County Commission begins restructuring minority-business effort
The commission also approved a $250,000 contract for “trauma-informed, restorative group programming and staff training services” at Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court.
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 4193 articles by Bill Dries :
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February 2026
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Shelby County -
City of Memphis Seven candidates stake out positions at Democratic county mayoral forum
The candidates each talked about their differences with each other as the campaigns move past introductions.
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Elections Here’s who made the Shelby County primary ballot
A total of 121 candidates made the deadline to file their qualifying petitions with the Shelby County Election Commission.
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City of Memphis City Council returns in person with a backlog of delayed final votes
Topping the council’s agenda are final votes on the first step toward a Hyde Square plaza Downtown, as well as discussion on changing the status of library workers and an update on the city’s bus system.
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Shelby County Group of 10 applies to fill County Commission vacancy
Commissioners are also voting on an effort to restructure its diversity efforts in keeping with the Trump administration’s ban on such programs.
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Shelby CountySorting the Feagins situation. Rose calls local leadership a ‘disaster.’ Buckner opens campaign HQ.
Also in the political roundup, Rose says he has a plan for state control after the Task Force; Buckner says the Task Force has a secret; and Smiley says the county mayor has a role to play at the jail.
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Arts & CultureJames Lawson autobiography traces path of Civil Rights icon through Memphis and beyond
Lawson’s autobiography, coauthored by Memphian Emily Yellin, had a Memphis launch Friday, Feb. 20, at the National Civil Rights Museum.
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Behind The Headlines Steve Mulroy’s mixed review of the Memphis Safe Task Force
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the Task Force and criticism Memphis Mayor Paul Young has taken.
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ElectionsUpdate: Local Democratic party leaders question Feagins’ candidacy but state will not intervene
State party leaders say there will be no hearing at a Saturday meeting on some concerns expressed by local Democrats about whether the former MSCS superintendent is a “bona-fide” Democrat.
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City of Memphis Clayborn Temple to be rebuilt
The second effort to rebuild Clayborn Temple in as many years will be just as ambitious as the first, the leader of the nonprofit leading the project said Friday, Feb. 20.
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Shelby County County property-tax rate could go down
For the second time in four years, the state mandated an appeals allowance that was too high, according to the county assessor’s office. This means the property tax rate has to come down.
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Elections A look at which County races could be won at the noon deadline
May ballot races thick and thin develop ahead of Thursday’s noon deadline, with a warning a final list could take a while.
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MetroJesse Jackson’s post-MLK rise deeply rooted in Memphis
Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon, died Tuesday. He was a frequent presence in Memphis’ political life and transformation from 1968 on.
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Spirit of MemphisCostume sketches and letters to Paris: What created Memphis Mardi Gras and what remains?
Yellow Fever nearly erased the Memphis-version of Mardi Gras from the city’s history. But fragments of the celebration’s artwork and impact still remain and tell its “beautiful and elaborate” story.
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Elections Halbert is term-limited but still pulls petition for county clerk
Halbert also checked out qualifying petitions for two other countywide positions on the 2026 ballot.
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Behind The Headlines Fixing Shelby County Jail is key to justice system, Green says
Interim Shelby County Public Defender Jerri Green talked on “Behind The Headlines” about dropping crime rates, the overflowing jail and the differing numbers used by different parts of the criminal justice system.
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Metro‘State of the City’ stormy; Blackburn compares Jan. 6 inquiry to Watergate; Cohen says ICE is ‘running rampant’
Also in the political roundup: the art and law of qualifying petitions; August state and federal primary takes shape, and the Tennessee delegation to D.C. keeps to partisan lines.
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Downtown Baron Von Opperbean opening may be delayed by water damage
The immersive experience, still under development, was damaged by the building’s fire-suppression system.
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ElectionsRepublican candidate emerges for county mayor
A well-known Republican candidate for Shelby County mayor has emerged after all: Former state Rep. John DeBerry of Memphis is weighing a bid in the Republican primary for Shelby County mayor.
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City of MemphisMemphis sets goal of 10,000 units of new or renovated housing by 2030
Memphis Mayor Paul Young talked about housing goals during his State of the City address.
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City of MemphisMayor’s ‘State of the City’ speech met with hecklers
Memphis Mayor Paul Young gave a speech crammed with goals and initiatives he says are the follow-through on the city’s two-year drop in crime.
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Shelby County Harris says county owed millions for housing state prisoners
County Mayor Lee Harris went public about a funding dispute between the county and the state over housing prisoners. Harris said the cost could lead him to propose a property tax hike this spring.
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Shelby County Commissioners have questions even as crime dashboard contract gets approved
The criminal justice system dashboard will track cases from arrest to however the they end in the court system.
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City of Memphis Mayor Young chooses educator with early childhood experience as new libraries director
The mayor’s choice succeeds Keenon McCloy who retired in January.
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Arts & Culture MoSH searching for new executive director after Thompson exit
The Memphis Museums of Science and History’s former leader Kevin Thompson resigned at the end of 2025.
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