The former county commissioner has pulled petitions to seek a return to the County Commission or to run for Juvenile Court Clerk. 

The Tennessee Department of Education released a draft of its new education funding framework Tuesday, Jan. 11, the same day lawmakers began this year’s regular legislative session.

Justin Johnson had posted on social media that he planned to surrender locally on Monday, Jan. 10, but did not. He was arrested in Indiana, and a second suspect, Cornelius Smith, was arrested in Southaven.

The first Council Scorecard of the new year chronicles a rare defeat of an appointment from the city court clerk’s office and a few notes about the start of the second half of the current council’s four-year term.

The 5.5 mile section on the main thoroughfare may soon become a “complete” or multimodal street that is safer for everyone, including drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. The improvements may also attract new businesses and people to the area.

The money will mean raises of up to 20% for guards working at prisons run by the county administration.

Republican mayoral contender Worth Morgan emphasized his differences on crime with Democratic incumbent Lee Harris. The three Democrats seeking to challenge Republican District Attorney Amy Weirich in August said the prosecutors office would change profoundly if any of them upset Weirich.

The top five votes by the Memphis City Council include what happened after a crude oil pipeline plan was withdrawn and the council’s do-over on the work toward a possible MLGW split from TVA. 

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency begins taking applications online Monday, Jan. 10, for $168 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for those behind on their mortgage payments specifically because of the pandemic.

The Daily Memphian compares top pay and pay ranges for the county’s six law enforcement agencies and finds that the area’s smaller police departments pay more. 

With local motorists driving ‘as if they are in video games,’ city and state law enforcement are at odds over who bears more responsibility for enforcing highway speeding laws.

A federal judge granted an acquittal on two wire fraud charges against state Sen. Katrina Robinson but denied acquittal or a new trial on two remaining counts of wire fraud.

A statement announcing the withdrawal of the application, sent by councilman JB Smiley, came Thursday, Jan. 6, just one week before it was to be presented to the Land Use Control Board. 

Strickland asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, in a letter dated Thursday, to list the bridge project as one of the state’s long-term infrastructure priorities. He cited the three-month shutdown last year of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge as well as the advanced age of other bridges at Memphis across the Mississippi River.

The area is under a winter weather advisory, from early Thursday until Thursday evening, with total snow and sleet accumulations of up to two inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Shelby County Health Dept. Director Dr. Michelle Taylor told Shelby County commissioners Wednesday, Jan. 5, that state health officials are also watching the strain on hospitals and public health institutions closely. 

The plaintiffs are taking the city and Memphis River Parks Partnership to court over the $61 million Tom Lee Park redesign.

Related story: 

Community members react to Tom Lee Park lawsuit

The council also approved medical office space on Covington Pike, and delayed a vote on a controversial retail development with gas pumps at Broad and Tillman.

Calvin Williams lost much of his support for the appointment when he told council members his 2007 conviction on federal bribery charges was about his refusal to implicate Black elected officials. 

City Council members have delayed the first reading on a police residency referendum until April to see if the Tennessee General Assembly passes a law banning such residency requirements for public safety employees statewide.

Related story:

City Council approves residential subdivision in Raleigh

Between the vocal debate on police residency at its last meeting in 2021 and the Tuesday, Jan. 4, session, Police Chief C.J. Davis has come out in a Daily Memphian op-ed in favor of a broader residency requirement for police. 

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Neighborhood leaders oppose proposed gas station in Binghampton

The plaintiffs, known collectively as “Tom Lee Park for All,” claim the park’s $61-million redesign violated a mediation agreement with Memphis in May.

The City Council will once again be voting on a special use permit for a proposed gas station on Tillman Street between Sam Cooper Boulevard and Broad Avenue during Tuesday’s 10 a.m. City Council meeting. 

Homes measuring around 280 square feet are planned to be built in cottage courts in Raleigh, Orange Mound and other neighborhoods by Homes for Hearts and its partner organizations. 

Butler Row would span more than 2 acres, including the intersection at East Butler Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard.