It was a historic finish to the runoffs for Memphis City Council. All three races were won by female candidates making women a majority on the council. Never before has the 13-member body had a majority of women. Bill Dries wrote a not-to-be-missed, in-depth look at all 13 members of the city council that takes office in January. Over the weekend, many Memphians were jolted awake by a city-wide manhunt that was pushed via text, phone and wireless emergency alert. Police say Mavis Christian Jr. killed four female relatives and injured a fifth before taking his own life Saturday, Nov. 18. Using court records, Julia Baker chronicled his history of domestic violence. These deaths follow a Downtown shooting that killed a St. Jude researcher as well as two teens fatally shot within days of each other in Frayser. Our public safety team reported on these killings as well as developments in the Phil Trenary case, two lawsuits filed against the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and a leadership restructuring at the Memphis Police Department. Meanwhile, hearings on accepting federal education funding continued in Nashville; Rhodes College faced an uproar over a BDSM lecture; Wanda Halbert dealt with another closed office and increased scrutiny from a special prosecutor; and Michael Oher wants the Tuohys to stop using his name. — Metro editor Jane Donahoe
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The winners of the three races make a majority of seven women on the city council that takes office in January — the first majority of women on the 13-member body in the 55-year history of the mayor-council form of government.
By Bill Dries
Update
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