New Shelby County COVID-19 cases increased by 96% in July
From July 15 to Wednesday, Shelby County averaged 375 new cases a day, 2,463 test results a day yielding a 15.2% positivity rate.
Topic: Lee Harris
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July 2020
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528 new COVID-19 cases over several days, health official says
The case total reported Tuesday is the second highest daily increase in the pandemic. Another 3,391 test results were reported with a positivity rate of 15.6%.
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COVID-19 cases, positivity rate rising while hospital capacity tightens locally
Shelby County, from July 8-22, averaged 342 new cases a day, 2,350 test results and a 14.6% positivity rate, according to Shelby County Health Department data.
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The local fight against COVID-19: ongoing, often coordinated, far from finished
Memphis/Shelby County made progress in the struggle against COVID-19, coming out of a Safer at Home order and advancing into a Phase 2 reopening. But Phase 2 has been modified, cases have spiked again, and there remain major concerns going forward, including whether or not elementary and secondary schools can reopen in the fall.
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County imposes hiring freeze and review to hold line on ‘tight’ budget
The proposal comes as County Mayor Lee Harris has 46 requests from other countywide elected officials to add positions two weeks into the new fiscal year. Harris also served notice Monday that next budget season he will be back with some kind of proposal to raise revenues to avoid layoffs and cuts in services that are a real possibility this fiscal year.
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June 2020
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Harris issues virus measures in county prisons, detention centers
The measures, effective immediately, include no out-of-county prisoners into the four facilities and more access to visitation and prison programs by video livestream. They follow a testing surge for prisoners and staff earlier in June.
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Harris: New budget means layoffs, cuts in vital services likely
The county mayor also said in a "Behind The Headlines" interview that he has no regrets about his budget proposal that the commission rejected, which included a wheel tax hike with some budget cuts and an ambitious five-year plan to fund new school construction.
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Mayors: Return to Phase 1 of ‘Back to Business’ plan can be avoided
In Whitehaven to launch a mask distribution effort and social media campaign, Mayors Harris and Strickland said the local effort has waned since Memorial Day. Harris says possibly going back to Phase 1 is about more than "raw numbers." Strickland says despite an increase in hospitalizations, a field hospital is a long way from being activated.
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Shelby County Budget: The email trail
Internal emails show disagreements between the county administration and some of the countywide elected officials outside the administration of Mayor Lee Harris about budget cuts and other changes to the consolidated county budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
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County Commission appears to balance budget with $16.5 million use of reserves
The six-hour special meeting Monday sets the stage for a final budget vote in a week. But there are questions about the dollar figures approved by the Commission and how much red ink there is to be dealt with after the moves. Two social media posts during the meeting by County Mayor Lee Harris also complained that there would be layoffs and cutbacks in critical county programs.
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Civic memorial for George Floyd includes police and mothers
The chief of staff to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talks about her son's coming transition as a young black man and worries about what will happen when he encounters police. The city's police director says his officers are not the enemy.
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‘Crashing Down': Two states of emergency in one city
The "last seven days" mark long-standing issues in Memphis and a renewed public interest in them as a global pandemic and nationwide protests intertwine.
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May 2020
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Nursing homes face punishment for failing to test for COVID-19
With nearly 40% of the state's COVID-19 deaths coming from nursing homes, Tennessee is ready to put sanctions on long-term care facilities if they fail to complete virus testing of staff and residents.
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Sawyer says fractured county budget season could have been about tax hike
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer also talked about the rift between the Democratic county mayor and the eight-vote Democratic majority on the commission.
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Testing surge planned in June at correctional center
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris made the announcement Friday at the end of an eventful week that includes a lawsuit over COVID-19 cases at the Shelby County Jail, calls for testing at the correctional center and a sit-in by jail prisoners with the virus as they were moved out of isolation.
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Harris outlines $10 million expansion of county Health Department
The plan includes at least 140 full-time employees working on the COVID-19 virus efforts locally over a long period of time. Harris also wants to fund "wrap-around" services for those isolated or quarantined, including financial support for those who can't work and some place to stay if they are isolated from those with whom they are living.
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Harris outlines $11.4 million expansion of Health Department
The expansion is the first allotment of nearly $50 million in federal CARES Act funding for Shelby County government and goes to the Shelby County Commission approval. County Mayor Lee Harris already has a plan for the rest of the money outside of the health department.
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Hair care businesses move into first phase of local reopenings
Barber and beauty shops can reopen as early as Wednesday in Shelby County under new health department directives announced Monday.
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April 2020
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Shelby County reopening date ‘very close’ but still vague as suburbs grow restless
Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter says businesses should begin to prepare. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says a countywide alliance of mayors remains intact despite some rumblings in the suburbs.
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Memphis was set to reopen this week, until weekend spike in positive cases
Elected leaders in Shelby County's cities were moving toward a May 1 reopening of the economy until a surge in positive COVID-19 cases last weekend, and that now has leaders debating what the numbers mean and exactly when reopening will occur.
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‘I have tried as best I can to put my money where my mouth is’
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talks about his $1.4 billion COVID pandemic county budget on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast.
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Harris extends county emergency order a week as 44% of county cases considered recovered
The county order covers unincorporated Shelby County and follows an extension of the Memphis emergency order earlier in the week with some first steps toward an economic reopening.
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County budget proposal includes funding for new Frayser high school
Plans for a new high school, possibly in Frayser, could receive initial funds under county Mayor Lee Harris' 2020-21 fiscal year proposal. But other approvals are needed for the project to move forward.
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Harris wants tighter nursing home regulation as facilities’ COVID toll rises to 9
The first two COVID outbreaks at nursing homes in Shelby County have now taken eight lives – four each as confirmed cases of the virus have spread to a total of nine assisted living facilities countywide.
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Reopening the economy looks to be phased and possibly different for Shelby County
The early discussions locally suggest businesses will reopen in waves and possibly with some new restrictions.
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