1917 Persons’ lynching site advances toward National Historic Register status
The lynching site that drew a crowd of 5,000 in 1917 is now an overgrown area by the Wolf River west of Summer Avenue.
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 3663 articles by Bill Dries :
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December 2022
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Metro -
City of Memphis $89M renovation of Downtown Sheraton gets boost from City Council
The 5% surcharge on items bought and rooms rented at the Downtown Sheraton hotel goes to finance a renovation of the existing 600-room hotel by the Renasant Convention Center.
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City Council passes Klondike tax vote, but residents’ concerns remain
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City of Memphis City Council passes Klondike tax vote, but residents’ concerns remain
The unanimous Memphis City Council vote approving the tax increment financing district in Klondike follows months of delay. Debates about residents’ displacement and representation will stick around into the new year.
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Shelby County Despite relocation concerns, County Commission passes Klondike redevelopment financing
The Shelby County Commission passed the TIF trust fund to collect increased property city and county property taxes and use the revenue for Klondike redevelopment. The plan next goes before the Memphis City Council.
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Shelby County County Commission will wait until January to appoint District 86 representative
The Shelby County Commission will appoint the winner of the Democratic primary election Jan. 24. Since there are no Republican or independent challengers in the special March election, the appointee will effectively be the Tennessee House District 86 representative.
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City of Memphis Klondike, Sheraton projects top year’s last City Council agenda
The Memphis City Council session involves Klondike and Sheraton tax votes, as well as a look at the Dream Hotel next to Peabody Place and the city’s animal ordinance.
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City of Memphis Klondike revitalization meets skepticism before final votes by city, county
A public hearing highlighted skepticism about past efforts to bring blighted areas back to life, and fears the North Memphis neighborhood’s current residents could be displaced.
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Elections J.W. Gibson joins Memphis Mayor’s race
Gibson is a former Shelby County Commissioner who founded Gibson Companies, which has been involved in several economic development projects.
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Germantown After an emotional debate, Shelby County Commission approves Germantown schools deal
The 8-5 vote by the commission came after an emotional debate and crossed party lines. It is the second of four votes on the deal that would transfer the namesake elementary and middle buildings to Germantown’s school system and greenlight the sale of Germantown High.
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City of Memphis City Council redistricting committee starts with question of who should redraw district lines
A redistricting committee explores whether City Council members seeking reelection on the October 2023 Memphis ballot take a hand in redrawing their district lines.
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Metro County Commission to consider filling Barbara Cooper’s state House seat
The Shelby County Commission meets Wednesday, Dec. 14, to talk about making an appointment to the State House District 86 seat ahead of the special elections.
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ElectionsShelby County November certified ballot, by the numbers
The certified vote totals from the November election show an increase in the number of provisional ballots cast and counted compared to the August elections. The votes added didn’t change any of the outcomes on the November ballot, but they did boost the turnout to 34.4%.
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NeighborhoodsFairgrounds transformation to Liberty Park has more ground to cover
As Mayor Jim Strickland formally opened the Memphis Sports and Events Center on Saturday, he had a contract on his desk for the commercial mixed-use development along Central Avenue.
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EducationEveryone ‘made whole’ by 3G deal, say county, Germantown mayors
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo talked in more specific terms about the Germantown schools transfer on “Behind The Headlines.”
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State Government D.C. Scorecard: Same-sex marriage, Big Tech and Brittney Griner
The D.C. Scorecard looks at the partisan split on federal same-sex marriage recognition and the National Defense Authorization Act.
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State Government Julian Bolton first to file in crowded Democratic field for state House District 86
The former Shelby County commissioner filed Monday, Dec. 5, in the January Democratic primary special election. There are six other Democrats with qualifying petitions out ahead of the Dec. 15 filing deadline.
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City of Memphis Klondike TIF delayed to last city council meeting of year
The delay to the Dec. 20 council session mirrors a delay by the Shelby County Commission. The council also delayed a vote on a settlement to the damage deposit dispute between Memphis River Parks Partnership and the Memphis in May International Festival.
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Downtown City council questions Sheraton tourism surcharge
The terms of the tax incentive for adding a 300-room tower to the existing Sheraton convention center hotel include keeping the value of the existing hotel at its 1998 assessment for tax purposes. Although they don’t have a vote on the incentive terms, Memphis City Council members say their concerns are linked to their vote on a hotel tourism surcharge.
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Shelby County County Commission approves $1.3M one-time funding contract for MATA
The $1.3 million is one-time money for the city’s bus system. Meanwhile, commissioner Henri Brooks voted against three grants made by other commissioners.
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Shelby County County Commissioners ‘stunned’ by 3G deal press release
Some Shelby County Commissioners didn’t care for how terms of the deal that would transfer two Germantown namesake schools to the City of Germantown were made public.
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Transportation & Logistics Local leaders ask Buttigieg for more airport funding
“The terminal is what we want redone now,” Mayor Jim Strickland said at the opening of the $309-million de-icing facility at Memphis International.
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City of Memphis Swearengen-Washington joins Memphis City Council
The council renews discussions Tuesday on a damage deposit agreement for the Memphis In May International Festival’s use of Tom Lee Park as well as a tourism surcharge for the Downtown Memphis Sheraton Hotel.
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Shelby County County Commission talks to attorneys about transfer of Germantown schools
MSCS leaders say they may be going to court. Meanwhile, the commission has delayed what was to be a final vote on a TIF district for redevelopment of Klondike.
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Behind The Headlines Townsend: Hopes for ‘a renaissance of advanced manufacturing in Memphis’
On “Behind the Headlines,” the incoming president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber Ted Townsend called it a “vast change” from being a magnet for logistics and distribution.
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Metro D.C. scorecard: Same-sex marriage, rail strike
Here’s how the city’s representatives in Washington D.C. voted on the two major issues and what they had to say about it on social media.
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