The unions that represent Memphis police officers and firefighters handed Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. a key endorsement Tuesday. 

The list of a dozen drainage and sewer projects come as the city is still repairing damage and restoring power lost in recent storms. The council also takes first votes Tuesday, July 25, on a pair of ballot questions for city voters in 2024.

According to the police report, the suspect — a 56-year-old woman — said: “At least you have power,” and “Your husband needs to retire.” 

In the past year and a half, outages have impacted 800,000 customers; that number is the equivalent of every MLGW customer losing power twice. 

Related stories:

Related story:

State of Emergency declared for Shelby County

MPD investigating threat against MLGW CEO’s wife

“The hope is to get the public even more involved to understand and appreciate their drinking water source,” said Scott Schoefernacker. 

After relentless waves of destructive summer storms in the Memphis metro area, generators are a hot commodity. Consumers are even turning to whole-house generators.

The Memphis Fire Department honored Lt. Jeffrey Norman on Sunday night with a “Sea of Red” processional.

Customers should call 901-544-6500 to report their outage and not assume MLGW is aware of it.

Preliminary data, which the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, shows major violent crimes and major property crimes are up so far in 2023.

The fire took the life of Lt. Jeffrey Norman and injured three of his team members.

Normal Station has been one of the areas hardest hit by power outages, but modernizing the community’s electric equipment has resulted in a 50% improvement in reliability.

Related story:

MLGW estimates power outages will last several days

Straight line winds downed 11 power poles on Winchester Road, knocking thousands off the grid. Lightning also tripped breakers at utility substations, which McGowen said “had a pretty dramatic impact that we don’t typically see.” 

Here’s a look at some of the newest names on the still-forming October Memphis election ballot. The deadline for candidates to get their names in the races for city council and mayor is noon Thursday.

Also, Councilwoman Cheyenne Johnson calls off her campaign for a second term in favor of Janika White, a contender in last year’s Democratic primary for Shelby County District Attorney General.

Finance reports show spending patterns of Memphis mayoral candidates. 

As demand for overnight river cruises on the Mississippi increases, the industry also faces increasing climate threats. Recent years have seen wild swings between heavy rainfall and severe drought, making the river tougher to navigate.

Overnight cruises returned to the Mississippi River a decade ago, and many passengers say the river’s storied past is part of the draw. But what history do they learn, and how?

“We are in a new place, and this is a celebration of that,” said Rev. James Gale, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of the Mid-South, which represents 37 congregations.

With the return of river travel, three companies are currently offering overnight cruises on the Mississippi while nearby cities look to cash in. 

Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership, has been named one of the 100 most influential urban planning experts, past or present.

“As a member of the community that works in Memphis but lives in Arlington, I certainly have strong feelings about having a more responsive utility for suburban communities,” Butler said.

Don Crowe, MPD’s assistant chief of police services, told the council committee that the response-time data focuses on “Priority 0” calls.

Council members say they hope the question on city voters’ ballots will influence the Tennessee Legislature even if any of the measures would likely be challenge by the state if voters approve them.

Related story: 

Police response time to priority calls down from 2022’s five-year high

If MLGW had met its tree-trimming goals, trees would have caused an estimated 25 circuit outages in 2020, according to utility President and CEO Doug McGowen. Instead, they caused 120.