Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana Sunday with approximately 150 mph winds, making it a Category 4. Category 5 hurricanes start at 156 mph. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S.

Ida quickly gained strength as it moved into the northern Gulf, going from top winds of 115 mph (185 kph) in a 1 a.m. update to 145 mph (230 kph) a few hours later. The system was expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon.

In Shelby County, about one in five (23%) or 1,185 of the daily cases reported in the last month have been breakthrough cases. 

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, City Council member Martavius Jones says he intends to propose doing away with council super districts and also will call for partisan primaries in advance of city general elections. 

The National Hurricane Center warned that super-warm Gulf waters could rapidly magnify Ida’s destructive power, boosting it from a Category 2 storm to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane in just 18 hours or less. Landfall was expected Sunday afternoon.

Gabby Salinas emerged as the new local party chair at an online party convention Saturday, Aug. 28, after former party chairman Corey Strong withdrew from the balloting.

20% of children in global cancer registry developed serious disease; in 4% of cases, COVID was fatal. 

The director of Hospitality Hub and the head of its fundraising and awareness partner Dragonfly talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the decision to move away from the tent cities and encampments that are part of the approach to homelessness in other cities.

Developer Franklin Haney’s plan to buy the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant and sell the electric power it generated to Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division started the ongoing exploration of MLGW possibly leaving the Tennessee Valley Authority.

A class-action lawsuit filed today alleges disabled students can’t get a proper education without universal masking to slow the spread of COVID-19, and therefore that Lee’s order is unlawful.

The opt-out order on masks is one of many times in recent years that the state government has preempted local governments, negating laws passed by mayors and city and county councils.

New order also gives details on who is eligible for boosters now and will be in September.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves talked about the pandemic Thursday, Aug. 26, at a re-election fundraiser in Shelby County held at a replica of the Mississippi governor’s mansion. 

Hospital numbers set new record, friends and family remember their favorite uncle, and Shelby County sues Bill Lee. 

Federal suit filed in Memphis late Thursday afternoon. 

“All our leaders around the state and region understand the connection between rising case counts and bans on masking,” mayor says.

The district also made families aware of how it plans to teach students who are in quarantine.

Some say the attacks demonstrate the problems in the rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops and a lack of planning.

The call came during a memorial service in Memphis for Alvin Motley Jr., whose family has seen video of the fatal shooting. 

Children now account for more COVID-19 infections in Shelby County than 18- to 34-year-olds, another record.

Watch the COVID-19 Task Force Briefing live now.

“Why are we now debating whether children should be protected amid a raging pandemic that has killed more than 600,000 in the U.S. alone?”

“Debate is healthy, but not when the debate is about wearing a mask that can decrease the chance of children contracting COVID-19,” Dr. James Downing said.

The U of M takes the Bates, lobbies the governor and plans to achieve world domination ... wait, sorry, *checks notes* ... national prominence. Plus, ethics complaints against a mayor, COVID immunity waning and country ham. 

The City Council Scorecard looks at recent council votes that don’t seem to pack a political punch but nevertheless call for an attention to detail.