$18 million sheriff’s lawsuit settlement returns to County Commission
The expensive legal settlement grew more complex last week with word that the $18 million would have to be included in future Sheriff’s Office budgets.
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 4362 articles by Bill Dries :
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June 2026
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Shelby County
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May 2026
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MetroLondon Lamar opens Congressional bid amid redistricting revamp
The political roundup also looks at vote totals in the May primaries, and reactions to the Trump “anti-weaponization fund,” and recalls a redistricting dust-up during Davy Crockett’s days.
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ElectionsDemocrats switch to campaign mode in new congressional districts
The political roundup looks at a shift in the fight over congressional redistricting and what it says about the tactics of both parties in the state of Tennessee.
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Shelby County DA sues over state laws requiring Task Force reports
In the Chancery Court lawsuit, attorneys are seeking to have the laws declared unconstitutional and a court order barring their enforcement.
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City of Memphis City Council lets impasse ordinance veto stand. Now the rewrite begins.
An ad hoc group will now work on another rewrite to overhaul the 48-year-old procedure for resolving impasses between the city administration and labor unions.
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City of Memphis The City Council’s impasse over the city impasse procedure
At its Tuesday, May 26 session, the City Council will also take up a hotel surcharge for the Hyatt Centric at Beale Street and Riverside Drive, along with a name change for part of Alston Avenue.
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Spirit of MemphisDries: CBS Radio News signs off for the last time, leaving one less network to hit at the top of the hour
CBS Radio News ends broadcasting Friday, May 22, after nearly a century airing on hundreds of radio stations across the country. The end is another change in a way of reporting that is becoming harder to find and define.
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Elections County primary election results have been certified, but there may be a challenge
The second-place finisher in one of the MSCS board Democratic primaries — the closest race in the May 5 county primaries — is reportedly weighing a recount.
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Shelby County$18M in additional funding for sheriff’s office hits snag
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris agreed earlier this month to settle Bonner’s lawsuit against Harris with a “confidential” deal for an $18 million amendment to the sheriff’s budget for the current fiscal year.
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Shelby County New rules for county ‘community’ grants head to committee
A new proposal would require receipts for money spent and a 5-year ban on new grants if nonprofits don’t follow the rules. The commission also set the stage for budget hearings.
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Shelby County Commission to consider new rules for one of the county’s ‘biggest financial concerns’ — grants
One commissioner is proposing to put more conditions on the $2.6 million the body allocates for grants days after Mayor Lee Harris warned that funding grants is a great share of the county’s budget.
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City of Memphis DA releases footage of police spraying protesters, fellow officers during No Kings march
The nearly 9 minutes of footage is from the body camera of one of the MPD officers who used pepper spray on No Kings marchers.
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State Government Cohen calls off congressional reelection campaign
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said Friday that he is exiting the August Congressional primaries after the Tennessee General Assembly redrew the state’s district lines, dividing Memphis among three Congressional districts and drawing Cohen out of the 9th District seat he’s held for 20 years.
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MetroCohen’s exit notes and Alexander’s memoir
In this political roundup, new congressional districts shake up contenders with August primaries around the corner. Plus, a senator explains what he’s learned from “JFK to Trump.”
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Behind The Headlines The fast track to the August state and federal primary elections
The quick shift from the May elections to the August elections is the main topic of discussion on this week’s “Behind The Headlines.”
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City of Memphis ‘We ain’t surprised’: NCRM’s Legacy Experience links past struggles to present politics
The $55-million renovation offers an expanded look at the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and of the movement since his death in 1968.
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Elections Election commission to seek $350K from state for district shake-up
Redistricting plans mean an “aggressive timeline” and overtime costs for the Shelby County Election Commission, Linda Phillips told reporters Tuesday.
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Elections Pearson staying in 9th, plus a few Memphis surprises on first congressional candidates list
Pearson declares ahead of a Friday filing deadline for the congressional seats with new district lines.
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City of Memphis City Council to consider resolution opposing new congressional district lines
The resolution is not binding on state lawmakers, who have already passed the controversial plan. Council members also take a look at affordable housing in Orange Mound.
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2026 elections
ElectionsLee greenlights special session for redistricting next week
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called a special session of the Tennessee Legislature to consider redrawing the lines of the state’s nine Congressional districts in a bid to turn the state’s largest and only blue district red in this year’s midterm elections.
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State Government Trump says Gov. Lee on board with redistricting push
Trump posted Thursday on social media that he had talked with Gov. Bill Lee about a special session of the Tennessee legislature. Lee hasn’t commented.
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Blackburn, Rose call to ‘flip Memphis’ in wake of Supreme Court ruling
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Elections
ElectionsBlackburn, Rose call to ‘flip Memphis’ in wake of Supreme Court ruling
The calls to eliminate Tennessee’s only Democratic-held U.S. House seat follow Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that changes the Civil Rights Act standards for drawing legislative districts.
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Shelby County What’s in Lee Harris’ ‘lean and mean’ county budget proposal?
Lowering the property-tax rate a few cents and another proposed school, the third of his tenure, highlighted Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ final budget proposal.
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City of Memphis Mayor Young vetoes council rewrite of impasse ordinance
In a three-page letter, Young writes that the ordinance “seeks to enlarge the Council’s authority in direct contravention of the charter.”
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Shelby CountyA quick history of Tennessee redistricting and a closer look at unofficial vote totals
This political roundup dives into the surprising number of write-ins in the Shelby County primary races, a short — and litigious — history of redistricting in Tennessee and more.
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