Olive Branch officials want to monitor who drives into the DeSoto County city, and has hired a Georgia firm to track license plates with cameras.

Today is the first day of the new school year for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, and the district still has 180 vacant teacher positions. 

In the shadow of the Renasant Convention Center, a peaceful line forms. People in shabby, sometimes off-season clothing, come for a homemade burrito, bag of chips, water, a soft drink, maybe a pair of new socks.

Alissa Fowler, a local Realtor, is challenging Wanda Chism, who has served on the Collierville Schools board of education since the district’s inception.

As part of the celebration and back-to-school prep, the district also partnered with the Shelby County Health Department to provide students in need with free immunizations.

Jennifer Collins said the pandemic forced some changes in higher education and exacerbated the need for mental health services already surfacing on college campuses.

“We train all our staff in battlefield first aid,” said one local school superintendent. “We watch some really gory videos so they can be prepared.”

The unofficial voter turnout in Shelby County for the August 2022 election was the lowest for the election cycle since partisan county primaries began.

The back-to-school initiative takes place in multiple cities across the country and has been an annual tradition of the organizations for over a decade.

Since an injunction was lifted last month, the state has been working to make taxpayer-funded private school vouchers available by the time class starts — which in Shelby County is Monday, Aug. 8.

From January to June this year, there were 483 charges against violent juvenile offenders, compared to 298 in the first half last year. 

Jason Martin declared victory on Thursday night before all the votes were counted, confident in how the remaining vote would break down. But the totals narrowed considerably as he gave his speech.

The Shelby County Commission is now majority Democrat and majority female, Nashville beats Memphis in the Democratic primary for governor and you can ditch the bread at Fino’s on the Hill. 

Thursday’s election was the third time Tom Leatherwood and Lee Mills competed for the state seat.

The new commission appeared to have a nine-vote Democratic majority with some votes still to be counted into Friday morning in one of the closest races on the entire big ballot.

New members will soon participate in a swearing-in ceremony to officially become part of the board. The board’s next meeting will be a work session Aug. 23. It will hold its monthly business meeting the following week on Aug. 30.

The idea of a three-term limit for city council members and the Memphis mayor went down hard for the second time in four years. 

Despite vocal complaints about her office’s delays in processing car tag and license plate renewals, County Clerk Wanda Halbert won re-election Thursday, Aug. 4. Here’s a rundown of the other clerk’s races on the ballot that saw a repeat of 2018’s Democratic sweep of the same offices.

Several other judges, including two in General Sessions Criminal Court, were either upset in the incomplete results or were in danger of being upset. Meanwhile, voters filled eight court seats to which incumbents did not seek reelection this year, including four divisions of Criminal Court.

Democrat Steve Mulroy declared victory over incumbent Republican Amy Weirich late Thursday evening in the race for Shelby County District Attorney, but Weirich had not conceded defeat.

Harris, who campaigned as part of a “New Era” slate of Democratic candidates, led a Democratic sweep of countywide offices. 

Gov. Bill Lee is expected to win reelection, but Democrats think they have a shot after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, incumbent lawmakers in Congress and the General Assembly all won.

The early and absentee votes are the first to be counted once the polls are closed. The numbers here are the early vote only with separate totals not posted yet on absentee votes.

Voting for one of the more heated local elections in recent history closed shortly after 7 p.m. and after a delay results were finally announced.

Related stories:

Shelby County’s ‘big ballot’ Election Day arrives with theme of change

Ballot Basics: Aug. 4 Election Day

What to watch for in the election night vote totals

EPA monitors Southwest Memphis for cancer-causing emissions, Downtown’s Dermon Building may see new life and the city’s oldest windshield business has new owners.