County Commission Scorecard: Finding the budget line and holding it
Our scorecard of commission votes includes a possible swap of some CARES Act funding as well as the first rejection of a move to get past county government's hiring freeze.
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 3961 articles by Bill Dries :
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August 2020
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Shelby County -
City of Memphis Fairgrounds becomes ‘Liberty Park’ in latest post-pandemic plan
The city has also signed a letter of intent with Capstone Development for two hotels on the Central Avenue frontage. The founder of Capstone sees a different kind of recovery from the pandemic for the hospitality industry — one led by the families that travel regionally to the sports tournaments that are the financial engine for Liberty Park's public and private uses.
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Coronavirus State officials detail relief for individuals, families, nonprofits
Tennessee Department of Human Services Commissioner Danielle Barnes said 450,000 kids have been approved to receive EBT as part of pandemic food insecurity programs.
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City of Memphis Cohen, Kustoff reflect Congressional divide over new COVID relief package
The Congressmen, in their respective districts during Congress’ recess, say they are prepared to return to Washington if Democrats and Republicans can reach an accord on pandemic relief and stimulus funding.
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Metro Bird scooters off the streets for a week for busting weekend curfew
The suspension does not affect the two other scooter operators, Spin and Explore Bike Share, which has a fleet of OjOs.
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Shelby County Familiar county budget tensions surface as CARES-Act-COVID-funding deadline nears
Shelby County Commissioners want to try a swap out of federal CARES Act funding similar to one city council members did a week ago. But tensions left over from a rough county budget season that ended in June are hanging around.
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Premium
Shelby CountyCounty budget still fuzzy seven weeks into new fiscal year
County commissioners vote Monday on a waiver of the county's hiring and pay freeze, and nearly 100 more waivers requested by officials are waiting in the wings. Commissioners say they need a budget book with specific line items and dollar figures to know whether the waivers would put the county in the red.
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Podcast
On the RecordThe August Election Roundup: What Happened and Why
The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast features a 10-minute roundup of what the Thursday vote count means.
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Elections Absentee ballot anxiety weighed and sorted in election aftermath
The Shelby County Election Commission got requests for nearly 20,000 absentee ballots and about 17,000 of the mail-in ballots were cast in Thursday's election. Some voters anxious about waiting for the ballots to come instead voted in person on election day or during early voting. And some ballots were disqualified because of specific state laws.
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Video
EducationRudd says phased return at U of M comes with testing and addressing college digital divide
On “Behind the Headlines,” the president of the University of Memphis says some students have been living on campus through the pandemic, in part because of the digital divide and because some students will have the flexibility to remain off campus after the return with hybrid classes.
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Elections Hagerty, Bradshaw to meet in November Senate race
It's Hagerty versus Bradshaw in the November general election Senate race on the statewide ballot. And the winners of Thursday's Republican and Democratic primaries came with some surprises for pollsters on the Republican side and for Democrats looking at the primaries campaign bank accounts.
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Elections Nearly 21% turnout in Shelby County shows most voted early, absentee
The unofficial results arrived relatively late in Shelby County compared to the rest of the state and reflected statewide results in the Senate primary and a good night for all but one incumbent on the ballot. The number of absentee ballots also reflected some didn't make it to the Election Commission or that those voters may have abandoned the mail-in ballots to vote provisional ballots.
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Elections Brown defeats Boyd in General Sessions Court Clerk race
A year out of the City Council, Joe Brown returns to elected office as General Sessions Court Clerk over Paul Boyd, who left the Probate Court Clerk's office two years ago.
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Brown takes early vote in clerk’s race, Hagerty and Bradshaw in Senate primaries
Former City Council member and Democratic nominee Joe Brown took the Shelby County early vote by a wide margin in his bid to become the county’s next General Sessions Court Clerk in the first Thursday, Aug. 6, election results. -
Shelby County vote count runs late and comes suddenly
The votes in Shelby County came late and suddenly on election night, with the early vote count an hour after the polls closed locally followed about an hour later by a separate absentee count. -
Bartlett Post Office taking absentee ballots until 5 p.m.
The Bartlett Post Office is taking completed absentee ballots Thursday afternoon for same-day delivery to the Shelby County Election Commission, according to Election Commission officials. -
Afternoon rush hour is coming but will it matter?
The late afternoon vote is still to come, but it looks like the healthy early voter turnout will simply move around the numbers and not significantly change the totals in Thursday’s stage-setter for the bigger election in November. -
Voter turnout low through morning rush hour
Polls opened in Shelby County at 7 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, and close at 7 p.m. The ballot is a mix of state and federal primary and local races for a clerk's position and five school board seats. Early voter turnout was almost as high as the total turnout in the same election cycle four years ago but low through the morning rush hour.
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Elections Ballot Basics: Election Day Aug. 6
Here’s what to expect if you are voting today, from pandemic preparations to what to do if your absentee ballot didn't arrive. And what to expect on your ballot.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: The canceled residency referendum and the door prize
The scorecard highlights a pivotal vote in the police reform debate and why both sides in the discussion still have separate paths to pursue.
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Elections State Supreme Court OKs absentee August votes, but limits absentee for November
On the eve of election day, the state's highest court rules the expanded access to absentee ballots for the August elections means all of those votes will be counted. But for November, absentee ballots will not be open to all who have general concerns for their health if they vote in person instead of by mail. There was a dissenting opinion on the court.
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City of Memphis Council residency aftermath signals shift on how to address crime
Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings says the City Council decision to take residency off the Nov. 3 ballot leaves voters out of a critical decision. The vote is a challenge to Mayor Jim Strickland’s core philosophy on fighting crime after he dramatically upped the number of new officers he believes is necessary.
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City of Memphis Residency issue removed from November ballot, goal of 2,800 police force delayed
Two proposals with common political ground were before the council Tuesday.
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Airport area business park gets council approvals
A set of 14 alley and street closures near Memphis International Airport approved Tuesday, Aug. 4, by the Memphis City Council set the stage for a business park to be developed on the land. -
City of Memphis Trump TVA shake-up could complicate MLGW-TVA issue
President Trump's shake-up of the Tennessee Valley Authority board appears to have nothing to do with the coming decision by Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division on whether to stay with or leave the federal agency.
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