City Council delays emergency funding decision for MATA
City Council members said Tuesday they still need a financial accounting of how MATA spent past city funding before a new board was installed in October.
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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February 2025
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City of Memphis -
Shelby County Shelby County Commission considers MSCS audit
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners will vote on the resolution at its Monday, Feb. 10, meeting, authorizing $50,000 from the commission’s contingency fund to pay for the audit.
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Behind The Headlines Did no-confidence vote set stage for state takeover of MSCS?
Shelby County Commissioners Mickell Lowery and Britney Thornton talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the political boundary between the commission and the MSCS board.
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Shelby County County Commission to vote on MSCS audit
The commission also votes Monday on a set of three resolutions buying four more parcels on land on the new site for a rebuilt Regional One Health campus.
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MetroPolitical Roundup: Democrats and Republicans chart courses ahead
In a new world, Democrats are deciding how to climb back after last year’s defeat while Republicans are making their next moves across Tennessee.
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Shelby County County officials told to ‘invite Halbert’ to hiring, funding talks
A group of countywide office holders was frustrated when the Shelby County Commission again delayed a vote on changes to hiring and funding they wanted. They were told that County Clerk Wanda Halbert needed to be included in the discussions.
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Shelby County County Commission approves MSCS forensic audit
The resolution approved Monday, Feb. 10, calls for $50,000 in funding for the audit from the County Commission’s contingency fund.
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Elections U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee to seek reelection
Hagerty’s decision to seek another six-year term in 2026 is the first move in a political puzzle that will determine what the 2026 ballot looks like in other races, including the race for Tennessee governor.
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Shelby County General Sessions Judge position draws 15 applicants
The current U.S. Attorney, several judicial commissioners and more current and former assistant district attorneys filed applications by the Wednesday, Feb. 12, deadline set by the Shelby County Commission.
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Public Safety Trump’s ‘largest deportation in American history’ comes to Memphis
The TacoNGanas incident and what it means for the immigration effort President Donald Trump promised during his 2024 campaign is among the topics discussed on “Behind The Headlines.”
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MetroD.C. Scorecard: Trump administration is ‘cleaning house’
Also, the TacoNGanas raid is felt in the nation’s capital, Tennessee U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty pushes back on “Face the Nation,” Mississippi U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker says Secretary Pete Hegseth made a “rookie mistake” and more.
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Shelby CountyRoad to new county budget includes some red ink
County officials aren’t putting any dollar figures to the deficit they expect when County Mayor Lee Harris presents his budget proposal in late April. But it’s the talk of the County Commission’s early budget hearings.
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City of MemphisParking permit, blight fees and redevelopment top busy council agenda
The Memphis City Council will return to the proposed city sale of land to a subsidiary of xAI, and up for a vote Tuesday, Feb. 18, is a $10.5 million budget amendment, including $5 million in emergency funding for MATA.
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City of Memphis Packed City Council agenda includes MATA, Mud Island amphitheater
The Memphis City Council addressed MATA funding, Uptown parking, the Cleveland TIF, a blight fee and whether or not the Mud Island amphitheater is safe to use.
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Behind The Headlines Local Democratic, Republican leaders talk pros, cons of deportation
“... They are not committing any other crime,” Worth Morgan said. “But they are being exploited and they are taking a job away from somebody here in Memphis that would want that job.”
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Metro Political Roundup: NYC mayor dropped charges recall Ford Sr. case
Also, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn goes to the White House with the new FBI director, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen tracks Trump and the City Council walks the line with Elon Musk.
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City of Memphis Mayor floats guaranteed-income proposal at Memphis housing summit
The affordable housing market in Memphis continues to show investors competing with first-time homebuyers for starter homes.
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Shelby County County Commission to pick new judge to finish Bill Anderson’s term
Commissioners could also have more to say about the forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools they approved last month. Plus, the body will vote on several millions of dollars for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
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Shelby County County Commission moves forward on sheriff’s pay raise, but not its own
County commissioners are considering a raise for the whoever is elected Shelby County sheriff in 2026. Meanwhile, a proposal to give the next group of commissioners a pay raise was withdrawn.
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Shelby County County Commission approves Regional One land purchase despite $240K increase
The commission approved more money to buy the property that goes with the old Commercial Appeal buildings. Deals on the three remaining adjacent parcels for the 16-acre site are still pending.
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Shelby County County Commission chooses Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson’s replacement
The new General Sessions Criminal Court judge was chosen by Shelby County Board of Commissioners on Monday, Feb.24, on the third ballot. She takes office March 1.
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County Commission moves forward on sheriff’s pay raise, but not their own
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North Memphis Chelsea Greenline starts to take shape after long, winding road
North Memphis residents met Tuesday night to hear the latest on the long-delayed plan for a pedestrian and bike pathway stretching from Chelsea and Evergreen to Washington Park.
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March 2025
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Behind The Headlines Regional One CEO plans options in case state money doesn’t come through
Reginald Coopwood of Regional One Health talks on “Behind The Headlines” about alternatives for the hospital rebuild, and why the decision was made to shift the project to a new site.
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Downtown Who determines how riverfront is used? Lawsuit over new Memphis Art Museum narrows.
Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson dismissed most of the claims in the Friends for Our Riverfront lawsuit seeking to stop construction of the new museum. But she kept the central question in the case.
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Shelby County Ford indictment spotlights County Commission ethics guidelines
There is no provision for removing a Shelby County commissioner facing criminal charges, but there is a push to strengthen the ethics commission’s role, Chairman Michael Whaley said.
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