A vote Monday by the Shelby County Commission on a new voting system could mean new voting machines by the May county primary elections. 

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Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. wants the county to get the bonuses to county workers in the next pay period. County Mayor Lee Harris says the county needs to be sure the use of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds is allowed before it cuts checks.

New name and concept for the existing Restaurant Iris building has been revealed, Army Corps of Engineers gives final approval on the redesign of Tom Lee Park, and masks will be back at SCS this fall. 

The precinct site sold for $3.5 million after being appraised at $6 million, setting up a council debate about whether to take the best offer now or wait for a better one.

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Council approves centerpiece of Downtown parking reconfiguration

Coal ash from old Allen plant would go to airport area

The council also gave final approval Tuesday to new historic overlay districts in Crosstown and Vollintine-Evergreen, took its first vote on a pipeline infrastructure review board and passed an ordinance banning landlords from putting the belongings of those they evict on city rights of way.

Masks will be required when the coming SCS school year begins, but field trips, athletics and reopened playgrounds will come back again. 

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.