Leaders of the “Memphis Campaign for Public Safety” said on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast they think the wording of the Oct. 3 ballot question is clear although Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has said if it is approved, it would still have to go to the City Council for approval.

Leaders of the police and fire unions talk about the referendum on a half-cent sales tax hike this October to restore benefits for public safety employees.

On "Behind The Headlines," Gary Rosenfeld said a revenue source, possibly from a sales tax hike or gas tax hike, is needed to implement a two-year-old plan to increase the frequency of bus trips in the core city and to find ways to connect areas outside of the core. 

Memphis City Council members take final votes Tuesday on the Memphis 3.0 land use and development guidelines, a new set of rules for public art projects funded by the city and a ban on plastic bags.

Breaches in the Memphis aquifer means some of our drinking water comes from heavily polluted Nonconnah Creek, but filtration still yields excellent water quality.

Nonconnah Creek, along with the Wolf River, is one of the two major sources of drainage for the Memphis area, yet many people aren't familiar with it. But understanding Nonconnah and the potential consequences of man-made changes to it, as demonstrated on a terrifying night in 1980, could be important to our future.

Tami Sawyer charges patriarchy. The Jim Strickland campaign says Willie Herenton left a "mess" with tax hikes and service cuts during his 17-year tenure at City Hall.

While teachers, students, faculty members and parents across Memphis are gearing up for the school year, City Year, a nonprofit powered in partnership with AmeriCorps, is also getting into gear.

Memphis City Council contender Frank Johnson is connecting with some supporters with his concerns about gentrification and displacement as parts of the city prosper and other parts don't.

Memphis City Council candidate Frank Johnson talks about the summer campaign, South Memphis and distrust in economic development.

Former Shelby County Democratic Party chairman Corey Strong will challenge U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen in the August 2020 Democratic Congressional primary.

On "Behind The Headlines," Memphis Police Chief Michael Rallings said a federal court consent decree forbidding police surveillance has put the police department in a "very difficult situation" but that he will abide by court's ruling. He also said MPD is still reviewing how it handled the Brandon Webber situation six weeks ago.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland opened his reelection campaign headquarters Tuesday in Poplar Plaza, citing his record and setting a goal to "accelerate momentum" if elected to a second term.

Mayor Jim Strickland and former Mayor Willie Herenton have raised their rhetoric about each other in recent days after initially avoiding direct criticism of each other.

Cat Allen, a first-time contender in the City Council's Super District 8, sees a wave of progressive candidates for the council and has some concerns about what's happening in Super District 9, which is just a few blocks from her home.

University of Memphis researchers use seepage meters to study possible breaches into the Memphis Aquifer along the Wolf River. 

The veteran nightclub operator who came to Memphis four years ago in a partnership to run the New Daisy theater on Beale Street says he is out of the partnership but hopes the venue can reopen soon.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has sided with a Memphis man who wanted to protest on a street near a Planned Parenthood clinic.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says the Memphis in May International Festival will move to an alternate site temporarily in 2021 to accommodate construction in Tom Lee Park.

The Oct. 3 ballot will feature an "underdog" and a "prince" but no "sister" and no "pastor" in what can be a fine line between the names people are known by and a candidate looking for an edge.

The group Get Our Riverfront Right agrees some of the proposed changes to Tom Lee Park would help the Memphis in May festival. But on "Behind the Headlines," they say a larger riverfront plan is being handled piecemeal and would disrupt the festival as an economic engine.

Among the maze of road work and paving going on across the city this summer, the city public works department will add to the infrastructure scenery as it temporarily reworks the flow of raw sewage.

Shelby County economic development leaders Wednesday were able to explain their projects to a HUD official as he helps communities tap into the Opportunity Zone program.

The Shelby County Election Commission meets Thursday to certify the ballot for the Oct. 3 nonpartisan elections. Meanwhile, city council contender Cody Fletcher said on the Daily Memphian Politics Podcast that criticism of his switch to another council race takes time away from discussion of more substantial issues.

E-scooter companies Bolt and Spin will join Bird and Lime as well as Explore Bike Share in the Memphis market as a pilot shared-mobility program becomes permanent.