In regional ICUs, 62 beds are available. Forty percent of ICU patients are either COVID-19 positive or under investigation for the virus.

It's Monday, July 13, and the Shelby County Commission is planning to "ban the box," schools are still a question mark, and the Memphis Zoo has a new animal — but it's one you may not expect. 

Early voting in advance of the Aug. 6 election day begins Friday in Shelby County. 

Questions surface as city officials limit access to police brutality files and sidestep requests for comment regarding excessive force.

North, a 1-year-old golden retriever, wears a bright yellow cape as he makes the rounds at the Memphis Zoo where curator Courtney Janney is training him to be a Canine Companions assistance dog.

The proposal would remove from county government employment applications the check box or question that asks whether the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense. 

The area’s total number of cases is now 13,702 with 221 deaths.

Gov. Bill Lee continues to call the COVID-19 pandemic a crisis, but some Memphis lawmakers question his strategy as cases spike. They say he needs to be prepared for another round of spending to help families as the school year starts.

The annual fundraiser of the Memphis Branch NAACP was held online Saturday and featured appearances by the national president and CEO of the nation's oldest civil rights organization as well as recent Democratic presidential contender Julian Castro. 

The Tennessee Healthcare Resource Tracking System reports 93% of regional ICU beds are being used, with 112 patients identified as COVID-19 positive and 26 additional patients under investigation.

With hospitals 90% full in and right at the red range of capacity, leaders are working their plans for the COVID-19 surge.

The Shelby County Commission will reconsider a proposal they initially voted down: John Porter's Quinn Ridge Development in Collierville. Some commissioners believe the project would yield significant financial gain for the county, but others believe it would be more of a financial burden.

Kids who go to school risk exposing themselves and others to COVID-19. But many kids who stay home are more vulnerable to adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs.

The Tennessee Black Caucus is preparing to challenge the assertion that Nathan Bedford Forrest is a "military hero," which was part of the vote to shift the Confederate general's bust to the State Museum.

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, City Council member Worth Morgan talks about his possible move to take police out of the city's civil service system and calls a move to cancel the November referendum allowing the city to hire police from outside Shelby County "the ultimate hypocrisy."

SCS Superintendent Joris Ray said Memphis students will start the school year online if coronavirus hospitalizations and cases continue to surge. 

The fundraiser funds programs for the NAACP Memphis Branch.

UTHSC will conduct and manage the testing centers on the U of M campus.

Charges will not be filed against U.S. Marshals in connection with the death of Brandon Webber in Frayser last summer, District Attorney Amy Weirich announced Friday, July 10.

Sekisui won a grant from the Economic Development Growth Engine to aid the sushi restaurant's comeback from an extreme loss of business due to COVID-19.

The health department reported 362 new coronavirus cases and six additional deaths on Friday, July 10.

It's Friday, July 10, and RiverArtsFest is off, Nathan Bedford Forrest was voted out, and a Google search lands on Southaven. 

Experts say challenges for college presidents are monumental, including now to plan for whatever temporary turns out to be as fall classes approach.

FedEx has launched voluntary COVID-19 testing for Memphis area employees and on-site vendors. Testing sites are at FedEx Express world headquarters and near the hub at Memphis International Airport.

The Shelby County Schools superintendent said on “Behind The Headlines” that the school system is ready with a flexible plan and two teams of teachers for each school – virtual teachers and in-person teachers.