The Aug. 20 meeting became contentious as Memphis City Council members responded to a presentation from MATA’s Interim CEO. 

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The agency’s interim CEO said significant cuts are coming unless it receives additional funding. MATA also stopped operations on the Main Street trolley line.

The council also gets an update on the Memphis Area Transit Authority, finalizes city charter change amendments for the Nov. 5 ballot, and votes on a Whataburger restaurant on Union Avenue.

Also happening this week: The U of M hosts groundbreaking for stadium upgrades, and The Daily Memphian launches a new foodie event.

Tina Sullivan talked on “Behind The Headlines” about her 12 years as Overton Park Conservancy’s first executive director and what’s next for the greensward as she prepares to step down.

Along with a new I-55 roundabout and new bridge, plans for a pedestrian walkway to connect Crump Park with Martyrs Park are also on the table.

After the City of Memphis spent $74.5 million of its fund balance in fiscal year 2024, The Daily Memphian filed a Tennessee Public Records Act request to see how the money was spent.

Photographer Brad Vest captured the 2024 Candlelight Vigil, the annual cornerstone event for Elvis Week, at Graceland on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. 

During his funeral service at Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Johnson, 34, was remembered as a community servant with a big heart who died fulfilling his dream.

The transit authority could soon drop 30% of its bus routes and 67% of its trolley lines. 

Four affordable homes planned for a vacant lot in Orange Mound are part of the drive in the city’s competition between owned and rented single-family homes.

In a program announced Aug. 9, the Uptown community center will have offices for several county government services, including offices and meeting places.

Also happening this week: MATA hosts public meetings to reimagine transit, and xAI should be fully operational.

The Land Use Control Board sided with a recommendation to reject the landfill’s expansion in Frayser, a relief for the advocates who opposed it. But the landfill’s owners will now seek approval from the City Council.

According to a preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, no one involved in the crash was wearing a seat belt. 

Antonio Adams and Walter Person have been working in the Young administration on an interim basis for seven months. That included being the point persons in a tense budget season.

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Council approves Joann Massey for EDGE president

In addition to the injured officer, the Aug. 2 crash, which occurred Downtown near Danny Thomas and Mississippi boulevards, killed officer Demetrice Johnson and a civilian. 

Liberty Park, formerly known as the Mid-South Fairgrounds, could see a broad transformation in the coming years with $112.5 million in private development now cleared for takeoff.

Massey was hired as EDGE vice president of operations in February 2023.

Meanwhile, Mud Island’s River Terrace restaurant has a new tenant and the I-55 construction near the set of three bridges will include a pedestrian path.

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Liberty Park development clears Memphis City Council

The treated wastewater from the plant would replace demand on the region’s supply and save hundreds of millions of drinking water a year from industrial use.

Mayor Paul Young also said the City plans to hire an outside transit consultant to help plot the transit system’s next steps. 

The City Council also could take final action on ground leases for the planned development at Liberty Park. The leases for an entertainment venue, hotel and apartments would bring much-needed sales tax to the Liberty Park Tourism Development Zone.

Of 30 major U.S. cities, Memphis had the highest increase in road deaths from 2019 to 2022, according to a recent analysis from the New York Times. 

Also happening this week: The Memphis City Council will deal with November ballot referendums, and Ja Morant has a birthday.