Mystery painting of Cossitt Library turns up ahead of fall reopening
The painting shows the Cossitt Library shortly after or just before its 1958 renovation when the midcentury modern front of the landmark was added.
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 4043 articles by Bill Dries :
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May 2021
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City of Memphis -
On the Record ‘Biden Bucks'; Cohen on the insurrection, and a third bridge
The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast runs down recent political events including sorting out what became of the idea of a “Super Chancery Court” proposed in the Tennessee General Assembly.
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Shelby County State concludes health department needs more training, better chain of command
A Tennessee Department of Health report on Shelby County vaccine distribution problems recommends more training and establishing a clear chain of command but concluded no one needs to get revaccinated.
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Transportation & Logistics Arkansas confirms bridge may have been damaged since 2019
Drone footage shows the Hernando DeSoto Bridge may have been damaged since 2019.
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City of Memphis City Council members eye about $27 million excess in revenues
City Council budget committee Chairman Worth Morgan and city Chief Financial Officer Shirley Ford talked about revenue estimates and the impact of federal American Rescue Plan funds as well as restrictions during “Behind The Headlines.”
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Elections Kustoff part of GOP caucus majority in Cheney ouster
Meanwhile, both of the state’s Republican U.S. Senators have been critical of the Democratic bill that would change election laws. One of the few Tennessee Republicans dissenting on Cheney’s ouster, former Congressman Zach Wamp, says it represents a split in the Republican Party that could have implications in next year’s mid-term Congressional elections.
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Update
MetroCrack shuts down all traffic on I-40 bridge
A crack on the I-40 bridge from Memphis into Arkansas shut down traffic and drivers were being rerouted to I-55, over the old bridge.
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City of Memphis Garbage, buses and park rangers surface in city budget discussions
It could have taken years for city crews to adequately manage garbage pick up in Area E, city council members were told Tuesday. Meanwhile, some council members appear likely to move for more funding of the Memphis Area Transit Authority and the parks division has a plan to add park rangers.
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Shelby County No evidence of vaccine irregularities, Harris says
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he’s found nothing to validate accusations that doses of vaccine were lost, stolen or misused when the county Health Department controlled distribution.
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Shelby County County Mayor Harris says county tax rate should hold steady
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said on “Behind The Headlines” that the estimated drop in the county property tax rate to $3.50, accounting for increases in values, should be the line to hold on the county tax rate. But county commissioners this week reviewed numbers suggesting some want to raise taxes beyond that point.
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Shelby County County Commission advances pipeline setbacks on first reading
Commissioners went ahead with a Monday vote on the Unified Development Code changes proposed by county Mayor Lee Harris. That despite the Byhalia Connection Pipeline companies urging a delay.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: The new police director’s challenge
The City Council Scorecard looks at the almost unanimous vote making Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis the new head of MPD. The dissenting votes indicate Davis has cleared one hurdle but faces more to make the words that impressed most of the council match what she does as police chief.
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City of Memphis Director leaves Memphis’ solid waste division
Al Lamar’s departure follows complaints about solid waste services in Cordova, Hickory Hill and East Memphis. The problem led the city to cancel its contract with Waste Pro.
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Shelby County County clerk’s data processing fee could go up
The commission is trying to come up with $659,000 in funding for salaries and wages in the clerk’s office without taking the money from county reserves.
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Shelby County Budget Basics: A few numbers from Shelby County government’s budget season
Here’s a look at some terms to know as county commissioners begin discussing the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.
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Shelby County County Commission to consider pipeline ordinance
Commissioners may decide if they want to stand down as the City Council has on changes to the Unified Development Code that would involve a setback for oil pipelines. The council delayed action on the same measure as the Byhalia Connection Pipeline companies agreed to drop lawsuits for rights of way in southwest Memphis.
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Arts & Culture Tom Lee anniversary reflects larger changes after hero’s life
The 2006 sculpture honoring Tom Lee’s 1925 rescue of 32 people from the Mississippi River is a prominent part of plans to remake the popular park. But the fate of a 1954 monument that refers to Lee as a “very worthy Negro” is uncertain.
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Elections PAC, Salinas to bring ‘Fuerza’ to state’s Latino Democrats
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, the two-time Democratic nominee for the Tennessee General Assembly talks about the new Latino Democratic political action committee Fuerza, for which she serves on the board.
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City of Memphis Mayor Strickland proposes police, fire retention bonuses
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced Friday, May 7, that he is proposing bonus pay for police and firefighters over the next three fiscal years.
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City of Memphis Emhoff, Walsh push for Biden White House jobs and infrastructure plan
The Second Gentleman and the U.S. Labor Secretary pushed Thursday, May 6, for support of the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan proposal in Whitehaven and Downtown. They offered different definitions of infrastructure and what is necessary beyond the pandemic for economic recovery than the state’s two Republican U.S. Senators.
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Premium
City of MemphisShort-term Audubon Park golf course plans could get longer look by city
The temporary fix of cart paths on the golf course could wait to get a feel for what a larger makeover similar to that underway on the Overton Park golf course might involve.
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City of Memphis Slate of improvements — including new sign — planned for Mud Island
Memphis could soon have a daily reminder that we don’t have “time for things with no soul.”
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City of Memphis City shuffles mix of bonds for Accelerate Memphis slate
The council also approved a new seven-year lease between the city and the Withers Collection Inc., which has been behind on its rent.
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Real Estate Landmarks Commission won’t control Crosstown Mound for five years
The council approved the larger Crosstown overlay district without the 9-acre mound Tuesday, May 4, in the first of several votes on the blueprint for control of design standards by the Memphis Landmarks Commission.
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Update
Public SafetyDavis confirmed as new Memphis Police chief
Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis became the new leader of the Memphis Police Department Tuesday, May 4, in a council vote that was almost unanimous.
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