Memphis’ homicide rate, school vouchers and passenger rail were among the topics discussed on this week’s “Behind The Headlines.”

Superintendent Gary Lilly is leaving, so Collierville Schools carried out interviews for a new superintendent Friday.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr.’s request for a temporary order of protection from fellow commissioner Mickell Lowery has been denied — at least for now.

The federal suit against Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., chief jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government about the death of Gershun Freeman is scheduled for trial March 24, 2025.

The Tennessee governor has granted one commutation and 22 pardons, including a Sevier County woman convicted of first-degree murder. Two of those receiving pardons are from Shelby County.

Documents outline the transfer of stadium ownership from the city to University of Memphis Auxiliary Services Foundation. 

Germantown Municipal School District will charge tuition next academic year for those living outside the suburb who want to attend the system’s schools.

The start of the interview process is a step toward hiring a new leader for Tennessee’s largest school district, which has been operating with Interim Superintendent Toni Williams in charge since August 2022, when Joris Ray resigned.

Pearl Walker talks about solutions to crime after five people were shot, leaving two dead, at a car wash on Riverdale Road.

Young wants to keep Chief Davis, the TVA is ready for winter and you can get your sugar fix in Cordova.

During the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, the Mississippi River mayors signed an agreement with an Indian river advocacy group and announced a new pilot program with Munich Reinsurance Co. 

More than three-quarters of Tennessee voters support at least some access to abortion, background-check requirements and restricting “high-risk” people’s access to guns.

Some 2,000 educators were nominated for the honor, which recognizes contributions to music and the industry made by individual teachers.

The March 5 primary is Shelby County’s first election of 2024 and is topped by Tennessee’s presidential primary. The race for General Sessions Court clerk is the only countywide position on the ballot in 2024.

Following last year’s Winter Storm Elliott and mandatory, rolling blackouts, the TVA has invested about $123 million to prepare its equipment for extreme weather. 

“We’ve had a number of dialogues over the past couple of months, and I feel confident that she can and will be able to lead us into a better space with regards to public safety.”

The Memphis One-Stop Center is an accelerated training center that will produce credentialed job candidates for the region’s job market each year.

Families share stories of alleged abuse at Youth Villages, a local judge goes to jail and Kansas State’s loss is the Memphis Tigers’ gain.

Memphis wasn’t part of original expansion plans for passenger-rail service in and through Tennessee. But connecting Memphis to Nashville would also give travelers New Orleans and Chicago. 

If approved by the Memphis City Council in a Dec. 19 vote, the mayoral salary would increase from $170,000 to $210,000 for Mayor-elect Paul Young.

This year marks Riley Earnest’s third at Desoto Central Elementary School in Southaven, where she teaches fifth-grade science and social studies. 

In the third day of hearings in a lawsuit against Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, the court heard from former NBA player Mike Miller, Morant’s mother and others via pre-recorded video. 

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Follow the third day of hearings in Ja Morant lawsuit

Memphis-Shelby County Schools hosted a press conference Wednesday, Dec. 13, to address parent and community concerns about a new after-school club that will rent space at a Cordova elementary school.

Another Memphis family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump over alleged abuse at Youth Villages.

The woman lost her money in a scheme that started with a message that her computer had been hacked.