The landmark 1962 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Baker vs. Carr, out of Shelby County, is still standing after last week’s ruling by the high court in another redistricting case — Rucho vs. Common Cause, according to Memphis attorney John Ryder.

British-based Pearson took over the student testing program July 1. The contract runs through June 30, 2021, and the state has the option to renew terms annually for up to three years through 2024. The five-year cost would be $93.1 million.

The first Memphis City Council meeting of the new fiscal year Tuesday will feature some high dollar amounts and a couple of nonfiscal items lingering from the old fiscal year.

Neighborhood groups in the greater Whitehaven area will have a chance to get a free SkyCop camera this fall.

Tennessee’s new “hands-free law,” which took effect Monday, seeks to curb distraction-related crashes across the state and particularly in Shelby County, which leads the state in such accidents. The measure is among a number of new state laws that became effective Monday.

The Compost Fairy and Mitchell Heights Neighborhood Association have been recognized with 2019 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards.

School districts will have to follow (or be aware of) many new laws that didn’t grab headlines. Here are 10 such measures that become effective with the new fiscal year.

The environmental group among those urging Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division to look at possible changes to the utility’s relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority is pushing a $250 million, five-year weatherization program for Memphis. Friends of the Earth launched the “Memphis Save Energy, Save Dollars” program with a rally Saturday.

Robert “Prince Mongo” Hodges is back as a candidate for mayor of Memphis. The candidate, who claims to be from the planet Zambodia, has been running for office since the late 1970s. He joins a field of 15 potential contenders.

Although they are running for different council seats on the October Memphis ballot, Sherman Greer and Craig Littles represent a new push by candidates for city office to move city priorities more toward youth programs. Greer and Littles are basing their push on their experiences as children in similar programs.

Jamiyah Brown, an 11-year-old rising sixth-grader and rugby team captain at Believe Memphis Academy, will deliver the game ball when the U.S. takes on France in a Rugby World Cup match Oct. 2 in Japan. 

Members of the Republican Party of Shelby County invited the community to Marquette Park in East Memphis to spread the message of nonviolence. District Attorney Amy Weirich appeared as a special guest.

Gov. Bill Lee professed support for "equal protection" when questioned about support for Pride Month events and LGBT rights in the workplace.

Gov. Bill Lee landed a Mitsubishi corporate headquarters for Franklin during an Asian economic recruiting trip. But whether the travel abroad yields anything for the Shelby County area is unclear as Lee was noncommittal when asked about landing tenants for Memphis Regional Megasite.

Levy Dermatology has opened a cosmetic center in the former Visionary Eye Care building, 6252 Poplar Ave.

Sullivan Branding is the creative force behind the state Health Department’s vaccination campaign. 

Documents obtained from the Army Corps of Engineers depict design plans for Tom Lee Park as of May and a Corps summary of a meeting about the plans.

Downtown Memphis has more than adequate parking, but access to the lots, signage and condition of facilities are often so unsavory, many users believe parking in the city core is frustrating at best, dangerous at worst.

The impact of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in which it declined to set limits on partisan gerrymandering could be felt in Tennessee when it starts redistricting in two years, drawing support from Republicans and opposition from Democrats.

Video shows a Jeep motoring through the new Highland Strip crosswalk, and striking and hurling a schoolteacher through the air. Police did not charge the driver, raising questions about how serious the city takes pedestrian safety. 

The founder of Operation HOPE was in Memphis Thursday to keynote the closing day of city government's symposium on minority business. Bryant also outlined his goals for sustaining the nonprofit that works with financial institutions and some of the world's biggest corporate names.

Shelby County School's $1.4 billion budget was approved Thursday by the County Commission. The district had asked for a $7.5 million funding increase, but the commission did not increase its maintenance of effort funding to the schools.

“The state has pretty clear criteria for what an academic plan should look like, what an operational plan should look like and what a financial plan should look like. None of those schools really met that criteria,” said Bradley Leon, Shelby County Schools chief of strategy and performance management. 

Of the 10 cabinet members who remain from the previous administration, six received raises since the beginning of the calendar year — increases ranging from about 4% to 31%, according to district data. The other four did not receive raises.

The move and expansion of UMRF Ventures to the University of Memphis' Park Avenue Campus is set to be announced this afternoon.