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 3660 articles by Bill Dries :
Memphis River Parks Partnership plans to begin making changes to Tom Lee Park in the fall. The fall construction appears to steer clear of most, if not all, of the park used by the Memphis In May International Festival.
Mayor Jim Strickland signed an executive order implementing the Memphis 3.0 plan Tuesday at a South Memphis CDC, a week before the Memphis City Council takes the first of three votes on the plan.
The fate of local Democratic Party Chairman Michael Harris is sharing space with more mundane details, such as organizing political events and getting a local party with a lot of new blood better organized.
Here is a look at how the 18 races on the Oct. 3 Memphis ballot shape up a week before candidates are able to pull qualifying petitions signalling their official entry into a race.
Shelby County Democratic Party chairman Michael Harris called a special session of the local party's executive committee Thursday night to decide whether he should stay or be removed as leader of the party.
On "Behind The Headlines," Mayor Jim Strickland said North Memphis critics of the Memphis 3.0 proposed land use and development plan want the city to turn over the former Firestone plant site to them for uses other than manufacturing.
The hero who rescued 32 people on the Mississippi River south of Memphis in 1925 has a simple story but a complex legacy. It includes descendants dedicated to making sure he is remembered and connections to those he rescued as well as those rescued by others.
The Memphis City Council Tuesday delayed a vote on the Memphis 3.0 plan after a vocal critic filed a lawsuit against the council in federal court. The council also delayed for fourth time a vote on a Graceland expansion agreement.
A city council decision to return to a Beale Street cover charge for the remainder of May reignited a long-running debate. It follows two crowd "surges" and a shooting after two sold-out nights at the nearby Beale Street Music Festival last weekend.
Look for the river at Memphis to go just above flood stage of 34 feet this weekend.
The Memphis City Council returns to action Tuesday with Memphis 3.0, a Graceland expansion and $150 million in bonds for Memphis International Airport on the agenda, among other items.
Several members of the Shelby County Democratic Party's Grass Roots Council are questioning how the vote electing Michael Harris was taken at a party convention in April. There are also questions about bankruptcy filings by Harris.
Memphis City Council members begin scrutinizing the budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.
Damage is estimated at $5 million to one building under construction in the 205-unit development at Danny Thomas and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he wants to know county funding for the bus system will go to increasing ridership, and he also talks about whether Memphis Area Transit Authority should go to more frequent routes or broader coverage.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis reacted to Attorney General William Barr's no-show before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday by bringing a ceramic chicken and a bucket of KFC. The reaction of the city's Republican representatives in Washington has been decidedly different.
The mansion that Berry Brooks built atop a hill in Raleigh is coming down along with the hill for a new subdivision of affordable houses.
Two contenders for Memphis mayor called for change in the city's leadership during a lunch hour rally outside City Hall that featured competition from a rain storm and an active shooter scare.
Incumbent Mayor Mike Wissman is seeking his third term and has a challenge from one of the town's aldermen in early moves toward setting the Sept. 19 Arlington ballot.
Joris Ray's public campaign to go from interim to permanent superintendent was different, but the push to keep the school system's leadership local and from within the system has been a constant feature of choosing a superintendent.
The process for getting neighborhood speed humps and their distribution, and the cost of a modernized traffic intersection were among detailed line items City Council members reviewed on the first day of budget hearings Tuesday.
A 20-member advisory group on the idea of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division changing its relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority meets Tuesday for the first time.
A “People’s Convention," designed to develop a ticket of candidates in the 2019 Memphis elections around a particular agenda, is back on the calendar for June 8.
As board members of Shelby County Schools consider making interim Superintendent Joris Ray permanent, here's a look at superintendents who have lead Memphis schools over the past half century and how their selections altered the process.
Mayor Jim Strickland says city's challenges are the reason for his re-election bid. Challenger Tami Sawyer said white supremacist threats won't stop her campaign and the race for City Court Clerk grows.