Last of county police reform measures delayed again
A proposal by Commissioner Tami Sawyer to require County Commission approval for any sheriff to acquire surplus federal military equipment was postponed.
Bill Dries
Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for more than 40 years.
There are 3663 articles by Bill Dries :
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January 2021
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Shelby County -
Shelby County County Commission approves $2.5M restaurant, hospitality workers relief fund
Republican commissioners said their “no” votes were because of concerns about the use of county reserves to create the $2.5 million fund. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is asking Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to reimburse the county funding with state money.
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City of Memphis Strickland says Downtown parking profits can’t be used for council grants
But the mayor says he is willing to work with the City Council and says the conflicting wording in two resolutions the council approved last month could “work together” to get more funding to public transportation, mobility and parking projects.
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Shelby County County Commission vote on relief fund represents critical juncture
The commission votes Monday, Jan. 11, on a $1.2 million relief fund for restaurant workers. The fund’s fate could point the way toward a greater change in the priorities of county government called for by the Democratic county mayor and majority on the commission.
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State Government Feds approve state’s Medicaid block grant waiver
The $8.6 billion waiver must be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly and sets a cap on TennCare funding with the state keeping a share of any savings if its spending comes in below the cap.
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Behind The Headlines Vaccine and virus offer high hopes and worst fears at same time
Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, one of the city’s leading experts on the COVID-19 virus, says state and local officials need to figure out a vaccine pipeline that can keep the vaccine coming while not forgetting about the importance of testing.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: The business border and slowing down
The Daily Memphian’s City Council Scorecard opens the new year with two council decisions — one on a familiar issue in council discussions. The other is a close vote on a lower speed limit.
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Elections Local Democrats look to Georgia model to end GOP dominance in Tennessee
Former local Democratic party Chairman Corey Strong, on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, says the Georgia model of bringing activists and organizers into the state party machinery will take time — probably six to 10 years to take Tennessee from red to purple.
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Shelby County Harris says restaurant workers relief aimed at those most affected
The Shelby County Commission votes Monday, Jan. 11, on the proposed $2.5 million fund drawn from county reserves.
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Elections How Tennessee’s two Senators and the city’s two Congressmen voted on the Electoral College challenges
The House and Senate kept late hours, resuming the Electoral College certification after a violent protest shut down the process into Wednesday evening. The session continued until just before dawn Thursday.
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Elections City’s elected officials in D.C. respond to protesters storming Capitol
Here is the latest from the city’s representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.
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Elections Local pro-Trump group protests peacefully in East Memphis
The protest of several dozen along the Poplar Corridor came before the aborted attempt in Washington D.C. to certify the Electoral College results that ended in violence.
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City of Memphis Kelsey bill would eliminate residency requirements statewide for police and fire
The bill follows a City Council decision late last year to remove a referendum question that would have allowed Memphis police and firefighters to live outside Shelby County.
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Shelby County Harris proposes county $2.5M restaurant workers relief fund
Harris took the proposal for grants of $1,000 per qualified worker to commission committee sessions Wednesday, Jan. 6.
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City of Memphis City reallocates last $9.9 million in CARES Act funding to include COVID testing, vaccines
Grants for distressed businesses also got a share of the funding after a council debate. And the council mediated a call by a restaurant owner to MLGW to work out payment plans with the industry.
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City of Memphis Tom Lee Park renovation begins
With a virtual groundbreaking ceremony before Christmas, actual construction work began Tuesday, Jan. 5, on the Tom Lee Park project.
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City of Memphis Unposted speed limit goes from 30 mph to 25 mph in close council vote
By a narrow 7-6 vote, the Memphis City Council has changed the default speed limit on city streets without speed limit signs from 30 miles an hour to 25 miles an hour.
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City of Memphis Rallings says police department numbers too low for community policing push
In the discussion with Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Jan. 5, the police director said he can’t carry out plans of a city task force to reopen several community policing centers given the pandemic. He got immediate pushback from several council members.
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Arts & Culture Stolen: $11,000 in artifacts taken from Mud Island museum
The museum has been closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic while the Mud Island River Park has been open to visitors.
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City of Memphis City Council marks one year of exile from City Hall chambers
The first online council meeting of the year comes with some changes in committee chairmanships and votes on down-zoning two parts of Summer Avenue as well as new penalties for illegal street racing.
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State Government Blackburn, Hagerty oppose presidential election certification
The two Republicans are part of a group of 11 Republican Senators and Senators-elect who are calling for a Congressional investigation and audit of presidential election results in battleground states won by President-elect Joe Biden.
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December 2020
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Shelby County 5 critical votes by the Shelby County Commission
From an ongoing budget battle to police reform and new voting machines, these are five critical votes by the Shelby County Commission in 2020 as chronicled in The Daily Memphian’s County Commission Scorecard.
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State Government Cohen, Kustoff vote for veto override, split on larger stimulus checks
The two Republican U.S. senators representing Tennessee have not commented on the override of the Defense Authorization Act veto by Trump or the move to boost stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per person.
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Premium
City of MemphisFive significant City Council votes in 2020
The Daily Memphian City Council Scorecard tracked 48 key council decisions in the current council’s first year in office. These are five significant decisions made that promise to have an impact on what happens in 2021.
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Elections Pandemic, police reform, political divide and county budget rift top Year In Review podcast
The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast offers a review of the year 2020 centered on four major events. Three of the four were national in scope. The fourth is a local story that has broad implications for the gap between aspirations and the reality of governing.
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