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 3972 articles by Bill Dries :
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.
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.
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.
Also Republican contender for governor John Rose on Medicaid expansion and “Tennessee values,” and Democratic contender Jerri Green on debating Senator Marsha Blackburn.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also notified Tennessee regulators and provided bottled water to be used along with water-filtration systems and hand sanitizer.
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. New jail targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jailRelated story:
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.
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. $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 representationRelated content:
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.
The $900,000 intended for “integrity in policing” could instead fund several different projects across this city.
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.
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.
Two developers of affordable housing and the head of the city’s Housing and Community Development Division talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the latest wrinkles in building more affordable housing to meet a citywide shortage.
Assessor Melvin Burgess Jr. came to the Frayser Exchange Club on Thursday, July 31, to talk taxes. He also talked about broader issues touching on his bid to become the next county mayor.
The grant from a $3 million pool of grant funds to 24 sites is the latest by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to several historic properties in Memphis.
While some commissioners said the resolution the could end terms early for some MSCS board members is “unfair” and that there were “pure hypocrites in this room,” unhappy community members said, “It’s time for change.”
Bill Morris, who died July 25 at 92, was the longest serving Shelby County mayor since the office was created. And Javier Bailey is set for next year’s Democratic primary for assessor.
A resolution on the Monday, July 28, County Commission agenda would cut in half the four-year terms of five elected Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members.
U.S. Rep. John Rose, who’s running for governor, blames turmoil on “liberal media.” Possible GOP primary challenger U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is silent on the topic.