Gov. Lee pardons 43 including Memphis software engineer
All of those pardoned by the governor have been out of prison for at least five years.
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 3804 articles by Bill Dries :
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December 2024
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State Government -
City of Memphis City Council punts vote on Chickasaw Gardens gates to new year
The proposed gates have been met with opposition, with an attorney for those in surrounding neighborhoods saying it gives “at least the appearance of being elitist and exclusionary.”
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EducationFrom Herenton to Cash to Ray: How MSCS has selected superintendents
The saga of Willie Herenton’s 1979 selection by the school system has influenced the pick of every superintendent since.
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Shelby County Despite sharp words, More for Memphis advances at County Commission
In addition to the More for Memphis debate, the Shelby County Commission voted down redistributing county pay raises, and dealt with other fiscal matters.
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Education County approves Frayser school funding despite news of MSCS turmoil
There were no votes opposing the new Frayser high school, but word that the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board will vote on a possible ouster of Superintendent Marie Feagins cast a long shadow over the discussion.
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City of Memphis City Council takes final vote on ‘More for Memphis’ startup
The last City Council meeting of 2024 also includes the return of a pair of Chickasaw Gardens street closings to the agenda and the appointment of a new city public works director.
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Shelby CountyCounty Commission retreat gets at what makes it tick — and what makes it go off
The Shelby County Commission met for a retreat where the aim was to get at the working relationship among the body of 13. That relationship has been rocky during the first half of the group’s four-year term.
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Shelby County Latest twist in Frayser and Cordova schools saga goes to County Commission
The last County Commission meeting of 2024 is likely to be a long one. The Monday, Nov. 16, agenda features 89 items including a set of 22 funding resolutions for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office totaling nearly $18 million — much of it for repairs to the county jail.
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Shelby CountyShelby County Commission looks for smoother, swifter budget season
The rules discussed at a Saturday, Dec. 14, retreat at Shelby Farms Park include a budget subcommittee to hash out details of budget amendments.
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Behind The HeadlinesMemphis mayor plans task force to address police reform
Paul Young offered more detail in a Behind The Headlines interview on what’s next for MPD after a scathing federal report into the department’s policies and practices.
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Behind The Headlines Next steps unclear after Justice Department drops report on MPD
The Justice Department report on the Memphis Police Department is the major topic on a reporters roundtable edition of “Behind The Headlines.”
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Shelby County $34M in added Frayser school funding clears test vote
The County Commission votes Monday on shifting the funding for the construction of a new Frayser high school. In committees, County Mayor Lee Harris and some Frayser students pushed to get construction started.
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Shelby County Mayor explores adding $34M for Frayser school
Shelby County commissioners discuss a $34 million shift in capital funding Wednesday, Dec. 11, from a new Cordova high school to the new Frayser high school.
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ElectionsPolitical Roundup: Knox County turnout tops Shelby, and more
Meanwhile, Democrats have a race for leader of the state party. And the Republican sponsor of the state’s ban on transgender care takes a victory lap starting in Germantown after a Supreme Court hearing on the matter.
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Did Trump’s return prompt the release of DOJ report on MPD?
The last Justice Department review of the MPD began a month before Donald Trump was elected to his first presidential term. Trump ended the investigation, and others like it, 10 months into his term, and the Memphis report never saw the light of day.
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City of Memphis City Council shuffles money around as needs change in ‘tight’ budget
The Memphis City Council addressed changing fiscal needs, and approved funding shifts for a Downtown Police Command Center and annual property-tax payments by MLGW.
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City of Memphis Memphis may sue Hyundai over car thefts
The lawsuit would claim that “defects in the vehicles” have contributed to a “dramatic increase in car thefts locally” that have cost the city by way of increased law enforcement.
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Behind The Headlines Attorneys: Legal aid goes beyond the law, courts
Memphis attorneys talk about the need for free legal representation and the barriers to it on “Behind The Headlines.”
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November 2024
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ElectionsPolitical Roundup: Breaking down details of certified election results
Shifts in the absentee vote totals and provisional ballots that were due in some part to the uncertainty by voters that absentee ballots could reach the Shelby County Election Commission by mail in time.
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council delays state violence-intervention funding to ensure coordinated effort
Memphis City Council members expressed support for the violence-intervention funding but delayed a vote. The council also discussed ways to overcome the stalled fight against blight.
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City of Memphis New state crime grant for Memphis tops $39 million
The Memphis City Council is also expected to take up gates to the Chickasaw Gardens neighborhood and more at its next session.
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Elections It’s official: Certification puts 2024 Shelby County election results in record book
Some of the vote totals changed in the set of local, state and federal races because of the addition of 250 provisional ballots counted after the Nov. 5 election night. The additional votes didn’t change the outcome in any of the races.
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Shelby County Commission to consider agent for city, county collab
Shelby County Commissioners also vote on $300,000 in funding to a workforce development program that fired its director last week and discuss changes to the 6% pay raise for county employees approved in the previous budget season.
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ElectionsPolitical Roundup: The new election-returns layout, Hagerty defends Gaetz
After years of problems with the posting of election returns on its website, the Shelby County Election Commission has switched to a new system that also features precinct-by-precinct results and maps.
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Public Safety Local leaders announce new safety initiative — but it uses Biden funding
“No matter what happens with respect to the Trump administration, the city and county are prepared to make this office sustainable and continue the commitments,” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said of the question of continued federal support in the Trump administration.
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