A chop shop was on the block, we’ve got a taste for local entrepreneurism and in otter news, we have otter news. 

Collierville and Germantown hope students may help offset costs and staffing needs at the Germantown Baptist Church regional vaccine site.

As the public continues to voice its frustration with the local COVID-19 vaccine process, Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter says she understands the frustration and that the ‘buck stops’ with the Health Department. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris declined to comment.

The measure could move to a vote before the full Senate if it passes through the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, which is scheduled to meet on Feb. 16.

Plans for the interactive sculpture were among several new riverfront developments, including Mud Island renovations, reviewed Tuesday, Feb. 9, by the Memphis River Parks Partnership board.

UTHSC confirms it has identified two variant strains of the virus in Shelby County.

The Shelby County Health Department announced Tuesday it would have 700 appointments for the second dose of coronavirus vaccine available this week. Within 15 minutes, all 700 available slots were filled.

Charter schools run by nonprofit organizations are allowed to make their own plans about reopening buildings. That means about a quarter of Memphis students attend public schools that are not obligated to follow Superintendent Joris Ray’s decision to continue all-virtual learning. 

Around 9:30 a.m. the Health Department said it would administer second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at Germantown Baptist Church on Friday.

The Memphis Police Department goes ‘Bowling’ for new officers, Ja Morant has returned to spectacular and another challenge arises for the Byhalia Connection. 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee defended his government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic—as well as conservative principles more generally—in his third State of the State address Monday evening.

Democrats took control of the presidency and Congress in 2020. Could DeSoto County be poised to wrest leadership positions from the Republicans in DeSoto County?

Lee defends his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Democrats including Raumesh Akbari of Memphis say the state has not invested in what is important to Tennessee families. 

Related stories

Full text of Gov. Bill Lee’s State of the State address

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s budget proposal for 2021-22

The project will widen a floodplain north of Big Creek for use as a recreational area with trails when the creek is low.

Proposed budget includes money for teacher and school worker raises and $63.2 million for 4% salary increases in higher education.

Gov. Bill Lee touted progress on the economy, COVID-19, the Medicare block grant and other goals of his administration.

The delay by the Shelby County Commission also shows there may be a rift between commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. and his father, City Council member Edmund Ford Sr., on the issue.

The resolution, approved Monday, Feb. 8, in a unanimous vote, isn’t binding on the state. But it calls on the state to move teachers up in the vaccination line as a condition for reopening the state’s largest school system.

According to the latest Shelby County Health Department data, close to 60,000 people in Shelby County have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

The recruitment ad was part of a series of ads planned as the department seeks to increase its force size. 

What do the changes to the state’s TennCare program mean? Here’s a breakdown of the changes. 
Related story:
Lee to deliver State of the State, with focus on economic recovery

Gov. Bill Lee’s third State of the State address Monday evening, Feb. 8, is already getting reaction from Democrats in the Legislature who say his response to the pandemic has been “too late, ended too early and did too little.”

The policy aims to address the growing mismatch between Tennessee’s increasingly diverse student population and the educators who teach them.

A pharmacy student sues over her free speech rights, volunteers talk about their work at the Pipkin and on Appling City Cove and they’re moving heaven and earth at Overton Park.