MPD’s Slow Down Memphis operation to combat speeding, drag racing and interstate shootings has revved up by partnering with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The Shelby County Commission will vote on Taylor’s appointment on Monday, July 26.

TVA officials outlined remediation plans that include trucking treated coal residue to a private landfill near Memphis International Airport.

The long awaited permit clears the way for the park’s redesign to begin moving dirt and creating new features in Tom Lee Park after a three-year planning process that has seen the plans change over time. 

It was a busy day for the Memphis Medical District, as Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital announced an expansion, neighborhood investment was bolstered and the temporary COVID hospital on Union closed without ever opening. 

Plans have been submitted for renovating the building anchoring the prominent southwest corner of Union and Front.

The council also takes up the vote delayed two weeks ago on the sale of the old Union Avenue police station in Midtown, a car lot in Raleigh and takes the first of three votes on restrictions of future oil pipelines within the city.

All expenses, including monthly rent, are eligible to be reimbursed by the federal government.

With COVID surging again, Shelby County’s low vaccination rate is a growing concern. Meanwhile, some local employers are struggling to hire enough workers to meet demand, and Penny turned 50.

The COVID-19 vaccine is readily available, but many people are still deciding against vaccination – at least for now. The moment of urgency has passed and instead has been replaced by a relaxed attitude, even as the Delta variant spreads and puts unvaccinated people at risk for severe illness and even death. 

If masks have been the face of the nation’s political divide during the pandemic, what are COVID vaccinations?

Memphis Voices for Palestine, along with the Memphis chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, led a march down Cooper Street holding signs that read ‘Zionism Equals Violence’ and ‘Free Palestine.’

Volunteers and employees of office of Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris targeted the 38128 ZIP code in North Memphis, because of its prominent Spanish speaking-population, citing a disparity in local vaccination rates among Hispanic communities. 

The week’s best images include a visit to the Crosstown Concourse in Midtown, where Jennifer Biggs sampled a wood-fired pizza and some refreshing craft beers.

A stormy-weather forecast has pushed back for one week the Inaugural MAM Helicopter Ball Drop fundraiser for Memphis Athletic Ministries.

A new monument on Beale Street honors the 19th century school teacher, journalist and anti-lynching figure. The recognition comes 130 years after Wells left the city just ahead of a mob that ransacked her newspaper office.

Pervis Payne, a death row inmate for 33 years, appeared in court for the first time in 14 years Friday for a hearing on access to records in determining his mental competency. 

We’re celebrating Ida B. Wells; some vaccinations become mandatory; and Tennessee is definitely making national news — and the late-night talk shows. 

But national headlines alleging the state is anti-vaccine don’t sit well with lawmakers and elected officials. Many say the difference between promoting vaccines and simply educating residents, particularly minors, is a fine line.

A ceremony Thursday at the site of three lynchings more than a century ago was part of a week of Ida B. Wells events leading up to Friday’s statue unveiling. 

The positivity rate has tripled since July 1, to 8.9%. The majority of cases are the Delta variant, which is 50% to 60% more contagious than the B.1.1.7 strain that was dominant here from mid-March 2021 to early July.

County Mayor Lee Harris plans to nominate a pediatrician and White Station High School graduate as the Shelby County Health Department’s next director. 

Employees may receive the vaccine on the St. Jude campus. Those who received it off campus are to submit verification to the hospital before returning to work. 

Plus, Wright says we’re wrong, a remediation could lead to a renaissance and Iris will bloom elsewhere.