The Memphis Safe Task Force could help deliver Memphis its lowest crime rate in years, but it remains unclear what the temporary law enforcement surge has done to the city’s trajectory.

While Mayor Paul Young is unsure how long the National Guard and Memphis Safe Task Force will remain, he said he wants to focus on sustaining a low crime rate once the operation ends.

The City of Memphis closed on the $22 million purchase of the hotel on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Both appointments received standing ovations at City Council chambers. The 0% loans will go to Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), the Hospitality Hub, the Mid-South Food Bank and Feed the Needy.

The pilot makes it so no passes, fare cards or payments are required on all fixed-route buses, trolleys and MATAplus services. 

The Monday hearing was the Tennessee version of a legal fight that has played out in U.S. courts over the past few months as Trump has sought to use the military in U.S. cities run by members of the opposite political party.

Council members also will meet Mayor Paul Young’s two latest appointees, including his pick for the city’s new fire chief.

He will succeed Gina Sweat, the first woman to hold the post of Memphis Fire Department chief, who retired after leading MFD for nine years.

City officials say it is necessary to control the hotel to protect its $200 million investment in renovations to the connected Renasant Convention Center.

The raise comes after the Young administration and Memphis City Council gave all employees a 3% raise at the start of the fiscal year in July.

City gives $500,000 to help provide food after federal government shutdown cancels or delays SNAP benefits for November

The Memphis Safe Task Force is a month old. The federal law enforcement surge has impacted local crime rates but also strained parts of the local justice system many don’t ever see.

Gina Sweat, the first woman to serve as director of fire services in the city’s history, has left the administration.

Restaurants — especially local restaurants — can find themselves in a precarious position when politics come into play, whether restaurateurs want them to or not.

Attorneys for Tyré Nichols’ estate and the City of Memphis have spent much of the year wrangling over certain aspects of discovery.

Recent legal filings and a statement from the governor’s office shows that the legality of the guard’s Memphis deployment could hinge on whether the Tennessee National Guard is an army or a militia. 

Calls grow for Mayor Paul Young to criticize the tactics of the Memphis Safe Task Force. 

As recently as last week, ICE arrests made up nearly 19% of total Memphis Safe Task Force arrests. Where that stands now is unclear because the data is no longer being released.

“I saw lines that I’ve never seen in the 7 years that I’ve been here,” the Shelby County clerk said. 

Faith leaders, local business owners and local college students gathered at First Baptist Church Lauderdale to express opposition to the Memphis Safe Task Force’s methods.

Meanwhile, librarians seeking union recognition got a promise from the Memphis City Council. 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and leaders of other groups seeking to stop the National Guard deployment in Memphis say the city was never offered an option to join their lawsuit.

For a year, Memphis City Council has delayed a final vote on an ordinance that would formalize a significant change to city sewer policy made by former Mayor Jim Strickland in 2017.

Also in the political roundup, Harris endorses Green in the race for Governor as Blackburn calls out Green by name. And a close encounter at “No Kings” between Cohen and Pearson.

Also happening this week: The Memphis Tigers play a big-deal game against South Florida, and The Daily Memphian is hosting two panel discussions.