The city council voted last week to seek a legal opinion key to the question of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division cutting ties with the Tennessee Valley Authority. 

The Battle on the Bluff raged for most of the 1990s and resulted in the Bluff Walk, an outdoor amenity that Downtown residents, workers and visitors take for granted now.

Some Memphis area churches paused for a moment of silence Sunday for three children killed in separate shootings last week.

The CEO of the Airport Authority says when the new concourse B opens in about a year, it will require a concourse manager to work with the air carriers. And the construction of six new gates will probably follow in the next phase, Scott Brockman said.

Memphis Light, Gas & Water's new contract with University of Memphis on a five-year aquifer study adds data and reporting requirements designed to keep the utility abreast of research activity.

The dispute involves the city's effort to catch up on a backlog of autumn leaves that include weekend work and the use of private contractors to clear the backlog by the end of the month. 

The ballot question on broader residency for Memphis fire and police officers was approved by the council that left office at the end of December. During council committee discussions Tuesday, some of the six new members who joined the council this month had a chance to weigh in on the matter.

The discussion over the residency item is another indication of new thoughts on a city council with six new members. The second council meeting of the year also features more discussion and a possible vote on an electric rate increase from Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and possible funding for Mayor Jim Strickland's Public Service Corps.

The city's elected representatives in Washington reacted in different ways to the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump set to begin next week. Meanwhile, they have found rare common ground on the passage of the USMCA trade agreement.

The court fight over Memphis City Hall’s plan to cut off sewage treatment for Horn Lake and Southaven, Mississippi, in 2023 is so far playing out on both sides of the state line. 

The story of Memphis’ role in Tennessee ratifying the 19th Amendment has become the story of the Memphis woman who has worked tirelessly to make sure people know how that victory was won.

The $10 million sought over several years by Epicenter didn't have enough support on the city council despite a guaranteed return. The pitch is part of a "movement" to encourage more sources of local capital for made-in-Memphis ventures. But the use of pension money hit a barrier with many on the council.

The utility expected all power to be restored to customers by midnight Monday. Presidents Island had the most sustained damage, with numerous power poles broken or uprooted by straight-line winds.

The Daily Memphian City Council Scorecard is updated to include Tuesday, Jan. 21, votes on the MLGW rate hike and a vote on approving Mayor Jim Strickland’s slate of second-term directors.

Chase Carlisle, one of six new City Council members, talked on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast about the differences of opinion at the first council session of the new term. 

City council member Chase Carlisle talks about the start of the new council’s four-year term of office and the Downtown-Midtown development boom and what that could mean for areas of disinvestment.

On Behind The Headlines, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said if the County Commission approves a wheel tax hike for the city's bus system, he would like to see a renewal provision requiring the commission to vote on whether to continue it every decade.

The original electric rate hike proposal voted down by the City Council last month was replaced Jan. 8 with a Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division proposal that is two cents lower on the average monthly residential bill. 

Hundreds of fans visited Graceland to celebrate the King of Rock 'n' Roll's birthday, a celebration that will continue with events through Friday, Jan. 11.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division is proposing a new electric rate hike that would be less steep than an earlier proposal in the first of three years, but about the same overall. Meanwhile, some city council members want to pair the rate hike decision with whether MLGW cuts its ties with the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The second-term slate of 13 Jim Strickland administration directors and chiefs drew some resistance from several council members in committee sessions Tuesday at City Hall. The decision to delay the vote on the slate for two weeks saw some of the new council members on different sides of the question at their first council meeting.

Gov. Bill Lee unveiled a new paid family leave policy for state employees Tuesday, a measure permitting up to 12 weeks of annual medical leave time for events such as child births and family illnesses. Lee admitted it will come with a cost.

The old council rejected a multi-year electric rate hike at its last meeting of the term last month. The new council talks compromise Tuesday in committee sessions with MLGW brass.

The Daily Memphian's primer on the ground rules, customs, proverbs and unwritten rules that keep City Hall running.

The plan, which may be considered by city government later this month, would address blight in an area near Northgate Shopping Center.