Education
Lowery proposes commission have ‘direct role’ in MSCS spending
Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery said on “Behind The Headlines” that he would like to see the commission have line-item control of MSCS spending.
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 3895 articles by Bill Dries :
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January 2025
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Shelby County Old Commercial Appeal building to be new site of Regional One
There is a new plan for the construction of a new Regional One Health hospital at a site on Union near South Lauderdale.
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County plans to fill General Sessions judicial vacancy by March 1
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Metro Mayor Harris says new Regional One plans still include hope for state funding
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talked of the new hospital site as a connection of the Medical District to Downtown, where there is now a lot of vacant land and blight.
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County mayor in Nashville working on alternatives to MSCS takeover bill
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Shelby County County mayor in Nashville working on alternatives to MSCS takeover bill
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris was in Nashville on Monday trying to talk lawmakers out of a state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. He says there are some alternatives being discussed.
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Shelby County County plans to fill General Sessions judicial vacancy by March 1
The County Commission should have a replacement for retiring General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson by his March 1 retirement.
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Shelby County County Commission sets schedule to appoint new judge
At its Monday, Jan. 27, meeting, the Shelby County Commission set the process for filling the vacancy that comes with the March retirement of General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson. Also a test of the commission’s new budget subcommittee process.
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Shelby County Shelby County Republicans elect new party chairman
Worth Morgan and Naser Fazlullah vied in a hard-fought contest. The county GOP convention in Bartlett drew more than 400 people.
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Shelby CountyWhat the county revenue forecast could mean for your property taxes
Real estate values in the recently completed countywide property reappraisal are up about 27% compared to in 2021.
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Behind The Headlines County mayor, judge say they have plan to take over juvenile-detention center
Mayor Lee Harris and Judge Tarik Sugarmon talk on “Behind The Headlines” about the compromise they have taken to Sheriff Floyd Bonner about administration of the county’s juvenile-detention center.
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Food News Raising the steaks: Memphis in May barbecue contest adds beef competition
The one-day addition to the MIM barbecue contest at Liberty Park is tied in with the Fort Worth, Texas based Steak Cookout Association.
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Metro Trump orders release of MLK, JFK and RFK assassination records
Speaking to reporters, President Donald Trump said, “everything will be revealed,” as he signed an executive order to declassify the remaining federal records relating to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and other officials.
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City of Memphis New neighborhoods division would consolidate some city functions
The Division of Neighborhood Improvements was outlined as a more focused approach to persistent blight in the city’s residential areas. City Council members want to know more about the latest shift in the city’s blight strategy.
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East Memphis Chickasaw Gardens street closures hit indefinite roadblock
The long-delayed Memphis City Council votes on closing two Chickasaw Gardens streets to auto traffic has been delayed indefinitely.
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Public Safety City Council reappoints C.J. Davis
The Memphis City Council took up the reappointment of C.J. Davis, which had been on hold for a year.
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Chickasaw Gardens street closures hit indefinite roadblock
New neighborhoods division would consolidate some city functions
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NeighborhoodsMemphis mayor to propose new Neighborhoods Division
The city council agenda also includes a discussion of the proposed Chickasaw Gardens street closures but no vote on the long-delayed pair of resolutions for another two weeks.
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Metro Political Roundup: Activists talk Trump; is Blackburn closer to run for governor?
Activists gathered Saturday in preparation for Donald Trump’s second term as President. Meanwhile, Sen. Marsha Blackburn stirs speculation about a run for Tennessee Governor.
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Behind The Headlines Commissioner says MSCS board members need to ‘pump their brakes’
Three Shelby County commissioners who supported a no-confidence vote aimed at Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the ongoing standoff between the school board and its superintendent.
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Shelby County Commission starting budget season early
The early start to county budget hearings is an attempt to resolve some of the friction between county elected officials and the Mayor Lee Harris’ office.
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MetroD.C. Scorecard: What Memphis’ elected officials are saying ahead of Trump’s second term
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has called on the Senate to reject several of Trump’s appointees, including Robert Kennedy Jr
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Shelby County County Commission OKs no-confidence vote in MSCS board
The no-confidence resolution, aimed at board members who voted to fire Marie Feagins, also includes a “governance plan” to improve the school board’s relationship with the superintendent. The commission voted not to hold up funding for a new Frayser high school.
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Shelby County County Commission rewrite of no-confidence school board resolution tops agenda
Shelby County Commissioners are being drawn into a political brush fire over the attempt by some MSCS board members to fire Superintendent Marie Feagins. The commission is moving from a “no-confidence” resolution to a governance plan designed to put out the fire.
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Behind The Headlines City Council deciding how to enact gun-control measures
The Nov. 5 referendums on a set of three gun-control measures that would apply to Memphis were just a first step toward a local ordinance that would counteract current state gun laws.
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EducationHouse speaker talks state’s ‘nuclear options’ if MSCS board fires Feagins
“You cannot accept anymore that the lowest performing school system in our state is in Shelby County,” State House Speaker Cameron Sexton said while in Memphis. “There’s too many people. There’s too many new jobs coming in. It’s too important for our success.”
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State Government Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee tours Memphis’ xAI facility
Lee was joined on the tour by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton — but not xAI founder Elon Musk.
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Shelby County ‘Let’s get our school system in order,’ county commissioner says
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is moving toward creating a “governance plan,” which would set goals for both the elected school board and Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins.
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