J.W. Gibson joins Memphis Mayor’s race
Gibson is a former Shelby County Commissioner who founded Gibson Companies, which has been involved in several economic development projects.
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 3904 articles by Bill Dries :
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December 2022
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Elections -
Germantown After an emotional debate, Shelby County Commission approves Germantown schools deal
The 8-5 vote by the commission came after an emotional debate and crossed party lines. It is the second of four votes on the deal that would transfer the namesake elementary and middle buildings to Germantown’s school system and greenlight the sale of Germantown High.
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City of Memphis City Council redistricting committee starts with question of who should redraw district lines
A redistricting committee explores whether City Council members seeking reelection on the October 2023 Memphis ballot take a hand in redrawing their district lines.
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Metro County Commission to consider filling Barbara Cooper’s state House seat
The Shelby County Commission meets Wednesday, Dec. 14, to talk about making an appointment to the State House District 86 seat ahead of the special elections.
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ElectionsShelby County November certified ballot, by the numbers
The certified vote totals from the November election show an increase in the number of provisional ballots cast and counted compared to the August elections. The votes added didn’t change any of the outcomes on the November ballot, but they did boost the turnout to 34.4%.
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NeighborhoodsFairgrounds transformation to Liberty Park has more ground to cover
As Mayor Jim Strickland formally opened the Memphis Sports and Events Center on Saturday, he had a contract on his desk for the commercial mixed-use development along Central Avenue.
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EducationEveryone ‘made whole’ by 3G deal, say county, Germantown mayors
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo talked in more specific terms about the Germantown schools transfer on “Behind The Headlines.”
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State Government D.C. Scorecard: Same-sex marriage, Big Tech and Brittney Griner
The D.C. Scorecard looks at the partisan split on federal same-sex marriage recognition and the National Defense Authorization Act.
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State Government Julian Bolton first to file in crowded Democratic field for state House District 86
The former Shelby County commissioner filed Monday, Dec. 5, in the January Democratic primary special election. There are six other Democrats with qualifying petitions out ahead of the Dec. 15 filing deadline.
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City of Memphis Klondike TIF delayed to last city council meeting of year
The delay to the Dec. 20 council session mirrors a delay by the Shelby County Commission. The council also delayed a vote on a settlement to the damage deposit dispute between Memphis River Parks Partnership and the Memphis in May International Festival.
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Downtown City council questions Sheraton tourism surcharge
The terms of the tax incentive for adding a 300-room tower to the existing Sheraton convention center hotel include keeping the value of the existing hotel at its 1998 assessment for tax purposes. Although they don’t have a vote on the incentive terms, Memphis City Council members say their concerns are linked to their vote on a hotel tourism surcharge.
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Shelby County County Commission approves $1.3M one-time funding contract for MATA
The $1.3 million is one-time money for the city’s bus system. Meanwhile, commissioner Henri Brooks voted against three grants made by other commissioners.
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Shelby County County Commissioners ‘stunned’ by 3G deal press release
Some Shelby County Commissioners didn’t care for how terms of the deal that would transfer two Germantown namesake schools to the City of Germantown were made public.
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Transportation & Logistics Local leaders ask Buttigieg for more airport funding
“The terminal is what we want redone now,” Mayor Jim Strickland said at the opening of the $309-million de-icing facility at Memphis International.
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City of Memphis Swearengen-Washington joins Memphis City Council
The council renews discussions Tuesday on a damage deposit agreement for the Memphis In May International Festival’s use of Tom Lee Park as well as a tourism surcharge for the Downtown Memphis Sheraton Hotel.
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Shelby County County Commission talks to attorneys about transfer of Germantown schools
MSCS leaders say they may be going to court. Meanwhile, the commission has delayed what was to be a final vote on a TIF district for redevelopment of Klondike.
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Behind The Headlines Townsend: Hopes for ‘a renaissance of advanced manufacturing in Memphis’
On “Behind the Headlines,” the incoming president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber Ted Townsend called it a “vast change” from being a magnet for logistics and distribution.
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Metro D.C. scorecard: Same-sex marriage, rail strike
Here’s how the city’s representatives in Washington D.C. voted on the two major issues and what they had to say about it on social media.
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City of Memphis County Clerk’s new Riverdale office misses another opening deadline
The new Shelby County Clerk’s office missed a second opening deadline of Dec. 1.
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Metro Liberty Park centerpiece opens to public Dec. 10
The Memphis Sports & Events Center formally opens Dec. 10 with amateur sports leagues and tournaments following in January.
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City of Memphis Philip Davis moves into solid waste director job
Davis has been a key player in the latest changes to the city’s solid waste division. His nomination goes to the Memphis City Council next week.
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November 2022
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Transportation & Logistics Getting ice off the wings: The specs for the airport’s new consolidated de-icing facility
Here are some of the specs involved in Tuesday’s opening of Memphis International Airport’s Consolidated De-Icing Facility.
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Transportation & Logistics Buttigieg to visit FedEx hub at Memphis airport
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be in the city Tuesday, Nov. 29, to tout federal infrastructure funding aimed at supply chain challenges during FedEx’s busiest time of year.
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Elections Date set for special election to fill Barbara Cooper’s seat
The 2023 election year will begin in Memphis with a set of January primaries for the late Barbara Cooper’s state House seat.
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ElectionsMust mayoral candidates live in the city? Depends on who you ask
There are city residency questions surrounding two of the six declared contenders to succeed Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Here’s a summary of legal opinions fueling the controversy.
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