Making his second bid for elected office in a year, J.B. Smiley Jr. says his city council campaign this year is a mix of millennials and local political veterans.

Memphis City Council candidate J.B. Smiley Jr. talks about his bid for a council seat a year after his inaugural run for County Commission.

A plan to address homelessness in Memphis includes funding a new women's shelter as part of a relocation and expansion of Hospitality Hub. 

The Tennessee Senate approved legislation Thursday penalizing paid voter registration drives that turn in large numbers of incomplete forms and fail to train workers, legislation spurred by a 2018 Tennessee Black Voter Project drive.

The Memphis Zoo works with Elephants for Africa to lower conflicts between elephants and humans.

• Harris announces 'Move with the Mayor' events 
• Collierville officer retires after 25 years with police department
• $2.3M building permit filed for FedEx hub expansion 

The mother of a man shot and killed by Memphis police in April 2018 has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the police department, saying the officers who killed her son used excessive force and violated his civil and constitutional rights.

Verizon announced Thursday Memphis is one of 20 cities across the country that will receive 5G Ultra Wideband service this year. Mayor Jim Strickland has been hinting at the announcement for several months as he’s talked about road and utility work underway across the city.

The state Senate passed Gov. Bill Lee's education savings account bill Thursday after a 20-13 vote, enabling public dollars to be used for private education.

Interstate 240 between the I-40/240 flyover and Bill Morris Parkway is scheduled to be closed for construction from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday.

The state House of Representatives approved a nearly $38.6 billion budget Wednesday, including $27.3 million to fund a TennCare program for severely disabled children and $18 million in pork barrel money, which could be a hurdle in Senate budget talks.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. and Mayor Lee Harris’ administration disagree about the intent of a phone call between a Nashville lobbyist and a special assistant to the mayor last month regarding filling school board vacancies.

Families and friends attended the 14th annual Garden of Lights Celebration at the Memphis Botanic Garden to honor loved ones they lost to homicide.

Longtime Memphian and native Nigerian John Amaefula has supported the Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival for years. This year, he decided to do more by helping and promoting an organization assisting his native country.

The city of Memphis has hired Extreme Networks Inc. of San Jose, California, to provide support for city government’s use of cameras and routing systems for transportation and logistics as well as the security of the city’s digital and computer network.

• $2.3M building permit filed for FedEx hub expansion 
• $4.2M building permit filed for stand-alone classroom building at Macon Hall Elementary
• City giving away mulch this weekend at Liberty Bowl

The House pushed an online sports betting bill to the finish line Wednesday, enabling people to use a computer or phone app to wager on sporting events.

District 1 City Councilman Sherman Greer comes from a political background of detailed constituent services and keeping an eye on the Tennessee Legislature as he prepares to run for a full four-year term on the council.

The Shelby County Schools board postponed discussion Tuesday of a resolution to suspend a national search for a superintendent and hire interim leader Joris Ray – setting members up to make a critical decision with minimal public discussion.

A letter of intent signed Tuesday replaces one being pursued for a joint development by Loews and THM. THM wants to build the second convention center hotel at a restored 100 North Main Building.

Latoshia Daniels, charged with first-degree murder in the April 4 shooting death of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church executive pastor Brodes Perry, will appear at a preliminary hearing May 14 at 2 p.m.

• City giving away mulch this weekend at Liberty Bowl
• Jubilee Schools, Aramark file WARN notices totaling nearly 500 layoffs
• Greater Memphis Chamber and SCS announce new CCTE partnership

Nearly half of the 35 longtime providers from around the state lost their state contracts in the latest award period in the Tennessee Early Intervention System, which provides educational services for children under the age of 3 with disabilities or developmental delays.

New Christian Brothers University president Jack Shannon Jr. plans to continue the initiatives of his predecessor and work to create even more partnerships to build the community through education and opportunity. 

The Memphis Branch NAACP honored three leaders of the efforts to remove Confederate monuments from two local parks and in the process Saturday reflected the balancing act that is a feature of the race for Memphis mayor.