Reporter
Samuel Hardiman is a 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. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on xAI, energy needs and how local governments spend money.
There are 498 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
The Memphis City Council voted again Tuesday to approve a land sale for Elon Musk’s xAI to build a wastewater facility in Southwest Memphis. City Council sets early start to budget season in return from spring breakRelated content:
The company’s first effort to buy the land,which would be used for a water recycling facility, was derailed by council skepticism in early February.
The renovations to FedExForum and a second long-term lease for the Memphis Grizzlies inched closer to reality Tuesday.
MPD spends more than a million dollars a year on overtime to staff special events. But it’s billing for only 60%, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the other 40%.
Purchases included about $5,000 in PayPal and Venmo money transfer transactions, $10,000 in Amazon purchases, $7,000 at Best Buy, more than $1,000 at Montblanc, a maker of fine pens, and money on massages.
It sits a few hundred yards from the Tennessee Valley Authority Southaven Combined Cycle Plant. The plant will provide a power source for the energy-intensive data center.
A Shelby County judge ruled Thursday, March 6, that the City of Memphis violated its contract with the Memphis Police Association when it created the controversial rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
In his first interview since he came to Memphis last year, public safety consultant Fausto Pichardo said citizens should expect a further reduction in violent crime as the the police department builds cases against gang members.
Looking at a city spanning 300-plus square miles, public safety consultant Fausto Pichardo has some thoughts about traffic stops, consent decrees and what needs to be done next.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s massive operations could change in the coming years, shifting the city’s industrial geography and potentially opening up key real estate for other uses. Related content:
Memphis Light, Gas and Water could generate electricity for the first time in decades.
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr., who was indicted last week, has been placed on leave without pay from his city job, the City of Memphis said Tuesday, March 4.
While the indictment does not name the nonprofits, The Daily Memphian analyzed meeting minutes from the Shelby County Board of Commissioners and the Memphis City Council to determine which nonprofits were likely involved.
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. has been indicted on one count of alleged bribery and kickbacks and six counts of attempted tax evasion, according to federal court documents filed Friday, Feb. 28. Edmund Ford Jr. turns himself in to federal authorities Ford indictment spotlights County Commission ethics guidelinesRelated content:
Memphis Mayor Paul Young took his town hall approach to a corner of the internet this week, responding directly to Reddit users’ top concerns.
Author Jared Sullivan wrote a book critical about TVA but he doesn’t think the state should give up on the federal power provider.
Former federal Judge Bernice Donald will lead a team of nine local task force members, including Toney Armstrong, former director of MPD.
Last year, xAI agreed to lease 552 acres from the Economic Development Growth Engine. For months, it has been unclear what plans xAI had for the land.
At the end of a product-release broadcast on X, Elon Musk explained why xAI chose the Bluff City and the former Electrolux building in Southwest Memphis.
The city filed a motion on Monday, Feb. 17, to dismiss the suit, just like it did in 2023 when the lawsuit was filed.
The Memphis City Council voted Tuesday to allocate $80 million in cash — supplied by the state — for repairs to outdated infrastructure at FedExForum and potentially reimburse the Grizzlies for work already done at the publicly owned arena.
Several employees confirmed to The Daily Memphian that two paychecks appeared in their accounts on Friday and late Thursday.
The Memphis-Shelby County Sports Authority is the board that owns FedExForum’s debt and pays the bonds for the publicly owned arena.
On Thursday, xAI’s plans to use natural gas turbines in the long term became public after The Daily Memphian received the company’s recent application to the Shelby County Health Department for an air-emissions permit.
The City of Memphis confirmed Thursday, Feb. 13, that payday is coming a tad later than normal for some of its 8,000-plus employees after a clerical error.