Mempho producing a new music festival in Tom Lee Park in May
The group that started the Mempho festival is behind the effort and in recent years has branched out to booking a variety of other music events beyond the festival.
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 4357 articles by Bill Dries :
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October 2023
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Arts & Culture -
Music Beale Street Music Festival ‘paused,’ barbecue contest moves to Liberty Park
Memphis in May confirmed in a Thursday, Oct. 12, press release that, at least for next year, the music festival would be “paused” and the barbecue fest would move to Liberty Park.
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council dives in to Smart City fiber-optic proposal
Opposition to the plan for a fiber optic network at 1 gigabyte surfaced from Comcast in council committee sessions Tuesday, Oct. 10.
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Memphis City Council introduces new referendums for 2024 election
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council introduces new referendums for 2024 election
At the first city council meeting since the Oct. 5 Memphis elections, council members advanced two ballot questions for 2024 that could change future city elections if approved by voters.
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On the Record A second look at city election results, council runoffs and next political steps
The Daily Memphian political reporters Sam Hardiman and Bill Dries go over some notes on the 2023 city elections and what the unofficial results mean in an “On The Record” podcast.
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City of Memphis Post election council session discusses runoffs and primaries, broadband
Some of the newly elected city council members will likely be at the Tuesday, Oct. 9, council session to prepare for taking office January 1. The current council is scheduled to take first votes on two referendums that would change future city elections if approved by city voters.
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Metro D.C. Scorecard: War in Gaza
The Daily Memphian’s D.C. Scorecard finds bipartisan support for Israel among the city’s representatives in the Capitol but disagreement on what if any role the U.S. unfreezing Iranian assets may have played Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
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Behind The Headlines Inside the unofficial vote tallies, mandates, margins and 2024 referendums
A reporters’ roundtable on WKNO-TV’s “Behind The Headlines” recaps the 2023 Memphis election result. Meanwhile, the next campaigns to come in the new year will include referendums that could change city elections.
Related stories:
Calkins: A new mayor and a new dog, too? Things are looking up!
Sanford: Young’s mayoral victory signals clear generational change
The runoff what-if and other takeaways from election night
On The Ballot: Memphis election recap, results and runoffs
With Young headed to mayor’s office, DMC looks to new CEO search
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Music International firm hired to measure Memphis music’s economic impact
Part of Sound Diplomacy’s work over the next year will include an online map of the city’s “music ecosystem,” including teachers, school programs, church choirs, venues, festivals and music publishing.
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Free access
ElectionsSeven City Council incumbents reelected; eighth heads for runoff
Of the eight council incumbents seeking re-election, Michalyn Easter-Thomas appeared headed to a Nov. 16 runoff with challenger Jimmy Hassan in District 7.
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Elections Mayoral candidate Young takes absentee, early vote by 2,600-vote margin
The 14-day early voting period drew nearly 58,000 voters with a turnout bigger than Thursday’s Election Day across the city.
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ElectionsAnalysis: City election day dominated by race for Memphis mayor
Polls are open Thursday, Oct. 5, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the city. Voters are deciding 11 contested races for Memphis City Council and a mayor’s race that will see a new leader elected to start in January.
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Memphis polls ‘gotten a lot busier’
Up to 3:30 p.m., the Shelby County Election Commission numbers showed an Election Day turnout of 16,830 compared to almost 58,000 voters during the early voting period.
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More trivia: Memphis City Council fun facts
The Memphis City Council races on Thursday’s ballot have largely been in the shadow of the 17-candidate field for mayor.
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Phillips: ‘Roughly’ 5,800 voters cast ballots, as of 10 a.m.
Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips says “roughly” 5,800 voters had cast ballots as of 10 a.m.
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Elections On the rhythm of a Memphis Election Day
“Some precincts will have a large rush after work. Some will be steady all day long. Some have a huge rush in the morning and you could take a nap in the afternoon.”
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Lunch hour trivia: Memphis city elections fun facts
How much of this Memphis mayoral history do you know? Here are some fun facts as we near midday on Election Day 2023.
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How rain could affect Election Day turnout
Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips spoke at the Election Operations Center in Shelby Farms Park about a half hour before the polls opened.
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Memphis Election Day coverage begins
The Daily Memphian’s live blog coverage of election day in Memphis will take you through the morning and afternoon rushes, the downtime between them, the vote totals to the very end and the thoughts of the winners and losers.
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ElectionsBallot basics: Election Day Oct. 5, 2023
If you are going to vote on the city’s Thursday, Oct. 5, election day, here are the basics — what to expect and how to prepare to cast your ballot.
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Elections D.C. Scorecard: Ousting the House Speaker
After agreeing on the short-term spending bill last week that lead to the Tuesday, Oct. 3, vote on ousting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Congressmen Steve Cohen and David Kustoff parted company on McCarthy’s political fate.
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City of Memphis Memphis in May reports record $3.48 million loss
Attendance figures for the Beale Street Music Festival hit a 30-year low, according to the report released Tuesday, Oct. 3. The festival’s annual report promises further word on the 2024 festival’s future in the coming days.
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ElectionsEarly voting total highest since 2007 Memphis elections
The 2007 Memphis elections saw Willie Herenton elected mayor for the fifth time and the largest turnover of Memphis City Council seats in the 55-year history of the mayor-council form of government.
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Elections Ballot Basics: Early voting is Sept. 15-30
Here is everything you need to know about early voting in the Memphis elections and links to the ballot as well as a locator to figure out what council districts you live in.
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Shelby County Ban on pretextual traffic stops comes up one vote short on County Commission
The Shelby County Commission gave final approval Monday, Oct. 2, to a pair of ordinances calling on the Shelby County Sheriff to collect data on specialized units as well as traffic stops, use of force and citizen complaints. It rejected an ordinance asking the Sheriff’s Office to ban pretextual traffic stops.
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