Many Memphians gathered apart for worship services Sunday. Some churches did not open but only held online services amid concerns of the coronavirus.

• Shelby County Schools closing district office
• Public urged to avoid council meeting
• Some Walmart stores adjust hours
• Libraries, community centers to close
• YMCA branches to remain open
• Germantown Animal Shelter revises policy
• One Kroger store affected

After an agreement with China in 2003, giant pandas Le Le and Ya Ya have spent nearly two decades delighting visitors to the Memphis Zoo. In honor of National Giant Panda Day, the zoo threw a celebration all about their species.

Memphis is home to one of Tennessee's safety net hospitals, which will serve low-income residents in need of health care should they contract the COVID-19 virus.

For now, TNReady testing is on for grades 3-11. It’s scheduled to start as soon as April 13, though school districts have some leeway to decide exactly when.

The employee was exposed to the novel coronavirus by the individual who was the first confirmed case in Shelby County, the hospital system says.

Tennessee’s political leaders are speeding up work on Gov. Bill Lee’s $40.9 billion budget proposal, which is expected to contain extra funding to deal with COVID-19 and tornadoes that struck the state amid a state of emergency.

Shelby County elections administrator Linda Phillips says her goal is still to have a new voting system in place when early voting begins July 17 in advance of the Aug. 6 election day.

Tennessee's Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn appeared before the Senate Education Committee for a second straight week, where she was grilled about decisions last year involving the state textbook commission. 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris remains in constant contact with staff and health department officials while on “a very important trip to a very important place.”

Coronavirus suspends most court activity, affects prison visitation.

• Germantown cancels programming until end of March
• Bartlett changes municipal services
• Municipal school districts to close through March 27
• First Shelby County coronavirus patient released from hospital
• Weekend looms large for restaurateurs

It's Friday the 13th, and we've got COVID-19 on our minds. We're talking about the local impact of coronavirus on schools, events, restaurants, FedEx, and two basketball teams. And a popular pizza joint is moving forward in Memphis. 

Suburban schools will open Friday, but some private schools are already preparing for online classes for a few weeks.

With Gov. Bill Lee declaring a state of emergency, Republican legislative leaders are calling for limited visits to the Capitol complex in an effort to stem to spread of the coronavirus, though Democrats say more extensive steps should be taken.

Memphis City Court Clerk Myron Lowery has announced several changes to city court amid concerns over coronavirus, including excusing anyone 60 or older from court dates and altering the dress code to allow face masks or protective goggles in court.

Editor’s note: Due to the serious public health implications associated with COVID-19, The Daily Memphian is making our coronavirus coverage accessible to all readers — no subscription needed.

It's Thursday, March 12, and coronavirus is affecting everything. But a Memphian is headed to "The Voice" and Precious Achiuwa has gotten more accolades. 

With three weeks to the filing deadline, some incumbent state legislators still haven't pulled their petitions to seek new terms in Nashville and a few of those races are filling up with potential challengers.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton is turning down a Nashville lawmaker’s request for temporary adjournment of the House and passage of a short-term budget until state and federal health officials get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance cut state Rep. Joe Towns some slack Wednesday, March 11, even though he was 166 penalty days late on mid-year supplemental filing for 2019.

The governor set aside $68 million in next year’s proposed budget to overhaul reading instruction. 

“We were told there was going to be some thorough cleaning,” said Jake Pritchard, a fourth-grade teacher at Treadwell Elementary. “That does not appear to have happened.” 

• TSSAA addresses COVID-19 concerns
• Impact of flight reductions on Memphis unclear
• Dow enters bear market on Wednesday

It's Wednesday, March 11, and we've got two restaurants trying to rise and ride again, a new plan to fund MATA and continued coronavirus coverage.