New voting equipment for November arrives; early voting hours set for August ballot
The new system includes a paper trail along with updated touch screen machines and an option to vote hand-marked paper ballots.
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 4155 articles by Bill Dries :
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June 2022
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Shelby County -
Shelby County MATA funding clears final hurdle at Shelby County Commission
The 9-2 vote at the Monday, June 27, commission completes city and county action to create an ongoing tax revenue stream expected to total $30 million in the next 8 years.
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County Commission caught between capital funding for schools or Regional One
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Shelby County County Commission goals include help for Regional One
And with almost half of Shelby County Commissioners leaving office in two months, they have a firm deadline to find $350 million in funding, their share of the project’s funding, for the county-owned hospital. The Commission also has ambitious plans to revamp the county’s MWBE program.
Related story:
County Commission caught between capital funding for schools or Regional One
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Shelby County County Commission takes final vote on MATA funding
The agenda also includes $300,000 in funding for the Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corp. Additionally, commissioners will consider a resolution urging the Tennessee General Assembly to change redistricting maps to reflect an accurate county line between Shelby County and Fayette County.
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Shelby County County Commission caught between capital funding for schools or Regional One
At one point Shelby County commissioners forgot they had allocated capital funding to the county’s seven public school systems as they debate how to fund $350 million ask by Regional One.
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Update
State GovernmentTennesseans react to Supreme Court decision on abortion
Responses to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Friday, June 24, overturning the nearly 50-year old Roe v. Wade decision fall along party lines in Memphis and across Tennessee.
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Near-total abortion ban takes effect in 30 days, but a ‘heartbeat bill’ could come sooner
The closest state to Memphis with abortion access? Illinois.
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Elections NAACP calls for better paper ballot backups for August elections
The Memphis Branch NAACP and other organizations say problems at an early voting location ahead of the May county primary election day have prompted their push for paper ballots as a backup.
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Transportation & Logistics Council approves city’s share of recurring funding for MATA
The growing pool of property-tax funding is expected to reach the $30 million goal in the next seven to eight fiscal years — with city and county combined funding.
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City Council tables indefinitely ballot question to allow partisan primaries
City Council rejects used-car lot on Elvis Presley Boulevard
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City of Memphis City Council rejects used-car lot on Elvis Presley Boulevard
The council also discussed the riverfront’s Cobblestone Landing, a blight and illegal dumping task force and police escorts for Donald Trump’s Southaven speech.
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City of Memphis City Council tables indefinitely ballot question to allow partisan primaries
The ordinance was tabled Tuesday, June 21, by its council sponsor, Martavius Jones.
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Elections Recount confirms Henri Brooks, Miska Clay-Bibbs won Democratic primaries for County Commission
The recount requested by two second-place finishers in the May primaries and approved by the state Democratic party’s primary board did not change the certified results.
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Behind The Headlines Juvenile Court Judge challenger says voters won’t ‘buy into’ change in incumbent’s outlook on juvenile justice
On “Behind The Headlines,” Memphis City Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon said Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael’s appearance on the show a week earlier looks like a change in Michael’s attitude toward juvenile justice reform but isn’t.
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Elections Mark Flanagan marked a cultural and political transition in Midtown
Flanagan, who is remembered for his signature shorts and flowered Hawaiian shirts, died June 15, ending a career that included involvement in the local Democratic Party’s executive committee as well as an organizer of the Midtown St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl.
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City of Memphis City Council to take final vote on partisan primaries
The ballot question would be the second amending the city charter in this election year. Also on the budget are Memphis Area Transit Authority funding and the city’s blight problem.
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North Mississippi ‘Unwelcome wagon,’ Trump’s remarks in Nashville set stage for Southaven visit
The former president, the headliner at a conservative political conference on Saturday, offered a preview during a speech in Nashville of what he is likely to say.
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Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: New voting machines, raises over bonuses and license-plate postage
The County Commission Scorecard tracks the votes on the end of the budget season and several unrelated longstanding controversies the commission got off its plate in a marathon June 6 meeting.
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Elections Recounts underway in two Democratic County Commission districts
The Shelby County Election Commission has until Monday to complete the process for primary races that each got fewer than 3,000 votes.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: Primary strategy, Trump’s escort and Environmental Court
The City Council Scorecard examines a vote on a resolution to deny former President Donald Trump a police escort to his Saturday appearance in Southaven, Mississippi.
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City of Memphis Inspection finds senior high-rise ‘poses health hazard’ to its residents
Code enforcement found 36 units with no air conditioning; 36 units had no hot water.
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North Mississippi Trump appearance at Landers Center different from past campaign rallies
Prices to attend Saturday’s event range from $9 a person to watch a live feed from an overflow room to a $3,995 “presidential” package that was recently changed to a “buy one, get one free” deal.
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City of Memphis Code enforcement inspectors return to senior citizens high-rise
The inspections come amid reports of no air conditioning as summer temperatures reach dangerous levels this week.
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Elections Two races in Shelby County Democratic primaries get recount
The Tennessee Democratic Party’s primary board ordered recounts for the Shelby County Commission Districts 7 and 11 races.
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Behind The Headlines Judge touts ‘incredible changes’ in Juvenile Court system, his own outlook
Dan Michael makes the case on “Behind The Headlines” for court reforms and changes in the police interactions with Black children. It’s a very different view than the one he took five years ago.
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Elections Kustoff named to House Ways and Means Committee
Republican U.S. Representative says it’s “a seat at the table on issues such as taxes, trade and healthcare” for constituents in West Tennessee and the Mid-South region.
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City of Memphis MLGW savings less than expected under new power proposals
For years, advocates have said MLGW could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually by leaving TVA and buying electricity from someone else. But savings of “huge dollars” didn’t materialize in the latest proposals from other providers.
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