City Council continues crime, rape kit discussions
The council discussion is the second since a series of violent crimes earlier this month that have raised new questions about how police and the community are battling violent crime.
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 3841 articles by Bill Dries :
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September 2022
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City of Memphis -
Shelby County Shelby County Commission appoints four new judicial commissioners
The four new commissioners fill all vacancies in the ranks of the entry point for many defendants in the criminal justice system. The Shelby County Commission also set dates for filling a vacancy on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board.
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Elections City Council approves $16.5 million in parks projects line items
The set of a dozen appropriation resolutions topped a relatively uneventful council agenda Tuesday, Sept. 27.
Related story:
Memphis City Council to consider resolution enforcing curfew for juveniles
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City of Memphis Strickland says too early to discuss possible police missteps in violent crime chain
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says it’s too early to tell if there were police missteps in how they handled the violent crimes of the last three weeks because investigations are still underway.
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Update
City of MemphisStrickland proposes return to the police, fire pension plan cut in 2014
Mayor Jim Strickland touted the proposal, on its way to the Memphis City Council for the next budget season, as a way to retain and recruit public safety employees in the police and fire departments. For the police and fire unions, the proposal is the second part of a two-part push to restore what the City Council cut.
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State Government Lee to increase TBI crime lab staff, state troopers on Memphis roads
“It’s important to this community. … It’s one step in a number of steps that we will continue to make to support the process,” the governor said.
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October 2022
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Behind The Headlines Greenlines, bike lanes, resiliency and the sea change in city planning
A set of long-range plans for the city and region are starting to take shape. A trio connected to the developments talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the change from “a culture of planning.”
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Shelby CountyCounty Commission Scorecard: Early indicators from the new commission
The Commission Scorecard looks at critical votes and decisions at the Sept. 26 meeting, including a second grant this year for Choices: Memphis Center for Reproductive Health and appointing four new judicial commissioners.
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Elections Election Commission offers demonstrations of new voting system
The new voting system makes its countywide debut Oct. 19 with the start of early voting in Shelby County, ahead of the Nov. 8 election day.
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Update
MetroMemphis COO to lead MLGW
Doug McGowen has been COO since Mayor Jim Strickland took office in 2016. With council confirmation, Chandell Ryan would become the first woman to run city government on a day-to-day basis.
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City of Memphis Paul Young opens 2023 Memphis mayoral bid in Oakhaven
Young said he is “the youngest and the most experienced” candidate in the still-forming pack of contenders. The kick-off comes one year to the day before the Election Day to decide who succeeds Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
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ElectionsThe campaign to change city government
Next year’s mayoral race will have historical implications, and there’s been quite a bit of maneuvering to get city charter amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot this year.
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What the past 16 Memphis mayoral elections tell us about the next one
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ElectionsWhat the past 16 Memphis mayoral elections tell us about the next one
A review of the 16 Memphis mayoral elections under the mayor-council form of city government before and after the city runoff provision was abolished.
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City of Memphis Council chairman wants national search for next MLGW president
The appointment of Doug McGowen to head the utility and the appointment of Chandell Ryan to succeed McGowen as city chief operating officers are not on next week’s committee agenda for the council to consider.
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City of Memphis Strickland: No national search for new MLGW president and CEO
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland reacted Friday to a call from City Council Chairman Martavius Jones to conduct a national search for the next president and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division.
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Shelby County Shelby County Commission approves two midwives for Choices in post-Dobbs grant
The commission split along the same partisan lines that split a vote by the previous commission this past January on funding for the center for reproductive health that has nothing to do with abortions.
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South Memphis ‘Mighty, mighty Wildcats’ sing as renovation of Melrose High begins
The groundbreaking Friday, Oct. 7, for the renovation of the 84-year-old school building ends a 40-year debate about whether the Orange Mound landmark should be renovated or demolished.
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Elections Registration deadline shows changes in county’s voter demographics
The deadline to register to vote on Nov. 8 ballot is Tuesday. Shelby County Election Commission numbers from July show growth since 2020 in the numbers of voters ages 28-37 and 38-47.
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City of Memphis Council faces competing calls to move ahead vs. delay MLGW appointment
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says he is ready for the council to act on his appointment to lead MLGW. But council chairman Martavius Jones says it’s not on the agenda Tuesday and he wants a national search.
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Public Safety Council wants Regional One to allow access to violence intervention group
A nonbinding resolution asks the Shelby County Commission, which funds the county-owned hospital, to pressure the hospital to allow counselors to approach crime victims.
Related story:
Group Violence Intervention Program updates City Council on progress
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City of Memphis Council showdown on MLGW appointment delayed another week
The council has unusual back-to-back meetings this week and next week, which might have been a factor in delaying what could be a standoff over the appointment for another week.
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City of Memphis Second look at City Council redistricting takes tentative shape
An outline for the working group that could suggest deeper changes in the boundaries of council districts ahead of the 2023 elections started to form Tuesday, Oct. 11.
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Elections New voting machines prepped for start of early voting
The November ballot features four proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution, which will be presented by Shelby County’s new voting machines.
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City of Memphis Bonner: ‘I have no issues with moving back into the city’ if he runs for mayor
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, who currently lives in Bartlett, says he will decide this month on a bid for Memphis Mayor on the October 2023 city ballot.
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Elections Downtown Neighborhood Association past president Jerred Price opens city council campaign
Price plans to run in Super District 8 after running four years ago in District 7. Meanwhile, other council races on the October 2023 ballot are also taking shape with a little less than a year to election day.
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