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Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. A native Rhode Islander who lives Downtown, he enjoys tennis, golf and reading.
There are 378 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
The Young administration recently decided to pay $30 million to save the Downtown Memphis Sheraton from the auction block. The MATA overhaul could be just as expensive and resonate over just as long of a time period.
The Memphis City Council is also taking a look at the new building code that requires some schools buildings to have storm shelters to see if there are less expensive ways to meet the standard.
Mayor Paul Young says the board will not replace MATA leadership at least for now. Council members also expect Tuesday to consider a Frayser landfill expansion that was rejected seven years ago.
Transpro’s draft report said ridership has declined 82% since 1991, the system needs 18 more buses to function properly and its current capital project plans are “financially unsustainable.”
TVA has about 500 large power users that participate in its demand response system, but it won’t say how much energy they cut when they’re asked. It also won’t say who those 500 users are.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the city wanted to find a creative way to redevelop the hotel in an interview Monday, Sept. 23.
A person familiar with the matter said the land would be used for future development for xAI and allow the company to build on its ongoing momentum in Memphis.Related content:
The much-talked-about Southwest Memphis greywater facility, which could save billions of gallons of freshwater a year, is a few steps closer to reality.
The City Council toured the aging hotel to see dilapidated rooms that the current owners wouldn’t pay to fix.
MLGW is ready for heavy rain but isn’t expecting winds as strong as those associated with Hurricane Francine.
Chase Carlisle said the council could use its rarely used subpoena power to seek financial records from MATA in the coming weeks.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he felt “very compelled” to purchase Downtown’s Sheraton because of the financial risks associated with not buying it. Related content:
Planned improvements at AutoZone Park will help the Memphis Redbirds meet Major League Baseball’s Professional Development Leagues standards.
The City of Memphis has not yet transferred Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to the University of Memphis.Related content:
The City of Memphis and the Grizzlies are eyeing widespread security enhancements and changes Downtown.
The City of Memphis is readying $16 million in bonds to subsidize a two-part project that includes parking at 100 N. Main and renovations at AutoZone Park Downtown.
The mayor’s comments about governance come after MATA has laid off employees, is weighing route closures, and has faced weeks of headlines about its negative financial worth.
On “Behind the Headlines,” Memphis City Council Chairman JB Smiley Jr. said the body would likely sue if the Tennessee Legislature attempted to withhold sales-tax revenue from the city.
In an interview last week, Memphis Parks director Nick Walker said the city plans to start work on the new clubhouse in 2025.
The gun referendum has stoked partisan enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle. JB Smiley Jr. and Jerri Green said the council won’t back down. Conservative talk radio has called the body’s moves a “gun grab.”
Allan Wade, the council’s attorney, successfully argued that the constitutionality of the ballot measure did not matter until the people voted on it.
“You can’t have 50 different cities with 50 different laws,” Lee said as the Memphis City Council pushes to put local gun-control measures on the November ballot. “Trying to override that is just picking a fight.”
With a focus on tree-trimming and milder weather, Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported a drop in area outages from 2023 to 2024.
In the past, TVA has struggled to provide enough power, but environmentalists say the continued investment in natural gas could mean further harm to neighborhoods already surrounded by heavy industrial users.
After weeks of questions, Shelby County Health Department leaders confirmed that the EPA has approved an air monitoring station for xAI’s Memphis Supercomputer ZIP code.