Memphis in May is looking for a new location
In an email to its barbecue teams, Memphis in May President Jim Holt says the festival is “exploring venue options other than Tom Lee Park for the future.”
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 3972 articles by Bill Dries :
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August 2023
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Shelby County Miska Clay Bibbs to lead Shelby County Commission
Commissioners broke their stalemate Monday, Aug. 14, in the selection of a new chair.
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Shelby County County Commission seeks to limit Sheriff’s office
Shelby County Commissioners also try Monday, Aug. 14, to break the deadlock over the selection of a new chair after two unsuccessful tries since in July.
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Elections Political Roundup: People’s Convention fiery finale, Kelsey’s end
Mayoral contender Paul Young took the convention’s endorsement Saturday, Aug. 12, but rival Van Turner delivered a fiery speech and both called for changing the city’s political status quo. City council endorsements are also listed.
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Behind The Headlines Van Turner says federal probe of MPD is needed to ‘rebuild trust’
Memphis mayoral candidate Van Turner says on “Behind The Headlines” the federal investigation of the Memphis Police Department could play a large role in determining whether the next mayor changes MPD leadership.
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Elections People’s Convention backs candidates in four council races on opening day
The three-day session opened with endorsements for four Memphis City Council candidates on the Oct. 5 ballot. About 150 people attended the event at the Memphis Sports and Event Center at Liberty Park.
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State Government Civil rights groups suing Tennessee over Republican-led redistricting
The lawsuit filed Wednesday, Aug. 9, in Nashville federal court seeks to redraw the Cordova-based state Senate district in Shelby County and cites a “larger discriminatory agenda” by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
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City of Memphis City Council asserts independence from mayor on several fronts
The council is challenging the administration on the delayed development that is a key part of financing the remake of the Fairgrounds to Liberty Park and what it sees as hesitation in an expansion of the council’s office space at City Hall.
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State Government Lee calls for narrow look at gun control measures during special session
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a formal call for a special session of the Legislature to begin Aug. 21 in the Capitol. It includes mental health orders of protection, with a lot of conditions, among the topics to be considered.
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Shelby County County political parties eye red and blue school board elections
The move to primaries in what are now nonpartisan races began in response to book and curriculum topic bannings in Florida.
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City of Memphis City Council returns to call for partisan primaries
The ballot question would go to voters in 2024 if the council approves it. The council voted down a similar referendum last year.
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Shelby County County Commission delays vote on new chair
The special Monday, Aug. 7, meeting was short of a quorum that’s needed to take any action.
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Elections Political Roundup: Is the mayor’s race too big? What can be done about it?
Mayoral contender J.W. Gibson talked about the size of the field as he opened his campaign headquarters Saturday, Aug. 5, in southeast Memphis. The issue could come to a head at the People’s Convention.
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Shelby County County Commission tries to break stalemate on new chairman election
Democratic commissioner Miska Clay Bibbs was one vote short of the seven votes needed to become the new chairwoman during nine rounds of voting at the July 17 commission meeting. Three of the 9 Democrats abstained in a rift that goes back to a June vote to raise the county wheel tax by $25.
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Behind The Headlines Tom Lee Park redesign sprints toward Sept. 2 opening
Memphis River Parks Partnership president and CEO Carol Coletta talks on “Behind The Headlines” about the road to the September opening of the redesigned Tom Lee Park.
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Elections Justin J. Pearson easily keeps state House District 86 seat
Pearson easily beat independent candidate Jeff Johnston in the second special general election this year for the seat covering the western edge of Shelby County.
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Downtown Mobility Center opens as ‘necessary infrastructure’ for Downtown
The Downtown Mobility Center is the centerpiece of several parking garage projects, including the renovation of older city-owned lots in the immediate area.
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Premium
DowntownTom Lee Park damages from Memphis In May top $1.4M
A report verified by a third-party arbiter and reviewed by the city administration shows 252 separate items of damage totaling $1.4 million, most of it incurred during the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
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Elections Voters in House District 86 go to polls one more time
Voters on the western edge of Shelby County go to the polls Thursday, Aug. 3, to elect their state representative for the fourth time this year.
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July 2023
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Shelby County Democratic commissioners endorse Gov. Lee’s expected gun-law proposal
The nine Democratic commissioners voted for a resolution for “extreme-risk protection order” measures. Of the two Republican commissioners present for the vote, one recused himself and the other was not in the room for the vote.
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Shelby County County Commission to meet during lull after wheel-tax hike split
The commission votes Monday, July 31 on a solid waste fee hike for Northaven, a move to a two-year property tax reappraisal cycle for taxation purposes and equipment to convert microfilm and microfiche archives to digital files.
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Behind The Headlines McKissack defends school board handling of Joris Ray’s MSCS exit
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board let the former superintendent resign and receive a $480,000 payment after allegations of sexual misconduct. Details of the investigation were never released.
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Public Safety Strickland: DOJ investigation could make it harder to hire more cops
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Friday he sought to talk with Justice Department officials ahead of Thursday’s announcement of the “pattern and practice” review of the MPD but was rebuffed.
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City of Memphis George Flinn joins Frank Colvett in dropping out of mayor’s race
The exit of Flinn and Colvett makes a field of 17 for Memphis mayor. There are no changes at the Thursday, July 27, withdrawal deadline in the 13 races for Memphis City Council; those races have a total of 44 candidates.
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Elections Frank Colvett drops out of mayor’s race, says field is too crowded
Colvett pulled out of what is now an 18-candidate race at Thursday’s deadline for candidates to withdraw from the October Memphis ballot.
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