Tom Lee Park’s Sunset Canopy dedicated to Tyre Nichols
The dedication was prompted by photos Nichols took in the park, including of sunsets on the river that the canopy overlooks.
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 3979 articles by Bill Dries :
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February 2023
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City of Memphis -
Behind The Headlines Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris using local office to focus on national issues
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talks on “Behind The Headlines” about his renewed second-term focus on national issues and his willingness to cross jurisdictional and political boundaries.
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council redistricting group juggles maps and legal principles
The ad hoc council committee had its third meeting on Feb. 9. The group could have some closed attorney-client meetings in the future if it decides to change council districts.
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City of Memphis City council casts critical eye on city’s handling of Nichols investigation
Memphis City Council members came with questions about police culture and some criticism of the administration during an extended Tuesday, Feb. 7, discussion about the death of Tyre Nichols. That was followed by a series of first council votes on a package of 8 police reform measures.
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Public Safety More MPD officers under investigation in Nichols’ death
Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis told Memphis City Council members that the total number of officers now facing internal police charges is 13.
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Former MPD Officer Demetrius Haley took photos of Tyre Nichols after beating
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council delays decision on Memphis in May damage-deposit impasse
The city’s chief operating officer says the festival wants a limited-liabilty provision for damages to the park that the city has never granted for past festivals in Tom Lee Park. Everything else has been agreed to.
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City council casts critical eye on city’s handling of Nichols investigation
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Elections Political Roundup: A deeper look at dollar figures in the mayor’s race
Three contenders reported raising $300,000 or better in the first financial report of the mayor’s race. J.W. Gibson talked on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast about his mix of contributions with self financing and why he wants to depart from outgoing Mayor Jim Strickland’s “brilliant at the basics” theme.
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Public Safety City Council to focus on Tyre Nichols incident during three-hour discussion
The unusually long committee discussion comes with six ordinance proposals that would reform police policies and begins with what are expected to be lots of questions for Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis.
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Shelby County County Commission takes first steps in reaction to Tyre Nichols case
The two resolutions approved unanimously drew criticism from activists because they are not binding on law enforcement. Commissioners are exploring ways to draft them as ordinances that could be more binding on the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
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Shelby County Shelby County clerk: No opening date yet for Riverdale branch office
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert pledged the Riverdale branch office would open by the end of 2022. It’s not open yet, and Halbert told county commissioners Monday she doesn’t know when it will be.
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City of Memphis Herenton joins race for Memphis mayor
Former Mayor Willie Herenton makes a field of 11 declared candidates for this year’s Memphis mayoral election.
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Shelby County County Commission considers better law enforcement training in wake of Nichols’ death
The two resolutions signal a return to the issue of use of force by law enforcement for the commission as well as the Memphis City Council nearly three years after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis prompted votes by both bodies on a series of similar resolutions.
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Behind The Headlines Protect Our Aquifer director: ‘A time to choose’ between energy, potable water
Sarah Houston talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the coal ash cleanup still in progress at the old TVA Allen Fossil Plant and its impact on the Memphis Sands aquifer, which supplies the city’s water.
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City of Memphis Justice Department and Police Chiefs Association to review Memphis Police Department
The review of the department will include a look at special police units and use-of-force policies. It is the second MPD review by the Justice Department in six years. A 2016 review was cut short by the Trump administration.
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Public Safety Memphis Police officer Preston Hemphill fired
Hemphill is the sixth MPD officer to be fired for violating police policies in the Jan. 7 death of Tyre Nichols.
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State board suspends 2 of 3 fired EMTs over failure to help Tyre Nichols
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City of Memphis City launches ‘Memphis Alerts’ notification system for emergencies
The City of Memphis has a new system to alert citizens of emergency situations.
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On the RecordMemphis City Council, Mayor Strickland weigh sweeping police reforms
On The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast, Michalyn Easter-Thomas talks about trying out a ban on traffic stops by police for certain offenses. Other council members want a department-wide review.
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Elections A tenth candidate joins Memphis mayor’s race
Memphis City Council member Frank Colvett formally announced his candidacy Thursday, Feb. 2.
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Elections Paul Young has most money in Memphis mayoral campaign coffers
The DMC president raised $347,482 since September compared to the $311,719 raised by Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and $300,000 by businessman and philanthropist J.W. Gibson.
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January 2023
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Public Safety VP Harris to attend Tyre Nichols’ funeral
President Joe Biden told the family last week he would make passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Congress a priority.
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Public Safety Seventh MPD officer relieved of duty as more personnel actions are ‘imminent’
A seventh Memphis Police officer under investigation and off the job is not identified. But police brass say he and officer Preston Hemphill have been relieved of duty since the day after Tyre Nichols was beaten by police in southeast Memphis.
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Public Safety Nichols protesters gather at Shelby Farms, pray in Brandywine subdivision
Leaders of the sunset protest demanded the names of every officer involved in Nichols’ death and that they all be charged. Meanwhile, the parents of Nichols were among a smaller group that gathered Monday evening in the Brandywine subdivision where Nichols was beaten by police the night they stopped him.
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South Memphis Lincoln Park subdivision breaks ground in South Memphis
The affordable housing development has been a decade in the making. Construction begins amidst a new push to scale affordable housing in blighted areas beyond isolated units as well as new concerns about how nonprofits get the land for development.
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Public Safety Three Memphis firefighters fired in Nichols probe
Three Memphis firefighters have been fired for violating “numerous” department protocols in the treatment of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis Fire Department announced.
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City of MemphisHernando DeSoto Bridge is a symbol of protest amid calls for reform
As public officials expressed outrage about Tyre Nichols’ death online, the protests marking the release of the videos returned to the symbol of local protest in the age of Black Lives Matter — the bridges across the Mississippi River.
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