There are 363 article(s) tagged Lee Harris:

• March 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

  • Legislation could strip health department autonomy amid COVID surge

    Health department director Alisa Haushalter and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris react to the wave of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and a bill that could usurp local authority.

    By Bill Dries November 12, 2020

  • Harris backs farmers’ access to groundwater while preserving aquifer

    The Shelby County mayor contends the proposed rule changes will stop “onerous” permitting requirements while still protecting the Memphis Sand Aquifer, a move he believes will stop legislation designed to undermine county rules.

    By Sam Stockard November 10, 2020

  • County Commission to look at budget season deadlines

    A resolution by Edmund Ford Jr. on setting deadlines and milestones for the county budget season is on the County Commission’s agenda for Monday, Nov. 9. 

    By Bill Dries November 09, 2020

• October 2020

  • County budget season blueprint gets closer look

    Budget committee chairman Edmund Ford Jr. amended his resolution to stick with the county’s policy of keeping its financial reserves at 20% of general fund revenues. He has suggested a 15% to 20% guideline.

    By Bill Dries October 27, 2020

  • Let’s do lunch with Alisa Haushalter and Lee Harris

    Join Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris via Facebook Live today at 11 a.m. as they safely enjoy a restaurant lunch.

    By The Daily Memphian Staff October 02, 2020

• September 2020

  • House Speaker calls for cutting Shelby Health Department autonomy

    House Speaker Cameron Sexton will try to reduce the authority of the Shelby County Health Department and five others operating independently, but could run into opposition from others who believe urban areas need autonomy in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

    By Sam Stockard September 30, 2020

  • Group lobbying for South Memphis TIF

    A group is lobbying to have a community-driven Tax Increment Financing District, or TIF, created for South Memphis to address poverty, blight and disinvestment in the area.

    By The Daily Memphian Staff September 24, 2020

  • County hiring freeze continues to thaw

    A total of 78 positions in various parts of county government are the latest exceptions to a hiring freeze. But as they approved the waivers Monday, county commissioners signaled they are about to make a decision on the hiring freeze’s viability possibly by the end of this month. 

    By Bill Dries September 15, 2020

  • County Commission considers limits on use of military equipment by law enforcement

    The proposal would ban the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office from getting camouflage uniforms and bayonets from surplus federal military stocks as well as militarized and weaponized vehicles or aircraft.

    By Bill Dries September 04, 2020

• August 2020

  • Census effort draws election comparison as September deadline nears

    Mayors Strickland and Harris and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen were quick Monday to draw parallels to the national debate about various forms of voting and problems with the U.S. Postal Service when it comes to mailing in votes or Census forms.

    By Bill Dries August 17, 2020

• July 2020

  • 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.

    By Omer Yusuf July 29, 2020