The fate of the presidency hangs in the balance as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden fight for the last handful of battleground states.

MLGW president and CEO J.T. Young said the utility should put more emphasis on electric rate savings for customers as it pursues the question of leaving or staying with the Tennessee Valley Authority.

There were 316 COVID-positive people in area hospital beds as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Tennessee Healthcare Resource Tracking System; 94 were in intensive care units.

You know today would be a great day for donuts. 

The Trump presidency has accelerated preexisting rural/urban divides and Tennessee, while not a “battleground” state, is one of the states where those divisions are most deeply felt.

Torrey Harris, who lost to John DeBerry by 21 percentage points in the 2018 Democratic primary, upset the 26-year incumbent in Tuesday’s voting.

In a close race, John Gillespie, a political newcomer, narrowly defeats Democratic challenger Gabby Salinas in the state House District 97 race. 

White retains his seat with 55% of the vote, according to unofficial totals from the Shelby County Election Commission.

Republican Bill Hagerty handily defeated Democratic Memphis environmental activist Marquita Bradshaw Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander, bringing to an end the surprise run for the seat that Bradshaw began with a primary upset of Nashville attorney James Mackler.

Millions of voters put aside worries about the virus — and some long lines — to turn out in person, joining 102 million fellow Americans who voted days or weeks earlier, a record number that represented 73% of the total vote in the 2016 presidential election.

Memphis City Council members met briefly Tuesday, Nov. 3, in their regularly schedule online session.

Germantown voters decided who would fill open alderman positions and a school board seat.

Related Story: Stamps wins reelection in Collierville; runoffs will decide two other alderman seats

Challenger Kevin Quinn defeated incumbent Bartlett alderwoman Paula Sedgwick by a mere 61 votes in the suburb’s only contested alderman race, according to unofficial totals from the Shelby County Election Commission. 

Overall, election officials were happy with the day’s process. “It was well-organized. We had a good plan and a lot of people,” Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips said.

Health Department asks faith leaders for their help as holidays approach, and church for many, will take center stage.

The Shelby County Health Department reported almost 400 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Who will be your elected officials come next year? We know most of them. 

It’s Election Day, and the University of Memphis will have to find student housing somewhere else, the Nylon Net Building has a new owner, and we’re not betting on the NBA draft. 

Republican Bill Hagerty was in Cordova Monday morning and Democrat Marquita Bradshaw ended her campaign Monday evening in Orange Mound. The two have waged very different campaigns for the seat Lamar Alexander leaves at the end of the year.

Forum will be public on Hooks Institute Facebook page.

Lots of items are pushed to the Nov. 17 council session, including changes to the city pension system to start carrying out the intent of a half-cent sales tax approved by Memphis voters in 2019.

The last time the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients reached 300 was Aug. 17.

We’ve also got a fair bit of news from the judicial branch of government, with landlords petitioning the courts and friends from Rhodes remembering Amy Coney Barrett.