A new student section sneaks up on us, we’ve got plenty of U of M news and it’s been quite the school year so far, no? 

Commissioners made changes Monday to the blue ribbon ethics panel it created despite a veto by county Mayor Lee Harris. The changes didn’t go down well with those who wanted the group to report directly to the commission and not the county Ethics Commission.

Collierville Schools Board Chairman Wright Cox asked residents Tuesday, Aug. 24, to remember their choices impact everyone.

The most recent data available is from Aug. 13-19, the second week of school.

Related story:

Westwood High COVID-related death identified

By getting the vaccine, you are protecting not only yourself but your family, co-workers and the entire community. You are also helping to ensure that our health care facilities retain the capacity to care for patients who are seriously ill with other disorders.

Houston Middle is seeing the largest number of parents opting out of the Shelby County Health Department mask mandate — with 22% of 834 HMS students receiving parental permission to not mask.

Germantown Municipal School District will not fire the educator following its investigation regarding her social media post.

The University of Memphis campus was teeming with activity Monday, Aug. 23, as students returned for in-person learning.

It is offering two hours of administrative leave, per dose, for faculty and staff not yet vaccinated.

A youth who died at Le Bonheur over the weekend has been identified as 16-year-old Westwood High student Azorean Tatum.

Student fan engagement is part of the reason for the U of M’s new venture. 

A proposed ordinance establishing setback requirements for oil pipelines will advance to a final Shelby County Commission vote next month despite getting only five “yes” votes from commissioners this week.

Almost 50 people have succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week, Shelby County is giving raises and bonuses ... and so is Methodist. 

If you want to eat at RP Tracks, starting this week, you have to show your vaccination card or negative COVID test. The first day of the new practice went smoothly for the University area restaurant. 

The county-owned hospital is hiring to reopen 21 beds with $2 million in city funding approved last week. The county funding will also help over the next 13 weeks as Regional One competes with other hospital systems across the country to hire skilled health care workers to meet the demand from the latest COVID surge.

During the spring budget season, the commission opted for the one-time bonuses over a pay raise proposed by County Mayor Lee Harris. But after the fiscal year started, the move began to grant the pay raises as well as bonuses.

Last week, president M. David Rudd said he would pursue making shots necessary as soon as FDA lifted emergency-use approval.

Parents are expressing growing concerns about the safety of their children in schools. They want an option to send children back to school virtually.

The Shelby County Commission asked Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order allowing parents to opt-out of school mask mandates. It also passed resolutions supporting a countywide mask mandate and spending funds on masks for all county public school systems.

Many of the missing live in the neighborhoods where the water rose the fastest, said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis, who confirmed the 22 fatalities in his county and said 12 to 15 people remain missing.

“The Delta variant has hit children harder than any of the other variants since the start of the pandemic,” said Dr. Barry Gilmore, chief medical officer.

Out of the 1,826 COVID-19 deaths reported by the Shelby County Health Department since the coronavirus pandemic began, 10 were among vaccinated individuals. 

Jason Martin treats COVID-19 patients in a Nashville hospital and has been one of the biggest critics of Gov. Bill Lee’s handling of the pandemic.

Danton Barto, the all-time leading tackler in Memphis football history, has died of COVID-19. Before he died, he asked his wife to get vaccinated. The best way for Tigers fans to honor him would be to roll up their sleeves for No. 59. 

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech now carries the strongest endorsement from the Food and Drug Administration, which has never before had so much evidence to judge a shot’s safety.