Tennessee could draw up to $1 billion more in Medicaid funds annually to increase services and possibly add people to TennCare if the federal government agrees to a “modified” block grant proposal, according to Gov. Bill Lee. But no public hearing is scheduled for Memphis.

The uptick for Shelby County Schools was small — from 79.2% to 79.3%. It was below the 80% benchmark set by Tennessee’s largest district to reach its goal of achieving a 90% graduation rate by 2025.

With a short agenda Tuesday, the city council appears to have booted a final vote on the long-delayed Memphis 3.0 plan until after the Oct. 3 city elections. The council is scheduled to take a final vote on new rules for public art on city property.

Mayoral contender Tami Sawyer says her priority is healing the pain caused by old tweets. On Monday, two LGBTQ organizations issued statements that focused on a 2014 tweet by Sawyer about outing a gay teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.

Local and state officials will meet Tuesday morning, Sept. 17, to announce that a new health care company will establish a large Downtown presence in the One Commerce Square building.

Kevin Johnson, a former counsel for Congressman David Kustoff, has joined House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s staff as general counsel and senior adviser.

The early voter turnout for Thursday's Arlington municipal elections came in at more than 1,500 votes.

The Tennessee Equality Project and director of OUTMemphis each issued statements on a 2014 tweet by Memphis mayoral contender and Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer about outing a gay teacher.

John Keith Perry, a Tennessee and Mississippi attorney, is representing the man accused in the killing of Lorenzen Wright and also the suspect in the shooting at Walmart in Southaven. Perry is gaining attention for taking on high-profile cases. 

Hundreds of people and more than 30 city candidates on the Oct. 3 ballot attended a Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope meeting Sunday at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Westwood. 

The marker is the second in the area to note the contributions of the Chinese in Memphis. It also marks another addition to a block of Beale that is becoming known for its presentation of the district's history.

Earle Fisher of Memphis disagrees with the notion the Black Voter Project or #UPTheVote901 committed voter fraud when they turned in thousands of voter registration applications, including many incomplete forms, to the Shelby County Election Commission in 2018. But the state representative who sponsored the legislation claims they were "fraudulent."

The latest resurrected tweets, including one about outing a gay faculty member while in college, have become a major issue in Sawyer's campaign. Sawyer says there may be more. Meanwhile, the first day early-voting turnout from Friday was still tentative into Saturday afternoon, but it appeared to be several hundred lower than the opening day turnout in 2015. 

The Southern Heritage Classic weekend continued Saturday with the Orange Mound Community Parade and Battle of the Bands taking place prior to the evening's football game.

An estimated 130,000 attended the 32nd annual Cooper-Young Festival in Midtown.

Some groups holding candidate forums are trying to change the formula as endorsement ballots begin showing up in mailboxes. And one pastor questions how much the endorsement of him or other religious leaders means 28 years after the last city election that drew a majority of the city's voters to the polls.

The Classic College and Career Fair gives high school students a chance to learn about regional colleges they could attend.

The Memphis City Council candidate who put together a “Pledge for Progress” platform statement that she and four other council contenders signed off on says it was an answer to “divisive” times politically in Memphis and across the country.

Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope will host its second public meeting on Sunday. Memphis candidates were invited to attend and MICAH task force leaders will provide updates on equity efforts.

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari backs legislation that would stop homeowners associations from restricting the lease of neighborhood homes.

A joint commitment to fund early education and prekindergarten services, including money for the first time from the city of Memphis, seeks to save thousands of prekindergarten seats that were in jeopardy when federal funding ended June 30.

A proposal by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to fund Memphis Area Transit Authority improvements, largely through a $145 per vehicle sustainability fee, isn't popular with some bus riders.

Here are the basics you need to know for the early voting period that opens Friday and continues through Sept. 28 - and a few informal tips on what to expect at the 18 voting sites.

Memphis voters begin deciding the winner and losers of the 2019 city elections Friday as early voting opens in advance of the Oct. 3 election day.

In Part Two of our series: U of M and UTHSC scientists use non-invasive "brain training" to treat developmental trauma.