Meet Memphis’ 9 new MATA board members
People with backgrounds in finance, urban planning and “route optimization” were among those recently appointed to the reconfigured MATA board.
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 4279 articles by Bill Dries :
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October 2024
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City of Memphis -
City of Memphis Council approves next step in deal for Sheraton convention-center hotel
The Memphis City Council is also taking a look at the new building code that requires some schools buildings to have storm shelters to see if there are less expensive ways to meet the standard.
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City of Memphis New MATA board approved as city tries to avoid bus cuts
Mayor Paul Young told council members in a Tuesday, Oct. 15, committee discussion that the immediate task is to find short-term funding for MATA to avoid a set of bus route cuts and employee layoffs the old MATA board approved that take effect Nov. 3.
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City of Memphis Council gets first look at new MATA board
Mayor Paul Young says the board will not replace MATA leadership at least for now. Council members also expect Tuesday to consider a Frayser landfill expansion that was rejected seven years ago.
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Shelby CountyNew positions, pay raises in clerk’s office draw fire from county administration
The County Commission delayed action Monday on three of the four resolutions from Circuit Court Clerk Jamita Swearengen. But it advanced three ordinances on Juvenile Court conditions.
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Shelby County County Commission weighs Juvenile Court changes
A set of ordinances to change some practices at Juvenile Court are up for the first of three readings at the Monday, Oct. 14, County Commission meeting. The Circuit Court Clerk’s office is also seeking $674,000 in funding for more staff.
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Behind The Headlines Planned Parenthood leader says ‘stakes could not be higher’ on state’s abortion politics
Ashley Coffield talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the impact of the 2-year-old law and the political effort to flip seats in the Tennessee Legislature based on Republican votes on abortion access.
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Opinion: What happens in Nashville matters in Memphis, and it’s time we fight back
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State GovernmentPolitical Roundup: TN Republicans share misinformation after Helene
Also, all eyes are on the Gillespie vs. Huseth race, Tennessee Democrats get funding from DNC and remembering Winfield Dunn.
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Behind The Headlines Sheraton’s impact worth risk despite hotel’s volatile past, mayor says
The 39-year-old Sheraton hotel has a history of bond defaults, the first one a year after it opened.
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City of MemphisSteve Cohen asks for federal assistance in MATA ‘crisis’
Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis says he is “disheartened” by the bus system’s “operational and fiscal crisis” after he helped secure $140 million in federal transit funding for MATA in recent years.
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Downtown Memphis Flyway construction offers rare river’s edge wilderness view
“This flyway provides (an) opportunity to get closer to the river, to see a natural habitat and to enjoy the quietness of this area of the park,” Memphis River Parks Partnership COO Art Davis said.
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City of Memphis City Council takes closer look at Sheraton purchase
Council members discuss the Sheraton convention center hotel deal in committees Tuesday, Oct. 1. They will also vote on new city-backed funding for the 100 N. Main mixed reuse project.
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council approves FedEx parking spaces, more
The Memphis City Council’s other-action items Tuesday, Oct. 1, included more money for affordable housing and more cameras.
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City of Memphis City Council approves alternate 100 N. Main bond funding in latest switch
The financing is a switch from another type of bond the city wanted to use but couldn’t to bridge a $10 million gap in the renovation and reuse of the city’s tallest building.
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September 2024
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Shelby County Judge in Halbert ouster case wants more information
Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson wants briefs from both sides in the ouster attempt as she weighs a motion to dismiss it.
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Metro D.C. Scorecard: How city’s representatives voted on funding government
The Daily Memphian’s D.C. Scorecard tracks votes on two measure to continue temporarily federal spending into December — one that failed and the one that passed.
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MetroMud Island’s museum moves into steampunk ‘River of Time’
The old museum at Mud Island River Park is transitioning from a story about the Mississippi River to an immersive experience called “Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time.”
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Behind The HeadlinesMarie Feagins outlines vision to transform MSCS
MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins breaks down school closures and changes, including eliminating 600 vacant positions and reassigning those in other roles to decentralize the school system and refocus on what happens in the classroom.
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City of Memphis Memphis gets $9M for streetscape work near Graceland
The funding is for work on Elvis Presley Boulevard between Winchester and Craft roads, a stretch that takes in the segment of the state highway that borders Graceland and The Guest House at Graceland hotel.
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City of Memphis City Council burns Whataburger, gives RaceTrac green light
The Memphis City Council vetoed a fast-food restaurant development on Union Avenue, but allowed a hotel and townhomes to continue.
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Shelby County County Commission approves $10M for jail repair
Commissioners and county administration found $10 million of the $16.4 million Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said he needed, and said the rest will have to be paid out of the sheriff’s budget.
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City of Memphis Traffic cameras, softball fields and big dollar figures on City Council agenda
The council will review Tuesday, Sept. 24, a camera system for police to respond to traffic tie-ups and crimes in real-time as well as a plan for a family shelter on the old Manassas High School site.
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MetroPolitical Roundup: Friction surfaces among local Democrats
Also in this roundup: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn writes op-ed for right-wing media outlet accused of conspiring with Russian state media and accused of making untrue statements; how Tennessee’s congressional delegation voted on the spending bill.
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City of Memphis County Commission reviews funding source for emergency jail repairs
Shelby County Commissioners will also vote at their Monday, Sept. 23, meeting on a consulting contract to assist with the master plan for the city’s hip-hop museum.
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Elections State won’t appeal ‘Memphis’ mistake,’ Tenn. attorney general says
“These ballot questions are a fraud on the voters of Memphis,” General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement his office released about its decision to not challenge a court’s ruling allowing the gun-control referendum to continue.
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