There are 324 article(s) tagged Lee Harris:

• May 2021

  • Federal agencies leaving Pipkin vaccine site Wednesday

    The site will remain open, but with new hours beginning Thursday.

    By Jane Roberts May 18, 2021

  • ‘Biden Bucks'; Cohen on the insurrection, and a third bridge

    The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast runs down recent political events including sorting out what became of the idea of a “Super Chancery Court” proposed in the Tennessee General Assembly.

    By Bill Dries May 15, 2021

  • No evidence of vaccine irregularities, Harris says

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he’s found nothing to validate accusations that doses of vaccine were lost, stolen or misused when the county Health Department controlled distribution. 

    By Bill Dries May 12, 2021

  • County Mayor Harris says county tax rate should hold steady

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said on “Behind The Headlines” that the estimated drop in the county property tax rate to $3.50, accounting for increases in values, should be the line to hold on the county tax rate. But county commissioners this week reviewed numbers suggesting some want to raise taxes beyond that point.

    By Bill Dries May 11, 2021

  • Budget Basics: A few numbers from Shelby County government’s budget season

    Here’s a look at some terms to know as county commissioners begin discussing the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. 

    By Bill Dries May 10, 2021

• April 2021

  • County fire department begins direct transport to mental healthcare facility

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said rising economic and mental stress levels in the community resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic made this the right time to pursue this new policy.

    By Omer Yusuf April 28, 2021

  • Harris presents $1.4B consolidated county budget

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris cited the ongoing impact of the pandemic in saying there would be no attempt to raise the tax rate after recertification. Harris also outlined a six-year, $32 million plan to beef up the county fire department.

    By Bill Dries April 21, 2021

  • County and Army Corps study Loosahatchie Basin flood areas

    A $450,000 joint county-federal grant would study 10 areas of land in northern Shelby County for flood control projects that could double as public recreation areas when they are not underwater. One project is already underway near Big Creek in Millington.

    By Bill Dries April 13, 2021

• March 2021

  • Ford grant investigation poses broader questions

    A February exchange of letters between County Mayor Lee Harris and County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones shows there are difficult questions about whether the legislative duties of Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. should be limited when he hasn’t been charged with a crime. 

    By Bill Dries March 31, 2021

  • Harris appoints interim Health Department director

    Hall will serve up to 90 days and will also help conduct the search for new permanent director.

    By Jane Roberts March 09, 2021

  • Shelby County mayor suggests new way to stop pipeline project

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris believes he may have found a way to stop the Byhalia Connection oil pipeline. Or at least give the community a tool for better regulating projects like it in the future.

    By Blake Fontenay March 08, 2021

  • National search gearing up to find Haushalter replacement

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said the county will hire a national search firm to field the applications, which are due by the end of this month.

    By Bill Dries March 01, 2021

• February 2021

  • Haushalter resigns as Health Department head after more vaccine bombshells

    The announcement by County Mayor Lee Harris came three hours after new bombshell revelation from state health officials about the mismanagement of vaccines in Shelby County. It also did little to quell a growing controversy about the leadership of Harris in the controversy.

    By Bill Dries February 26, 2021

  • What Shelby County can learn from vaccine rollout across the nation

    As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, here’s what Shelby County can learn from other areas around the nation. 

    By Daja E. Henry February 03, 2021

• January 2021

  • Strickland and Harris want larger share of vaccine

    The two mayors, in an extended interview on “Behind The Headlines,” say new vaccines that don’t require two doses or sub-zero refrigeration could work better for meeting the need countywide. 

    By Bill Dries January 15, 2021

  • County Commission vote on relief fund represents critical juncture

    The commission votes Monday, Jan. 11, on a $1.2 million relief fund for restaurant workers. The fund’s fate could point the way toward a greater change in the priorities of county government called for by the Democratic county mayor and majority on the commission.

    By Bill Dries January 11, 2021

  • Harris says restaurant workers relief aimed at those most affected

    The Shelby County Commission votes Monday, Jan. 11, on the proposed $2.5 million fund drawn from county reserves. 

    By Bill Dries January 08, 2021

  • Efforts underway to create equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine

    Even as the COVID-19 vaccine supply in Shelby County remains low, discussion is ongoing about how to ensure when that changes how it’s distributed in an accessible way to all communities countywide.

    Related Story: Black community leaders combat distrust in COVID vaccine

    Related Story: OPINION: Suburbs deserve vaccine locations too

    By Omer Yusuf January 07, 2021

  • Harris proposes county $2.5M restaurant workers relief fund

    Harris took the proposal for grants of $1,000 per qualified worker to commission committee sessions Wednesday, Jan. 6.

    By Bill Dries January 06, 2021

• December 2020

  • COVID data in each surge led to different decisions locally

    Each coronavirus surge in Shelby County came with an increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths that preceded the previous one as transmission rose significantly.

    By Omer Yusuf December 22, 2020

  • Shelby County reaches peak of COVID-19 cases

    From Dec. 5 to Dec. 19, the Health Department reported an average of 691 new cases and 6,093 test results each day with a 11.3% positivity rate. One hundred thirty-two coronavirus-related deaths have been reported since Dec. 1. That represents 16.4% of all pandemic deaths in Shelby County. 

    By Omer Yusuf December 20, 2020

• November 2020

  • Harris: Pitch for West Tennessee mask mandate will be ‘a slog’

    Mayors from the West Tennessee counties outside Shelby County heard a pitch from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and others Thursday for a regional mask mandate. Harris says Gov. Bill Lee is unlikely to order a statewide mask requirement. The regional effort will move to one-on-one talks.

    By Bill Dries November 19, 2020

  • Harris order begins county green fleet pilot

    With $500,000 in federal grant money, the small-scale pilot includes electric vehicle chargers as well as a broader reconsideration of how county government makes the decision of which vehicles to purchase.

    By Bill Dries November 18, 2020

  • Health Department looks at tripwires as coronavirus cases mount

    From 450 contact tracing interviews last week, the Health Department sees transmission is happening when people take masks off in restaurants, in gyms and in small social gatherings. 

    By Jane Roberts November 17, 2020

  • Harris pushes statewide mask rule, works on ways around refusal by state

    The effort short of a statewide mask mandate includes a coalition of local leaders across West Tennessee. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said he is also working on a long-term plan for the county to continue to deal with the pandemic through 2021 and after federal CARES Act funding runs out at the end of December.

    By Bill Dries November 13, 2020