National Civil Rights Museum President Russell Wigginton said on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast that he hopes state education officials will consult with the museum as they set the guidelines for school systems to navigate the new state law banning teaching about systemic racism and how the history of race impacts the present.

The facility at the University of Memphis opened June 30 with a variety of amenities for students. 

The new directive omits recommendations on how drinking fountains were to be cleaned in the pandemic, eliminating confusion about whether they can be open. They can.

On Thursday, July 8, the agency reported 88 new coronavirus cases.

The reproductive rate of coronavirus in Shelby County is now 1.22, the highest since June 25, 2020. The seven-day average positivity rate is now 4.5%, up from 2.9% on July 1, 2021.

Local health experts have new advice as Delta’s impact grows. Plus, we’re looking at the evolution of ‘the office,’ a Classic take and finding the key to someone’s heart. 

People with compromised immune systems should talk to their doctor about a third dose, Dr. Manoj Jain says.

Labor Department reports show the number of people teleworking in June was 14.4%, down from 16.6% in May as businesses nationwide require employees to return to the office. 

Perea Preschool is no longer connected with Church Health, instead being absorbed into Perea Elementary School, as of July 1.

A battle for the underground continues while Brothers are taking to the sky. 

Gov. Bill Lee announced the state would spend $2.5 million to buy plane tickets for tourists. The decision prompted criticism that buying plane tickets for tourists is not the best use of taxpayer dollars.

Each silhouette in a new public art installation in the Heights represents a Memphis pedestrian killed by a vehicle in 2020.

An attorney for Plains All American Pipeline told City Council members Tuesday the proposals are “anti-industry” and will be overturned if approved by the council and County Commission.

Funding includes $2.5 million to buy the 17-acre site and the rest for conversion of space to Liberty Bowl parking spaces and city maintenance facilities.

Council members had questions about the land sale coming in below the $6 million appraised value of the property.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis briefs City Council members on the opening weekend of the new law.

We’re looking out for a new surge on the horizon, what laws go into effect this month and a historic proposal in Olive Branch. 

Also on the council’s agenda Tuesday is a first look at the “Union Station” development on Union Avenue east of McLean, buying the Coke bottling plant property by the Fairgrounds and votes on two historic overlay districts in Crosstown and Vollintine-Evergreen.

Despite the easing of the pandemic, most local governments are keeping their states of emergency active, renewing them as often as weekly, to make sure they don’t run afoul of funding.

Independence Day gatherings and parades mark a return to near-normalcy. But COVID-19 cast a shadow on July 4, as 66 new cases pushed Shelby County over the 100,000 mark. Many are the highly contagious Delta variant.

Here’s a review of some of the new state laws and changes to state law that took effect July 1 after approval by the Tennessee General Assembly and the signature of Gov. Bill Lee.

The summit comes during an off-election year in Shelby County politics, which Rev. Earle Fisher said is useful to emphasize the coalition’s focus on issues and policy.

Fireworks flashed over Collierville’s sky for fewer than 20 minutes Saturday night, but for the experts who executed the demonstration, the process began three days ago at H.W. Cox Park. 

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The To-Do List: Where to see fireworks shows this weekend