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 3660 articles by Bill Dries :
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November 2018
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City of Memphis At his next-to-last campaign stop in his bid for the U.S. Senate Monday evening, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen had trouble getting in the door of Jim Neely’s Interstate Barbecue in South Memphis. -
Shelby County Ballot Basics: Election Day
Polling places at 166 Shelby County precincts are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. -
City of Memphis Council session features Fullilove exit, head of TVA, South Cordova de-annexation
The Memphis City Council will be down two members when it meets Tuesday in an Election Day session. -
City of Memphis Eight Catholic priests with Memphis assignments on list of abuse allegations
Three of eight former Roman Catholic priests connected to the Catholic Diocese of Nashville accused of child sexual abuse and dismissed from the priesthood had church assignments in Memphis. -
State Government Top statewide contenders expected in Shelby on election eve
With no partisan primaries on the Nov. 6 ballot, it’s not clear whether voters will shift to blue or further solidify the state’s status since 2000 as a red or Republican state. -
Metro Past the Election: Issues remain after the last election of 2018
The last election of 2018 will decide winners and losers in numerous local, state and federal offices and three city referendums. -
Shelby County Ballot Basics: Early voting turnout
A total of 188,668 Shelby Countians cast early ballots during the early voting period that ended Nov. 1. The largest turnout day was the last – 20,332 – the only day that topped 20,000. -
City of Memphis Tom Lee Park remake goes beyond park borders
The remade Mississippi River Park with its own “River Garden” opens in a week. The River Line trail running along the east side of Wolf River Harbor to Big River Crossing will debut the same day. Mud Island River Park is closed until the spring after a season of experiment and minor tweaks. -
Real Estate Convention Center bids come in below $175 million target
The rebidding of the renovation of the Memphis Cook Convention Center has come in below the $175 million the city has to spend on the project. -
City of Memphis Local GOP tables attempt to censure Billingsley
Shelby County Republicans tabled a move Thursday evening to censure Republican county commissioner Mark Billingsley for showing support for Democratic state Senate nominee Gabby Salinas. -
City of Memphis Early voting ends with ‘robust’ turnout, Medicaid stand by Dean
Early voting in advance of the Nov. 6 Election Day ended Thursday evening with Shelby County turnout expected to remain below 200,000 and below the early voter turnout for the November 2016 presidential general election. -
Business Strickland backs regionalism in new economic development push
An emerging plan for a better local economic development strategy will include a healthy dose of regionalism, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says, and adhere closely to recommendations from ad hoc groups calling for better research, closer management of companies looking at Memphis and setting and sticking to goals for pursuing specific industries. -
City of Memphis TVA gathers public input on developing coal ash plan for Old Allen
The Tennessee Valley Authority will conduct comprehensive research on coal ash from its Allen Fossil Plant in southwest Memphis as part of a look at waste from coal plants across the TVA system.
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October 2018
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City of Memphis Appeals court stays most of ruling on voter registration forms
The Tennessee Court of Appeals stayed Wednesday, Oct. 31, the effect of most of a ruling last week by Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins governing how the Shelby County Election Commission handles a backlog of voter registration forms. -
City of Memphis Kyle dismisses challenge of council referendum campaign
The Memphis City Council can spend $30,000 to $40,000 of city funds on a “public information campaign” about the three city charter amendment referendums on the Nov. 6 ballot, a court ruled Tuesday, Oct. 30. -
City of Memphis City Council takes applications for Morrison vacancy
The Memphis City Council will begin accepting applications Thursday to fill the District 1 council seat that becomes vacant that day with the resignation of council member Bill Morrison. -
City of Memphis Economic development overhaul proposal takes shape
A group working on changes to the local approach to economic development is recommending a larger role for the Greater Memphis Chamber. -
State Government Early vote turnout surge gives both parties hope without details
The second and final weekend of early voting brought the Democratic and Republican contenders for Tennessee governor to Shelby County as well as Democratic Senate nominee Phil Bredesen. -
City of Memphis Chancellor Kyle stops council spending on referendum material
The Memphis City Council cannot spend any money publicizing the three city charter referendums on the November ballot until Chancellor Jim Kyle holds a hearing Tuesday on a lawsuit filed Friday by members of the group Save IRV, which is among those campaigning for the defeat of all three amendments. -
Shelby County Federal court dismisses challenge aimed at voting machines
An effort to have the federal Department of Homeland Security conduct a cyber-security threat assessment of Shelby County’s touchscreen voting machines and a have a special master review the county’s voting system has been denied in Memphis Federal Court. -
Shelby County Voter registration court case details linger
The day after Chancery Court ordered the Shelby County Election Commission to continue verifying incomplete voter registration applications so eligible people can vote by Election Day Nov. 6, NAACP leaders said they were prepared to begin contacting those prospective voters. -
Shelby County TN ACLU questions Shelby County voter purges
The Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union wants a review of voters purged from the Shelby County election rolls and possible restoration of any voters who may have been purged since May 2017 solely for missing several elections. -
Shelby County Jenkins rules against election commission, orders immediate voter registration remedies
Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins ruled Thursday in favor of the Memphis Branch NAACP and the Tennessee Black Voters Project in a lawsuit that will require the Shelby County Election Commission to give potential voters a chance to fix their voter registration applications so they can cast ballots on the Nov. 6 election day. -
Shelby County Voter registration controversy goes to court Thursday
The third lawsuit filed this month over elections in Shelby County goes before Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins Thursday morning in Chancery Court. -
Construction and building permit fees to go up in code changes
Local construction permit fees would go up for the first time since 2001 as the city and county update International Code standards by the end of the year.
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