City Council moves to final vote for health insurance extension
The current council inherited the controversial extension of health insurance coverage for itself from the previous group.
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 4042 articles by Bill Dries :
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February 2024
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City of Memphis -
Behind The Headlines Mayor outlines new public safety director’s job, still backs Chief Davis
Memphis Mayor Paul Young says the city’s new public safety director is a position that will consolidate the city’s response to violent crime. Young talked about that and other crime issues on WKNO-TV’s “Behind The Headlines.”
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Elections Early voting begins for Super Tuesday in Tennessee
Early voting in 2024’s first election in Shelby County begins Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Tennessee presidential primaries top the ballot, but Memphis voters haven’t seen much of the presidential campaigns this year.
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Elections Ballot Basics: What to know about early voting ahead of Super Tuesday
On the ballot are the Tennessee Republican and Democratic presidential primaries and countywide primaries for General Sessions Court Clerk.
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Elections Candidates begin filing for places on August ballot
The issuing of qualifying petitions to get on the August ballot overlaps with the start of early voting in the March election. Here’s who has a petition out in the first week of petitions for the August election.
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City of MemphisTom Lee Park has starring role in documentary
The movie by Last Bite Films makes its debut Feb. 16 at the Halloran Centre at a fundraiser for Memphis River Parks Partnership. Meanwhile, the filmmakers are working on a documentary about the life of Tom Lee.
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ElectionsGeneral Sessions Court Clerk’s race in shadow of presidential primaries
The incumbent’s attendance record and the backlog of criminal court cases are issues in the race in the four-way Democratic primary for General Sessions court clerk. The winner of the Republican primary was decided at the filing deadline last year.
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Education Board names new Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent
MSCS’ Board of Education announced Marie N. Feagins as the school district’s new superintendent.
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City of Memphis Ursula Madden leaves City Hall for BlueOval City
Madden has been with Mayor Jim Strickland since he took office in 2016. She leaves City Hall next week to work with Ford’s BlueOval City joint venture.
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City of Memphis City Council moves up final vote on health insurance coverage to Feb. 20
In other action Tuesday, the council approved the reappointment of Robert Knecht as the city’s public-works director.
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Arts & Culture Withers Gallery joins Civil Rights Trail, Beale Street’s future explored
The archive of 60 years of Ernest Withers’ photographs joins the national set of historic places as the Beale Street entertainment district marks 10 years of operation and management by the Downtown Memphis Commission.
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City of Memphis City Council nears end of mayor’s appointees, delays health insurance vote
The City Council has a few more votes on Mayor Paul Young’s remaining appointees to his leadership team and some questions on the interim status of Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis.
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Elections Corey Strong is back to challenge Steve Cohen in August primary
The former local Democratic Party chairman announced his bid for Congress ahead of the Monday, Feb. 5, opening of the period to check out petitions to get on the Aug. 1 state and federal primaries ballot.
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Elections August ballot contenders begin checking out petitions as early voting nears
Tennessee Republican Party chairman Scott Golden talks in an “On The Record” podcast about the presidential primaries and general election races.
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Shelby County County Commission to tackle DA funding, extending solar farm moratorium
The commission may put off immediate funding for the prosecutors office until budget season. Meanwhile, commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. continues to threaten legal action against other commissioners — the second time in less than a week.
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Behind The Headlines Nonprofit leaders criticize Chamber’s call for help against crime
Leaders of two local nonprofits say on “Behind The Headlines” that business leaders are wrong in their call to the state to enact changes to bail reform and fund tourism safety measures to the tune of $50 million.
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City of Memphis Mack Weaver becomes Memphis in May CEO
Weaver has been with the festival for 25 years, most recently as chief financial officer. The MIM board announced the decision Thursday, Feb. 1, as longtime president and CEO Jim Holt officially retires.
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January 2024
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City of Memphis Gary Rosenfeld retires as MATA CEO
Rosenfeld’s retirement is effective immediately, with the MATA board announcing deputy CEO Bacarra Mauldin starts as interim CEO Thursday, Feb. 1. Rosenfeld has led the city’s bus system since January 2017.
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City of MemphisCity Council controversial health care proposal, explained
The City Council votes Tuesday, Feb. 6, on extending the city’s health insurance coverage for council members who serve two terms. The calculations are complex and the authority for such a move is controversial.
Related content:
Opinion: Council health care proposal ‘is as ludicrous as it is ... offensive’
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Shelby County New county real estate department vote delayed
The County Commission is considering switching the Shelby County Land Bank into a Shelby County Real Estate Department and giving the new office additional responsibilities.
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Shelby County Ford hints at possible commission recall
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. said Monday, Jan. 29, that he plans to ask local election officials how to recall another county commissioner.
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Shelby County Commission approves juvenile court ‘reporting center’ for first-time offenders
Children selected for the center will be awaiting juvenile court decisions or adjudications of their cases; the minors will come in groups of 16, with six cohorts a year at the facility. The County Commission also approved a Citizen Law Enforcement Review Committee.
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Shelby County County Commission makes up for meetings lost to weather
Topping the commission agenda Monday, Jan. 29, are final votes on a review board to hear complaints of misconduct by Sheriff’s deputies and deputy jailers as well as changing the county Land Bank to a “real estate department.”
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City of MemphisWhat MPD Chief Davis’ interim status means
Memphis Police Department Chief C.J. Davis has gone from reappointment to interim status in a temporary compromise that is new ground in what is normally a smooth confirmation process before the City Council.
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Shelby County County budget retreat: missing figures, job vacancies and ‘gobbledygook’
Shelby County commissioners and about 40 other people including county finance and other division leaders met at Shelby Farms ahead of Mayor Lee Harris’ budget proposal.
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