Race is a complicated, foreboding and necessary theme to consider in Memphis's 200-year history. It's also more than the city's past. Race is part of the city's eternal present.

Mud Island River Park was a hive of activity Saturday, as community organization Neighborhood Heroes led Memphis kids in superhero-related activities meant to inspire mental and physical wellness, while the Downtown Memphis Commission threw a party to celebrate summer birthdays. 

Business executives with ties to Memphis in May have formed Get Our Riverfront Right to push for reexamination of plans for Tom Lee Park.

Political support for the Tennessee achievement district could be waning. After the district’s high profile leader Sharon Griffin left this month, some state lawmakers are calling for hearings on its future.

Community activists say they still feel they're being watched and harassed by law enforcement, while a monitoring team says it is trying to ensure Memphis police comply with court-ordered reforms.

Mayoral contender Tami Sawyer and incumbent Mayor Jim Strickland differ greatly on how they believe the Memphis Police Department should be set up to fight the city's violent crime issues. 

Lin Johnson is leaving after a four-year tenure with Shelby County Schools as deputy director for finance, human resources and information technologies. He hopes his legacy reaches beyond the numbers. 

A Downtown protest Friday evening drew a group of about 100 people. It comes days after the release of journalist Manuel Duran, arrested in Memphis more than a year ago and turned over to federal immigration authorities.

Memphis International Airport chief Scott Brockman has been named to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis transportation industry council.

Memphis’ premier anime convention brings fans together to celebrate their favorite manga and anime.

After saying his office is “exploring” pursuit of a Medicaid block grant, Gov. Bill Lee this week confirmed his administration will make a proposal to the federal government.

A back to school family affair will be held Saturday, July 13, at University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Student-Alumni Center.

Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday he will hold the state’s private prison operator accountable amid a report the number of murders at CoreCivic-run facilities was twice that at Tennessee Department of Correction prisons.

Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn named Amity Schuyler voucher project manager. “She believes in education savings accounts. And to take the lead on this project, I need someone who believes in it,” Schwinn said.

Memphis is among the first 25 communities to receive Better Cities for Pets certification from Mars Petcare and the Civic Design Center.

The historic Woodruff-Fontaine House in Victorian Village opened a new exhibit Thursday to a group of children from Whitehaven, Hickory Hill and Frayser. The group that operates the home for the city is seeking to broaden the reach of the mansion to a broader history of Memphis in the Victorian era.

UrbanArt Commission will commission four new permanent artworks for the convention center worth a combined $595,000.

Mott Ford, chairman and CEO of Commercial Bank & Trust Co. in Memphis, has been installed as chairman of the Tennessee Bankers Association for 2019-2020.

The push is alarming voucher opponents, who worry that an accelerated rollout will be more prone to fraud in how the accounts, which will be loaded with an average of $7,300 a year, are used.

After mulling a bid for six months, former Gov. Bill Haslam said he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander.

Some contenders with qualifying petitions out are deciding whether they should run. Still others are deciding what they should run for. The deadline for filing to get on the Oct. 3 ballot is in a week.

Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton has a campaign war chest of $62,037 as of July, according to his campaign finance report filed Wednesday.

Tennessee prisons operated by CoreCivic experienced twice as many inmate murders over a five-year period as state Department of Correction-run facilities, according to two advocacy groups.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland talks about his re-election bid, the sales tax referendum and crime as we review early campaign finance reports.

O.C. Smith, the former Shelby County medical examiner who was accused of staging an assault that left him wrapped in barbed wire, has died. Smith was 66.