Shelby County government officials will spend Monday afternoon fine-tuning the 2020 budget ahead of the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year.

The annual political picnic in southwest Memphis might be considered an enclave of old guard Memphis politics. But picnic host Sidney Chism warns veteran politicians have to make their case to win support from the new generation of activists and voters.

Brandon Webber was an honor student, a rapper and a young father. But he was also accused in a violent carjacking where a Hernando man was shot five times. The duality of Webber is what some young people in Memphis face. 

Tami Sawyer talks about the Brandon Webber shooting, MATA funding and other issues on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast. 

Memphis mayoral candidate Tami Sawyer talks about “momentum” and disruption, tax hikes and the Brandon Webber shooting.

The Sept. 19 Arlington municipal election ballot features a challenge of incumbent Mayor Mike Wissman, the return of a former mayor running for alderman and the chairman of the school board running unopposed. Another school board incumbent, meanwhile, did not file by the deadline.

Work begins this summer on the reconfiguration of Memphis Zoo parking designed to end the 30-year practice of parking on the Overton Park greensward.

As Lt. Gov. Randy McNally supports a federal rule change to increase Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals, Shelby Democrats continue their call for Medicaid expansion.

Memphis Empowerment Initiative will host the 2019 “Save Our Fathers Men’s Health Awareness Festival and 5k" to bring awareness to prostate and colorectal cancer in African-American men. The event is free and open to the public.

Memphis-based Fred’s Inc. announced Friday the company will close another 49 underperforming stores as part of an ongoing effort to optimize its store footprint.

An elderly French woman may travel to Olive Branch for a second reunion with her World War II sweetheart.

Parents and teachers at Winchester Elementary were largely critical of the Memphis Teacher Residency partnership — saying the teachers would be less experienced, the model hasn’t been tested, and the school had recently undergone a lot of leadership changes.

Following the shooting death of Brandon Webber in Frayser, state Sen. Sara Kyle contends the community’s residents need to be made a part of the dialogue to stop such incidents.

The Shelby County Election Commission has asked for an official opinion on how soon election results can be released after polls close at 7 p.m. The issue was one of the topics discussed during a joint meeting with the Shelby County Commission Thursday.

University of Memphis Recreational Center staff taught five swim classes as a part of The World's Largest Swimming Lesson, an annual water safety initiative.

The philanthropist supporting the remake of Tom Lee Park says there have been a dozen changes to plans by the Memphis River Parks Partnership since the Memphis In May International Festival raised objections to the plan this spring.

Nearly 40,000 MLGW customers in Memphis and Shelby County lost power Wednesday due to a storm that moved through late in the night.

A total of 321 Shelby County Schools students will be rewarded for their perfect attendance this weekend with bicycles and helmets.

County commissioners approved a recommendation to add $10 million more than Mayor Lee Harris’ budget for school building projects in all seven county districts. That still leaves Shelby County Schools short of the $64 million it requested by about 37%.

Sharon Griffin was the fourth ASD leader in seven years. Katie Poulos, the state’s new chief of schools overseeing turnaround efforts, said there will be a national search for a permanent replacement.

Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt spoke at the University of Memphis  Wednesday afternoon about the research behind her book, “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think and Do.”

The Shelby County Election Commission will vote Thursday afternoon on adding a sales tax increase referendum to the Oct. 3 Memphis ballot.

The Shelby County Commission's budget and finance committee approved Wednesday a $1.3 billion budget and retained the county's $4.05 tax rate.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway of Memphis wants a new process for appointing special prosecutors amid discriminatory comments by the district attorney chosen to investigate a case involving House Speaker Glen Casada’s office and an African-American activist.

A federal grand jury has returned two indictments against disbarred Memphis attorney Keith L. Dobbs, charging him with 67 felony violations for misappropriating funds from 26 recipients of veterans benefits and nine Social Security recipients.