City Council takes up $200 million ‘Accelerate Memphis’ plan, financing
The agenda also includes changes to the city’s financial policies to allow the balloon debt structure to finance the project.
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 3902 articles by Bill Dries :
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February 2021
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City of Memphis
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January 2021
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City of Memphis Third day goes smoothly at Appling vaccination site
The city auto inspection station on Appling City Cove bustled with volunteers Friday, three days into giving second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Those scheduled for vaccinations were urged to come no more than an hour before their scheduled times.
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Coronavirus State says Shelby getting its fair share of COVID vaccine
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee denies that Shelby County is getting less than its share of COVID-19 vaccine, and he sent a letter to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland Wednesday, Jan. 27, saying so.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: A street closing and a motion to table
The City Council’s most recent session featured a rare motion to table an item that didn’t have seven votes to pass, at least for now, and a vote to close a street even though the council could very well vote down the development that will follow the street closure.
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City of Memphis PILOT reform discussions try to avoid PowerPoints and path of past efforts
Before Shelby County Commissioners and Memphis City Council members get together to talk about changing the most used tax incentive in local economic development, they want to do more than watch PowerPoint presentations on PILOTs – payments in lieu of taxes.
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City of Memphis Akbari, Kelsey have different view of ‘following science’ on in-person school
On “Behind The Headlines,” the Republican and Democratic legislators from the Shelby County delegation to Nashville also agreed on mandatory summer school or tutoring to help students who have slipped academically during the pandemic.
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City of Memphis Ban on pet store sales of dogs and cats debated by council
The Memphis City Council votes next week on the first of three readings of an ordinance that would bar retail pet stores from selling dogs and cats.
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Shelby County Shelby County Commission Scorecard: Police militarization, Trump honors, Capitol insurrection
The County Commission Scorecard tracks how a seven-month-old police reform proposal moved from being one vote short of the seven necessary for final approval to 10 votes across party lines this week.
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City of Memphis Melrose plans include genealogical center, library
City Council members got their first look at the details of Accelerate Memphis on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
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City of Memphis Council balks at violence intervention office, delays vote
The council delayed a vote on getting the program started for a week. Council members generally back the idea of trying to intervene with those of both sides of violent crimes. But some saw too many law enforcement agencies involved in the initial pitch despite assurances it will instead be aimed at prevention.
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City of Memphis Council calls for feds to send vaccine directly to city
The council Tuesday voted unanimously to join a call by leaders in 22 of the nation’s largest cities to ask President Joe Biden to send vaccine directly to the cities and bypass state governments.
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City of Memphis New MPD dashboard to record excessive force complaints, reports
The dashboard was called for by City Council members this past December and will be added to three city websites. No date was given for when the information will go live, but it will data back to 2016.
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City of Memphis Puppy sales, city’s tallest building, sewers top City Council agenda
City Council members Tuesday will consider banning puppy sales as the only national pet store chain that sells puppies is readying a Wolfchase store. The council also gets an update on the vacant 100 North Main Building and talks over the latest changes to the city’s sewer system.
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Shelby County County Commission bans renamings for Trump, condemns Capitol insurrection
With no discussion, Shelby County commissioners approved Monday, Jan. 25, a resolution that forbids the county from renaming any of its property, roads, bridges or buildings in honor of former President Donald Trump.
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Shelby County PILOT moratorium proposal moves to a task force
Shelby County commissioners agree that the tax incentives, the most potent part of the local economic development arsenal, need to be discussed. The conversation Monday was about how to shape the discussion so that it doesn’t go the way of past conversations about PILOTs.
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Shelby County Limits on surplus military equipment for Sheriff’s Office approved after lots of changes
The ordinance allows the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency and Homeland Security to acquire some surplus military hardware for protection and natural disasters. But most military hardware offered by the federal government requires a majority vote of the commission.
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Shelby County PILOTs and compromise on military hardware limits top commission agenda
The Monday County Commission meeting includes a possible six-month moratorium on new PILOTs. And there is a compromise with Sheriff Floyd Bonner that would rewrite the ordinance requiring him to get approval from the commission to acquire surplus military hardware from the federal government.
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Elections First week of new presidental administration shows local partisan divide largely intact
The week featured some social media sniping, a MLK Day rebuke and a video plea from Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray.
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Elections Election questions this year recall 1876 dispute
University of Memphis historian Beverly Bond says there are important differences between the contested presidential election of 1876 that ended Reconstruction and the contested 2020 election. But there are some broader connections between the reactions then and now.
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Elections Remus says Democrats will challenge Lee in 2022 governor’s race
The new Tennessee Democratic Party chairman says on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast that challenging Republican majorities in the Tennessee Legislature will take longer.
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Behind The Headlines McGowen on COVID vaccine: ‘Send us as much as you can’
On “Behind The Headlines,” Doug McGowen, the city’s chief operating officer, and Dr. Jon McCullers of UTHSC said multiple plans to vaccinate more than 600,000 people in Shelby County are ready to be used and adjusted to roll with the circumstances.
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City of Memphis Strickland proposes $200 million plan for capital projects
The plan was outlined in a Thursday State of the City speech by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Strickland also outlined two violent crime intervention programs.
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Shelby County Commission advances ban on Trump honors, condemnation of Capitol attack
The resolutions were discussed as commissioners watched the presidential inauguration while working through committee agendas. The full commission votes on the matters Monday.
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Shelby County Sawyer’s call for six-month PILOT moratorium finds little support
Sawyer wants to examine the ground rules for awarding the most-used tax incentive in Memphis economic development and the results of past or ongoing PILOTs.
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Shelby County County Commissioners approve legal expenses in wrongful death lawsuit
In a brief special meeting Wednesday, Jan. 20, Shelby County commissioners approved a $300,000 transfer of funds to pay legal expenses in a wrongful death lawsuit.
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