Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Samuel Hardiman

If there are new maps, what are Cohen, Kustoff and Pearson going to do?

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Thu, 7 May 2026 15:10:32 -0500

At least one local elected official hinted at what they might consider if the new congressional district map passes.

Cohen to sue over redrawn congressional map

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Thu, 7 May 2026 12:48:24 -0500

“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.

Claude AI to use xAI's Memphis data center

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Wed, 6 May 2026 15:43:14 -0500

Anthropic, the company behind the widely successful Claude chatbot, would use all of Colossus’ computing capacity.

Four County Commission races set for August

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:44:00 -0500

Four Shelby County Board of Commissioners races now have their final pairings for the August general election.

Clerks, register, trustee and assessor: Here's who won the primaries for the other races

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 5 May 2026 23:38:56 -0500

Wanda Halbert, the current county clerk, lost the Democratic nomination for Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk to state Rep. Joe Towns Jr. on Tuesday, May 5, by a 121-vote margin according to unofficial totals.

Anthony Buckner wins Democratic primary for Sheriff

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 5 May 2026 22:39:04 -0500

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner won the Shelby County Democratic primary for sheriff Tuesday.

Appeals court deals blow to lawsuit challenging National Guard

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:18:26 -0500

The court said plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the challenge of the guard’s deployment.

Memphis budget shows rising cost of doing business

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 06:42:13 -0500

When presenting the budget, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the city had to make “significant tradeoffs.” From pension to healthcare and clothing, here’s a closer look at the city’s spending.

How Memphis plans to spend $100 million in state money on Beale Street

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:40:53 -0500

John Zeanah said an interesting phrase as he stood outside FedExForum during a City Council bus tour — he called the area the “arena district.”

Mayor proposes 2% raise for city employees and no tax increase

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:37:44 -0500

Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the City of Memphis made “significant trade-offs” as it designed the city’s coming fiscal year budget.

Memphis gets another $50M for Downtown Memphis safety

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:08:47 -0500

The Tennessee General Assembly included a $50 million grant for Downtown Memphis Public Safety in the state budget passed this week.

Five former MPD officers dismissed from Tyré Nichols civil suit

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:08:22 -0500

The plaintiffs filed to dismiss them so that the planned November 2026 trial could continue as scheduled.

Fundraising picture for May county primary election remains unclear

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:22:48 -0500

The lack of financial forms makes it difficult to see how key candidates have fared with donors in the past three months.

Memphis Art Museum tour ends with $6 million

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:03:34 -0500

Memphis City Council members got a peek inside what will be the new Memphis Art Museum before voting to repurpose city funds for public infrastructure outside the Front Street museum.

XAI sued because of alleged Clean Air Act violations

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:02:57 -0500

The NAACP, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s xAI.

A week before MPD officers beat Tyré Nichols, MPD shot a 17-year-old. The incident is part of reams of new evidence to be introduced in Nichols' civil case.

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:52:31 -0500

New documents and witnesses announced in Nichols' civil trial will aim to show use-of-force culture in MPD.

One Shelby County candidate has more cash than all his opponents combined

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:34:53 -0500

Newly filed campaign finance forms show two Shelby County Democratic mayoral candidates with far more financial resources than the rest of the crowded primary.

What should be done about 201 Poplar? Democratic county mayor candidates share their ideas.

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:27:25 -0500

For most of an hour at Springdale Baptist Church in North Memphis, six of the Democratic candidates for Shelby County mayor displayed few differences. Then, the prospect of a new jail to replace the dilapidated and struggling 201 Poplar brought them to life.

XAI Mississippi air permit appealed by SELC

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Thu, 9 Apr 2026 16:56:17 -0500

Last month, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Permit Board approved an xAI subsidiary’s application to erect 41 natural gas turbines.

Elon Musk gives timeline on water recycling plant

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Thu, 9 Apr 2026 13:57:44 -0500

The Daily Memphian reported the water recycling facility, a key promise the company made to local leaders and residents, was “on an indefinite pause.” Without it, xAI uses fresh drinking water to cool its Colossus data center.