In 2025, Memphis’ number of murders declined more than 25% since the year before. 

State Rep. Mark White hopes Tennessee legislative leadership is “ready to move” on an MSCS takeover bill when lawmakers reconvene Tuesday, Jan. 13. 

The local Republican Party’s executive committee meets later this month to elect a new chair.

U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman said during Monday’s swearing-in ceremony that case filings at the court were up more than 300%.

CBU names Ronald Brandon, currently the school’s executive vice president and chief operating officer for administration and finance, as its next president.

Green, according to a news release, will begin the transition to the new role on Jan. 12.

Recently, The Daily Memphian obtained daily Task Force reports between October and early December, giving us more insight into the operations than ever before. 

State lawmakers have big plans, the Grizzlies are broken again and two nonagenarians find love all over again. 

The Education Savings Account voucher program was a signature issue for Gov. Bill Lee, who has supported additional school choice policies as a way for parents to choose higher-achieving schools.

School takeover, immigration and access to contraceptives are set to dominate the 2026 Tennessee General Assembly. Here's what Memphians should know ahead of the gavel.

Former Memphis Police Association president Mike Williams picks a race. Also, a nonendorsement by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a new city policy director and a review of the Election Commission’s revamped website.

“I plead guilty,” Former Evolve Bank & Trust CEO Robert Hartheimer said. “It is a decision by me because I’m guilty.” 

Local Venezuelans react to Maduro’s capture, MSCS could close two more schools and we look at the local origins of Dashboard Jesus.

The greater chestnut weevil hadn’t been definitively seen since the 1990s. Many assumed it was extinct. But not two scientists at the University of Memphis. 

Two schools will exit the nearly defunct, state-run Achievement School District this summer. Their fates lie with MSCS officials, who have yet to decide if the schools will remain open or be closed.

Decades ago, drivers planted a plastic Jesus on their car’s dashboard to provide a bit of religious safety as automobiles became more prevalent on the road. 

Also happening this week: Saturday marks the three-year anniversary of Tyré Nichols’ death.

In the days before a Nashville judge ruled on the legality of Gov. Bill Lee’s deployment of the Tennessee National Guard, hundreds more guardsmen surged into Memphis, according to public records.

President Donald Trump linked Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime to the alleged presence of Venezuelan gangs in American cities, including Memphis.

Venezuelans in Memphis cheered the removal of their home country’s president but express fear and uncertainty about what comes next for the beleaguered South American nation.

The Memphis area’s representatives in Washington, D.C., reacted hours after the military operation that took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro into custody for trial on federal drug charges in the U.S.

Related story:

Trump claims Memphis crime drop due to task force

On Behind The Headlines, reporters discuss top local stories of 2025, including the link between the Memphis-Shelby County Schools ouster of Marie Feagins, and the arrival of the National Guard.

The number of traffic fatalities in Shelby County dropped by almost a third in 2025, and MPD credits its officers as well as the extra help provided by state and federal officers.

Memphis saw a 26.4% decline in murders year over year.

Interested in a plant-based lifestyle? Newsletter editor Bianca Phillips has thoughts and tips.