House Minority Leader Karen Camper's former assistant stole $12,500 from the House Democratic Caucus over three years, according to a forensic audit.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander wants to ditch border wall talks between the president and Democratic leaders and instead start moving toward a Senate vote with amendments. That's provided President Donald Trump agrees to reopen the federal government for three weeks while such a bill would be amended and discussed.

State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris became federal judge Mark Norris at a formal ceremony Friday Downtown -- part of a larger season of transition in politics.

Republican state Rep. Mark White of Memphis will serve as House Education Committee chairman during the 111th General Assembly, and two other members of the Shelby County delegation, Reps. Jim Coley and Kevin Vaughan, will chair subcommittees.

The state Legislature could take action in 2019 to penalize pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies for failing to comply with Tennessee's new "partial-fill" law designed to cut opioid abuse.

The family of Darrius Stewart filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Memphis, the officer who killed the 19-year-old and the former head of the Memphis Police Department. The trial is set to start next month in federal court. 

A new Juvenile Detention Center is a top priority for Mayor Lee Harris in 2019.

Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn is reviewing the idea of an expungement court docket to speed the process of wiping clean the criminal records of offenders who have stayed out of trouble for five years. 

Aspire is spinning off its four Memphis schools into a new, independent charter school organization. The 1,600 students would officially transition at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year if the plan comes to fruition.

Shelby County Commissioners Tami Sawyer and Mark Billingsley appeared on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast to talk about juvenile justice reform. 

The federal government is shutdown but plans continue by local transportation agencies for new federal funding starting in 2020. The projects range from repaving the roads most used by the city's heaviest truck traffic to better pedestrian crossings.

The Shelby County Commission discussed a Department of Justice report criticizing Juvenile Court's due process procedures. 

Charges have been dropped in a "hoodie arrest" incident at Wolfchase Galleria last year, with the two men charged ordered to pay court costs. 

The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast highlights "Behind the Headlines" moments from 2018; what County Mayor Lee Harris is doing ahead of the new year; and Lamar Alexander’s book "Six Months Off" as the senator prepares for retirement.

Sen. Brian Kelsey of Germantown is losing his post as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee but picking up a leadership job as chairman of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of Finance.

Lee exiting as Lee Company chairman and putting stock in a blind trust during term as governor.

Memphis City Council members back the general plan for sports betting on Beale Street, but they want to see what kind of split of revenue is proposed when it comes down to a specific bill in Nashville.

House members will consider giving committee chairs five extra bills on top of the 15-bill limit while also mulling a new system combining some committees and creating extra subcommittees.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance dismissed or reduced penalties against three Memphis lawmakers for failing to file election finance reports on time.

Sherman Greer, an administrator at Southwest Tennessee Community College, is the new District 1 member of the Memphis City Council.

Research has shown that when students have more “familiar faces” around them in class, they’re less likely to be chronically absent, so nonprofits like Communities in Schools are sending staff members into local schools to combat absenteeism.

The 111th General Assembly takes the oath of office Tuesday to prepare for a session in which it will attack numerous issues ranging from health care to sports betting and education vouchers.

Shelby County Juvenile Court staff members will no longer select defense attorneys for juvenile detainees, Mayor Lee Harris’ office announced Tuesday.

The House of Representatives elected Glen Casada as speaker on the first day of the 111th General Assembly with Democratic Rep. John DeBerry of Memphis backing the Franklin Republican instead of Memphis Rep. Karen Camper, leader of the Democratic Caucus.

The Shelby County Commission will reconvene for the first time in 2019 during its committee session Wednesday.