Steps toward Shelby County Jail planning on commission agenda
Major moves by the county toward a new jail are on hold, but County Commission votes could push it closer to more specific plans.
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 3979 articles by Bill Dries :
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August 2025
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Shelby County -
City of Memphis Could Memphis’ Zodiac development be sign of starter homes return?
A set of 10 new homes near Zodiac Park in Whitehaven Hills is the latest milestone in the city’s affordable housing movement.
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Shelby County‘What in the world’ is Bonner spending money on, Harris asks
Sheriff Floyd Bonner’s lawsuit seeks $67 million in proposed funding for his office that he says was not included in the county’s $1.7 billion consolidated budget.
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State Government Trump tells KWAM he’s reluctant to endorse in GOP primary for governor
Trump also talked generally about possibly sending National Guard troops to Memphis to help battle crime although procedures for activating the Guard in states differ from the laws that allowed him to put troops on Washington, D.C. streets.
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East Memphis New police precinct symbolizes efforts to grow police, drop crime
As the perception of crime and safety in the city remains a challenge, Memphis Mayor Paul Young called the new precinct “an investment in safety, service and trust in our community.”
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Shelby County Questions continue to swirl around how, where new jail could happen
The maneuvering for a new jail plan at the site of the old Firestone plant in North Memphis has been pushed off until at least October.
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City of Memphis City Council votes on xAI tax revenue, MATA money, Oak Court OK and more
The Council voted 11-0 to direct property tax revenue from the two xAI data centers to nearby communities.
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City of Memphis City to put $900,000 into more aggressive battle against blight
The City’s more aggressive stance on blighted properties is focused on taking court cases to Chancery Court instead of Environmental Court. The funding would fuel that effort and could be sustained with money from the sale of properties out of receivership.
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City of Memphis Liberty Park Southern Avenue entrance could get new look
The Memphis City Council will dive into a revamped entrance and security upgrades for Liberty Park along with a $14.6 million “action plan” from Mayor Paul Young.
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Behind The Headlines How to keep interest in Downtown Memphis ahead of big projects
The head of the Downtown Memphis Commission talks on “Behind The Headlines” about what’s beyond Downtown’s waiting period for several new and renovated institutions to come online.
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Shelby CountyRead the room: Push for county commissioners to ‘vote your party’ on school board gets chilly response
Also Republican contender for governor John Rose on Medicaid expansion and “Tennessee values,” and Democratic contender Jerri Green on debating Senator Marsha Blackburn.
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Shelby County Ups, downs and votes on a new County Commission chair
It took one vote to elect the new County Commission chair and four to elect the chair pro tempore. In between was the usual commission intrigue and grievances.
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Shelby County County Commission punts on when to get school board races on same ballot
The Shelby County Commission agreed to start term limits for Memphis-Shelby County Schools board elections with the 2026 election. But it delayed a decision on when to get all those races on the same ballot.
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State Government Gubernatorial candidate John Rose has ‘epiphany’ on crime in Memphis
“My time as a member of Congress is not my calling card for this job,” the Republican Congressman from Cookeville said of his run for Tennessee Governor.
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State GovernmentWhat the race for governor looks like with Blackburn officially in
As Bill Lee’s final term nears its end, multiple contenders stepped up for the race for state governor. Plus, this political roundup also explores the Democratic primary race to succeed Wanda Halbert.
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Shelby County How the County Commission’s debate on school board elections has turned
The move to put all nine MSCS board seats on the ballot in 2026 took a few turns last week in County Commission committee sessions.
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MetroMarsha Blackburn invites ‘small group of local press’ to closed roundtable
A Monday, Aug. 11, roundtable discussion U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is hosting at PURE Academy will not be open to the public, according to information obtained by The Daily Memphian.
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Education High lead levels found in water sources at some Memphis school campuses
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also notified Tennessee regulators and provided bottled water to be used along with water-filtration systems and hand sanitizer.
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Public Safety‘We know we need a new jail': Commission reacts to ambitious Firestone jail plan
While most county commissioners support building a new jail, not all of them agree on where its built, who pays for it and who’s included.
Related story:
New jail targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jail
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Public Safety New jail plan targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jail
A plan to build a new jail and relocate every criminal and civil justice institution in Shelby County to the former Firestone plant site in North Memphis was presented to the Shelby County Commission.
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City of Memphis ‘This is disgusting’: MATA update to City Council comes with skepticism
MATA’s interim leader told the council all the buses are ready but only for a pared-down system and that former leadership spent more than a million dollars in federal funds it hadn’t secured.
Related content:
$900K for police task force could go to fix city’s potholes, blight, sidewalks
Memphis librarians want a change to city charter allowing them to seek union representation
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City of Memphis Memphis librarians want a change to city charter allowing them to seek union representation
Memphis City Council members are weighing whether there is an easy and quick way to make the change or whether the change will take a charter amendment voters would have to approve.
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City of Memphis $900K for police task force could go to fix city’s potholes, blight, sidewalks
The $900,000 intended for “integrity in policing” could instead fund several different projects across this city.
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City of Memphis City looks to kick in $900K for ‘integrity policing’
The funding — generated from $2.8 million interest income on federal grant money — would support a police reform task force appointed in late 2024. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, Children and Youth Wellness Crisis Center and PURE Academy are also proposed to receive a piece.
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City of MemphisSouthaven mayor on xAI, more MLGW customers eligible for cutoff and 2026 campaign updates
This Political Roundup dives into what the Southaven mayor said about Elon Musk’s xAI buying a former energy plant, MLGW customers who could be cut off skyrocket, TVA’s demand highs and more.
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