The Wednesday committee sessions drew most of the 13 commissioners, with the remainder attending online. Also debuting was a partitioned commission chambers with glass barriers between the elected officials and masks worn in the booths created for them.

During its monthly virtual luncheon Wednesday, July 8, Arlington Chamber of Commerce members got COVID-related updates on school plans for the fall and employer tips for dealing with the pandemic.

Gov. Bill Lee is expected to tell the State Capitol Commission he believes the monument should be moved to the State Museum.

Memphis police report a 30% increase in homicides this year compared to same period last year. 

Mayor Jim Strickland’s reform discussions are continuing, he said Wednesday, but critics of the belief that more cops means less crime have become more vocal since the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd on Memorial Day. 

The Batesville, Mississippi, native, is ranked No. 1,083 by the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

SBA data suggests Paycheck Protection Program thus far has aided more than 14,000 Shelby County businesses and helped retain more than 50,000 jobs.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance confirmed a $22,000 settlement penalty of campaign reporting violations for state Rep. Joe Towns in an effort to avert an open meetings lawsuit.

Since pausing a move to Phase 3, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and overall positivity rate continued to rise locally with little signs of changing in the immediate future.

State working closely with governor’s legal team to see about a start date for high school football.

The list of limited-service restaurants that close at midnight is lengthy; private clubs without a restaurant license will also be closed.

Lurking in the shadows – or in some cases, right out there in plain sight for anyone willing to look – are myriad unintended health consequences of this pandemic.

The Postal Service is finally taking the Front Street Post Office off the books, after suspending operations when the University of Memphis law school moved Downtown in 2010.

Five-star guard JD Davison remains involved with Memphis and former assistant coach Mike Miller.

In “Bleeding Out,” a senior research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, writes that "nothing works as well to reduce urban violence as focused deterrence.”

Bed Bath & Beyond is closing its Germantown store. This fall Planet Fitness will begin building out the space to open a gym in Germantown Plaza.

The arts company announced Gretchen Wollert McLennon as the organization’s new leader after a unanimous vote by board members. She will begin her tenure Aug. 1.

As the Memphis Grizzlies prepare to move on to the Orlando bubble, questions remain if the NBA approach to continuing the season will work.

African American clergy call for residency requirement for public safety to be taken off the November ballot. They don't think the measure will help bring about the police reform for which they are pushing. 

The state is doling out $81 million in grants to K-12 schools, colleges and universities to prepare for a safe reopening this August in the COVID-19 climate.

Memphis City Council members also got their first look Tuesday at how much police have spent in the past four years on overtime and riot gear as well as other preparations to handle protests.

Even as we announce final decisions and protocols, I cannot assure you that it will not change again, because that is how quickly the virus impacts the information we use to make decisions.

Shelby County Schools’ plan addresses every aspect of the school day starting with bus rides and ending with after-school care and extracurricular activities. 

Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter said taking these steps to reduce transmission will help with the plan to reopen schools in the fall.

The offer by CEO Jeff Lyash at a Tuesday City Council presentation includes investments and money over a 20-year period. Meanwhile, there was more reaction from other parts of the issue on a final version of the Integrated Resource Plan on the matter commissioned by MLGW.