Across the Memphis area, new and amended commercial real estate leases are reflecting the pandemic and what such a "force majeure" can do to a business's ability to pay rent.

Shelby County Schools' digital plan would provide every student and teacher with a laptop and training on how to use it. The more than 100,000 devices would cost roughly $53 million, half of which would come from federal coronavirus stimulus funds.

The testing is in the form of a self-administered nasal swab. 

If cemeteries held gatherings, they were smaller than previous years. The threat of coronavirus made some alter their plans and cancel their normal gatherings and ceremonies honoring veterans.

Close to 65,000 coronavirus tests have been administered in Shelby County.

Memorial Day Weekend is normally one of the busiest times of the year at the 153-year-old Memphis National Cemetery off Jackson Avenue, and 28-year-old West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Forest Hill-Irene Road. But like most aspects of current American life, the COVID-19 pandemic made other plans. 

If we want Tennessee to be one of the fastest growing states for business and have the best patient outcomes in the country, reforming — or, better yet, completely scrapping — certificate of need laws is an excellent and essential first step.

With the Legislature set to reconvene June 1, the House and Senate are at odds over the scope of legislation to be considered in what is expected to be a short get-together to deal mainly with the budget and COVID-related bills.

Memphis nonprofit will donate 1,300 summer learning kits for area children.

Police said a man fired shots into the Dixie Queen at 1181 S. Bellevue Blvd., striking someone inside the fast-food restaurant.

Tennessee Department of Health reported an additional 356 coronavirus cases in the state Sunday, bringing the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 20,145. A total of 383,576 people have been tested. The state also confirmed seven additional deaths related to the virus for a total of 336.

The nonprofit social work and health agency wants to add walk-up, COVID-19 testing for the homeless to the array of services it provides.

We must not allow social distancing to lead to dangerous social isolation. The recovery community is aware of the challenges created by COVID-19, and making sure resources are available for those who need them.

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer also talked about the rift between the Democratic county mayor and the eight-vote Democratic majority on the commission.

Shelby County officials have pointed to recent holidays as potential cause for brief upticks in COVID-19 exposure. With Memorial Day on the horizon, they advise caution.

In Shelby County, 1,865 new tests were allocated between Friday and Saturday morning, with a rate of positivity at 5.3%.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has agreed to accelerated COVID-19 testing of inmates at the Shelby County Corrections Center after meeting earlier this week with representatives of the community action group MICAH.

Gov. Bill Lee's Office isn't worried about President Donald Trump’s demand for houses of worship to open, saying he never ordered churches to close but did urge alternative services to avoid spreading COVID-19.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday condemned a church fire in Holly Springs that’s being investigated as an arson.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris made the announcement Friday at the end of an eventful week that includes a lawsuit over COVID-19 cases at the Shelby County Jail, calls for testing at the correctional center and a sit-in by jail prisoners with the virus as they were moved out of isolation.

With 49 new cases in Shelby County between Thursday and Friday, the overall rate of positivity continues its fall well below 10%.

Nursing homes are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus - nearly four in ten deaths in Shelby County occurred in those facilities.

The Shelby County Health Department has advised against large in-person graduation ceremonies, according to a letter by Gary Lilly sent to Collierville seniors and parents.

“At some point this pandemic will have run its course and we’ll get back to normal. ... Now, the question is when?’’