Council member said he’s not subject of ethics investigation
Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. is named in a May letter as urging the city administration to hire Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington’s niece in the city’s IT division.
Samuel Hardiman
Reporter
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development.
There are 698 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
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July 2026
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City of Memphis -
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City of MemphisCouncil chair allegedly pushed staff for donations
In May, the City Council’s chief administrator raised various concerns about Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington. Among them, that the councilperson was using city resources for her and her husband’s church.
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City of MemphisCity of Memphis investigating potential ethics violations
It is not clear what the city’s independent counsel is investigating, but a person familiar with the matter said it could be for potential violations of state, local and federal laws.
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City of Memphis Could Memphis ban data centers? Maybe.
On Tuesday, the Memphis City Council discussed potential zoning changes that would impact data centers.
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North Mississippi State of Mississippi defends Elon Musk’s Southaven turbines
Mississippi aruges that the lawsuit from the Mississippi NAACP about SpaceX’s private power plant in Southaven is a threat to its ability to regulate the state’s environment.
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City of Memphis MPD chief dismissed from Tyré Nichols civil lawsuit
Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis’ dismissal could get the civil case against the City of Memphis, which has dragged on for more than three years, moving again.
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June 2026
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Metro Incoming County Commissioner accused of misusing taxpayer dollars
Incoming Shelby County Commissioner Lashanta Rudd is accused of buying a Nissan Sentra and incurring at least $5,000 in improper expenses using City of Memphis taxpayer dollars.
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City of Memphis Memphis budget passes during fractious day at City Hall
Memphis sanitation workers did not receive the 5% raise they wanted, raising the possibility that city trash might not get picked up.
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City of MemphisSpaceX recommits to building water recycling plant
SpaceXAI representatives met with Memphis Mayor Paul Young and MLGW President Doug McGowen earlier this week.
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City of Memphis MLGW could charge SpaceX, other big users more for water
Memphis Light, Gas and Water could soon charge heavy water users a fee based on how much water they consume and when they consume it.
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City of MemphisMemphis drops consultant, weighs AutoZone Park overhaul
The City of Memphis is pondering a $55 million renovation of the taxpayer-owned AutoZone Park baseball stadium, but has ended a consulting contract with a firm tasked with reimagining the ballpark and the surrounding area.
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City of Memphis MLGW proposes battery storage projects to strengthen electric grid
Memphis Light, Gas and Water is taking steps to make the broader electric grid more resilient.
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Metro Lawsuit says Trump administration is trying to silence Southaven residents on SpaceX pollution
The lawsuit is turning into a much bigger fight over whether the federal government can shut down citizen enforcement of the Clean Air Act in the name of national security.
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North Mississippi US government says Grok helped it bomb Iran
The legal fight over SpaceX’s private power plant in Southaven, Mississippi, became a matter of national security on Monday, June 15.
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North Mississippi SpaceX says Mississippi regulators approved turbines
In a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, attorneys for SpaceX argued that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality had signed off on the natural gas turbines and that Mississippi’s air-quality regulations allowed the turbines.
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North Mississippi SpaceX adds more turbines as court fight continues
The Southern Environmental Law Center filed new documents in the NAACP’s lawsuit against SpaceX, claiming the company had added 24 more turbines.
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City of Memphis Funding for Audubon Park splash pad, clubhouse moves forward
The Memphis City Council approved funding for a new splash pad, parking and tree planting at Audubon Park.
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City of Memphis Redbirds, City Council tangle over AutoZone Park plans
The Memphis Redbirds reacted on Thursday, June 11, to the Memphis City Council’s pushback on paying $5 million for repairs and renovation planning to city-owned AutoZone Park.
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City of Memphis City of Memphis confident that SpaceX will finish water recycling plant
SpaceX paused construction of the plant in April, which The Daily Memphian first reported.
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North Mississippi DeSoto County residents sue SpaceX over noise
A class action lawsuit alleges that the noise from SpaceX’s natural gas plant has eroded quality of life, and that the company hasn’t taken steps to mitigate the noise.
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City of Memphis Tax season drumbeat grows louder at City Hall
City Council members have some amendments to Mayor Paul Young’s budget, and they could move closer to closing out the budget season at Tuesday’s council day.
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May 2026
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City of MemphisMemphis council chair warned her behavior could violate city charter
Memphis City Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington has been accused of using her position to benefit her niece, who worked in the city’s IT department.
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BusinessAnthropic paying $15B a year to rent Memphis data center from SpaceX
Earlier in May, xAI (now a part of SpaceX) announced a deal with Anthropic, the company behind the popular artificial intelligence chatbot Claude.
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Spirit of Memphis Flags, headstones and hard truths: Memphis National Cemetery tells a different Civil War story
For row after row, many of the headstones bear no name.
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State Government Cohen to sue over redrawn congressional map
“We’ve been campaigning hard since the filing deadline ... and that’s a First Amendment violation, so there will be a lawsuit in state court,” Cohen said.
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