Behind the Headlines Podcast: Memphis City Council
City Council members Martavius Jones and Gerre Currie discuss police residency, the sales tax referendum and more with Bill Dries, reporter for the Daily Memphian, and Eric Barnes, host.
There are 259 article(s) tagged Behind The Headlines:
City Council members Martavius Jones and Gerre Currie discuss police residency, the sales tax referendum and more with Bill Dries, reporter for the Daily Memphian, and Eric Barnes, host.
Two Memphis city council members say they have doubts about restoring city pension and health benefits to police officers and firefighters with a half-cent sales tax hike approved by city voters earlier this month.
A round table of journalists discusses some of the biggest stories in Memphis, including the impact of the sales tax referendum, the achievement school district, a natural hair discrimination ban and more.
Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. says, according to one legal opinion, a referendum for county government to claim half the city revenue from the half-cent sales tax increase would be a vote among citizens in unincorporated Shelby County.
Jack Shannon, President of Christian Brothers University, and Marjorie Hass, President of Rhodes College, discuss the challenges and opportunities of higher education in Memphis with Bill Dries, reporter for The Daily Memphian, and host Eric Barnes.
On “Behind The Headlines,” Rhodes College president Marjorie Hass said the school is recruiting students nationally as the number of high school students in the southeastern U.S. is projected to drop.
In the "Behind The Headlines" interview, the University of Memphis president also talked about his plan to up hourly wages to at least $15 an hour and the unpredictability of a new athletic conference affiliation.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is running for re-election on a record of basics in a campaign that emphasizes consistency and separates him from past mayors who have emphasized their vision for the city. It's a different political path that has its challenges.
In a “Behind The Headlines” interview, Mayor Jim Strickland defended his record of racial equity. His comments were his most pointed about Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer of the campaign, covering several issues.
The mayoral contender and county commissioner commented on a "Behind The Headlines" recording Thursday when asked about comments made by CNN commentator Angela Rye in Memphis last week labeling Mayor Jim Strickland a "racist' and "Dixiecrat."
On "Behind The Headlines," Gary Rosenfeld said a revenue source, possibly from a sales tax hike or gas tax hike, is needed to implement a two-year-old plan to increase the frequency of bus trips in the core city and to find ways to connect areas outside of the core.
On "Behind The Headlines," Memphis Police Chief Michael Rallings said a federal court consent decree forbidding police surveillance has put the police department in a "very difficult situation" but that he will abide by court's ruling. He also said MPD is still reviewing how it handled the Brandon Webber situation six weeks ago.
The group Get Our Riverfront Right agrees some of the proposed changes to Tom Lee Park would help the Memphis in May festival. But on "Behind the Headlines," they say a larger riverfront plan is being handled piecemeal and would disrupt the festival as an economic engine.
On "Behind the Headlines," the CEO of Memphis Tourism predicts growth in hotel rooms and other convention amenities, beyond the current ongoing legal battles.
The owner of 115 Union and The Pocket bar will develop city land south of Clayborn Temple. Elmington Capital of Nashville will develop the Tillman Cove apartment complex land in Binghampton.
The philanthropist supporting the remake of Tom Lee Park says there have been a dozen changes to plans by the Memphis River Parks Partnership since the Memphis In May International Festival raised objections to the plan this spring.
As a University of Memphis effort to better map the Memphis aquifer's breaches gets underway, others calling attention to threats to the underground water source want to see a groundwater authority for the region.
A member of the advisory group to MLGW on such a plan says on "Behind the Headlines" the complex undertaking could hold several changes beyond who supplies wholesale electric power to the local utility.
In a "Behind The Headlines" interview, the managing partner of Graceland says the Memphis Grizzlies front office is blocking the deal over 80,000 square feet of new soundstages that it contends could be used as a new arena competing with FedExForum.
Democratic state Reps. Antonio Parkinson and London Lamar say the Legislature has a problem with racism that goes beyond text messages in which House Speaker Glen Casada was included.
On "Behind The Headlines," Mayor Jim Strickland said North Memphis critics of the Memphis 3.0 proposed land use and development plan want the city to turn over the former Firestone plant site to them for uses other than manufacturing.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he wants to know county funding for the bus system will go to increasing ridership, and he also talks about whether Memphis Area Transit Authority should go to more frequent routes or broader coverage.
The interim superintendent of Shelby County Schools said on Behind The Headlines that a plan to consolidate and relocate some schools on a massive scale should also be accompanied by better school programs and more academic offerings to students.
City Housing and Community Development director Paul Young says the $1 billion Union Row project is a direct result of the city's efforts to leverage federal and city funding in the South City area, stretching from the south area of Downtown into South Memphis.
The $11 million renovation of a Frayser apartment complex owned by The Works, a South Memphis community development corporation, is an indication that the coordinated fight against blight in the city has moved beyond one single-family home at a time.