There are 42 article(s) tagged Patrice Robinson:

• September 2023

  • President Biden names Patrice Robinson to TVA board

    Patrice Robinson will be the first Memphian on the board since John Ryder died last year.

    By Samuel Hardiman September 11, 2023

• March 2023

  • Back in the swim of things: $11.5M YMCA opens in Whitehaven

    The new facility replaces the Davis YMCA and marks the return of swimming lessons and classes that have seen generations. 

    By Bill Dries March 02, 2023

• August 2022

  • Memphis Parks breaks ground on Whitehaven multipurpose room

    The $2 million multipurpose room at the Whitehaven Community Center will feature a banquet hall, catering kitchen, parking lot and public entrance. 

    By Daja E. Henry August 01, 2022

• March 2022

  • State bill on pipelines would not undo city ordinances, council told

    Council members withdrew a resolution Tuesday, March 22, opposing the bill in Nashville after amendments were made. The bill would still limit the council’s ability to regulate convenience stores with gas pumps. 

    By Bill Dries March 22, 2022

• February 2022

  • Whitehaven leaders discuss history, look to future

    Whitehaven is much more than Graceland, FedEx and the airport, with its rich history, independently owned businesses and a deep sense of pride – or “neighborhoodism” as one leader calls it.

    By Julia Baker February 20, 2022

  • East Memphis, Midtown, Binghampton hit hardest by power outages

    The city is forming a citizens group to review the ice storm response and how recent power outages have been handled by Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. 

    By Bill Dries February 16, 2022

  • Six days out: Why 28,000 MLGW customers were still without power Wednesday

    MLGW pushes back its estimate to have all customers restored and begins looking to fix smaller outages. 

    Related story:

    Two MSCS schools closed Wednesday

    By Bill Dries, Julia Baker February 09, 2022

• December 2021

  • Council members question Young Dolph’s legacy but rename street anyway

    The council voice vote was unanimous to rename a street for Young Dolph on Tuesday, Dec. 7, but it came after some council members questioned the honor given the lyrics of some of his music. 

    By Bill Dries December 15, 2021

• November 2021

  • About Town: What a week for Whitehaven

    This week was a busy one for Whitehaven as it wrapped up its appreciation week, Elvis Presley Boulevard received new Christmas ornaments, and a restaurant moved locations. 

    By Julia Baker November 26, 2021

  • TVA exec asked about coal ash, Allen plant in virtual town hall

    Councilwoman Patrice Robinson hosted a virtual town hall, where Mark Yates discussed coal ash and his new role as Regional Vice President of Tennessee Valley Authority. 

    By Julia Baker November 03, 2021

  • Council members question city’s minority spend

    The percentage is a calculation that excludes the city’s spend in areas where it is determined there are no local minority businesses.

    By Bill Dries November 02, 2021

• August 2021

  • Pro-consolidation voices see business boom, but others not so sure

    While proponents of merging the City of Memphis and Shelby County governments cannot promise that consolidation would mean a spike in economic development, they believe it is the straightest line to major growth. Opponents aren’t so sure and worry about negative fallout. 

    By Don Wade August 16, 2021

• May 2021

  • New YMCA offers promise of rich resource for Whitehaven

    The new facility will offer a community resource center, early childhood learning center, wellness center, gymnasium — and, yes, a new indoor swimming pool. 

    By Omer Yusuf May 10, 2021

• March 2021

  • Five council members call for changes to garbage collection by Waste Pro

    Waste Pro is the second private contractor in three years to have the solid waste contract for parts of Cordova, Hickory and East Memphis, known on solid waste routes as Area E.

    By Bill Dries March 23, 2021

  • Series of miscues led to Haushalter’s rapid fall from grace

    Going forward, vaccinating the citizens of Shelby County against COVID-19 is under the authority of the City of Memphis after the state transferred custody of the vaccine and administration of the process away from county leaders. It took a dizzying array of missteps for this to occur, and Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says: “The public deserves to know what happened.”

    Related story:
    County vaccination timeline

    By Don Wade March 01, 2021

• December 2020

  • Decorum guide gets modest tweaking as council discovers limits of disciplining one of its own

    Council Chairwoman Patrice Robinson said council members who behave badly, as council member Edmund Ford Sr. did two weeks ago, can’t be removed or suspended. And restoring order is “a question of judgment” by the chairperson.

    By Bill Dries December 01, 2020

• November 2020

  • Differences emerge in police reform

    Two conversations about police reform show the more detailed the proposed reforms become, the more differences they reveal.

    By Bill Dries November 16, 2020

• August 2020

  • Six months in, we’re all living in ‘COVID World’

    The Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878 in Memphis spawned new words, such as "Stranger Fever," and changed people's thoughts and actions. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its "social distancing" and "new normal" is not so different. History has provided an echo. 

    By Don Wade August 18, 2020

  • Council residency aftermath signals shift on how to address crime

    Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings says the City Council decision to take residency off the Nov. 3 ballot leaves voters out of a critical decision. The vote is a challenge to Mayor Jim Strickland’s core philosophy on fighting crime after he dramatically upped the number of new officers he believes is necessary.

    By Bill Dries August 05, 2020

• July 2020

  • Renaming commission approved by City Council, Poplar renaming sidelined

    The Poplar Avenue name change to Black Lives Matter Avenue will be among the items the renaming commission considers. The trio of related measures met with mixed results at Tuesday's Memphis City Council session. An ordinance to give the council final approval of any names changes of streets, parks and public places may get some legal rewording before its first of three votes next months.

    By Bill Dries July 21, 2020

  • Council approves $113m CARES Act COVID-19 spending plan

    The spending plan or budget was reconstructed several times in bargaining and changes in federal rules for how the grants could be used. Along the way, there was talk of animals moving out of the zoo and how to fund laptops and tablets for Shelby County Schools students.

    By Bill Dries July 14, 2020

  • Open meetings advocates fear governor’s order provides excuse to limit public access

    The Sierra Club’s Scott Banbury raises questions about the governor's move to extend electronic meetings for local governments, while the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government says it creates a "convenient" loophole for councils and commissions to avoid public comment.

    By Sam Stockard July 07, 2020

• May 2020

  • City budget season moves along quietly

    The review by the council budget committee continued Wednesday with no major changes to the $708.8 million operating budget proposed by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. The full council is scheduled to take final votes on the budget and a stable city property tax rate next week.

    By Bill Dries May 27, 2020

• April 2020

  • Strickland presents three possible budgets as city projects $80 million COVID hit on revenues

    Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says the city faces an $80 million loss of revenues from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in a worst-case scenario and a “status quo” budget with no growth is the most optimistic forecast of federal and state government relief.

    By Bill Dries April 22, 2020

  • Waters: Health officials pushing pastors to keep pews empty

    The pressure to move all church gatherings online has set off a tense debate about whether canceling on-site services is an act of faith or a betrayal of it.

    By David Waters April 01, 2020