commission to form committee focusing on violent crime
The ongoing discussion and debate were also present Wednesday, Sept. 21, as commissioners interviewed 30 attorneys who have applied to fill three vacant positions for judicial commissioners.
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Public Safety Kevin Ritz confirmed by U.S. Senate as new U.S. Attorney
Ritz was recommended to the White House by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis and succeeds Joe Murphy, who had been acting U.S. Attorney since February 2021.
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Shelby County Halbert says ‘whistleblower’ status should make her immune to recall
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert reacts to talk of legislation lowering the number of signatures needed to force a recall election. She also continues to blame County Mayor Lee Harris’ administration for a backlog of license plates and tags that she says has been cleared up.
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City of Memphis Cleanup group talks long-term and short-term fixes for blight, illegal dumping
The city is adding a convenience dumpster site soon at Collins Yard and next year, plans to roll out artificial intelligence tracking to address blight and illegal dumping.
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Update
BusinessMLGW CEO J.T. Young takes position with Florida utility
Young leaves MLGW after four years. His departure next month comes at a critical point in the utility’s consideration of leaving the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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Premium
Shelby CountyHalbert’s ‘whistleblower’ claim ‘nonsense’ by legal standards
Employment and labor attorney Alan Crone, a former Memphis City Council member, says the claim of “whistleblower” status by County Clerk Wanda Halbert is “nonsense” and likened it to an episode of “The Office.”
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Behind The Headlines Developments linked to Eliza Fletcher case shift violent crime discourse
The city’s discussion on what to do about violent crime is different after two high-profile crimes have raised larger questions. The difference is among the topics discussed on “Behind The Headlines.”
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Shelby County County Commission fills vacancies, reviews second-term appointments
At the second meeting of the new term of office Monday, Sept. 26, county commissioners appoint three new judicial commissioners and set the dates for filling a Memphis-Shelby County Schools board seat.
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City of Memphis Audubon Park redesign draws heckler, questions at groundbreaking
Neighbors of the park generally supported the new playground and picnic pavilion planned, but voiced concerns about a rendering from earlier this month that appeared to show the park’s lake as part of the golf course expansion. The city’s parks director says the rendering wasn’t accurate.
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