There are 410 article(s) tagged Bill Lee:

• June 2022

  • Gov. Bill Lee focuses on school security in gun debate

    Wednesday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee made his first extensive public comments on a Monday executive order on gun violence in schools. “We’re not looking at gun laws right now,” he told reporters.

    By Bill Dries June 08, 2022

• May 2022

  • Whitehaven High, Crosstown High celebrate special graduations

    Whitehaven High graduates had a notable speaker, Gov. Bill Lee, and the Crosstown High commencement was that school’s very first graduation ceremony.

    By Alicia Davidson May 22, 2022

  • Strickland calls ‘BS’ on critics of ‘truth in sentencing’ state law

    Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland went after critics of his backing of the state truth in sentencing law and his description of 201 Poplar as a “revolving door” for criminals during a lively interview on “Behind The Headlines.”

    By Bill Dries May 17, 2022

• March 2022

  • Crime Campaign: The search for simple answers to a complex issue

    The issue of crime — violent crime in particular — is center stage in the race for Shelby County Mayor, where the first stop is the May Democratic primary.

    By Bill Dries March 14, 2022

  • Gov. Lee talks up accomplishments with Collierville Chamber

    Gov. Bill Lee was present for a night where Collierville celebrated the best of its community. 

    By Abigail Warren March 03, 2022

  • Lee announces funding for 20 state troopers in Shelby County

    The increase in THP officers for the city’s interstate system and state highways has been a goal of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

    By Bill Dries March 02, 2022

  • Gov. Lee moves for federal ice storm disaster declaration as council urges action

    In a split vote, the council also approved a resolution backing the nomination of the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court and accepted a grant to hire a “pet reunification specialist” for Memphis Animal Services.

    By Bill Dries March 01, 2022

• February 2022

  • Political Roundup: Avant may file; ‘pink wave’ thoughts, and ‘ghettoizing’

    Meanwhile, Jason Martin slams Gov. Bill Lee’s state of the state address and calls for the legalization of pot in all forms. And a look at the May and August ballots ahead of Thursday’s deadline to get on the May county primary ballot.

    By Bill Dries February 14, 2022

  • Cohen asks Lee to seek federal disaster aid for city

    The push for a state request for federal aid comes as MLGW’s damage estimate from the ice storm has already exceeded the threshold for seeking assistance.

    By Bill Dries February 07, 2022

• January 2022

  • State identifies $62 billion in infrastructure needs

    Republican state senators question whether everything on the list is truly needed.

    By Ian Round January 27, 2022

  • Strickland asks Lee to make new bridge ‘long-term’ priority

    Strickland asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, in a letter dated Thursday, to list the bridge project as one of the state’s long-term infrastructure priorities. He cited the three-month shutdown last year of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge as well as the advanced age of other bridges at Memphis across the Mississippi River.

    By Bill Dries January 06, 2022

• December 2021

  • Storms leave dozens dead in 5 states, including 4 in West TN

    Four Tennesseans are dead, and Gov. Bill Lee calls Weakley County destruction in Dresden “about the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”

    By The Associated Press December 11, 2021

• November 2021

  • Political Roundup: Lee says pandemic and related litigation continue

    Gov. Bill Lee was in East Memphis for a local political fundraiser Friday, just before signing five new laws from a special session of the Tennessee Legislature and allowing a sixth bill to become law without his signature. 

    By Bill Dries November 15, 2021

• October 2021

  • Governor names CEO of Megasite Authority

    Clay Bright will head operation and development of the Haywood County Megasite. He has been the Tennessee Transportation Commissioner since 2019.

    By Bill Dries October 27, 2021

• September 2021

  • The long drive to making cars closer to Memphis

    Memphis and the surrounding region lost out when the state’s original auto corridor was established in Middle Tennessee almost 40 years ago. But the new Ford plant in Haywood County comes with lessons from that pursuit as well as doubts and the prospect of more change beyond the electric vehicles powered by batteries made at the megasite.

    By Bill Dries September 29, 2021

  • City Council member JB Smiley enters governor’s race

    The first-term City Council member claims the numbers are there to first win the August statewide primary and then the November general election. That’s despite no Democrat winning statewide office in Tennessee in 15 years.

    By Bill Dries September 08, 2021

• August 2021

  • City Council Scorecard: school masking, landmarks districts, coal ash

    The City Council Scorecard looks at recent council votes that don’t seem to pack a political punch but nevertheless call for an attention to detail.

    By Bill Dries August 26, 2021

  • Feds could get involved in state conflict over mask mandates

    The state’s executive order banning mask mandates is taking fire from President Joe Biden as well as Biden’s education secretary Miguel Cardona, who this past week specifically questioned the legality of the executive order.

    By Bill Dries August 24, 2021

  • County Commission votes on more Regional One funding

    The Monday, Aug. 23, county commission meeting also includes a resolution calling for a countywide mask mandate and another resolution calling on Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order that outlaws mask mandates in schools.

    By Bill Dries August 23, 2021

  • Memphis near the eye of national mask debate storm

    Tennessee finds itself at the center of a national debate over whether mask mandates promote public health at the expense of citizens’ liberty.

    By Ian Round August 22, 2021

  • Hospital emergency directors call for immediate countywide mask mandate

    The letter circulating Tuesday warns of “catastrophic” effects that could “affect health care at every level.” Meanwhile, the city council is urging Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order to allow parents to opt out of school mask mandates.

    By Bill Dries August 18, 2021

  • County Health Department says it will ‘make adjustments’ after governor allows opt-out on masks

    Shelby County Schools leaders, however, say the school system’s mask mandate remains in place despite the executive order that also includes mask mandates by school systems. Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner is suggesting the county should take the issue to court.

    By Bill Dries August 17, 2021

  • Suburban school districts update mask plans after governor’s order

    Suburban school districts are no longer requiring mask mandates for students, in line with Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order. However, the Shelby County mandate still affects staff.

    By Abigail Warren August 16, 2021

  • Wright wants legal opinion on Health Department authority

    Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says even with recent changes in state laws this year, it’s unclear where the health department’s authority to issue mask mandates and require other measures ends and where decisions by elected officials begin.

    By Bill Dries August 11, 2021

  • Gov. Bill Lee faces six possible challengers in 2022

    Dr. Jason Martin of Nashville, a likely contender in the Democratic primary for governor, campaigned in Memphis this past weekend.

    By Bill Dries August 02, 2021