Doug Emhoff will be in Birmingham today, delivering a similar message as part of the Biden Administration’s “We Can Do This” campaign ahead of July 4th goal of vaccinating 70% of U.S. population.

Republican state lawmakers floated the idea of “dissolving and reconstituting” the Tennessee Department of Health Wednesday, June 16, because of vaccine messaging they said amounted to “coercion.”

EDGE awarded a $100,000 grant focusing on Whitehaven as part of a large effort to work with local economic development partners throughout the county.

The legal opinion will be about the chain of events at the June 7 session that led to the first approval of the $3.46 county tax rate.

Shelby County Schools officials say the Head Start contract with Porter-Leath is unprecedented in terms of its autonomy. A Porter-Leath representative says the relationship started to go bad two years ago.

Plus, a landmark conflict in Evergreen, the DMC is aiming high and budget season continues. 

The current Frayser library, located at 3712 Argonne Street, has been a community staple for more than 50 years. While it’s been important for allowing children and adults alike for book access and computer use, it’s also a vital community space for the neighborhood.

A move for a 31-cent tax hike never got to a vote, with a council majority voting down a rule suspension to consider going up on the tax rate. That and other votes Tuesday, June 15, closed out the city’s budget season.

Shelby County General Sessions Judge John Donald is set to retire next month after 35 years on the bench. 

14 other probable cases awaiting testing or results.

About 60 people in Shelby County who got vaccinated were still hospitalized with COVID-19. We’re also talking about tax and fee increases, a possible snub for Shelby County Schools and I-55 travel times. 

Who is most at risk and how many local residents have reportedly been infected despite getting a vaccine.

Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn won’t be making a Shelby County stop during a 50-district summer tour, but a spokesman said the omission isn’t personal or political.

Douglas Emhoff was just in the city last month to push the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan.

Shelby County Schools approved a proposed budget of $2.2 billion to be presented to the County Commission on Wednesday, June 16.

Before the council gets to final votes on operating and capital budgets, it will take up a call to raise property taxes by 29 cents to an even $3. The current city tax rate of $3.19 was lowered to $2.71 by the state to take into account the increase in property values with this year’s countywide property reappraisal.

The Monday, June 14, groundbreaking starts with a youth sports complex that is the centerpiece of the $126 million project about where the Libertyland amusement park once stood.

Instead of the traffic jams varying wildly throughout the hours of each day, this past week’s data showed the same delays for blocks of time. 

We’re looking at the pandemic’s ripple effects, especially when it comes to people’s overall health. Plus, a Memphis native wins a Pulitzer, a new fundraiser is kind of ballsy, and the Forrests have been moved from the park. 

The shortened park season opened with water in the Riverwalk. But other parts of the upgrade in the 39-year-old attraction have been delayed. Meanwhile, there was an attempt on the City Council to get the park’s long-dormant monorail up and running again that didn’t pan out.

He said policing has been his ministry. “I’ve always had a heart for helping those that really could not make that next step by themselves, and they needed some assistance,” he said. “I love God, and I just feel like His hand has been over me to drive that badge forward in a ministry type way.”

Many Americans saw pre-existing health conditions worsen during the pandemic. Medical appointments were delayed or canceled. And vaccination resistance remains.

Since Bill Haslam was elected governor in 2010, Republicans have held control of Tennessee’s state government, with the party controlling the trifecta of the House, Senate and governor’s office. No Black politician has chaired a full, standing committee since then.

Mairi Albertson, the city’s director of Housing and Community Development talks on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast about the citywide plan, and says the lessons of the pandemic indicate broadband has to be able to handle several people online at the same time.