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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August 2020
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Metro Any demolition permit for a church on Summer Avenue that is 50 years old or older would have to get Memphis City Council approval for the next six months. -
Public Safety Owens pleads to federal heroin conspiracy charge
The son of onetime topless nightclub kingpin Danny Owens is one of five people charged last year with running a heroin and fentanyl dealing operation in the city as Owens allegedly was planning to open a Memphis nightclub.
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Video
Behind The HeadlinesPolice numbers still dominate city council’s debate over police reform
Council members Michalyn Easter-Thomas and Chase Carlisle were on opposite sides of the council's veto override vote on police residency this week. On "Behind The Headlines" they talked about how many police are enough and how to get to the bigger issues beyond the numbers in the ranks.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: The veto and the override
The City Council Scorecard also looks at a police reform measure that fell short of seven votes and failure of Graceland's plan to open a manufacturing plant with a vocational school in Whitehaven.
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City of Memphis MLGW board moves to speed up review of TVA exit options
As expected, the utility is moving to a request-for-proposal process that would seek specific proposals from electric power suppliers that could replace the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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Education No provisions in place to alert general public to COVID-19 cases in schools
The Shelby County Health Department is not tracking the number of COVID-19 cases in the schools nor is it requiring schools to report cases.
Related: Like Shelby County, COVID-19 reporting among schools statewide is random
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City of Memphis Mayor vetoes, council overrides on residency question
The veto and override came on a full day of council discussion and debate about police reform in general, including a vote on a resolution opposing the presence of the federal Operation LeGend in the city and U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant's meeting with the council.
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City of Memphis Next step in MLGW-TVA relationship is probably request for proposals
The MLGW board meets Wednesday and is likely to get a recommendation from its CEO to find a firm to field price quotes and other specific options toward either staying with TVA or what life after TVA looks like.
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City of Memphis City Council rejects Graceland plan for Graves Elementary
The Memphis City Council voted down plans Tuesday, Aug. 18, for a manufacturing facility and vocational school at the old Graves Elementary School site in Whitehaven. The project was the latest stage of an expansion of Graceland's presence in Whitehaven that includes a hotel-resort and an entertainment complex.
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City of Memphis MLGW board to get recommendation Wednesday on TVA ties
The board heard Monday from a coalition of groups pushing for cutting ties to TVA and other electric power suppliers that could replace TVA.
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City of Memphis New and returning police reform discussions dominate council discussions, agenda
Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Strickland says public sentiment will probably have to resolve the differing views on what police reform in Memphis means two week after the council took a residency referendum off the November ballot. The proposed amendment was part of a push to increase the size of the police force.
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City of Memphis City council reviews new financing plan for The Walk on Union
Finances for The Walk, a vote on a controversial plan to convert a vacant Whitehaven school into a manufacturing plant and vocational school are candidates for Tuesday's council agenda.
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Shelby County Census effort draws election comparison as September deadline nears
Mayors Strickland and Harris and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen were quick Monday to draw parallels to the national debate about various forms of voting and problems with the U.S. Postal Service when it comes to mailing in votes or Census forms.
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City of Memphis Lawsuit alleges ‘Sundance Kid’ remains rest at Elmwood
The claim by a Missouri "photo historian" is being opposed by Elmwood Cemetery, which counters that the relative of J. Sam Morton included as a plaintiff is too distant to exhume the body to get a DNA sample. The case is built on alleged resemblances in old photos and the legend of Etta Place, the outlaw's companion.
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Video
City of MemphisSt. Jude CEO says COVID-19 pandemic not science’s fault but reflection of globalization
On "Behind The Headlines," Dr. James Downing talked about the gap between public health and health care as well as the research hospital's $20 million effort to keep the virus off its campus through weekly testing. Data from the testing regimen is also part of a global research effort and St. Jude is participating in clinical trials for a vaccine.
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Podcast
ElectionsCohen says Biden-Harris ticket should campaign in Memphis
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, the city's Democratic Congressman also talked about his recent primary win on the August ballot, the political benchmark it maintained and gave his thoughts on who might succeed him down the political road.
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Shelby County County Commission Scorecard: Finding the budget line and holding it
Our scorecard of commission votes includes a possible swap of some CARES Act funding as well as the first rejection of a move to get past county government's hiring freeze.
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City of Memphis Fairgrounds becomes ‘Liberty Park’ in latest post-pandemic plan
The city has also signed a letter of intent with Capstone Development for two hotels on the Central Avenue frontage. The founder of Capstone sees a different kind of recovery from the pandemic for the hospitality industry — one led by the families that travel regionally to the sports tournaments that are the financial engine for Liberty Park's public and private uses.
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Coronavirus State officials detail relief for individuals, families, nonprofits
Tennessee Department of Human Services Commissioner Danielle Barnes said 450,000 kids have been approved to receive EBT as part of pandemic food insecurity programs.
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City of Memphis Cohen, Kustoff reflect Congressional divide over new COVID relief package
The Congressmen, in their respective districts during Congress’ recess, say they are prepared to return to Washington if Democrats and Republicans can reach an accord on pandemic relief and stimulus funding.
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Metro Bird scooters off the streets for a week for busting weekend curfew
The suspension does not affect the two other scooter operators, Spin and Explore Bike Share, which has a fleet of OjOs.
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Shelby County Familiar county budget tensions surface as CARES-Act-COVID-funding deadline nears
Shelby County Commissioners want to try a swap out of federal CARES Act funding similar to one city council members did a week ago. But tensions left over from a rough county budget season that ended in June are hanging around.
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Premium
Shelby CountyCounty budget still fuzzy seven weeks into new fiscal year
County commissioners vote Monday on a waiver of the county's hiring and pay freeze, and nearly 100 more waivers requested by officials are waiting in the wings. Commissioners say they need a budget book with specific line items and dollar figures to know whether the waivers would put the county in the red.
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Podcast
On the RecordThe August Election Roundup: What Happened and Why
The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast features a 10-minute roundup of what the Thursday vote count means.
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Elections Absentee ballot anxiety weighed and sorted in election aftermath
The Shelby County Election Commission got requests for nearly 20,000 absentee ballots and about 17,000 of the mail-in ballots were cast in Thursday's election. Some voters anxious about waiting for the ballots to come instead voted in person on election day or during early voting. And some ballots were disqualified because of specific state laws.
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