It's Thursday, July 9, and if today has a theme, it's about the groundbreaking changes to everyday life we've seen since the coronavirus pandemic began. And some of them, such as a new college endowment, are welcome. 

The program bolsters immigrant language skills, teaches civics and other lessons about living in the United States. 

The Wednesday committee sessions drew most of the 13 commissioners, with the remainder attending online. Also debuting was a partitioned commission chambers with glass barriers between the elected officials and masks worn in the booths created for them.

Gov. Bill Lee is expected to tell the State Capitol Commission he believes the monument should be moved to the State Museum.

Memphis police report a 30% increase in homicides this year compared to same period last year. 

Mayor Jim Strickland’s reform discussions are continuing, he said Wednesday, but critics of the belief that more cops means less crime have become more vocal since the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd on Memorial Day. 

SBA data suggests Paycheck Protection Program thus far has aided more than 14,000 Shelby County businesses and helped retain more than 50,000 jobs.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance confirmed a $22,000 settlement penalty of campaign reporting violations for state Rep. Joe Towns in an effort to avert an open meetings lawsuit.

Since pausing a move to Phase 3, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and overall positivity rate continued to rise locally with little signs of changing in the immediate future.

The list of limited-service restaurants that close at midnight is lengthy; private clubs without a restaurant license will also be closed.

Lurking in the shadows – or in some cases, right out there in plain sight for anyone willing to look – are myriad unintended health consequences of this pandemic.

The state’s Health Resources Tracking Systems reports that that as of July 6, 346 patients were hospitalized for coronavirus in Shelby County. 

It's Wednesday, July 8, and the Grizz are going away, the Memphis City Council has multiple plans for police reform and the Back to School blues are real, but there's a win for ewe and me. 

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators is only “cautiously optimistic” the State Capitol Commission will vote Thursday to remove the monument of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.

African American clergy call for residency requirement for public safety to be taken off the November ballot. They don't think the measure will help bring about the police reform for which they are pushing. 

The state is doling out $81 million in grants to K-12 schools, colleges and universities to prepare for a safe reopening this August in the COVID-19 climate.

Memphis City Council members also got their first look Tuesday at how much police have spent in the past four years on overtime and riot gear as well as other preparations to handle protests.

Shelby County Schools’ plan addresses every aspect of the school day starting with bus rides and ending with after-school care and extracurricular activities. 

Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter said taking these steps to reduce transmission will help with the plan to reopen schools in the fall.

The offer by CEO Jeff Lyash at a Tuesday City Council presentation includes investments and money over a 20-year period. Meanwhile, there was more reaction from other parts of the issue on a final version of the Integrated Resource Plan on the matter commissioned by MLGW.

Overall, 143,329 coronavirus tests have been administered in Shelby County.

It's 7/7/2020, and we've got the City Council looking at cutting police from Civil Service, changes to both Poplar Plaza and High Point Grocery and who got PPP money. 

Pool testing has been used for other diseases for decades; Memphis among first cities to apply for FDA emergency-use approval.

The deadline is the end of the business day Tuesday for those not already registered. But 83% of the county's voting age population is already on the voting rolls. Meanwhile, about 7,500 Shelby Countians already registered to vote have requested absentee ballots — far above the usual number of requests for the mail-in ballots.

The Sierra Club’s Scott Banbury raises questions about the governor's move to extend electronic meetings for local governments, while the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government says it creates a "convenient" loophole for councils and commissions to avoid public comment.