2020 letter feeds Kiel-Spinosa clash in District 5 council race
A 2020 open letter signed by more than 100 leaders of local nonprofits has become a flashpoint in the most expensive race for a city council seat on the Oct. 5 ballot.
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 3662 articles by Bill Dries :
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September 2023
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Elections -
City of Memphis Political Roundup: Early voting, a blue wave strategy and a sign removal blitz
The opening day of early voting in Memphis elections posts numbers closer to opening day in 2015 than 2019. Also in the round up, trying to apply a “blue wave” strategy to nonpartisan city elections.
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Elections Herenton says city lacks ‘transformational’ mayor
Former Mayor Willie Herenton talks on “Behind The Headlines” about his bid to return as mayor, a recent discussion he had with millennials and his leadership of MPD.
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Elections Early voting in Memphis city election begins Friday
Early voting begins Friday, Sept. 15, with a large field of 17 mayoral candidates.
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free to all
ElectionsTwo of three seats in council Super District 8 to change hands
City Council Super District 8 covers half of the city’s population. All three Super District seats are on the October Memphis ballot, and two of the races are contested in the upcoming city elections.
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City of Memphis City Council weighs partisan primaries ballot question or move to court for runoffs
Memphis City Council has seven more meetings to take a final vote on a ballot question to allow partisan primaries in city elections. Some argue it would be better to go to court and get a runoff provision reinstated for all city offices.
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free to all
ElectionsCouncil District 7 race crowded with Easter-Thomas challengers
Four years after upsetting incumbent council member Berlin Boyd, Michalyn Easter-Thomas faces six challengers for the District 7 council seat. If the recent past is any indication, it could be bound for a November runoff.
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Shelby County Three police reform measures advance at County Commission, but only one with majority vote
All three of the ordinances are requests of Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and are not binding on the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
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Council seeks to codify sewer cutoff policy, federal funds for Cobblestones dock
The sewer ordinance would solidify a policy of not extending services outside of city borders. The Memphis City Council also votes on $4 million in funds for a floating dock near the riverfront’s cobblestones for restaurants and shops.
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Elections City Council District 5 race is the most expensive of the 13 matchups
Council District 5 is one of five seats on the council with no incumbent seeking reelection. Two of the three contenders have raised more money than any other council candidate.
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Shelby County County Commission considers six-month moratorium on solar farms
The moratorium is to consider requiring county commission approval of solar farms. Also on the Monday, Sept. 11, agenda is the second of three votes on a set of three police reform ordinances.
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Elections Political Roundup: Attack ads, early voting and school-board primaries
This roundup looks at the latest report on voter registration, checks in with Election Commission officials ahead of Friday’s opening of early voting in Memphis and replays the Republican debate that ended with no school-board primaries.
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Elections Memphis mayor’s race still in flux a week before early voting begins
With less than a week before early voting begins in the 2023 Memphis elections, a reporters roundtable on “Behind The Headlines” looks at what is at stake.
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City of Memphis Memphis River Parks sues Memphis in May
The lawsuit over damages to Tom Lee Park seeks $675,000 on a $1.425 million bill due in mid-August. The other $750,000 is covered by a damage deposit paid by the city and the festival.
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Elections Shelby County Republican Party says no to school board primaries in close vote
The decision came during a secret-ballot vote of the local Republican Party’s executive committee Thursday, Sept. 7, in Germantown.
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City of Memphis Brooks Museum says stopping work for court fight could cost $7M
The lawsuit, due for its first hearing later this month, is a deep dive into past disputes about how to use the “public promenade” the city’s founders created more than 200 years ago.
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Elections Gloria Johnson opens Senate bid, draws fire from incumbent Marsha Blackburn
Memphis was the third of three stops Tuesday, Sept. 5, kicking off what Johnson says will be an “uphill battle” to win the August primary and take down Marsha Blackburn in next year’s November general election.
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City of Memphis Political Roundup: 901 Day, too many candidates and not enough votes
Van Turner and Paul Young started their mayoral campaigns a year ago on 901 Day. A year later, they talk about what separates each in a pack of 17 candidates.
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Elections Labor and social justice groups back Turner in bid to repeat 2022 blue wave
The coalition argues a wave in the 2022 countywide elections can be repeated despite city elections being nonpartisan. Meanwhile, the local Republican party has endorsed Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr.
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Mayor's Race
ElectionsHere’s who else is running to be Memphis’ next mayor
These other 10 contenders are on the October ballot for Memphis mayor.
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Mayor's race
ElectionsVan Turner has had plenty of stops on path to mayor’s race
The life of the attorney and former Shelby County commissioner has taken him to Atlanta, Knoxville, D.C. and Japan. He returned to Memphis more than 20 years ago and found a path to elected office.
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Downtown Redesigned Tom Lee Park ready for debut
Nearly three years after work began on the $62 million redesign, the Downtown Memphis space along the Mississippi River will have a formal opening Saturday, Sept. 2. Here’s what to expect.
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August 2023
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Behind The Headlines Paul Young says MLGW plan needs time. (And maybe more money.)
Memphis Mayoral contender Paul Young also talked on “Behind The Headlines” about “stopping the bleeding” from violent crime as the next mayor’s top priority of the next mayor.
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City of Memphis Oui, c’est vrai! MIM chooses France as 2024 honored country
The choice is the first by the Greater Memphis Chamber. France was last honored in 1990 by Memphis In May.
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City of Memphis Chancery Court judge issues order that could halt new Brooks Museum of Art construction
Chancellor Melanie Taylor-Jefferson proposed halting construction on the new Brooks Museum of Art Downtown, contingent on Friends for Our Riverfront posting a bond that would cover the cost of stopping construction.
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