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.
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 3981 articles by Bill Dries :
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August 2023
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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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City of Memphis Zoo parking lot reconfiguration begins
The parking lot is the first part of a broader plan to end overflow zoo parking on the Overton Park Greensward sometime next year and turn more than 17 acres of zoo land to the Overton Park Conservancy.
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council approves $22.6M in drainage, sewer projects
In addition to infrastructure, the council approved two more years on the Memphis Showboats contract and discussed a late-term reappointment to the MLGW board by outgoing Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
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City of Memphis City Council considers $22.6M in drainage, sewer improvements
The list of a dozen drainage and sewer projects come as the city is still repairing damage and restoring power lost in recent storms. The council also takes first votes Tuesday, July 25, on a pair of ballot questions for city voters in 2024.
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Elections Political Roundup: Bonner HQ opening draws protesters
Floyd Bonner responded to the protesters outside his headquarters and talked about changing state law if necessary to curb youth violence. Meanwhile, everyone’s talking about the field of 19 in the mayor’s race and its impact on who wins.
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Behind The Headlines Gibson says collaboration and compromise missing from city’s politics
Memphis mayoral contender J.W. Gibson talked on “Behind The Headlines” about crime, power outages, garbage pickup and the state of the city’s politics. The interview is the latest in a series of one-on-one conversations with contenders for mayor.
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Elections Memphis mayor’s field grows to 19 at filing deadline
Two council incumbents were effectively re-elected at the Thursday, July 20, deadline because they had no opposition. Two other council races drew fields of seven candidates.
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Elections Mayor’s race has 13 contenders as the October election filing deadline nears
As council contenders weigh their options, several races are filling up. Meanwhile, two former council members have filed their petitions to get back on the body and a third is considering it.
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Shelby County Wheel tax divide leads to stalemate in vote for county commission chairman
The wheel tax hike approved last month is a done deal. But the commission’s Democratic majority is still fractured over the decision.
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City of Memphis Political Roundup: Herenton opens HQ, Turner takes on Bonner and more
Also, Councilwoman Cheyenne Johnson calls off her campaign for a second term in favor of Janika White, a contender in last year’s Democratic primary for Shelby County District Attorney General.
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Shelby County County Commission will fill open MSCS board seat
Commissioners also elect leaders for the second year of their four-year term of office Monday. And the election of a chair and chair pro tempore could indicate what divisions remain among the commission’s Democratic majority after last month’s tumultuous wheel tax debate and vote.
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City of Memphis Jerri Green, Luke Hatler and Benji Smith among new faces in council races
Here’s a look at some of the newest names on the still-forming October Memphis election ballot. The deadline for candidates to get their names in the races for city council and mayor is noon Thursday.
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Behind The Headlines Camper says crime approach should be more than ‘tactical’
Mayoral contender Karen Camper says on “Behind The Headlines” the city’s public safety strategy is too focused on the “tactical” when it should include a longer-term approach to crime.
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Behind The Headlines Colvett says he would be ‘extraordinarily pro-development’ mayor if elected
Colvett said he would appoint a “housing director” if elected to move more Memphians toward homeownership.
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City of Memphis Paul Young tops Q2 fundraising in Memphis mayor’s race
Rival contender Floyd Bonner Jr. raised the second-highest amount but spent far less than Young, while J.W. Gibson topped the field in total spending.
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City of Memphis City Council approves August 2024 gun control referendum
Council members say they hope the question on city voters’ ballots will influence the Tennessee Legislature even if any of the measures would likely be challenge by the state if voters approve them.
Related story:
Police response time to priority calls down from 2022’s five-year high
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City of Memphis City Council to take final vote on 2024 gun-control referendum
The council also discusses two other ballot questions for next year including a residency requirement for city employees that reflects the state law to exempt police and firefighters from any requirement.
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