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 4089 articles by Bill Dries :
Some say the National Guard “shouldn’t be here,” while others say Memphis “got the message.” The Daily Memphian captured a snapshot of where Memphians stand on the Memphis Safe Task Force and its impact.
The present St. Patrick Catholic Church was built in 1905 but the congregation dates back to 1866 on the same property south of FedExForum.
The first day Monday, Dec. 22, of the period to get on the May 5 Shelby County primary ballot opened to a crowd of contenders Downtown and those who are already working on their campaigns.Related content:
Candidates in the May 5 Shelby County primaries start picking up the paperwork Monday, Dec. 22, to get on the ballot. Here’s what you need to know about the start of the 2026 election year in Memphis and Shelby County.
The leader of Shelby County’s Community Services Division talks about the safety net of programs and the balancing act that comes with uncertain money.
The set of 10 apartments in the North Memphis neighborhood of Bickford took two years to renovate.
Feagins kicked off her bid in the May 5 Democratic mayoral primary before a group of 100 people on Wednesday, Dec. 17, in Southwind.Related content:
Bellevue Tennis Center would also get renovation funds.
While Halbert is now cooperating, County Commission Chair Shante Avant said she may call a special meeting of the body if the cooperation stops.
Crime keeps dropping. Police say major offenses fell again in November, reaching their lowest level in nearly three years.
The commission votes on a resolution that asks County Clerk Wanda Halbert to cooperate with the regular audit of county finances. Auditors say Halbert isn’t cooperating as a Dec. 31 state law nears.
Memphis’ historic cobblestone landing formally opened Friday after at least 19 years of bureaucracy, red tape and the rise and fall of the Mississippi River.
A future cloud computing hub — at the site of a another development that never panned out — is among the topics on “Behind The Headlines” a reporters’ roundtable.
Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies and General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer clashed over whether her private security guard could carry a gun inside the D’Army Bailey courthouse.
The five-year-old development on the site of the city’s second shopping mall will likely be completed in 4-6 months.
Housing and Urban Development grants could reach an estimated 100 to 120 senior citizen homeowners.
Also in this roundup, the first forum among contenders for Shelby County sheriff and the race to succeed Wanda Halbert is filling up.
On “Behind The Headlines,” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said he has tried to meet with federal officials from the Memphis Safe Task Force to talk about his concerns ICE agents are racially “profiling” Memphians.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he wants to sustain the drop in crime.
Sheriff Floyd Bonner faults Mayor Lee Harris for problems at the County Corrections Center and not being responsive in assisting with problems at the jail.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says the number of jail deaths calls for dramatic change that could include the county or the state taking over the county jail currently run by Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
There were some sparks and plenty of claims disputed Wednesday, Dec. 3, during the forum at LeMoyne-Owen College. The same five contenders who showed up last month for a Germantown forum took the stage in Soulsville.
MATA’s trustee said rider numbers are up. In other action, council members took steps to stop dumping in the Wolf River Bottoms, but balked at some strong limits suggested for city contracts to manage city parks.Related content:
The move from being appointed to becoming civil servants would change library employees’ status.
The council also gets an update on the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s three-month, no-fare experiment.