The Shelby County Health Department reported 625 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, Dec. 18. 

Chick-fil-A looks to be landing at the airport, Bill Dries is remembering The Jar, and Maker’s Mark helps Ripley get lit.

The council approved the financing for a $62 million set of five Downtown parking projects. But the issue was what to do with the money made from the parking garages. 

The recent surge associated with the COVID-19 pandemic trickles down to local fire departments in Bartlett, Collierville and Germantown and their response.

The local face of a global pandemic, challenges to education and the local reaction to the death of George Floyd topped a “Behind The Headlines” review of the year 2020.

As the first COVID-19 vaccinations began in Memphis hospitals Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee offered a message of hope that the pandemic’s end is close but also acknowledged the challenges of Tennessee being in the midst of its worst surge yet.

Memphis International Airport employees are being tested for COVID-19 each day they work at the airport, as part of an assurance testing program that the airport hopes to expand.

Methodist-Germantown Hospital president says, “This is the moment we stop this. It is one of those moments I will never forget.”

Coming restrictions have to include ways to limit transmission over the coming holidays, health officials say.

For the first time in the pandemic, the Shelby County Health Department reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a daily update on Thursday, Dec. 17.

The Health Department reported 1,163 new COVID-19 cases and four more coronavirus-related deaths in its daily update Thursday morning.

LeMoyne-Owen College has named Vernell Bennett-Fairs its new president.

Today is Thursday, Dec. 17, and we’re considering additional fines for those not following health directives, thinking about a Charley Pride biopic and putting our energy into Tiger basketball. 

The nonprofit’s programs prepare graduates for permanent employment.

At Baptist Hospital-DeSoto, about half of the more than 1,800 employees have signed up to receive the vaccine.

The ordinance cleared second reading Wednesday at a special commission meeting with seven votes. However, nine votes will be needed to approve the ordinance at Monday’s final vote of the commission.

Amy Eoff will serve as chairwoman of Germantown’s school board in 2021.

The Shelby County Health Department reported 779 new COVID-19 cases and four more coronavirus-related deaths in its daily update Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Known as “The Jar,” Chris Jarman was part of “Drake and Zeke in the Morning” during its heyday. 

A “berry” special paint job shows up in East Memphis, drag racing drives a discussion at the City Council and the University of Memphis says, “Hold my beer.”

The task force making the call is one of several working on police reforms and better police practices. The size of the Memphis Police force is a controversial part of the civic discussion about police reform.

The city is in a race with the calendar to spend its federal funding within the next two weeks or send it back to D.C. 

The request would increase to about $50 million annually in the third year as the Memphis district hires more teacher assistants for students in K-2.

Memphis City Council members heard about the difficulty of getting financing for hotel projects before approving the financing of a third hotel for One Beale. The set of parking projects nearby had a more complex path to approval.

Tennessee is using its initial 975 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as a backup supply, but 74 hospitals are expected to receive more than 56,000 other doses Thursday.