Collierville Town Administrator James Lewellen will retire when the board names his successor. He reflected on 27 years leading the town and the change the community has seen.

A reporters’ roundtable recaps those events and more on “Behind The Headlines.”

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State comptroller says no takeover of county clerk’s office

Dr. Michelle Taylor, on “Behind The Headlines,” talks about the the local health department’s relationship with state health officials after the Tennessee General Assembly stripped the local health department of its autonomy. 

C.J. Davis said on “Behind The Headlines” she is optimistic so far about reforms that were a major part of the hard-fought campaign that saw Steve Mulroy upset incumbent Amy Weirich. But she says the reaction from the police ranks is more mixed.

Jennifer Collins said the pandemic forced some changes in higher education and exacerbated the need for mental health services already surfacing on college campuses.

MISO CEO John Bear says savings for MLGW from switching its electric power supplier from TVA to the rival power network are at least $100 million a year, which is nearly double the estimate of the power consultant MLGW is using. 

In their separate campaigns, Worth Morgan and Lee Harris have offered vastly different visions of what the county mayor should prioritize. Each has criticized the vision of the other.

Outgoing Greater Memphis Chamber Beverly Robertson talks on “Behind The Headlines” about the chamber’s role in the “fourth industrial revolution” represented by the Ford plant in Haywood County and what that means for “legacy” businesses not yet in that revolution. 

The two contenders for Shelby County District Attorney met on “Behind The Headlines” for a discussion on local enforcement of the state’s abortion trigger law, balancing reform with accountability, murder convictions overturned on appeal and dueling campaign ads.

A reporters roundtable on “Behind The Headlines” discusses the nature of change that might occur due to the major countywide races to be decided in the August election.

On “Behind The Headlines,” Memphis City Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon said Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael’s appearance on the show a week earlier looks like a change in Michael’s attitude toward juvenile justice reform but isn’t. 

Dan Michael makes the case on “Behind The Headlines” for court reforms and changes in the police interactions with Black children. It’s a very different view than the one he took five years ago.

Cameron Sexton says he sees no reason to ban AR-15 weapons in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting. Meanwhile in Washington Thursday, Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen was calling for such a ban.

The crash occurred on farmland near Dacus Lake, close to Downtown Memphis.

Dr. Peter Buckley said those sticking with a career in medicine may be health care’s “greatest generation” even as others are leaving because of what they saw and did during the worst of the pandemic.

Former county mayor Mark Luttrell’s comments come as Memphis City Council members are weighing two referendum ordinances proposed for the August ballot for city voters.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland went after critics of his backing of the state truth in sentencing law and his description of 201 Poplar as a “revolving door” for criminals during a lively interview on “Behind The Headlines.”

Leaders of county government’s effort to bridge gaps in the local juvenile justice system and move children with non-violent offenses away from contact with the system talked about the approach on “Behind The Headlines.”

TVA CEO Jeff Lyash talked on “Behind the Headlines” about the federal agency’s offer to MLGW if the utility stays with TVA for another two decades and local power generation by the utility. 

MLGW President and CEO J.T. Young says on Behind The Headlines that a preliminary report on sealed bids to replace TVA as the utility’s electric power supplier should be ready in late May or early June for review. 

The $60 million Memphis Allies gun violence initiative is new turf for Youth Villages, which historically hasn’t worked with teens and young adults accused of violent crimes. 

The leaders of the group “$450M For Memphis” talk on Behind The Headlines about their problems with the ongoing RFP process and why they are phasing out the group.

The head of the Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corporation and the founder of the I Love Whitehaven effort talk on Behind The Headlines about economic and business development.

A Reporters Roundtable on WKNO’s Behind The Headlines reviews the new agreement for Overton Park to end overflow parking on the Overton Park Greensward in two years.

Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor and Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner spoke on this week’s “Behind The Headlines.”