Early voting starts slow at Election Commission offices
There are plans by several organizations to boost the turnout Thursday. Meanwhile, there is free parking around the only early-voting site Downtown open Wednesday and Thursday.
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 3968 articles by Bill Dries :
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April 2022
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Elections -
Elections Ballot Basics: Early Voting Begins
Early voting for the Shelby County primaries is April 13-28. Here is everything to know the ballot, the basics of early voting and what turnout in this election cycle has looked like in the past.
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Elections Political Roundup: DA’s race goes critical, Skullduggery and August ballot shakeout
The Democratic primary race for district attorney is about to turn from general calls for change to who can upset incumbent Republican Amy Weirich.
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Elections Political Roundup: Whitehaven’s importance, and Aug. ballot fills
Democratic county mayoral contender Ken Moody opened the first of what will be several headquarters opened by various campaigns in Whitehaven, underscoring the importance of the area’s Black middle class in the city’s political mix.
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Shelby County Special commission meeting on detention center funding draws fire
County Commission Chair Willie Brooks denied that the meeting was called to try to hide the 8-0 vote on emergency funding for the project.
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Shelby County County Commission approves MATA funding despite reservations
The MATA funding has also become an issue in the May Republican primary for commission District 4.
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Update
ElectionsJudge denies bid to open additional early voting locations Wednesday
The ruling on a motion Monday, April 11, means early voting in advance of the May 3 election day opens Wednesday at a single Downtown site. The other 25 early voting sites open the Monday after Easter Sunday.
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Shelby County County Commission approves Soulsville, Northside High incentives
In addition to advancements on Northside and Soulsville TIFs, the commission approved on second reading an ordinance keeping in place a residency waiver for prison guards. But some commissioners may try to kill it on third reading next month.
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Memphis Grizzlies County approves agreement to keep Grizzlies in Memphis through 2029
The County Commission Monday approved the agreement with Grizzlies to keep the team in Memphis through at least 2029.
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Public Safety Mental health professionals to join sheriff’s deputies on some calls
The pairing is among the police reforms discussed nationally in the wake of the March 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police custody.
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Shelby County Northside and Soulsville tax incentives move to County Commission
The commission agenda also includes a call on County Clerk Wanda Halbert for a corrective plan to clear up some problems in a recent audit of her office’s financial statements.
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Behind The Headlines Youth Villages starts intervention program to reduce homicide rate
The $60 million Memphis Allies gun violence initiative is new turf for Youth Villages, which historically hasn’t worked with teens and young adults accused of violent crimes.
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Elections Huett-Garcia claims school board seat at filing deadline
Billy Orgel decided not to file the petition for re-election he pulledin February. That left Amber Huett-Garcia as the only candidate in the race and effectively elected to the District 6 MSCS board seat at the Thursday filing deadline. There were other surprises at the deadline in other races.
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Metro The return of the ‘People’s Convention’
Earle Fisher of UpTheVote 901 talks about the return of the political gathering begun in 2019 and the state of the city’s new activism that has mixed campaigning for causes with campaigning for elective office.
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Metro Blackburn and Hagerty vote against Jackson confirmation to U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty indicated they would vote against the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson ahead of the 53-47 vote Thursday, April 7.
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Elections August ballot solidifies as filing deadline approaches
With some petitions still out ahead of the Thursday, April 7, noon deadline, there is a chance some contenders will have no opposition on the August ballot. Here’s a run down of the filing developments.
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Elections Morrison-Carpenter matchup draws distinctions, few sparks at Southwind
Shelby County Commissioner Brandon Morrison defends her conservatism while opponent Jordan Carpenter targets what he calls “dangerous ideologies” and “perversion.”
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City of Memphis City Council moves to hire energy consultant on MLGW-TVA issue
Should we stay or should we go? The decision still lacks a dollar figure and relies on the MLGW board agreeing to let the council’s consultant get a look at the various proposals.
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City of Memphis One Beale gets city financial backing
“This is not something we have taken lightly,” said Memphis COO Doug McGowen. “The world has changed and the Loews hotel is not coming. Those are two things that have caused us to act.”
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City Council urges early voting expansion in county primaries
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City of Memphis City Council urges early voting expansion in county primaries
In addition to the voting-expansion resolution, Council action included the Liberty Park contract, more time for Parkside at Shelby Farms and the end of the latest consolidation push.
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Update
MetroKing’s voice speaks again at Civil Rights Museum on anniversary of his death
The National Civil Rights Museum commemorated the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, April 4. The recordings of King’s sermons resonated with the times as one of those in his inner circle returned for what has become an annual pilgrimage.
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City of Memphis City Council takes up One Beale debt, Soulsville TIF and Northside PILOT
The economic development items are part of a council agenda that could see the formal end of a city-county consolidation bid and the end of council discussion of police and fire residency requirements.
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Elections What a Democratic District Attorney’s office would look like
Each of the three Democratic primary candidates for Shelby County District Attorney General pledge to make deep reforms in the prosecutor’s office.
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Elections Political Roundup: Heading to the first election since 2020
April marks the deadline to register to vote in the May 3 elections, the filing deadline for the August ballot, and the start of early voting ahead of the May 3 election day.
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Premium
Shelby CountyBureaucratic traffic jam backs up new car tags and license plates
The Daily Memphian readers chime in to share their experiences, which sometimes involve mail delivery issues. But County Clerk Wanda Halbert says there are other problems within county government.
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