MLGW halts utility cutoffs for another two weeks
The announcement came Tuesday as Memphis City Council members called for a better accounting of the various funds that help those behind on utility bills.
The announcement came Tuesday as Memphis City Council members called for a better accounting of the various funds that help those behind on utility bills.
The council has two final votes scheduled as part of its ongoing discussion of police reform and a discussion of a third measure to create an online portal for the public to see some details of complaints of police misconduct.
The Miss USA pageant will be broadcast from Graceland on Nov. 9, the Miss Universe Organization announced Monday, Aug. 31.
Word of the commission comes the same week that a federal task force shot and wounded a teenager while serving a warrant in a case of mistaken identity.
President Donald Trump called earlier this month for changes at the top of TVA including Lyash. But after Thursday's board meeting in Knoxville, new board chairman John Ryder of Memphis said there are no plans to oust Lyash.
Thousands of people began to contact MLGW Friday and Monday to work out payment plans, overwhelming the utility's phone bank and creating long lines outside branch offices.
FedEx chief Frederick W. Smith and Indigo Ag CEO and director David Perry will discuss Memphis and innovation during the Food Is Health Forum presented by Crusonia on the Delta.
Nick Walker, who recently went from interim to permanent director of the city’s division of parks and neighborhoods, talked about the change and the move to a parks master plan on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast.
Memphis and Shelby County will sacrifice hundreds of millions of dollars worth of support in economic development if Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division splits from TVA, chief executive Jeffrey Lyash tells the EDGE Board.
Council members Michalyn Easter-Thomas and Chase Carlisle were on opposite sides of the council's veto override vote on police residency this week. On "Behind The Headlines" they talked about how many police are enough and how to get to the bigger issues beyond the numbers in the ranks.
The City Council Scorecard also looks at a police reform measure that fell short of seven votes and failure of Graceland's plan to open a manufacturing plant with a vocational school in Whitehaven.
Environmental advocates including Protect Our Aquifer have sued TVA, saying new agreements for power distributors weren't properly reviewed for environmental impacts before they were put in place in 2019.
As expected, the utility is moving to a request-for-proposal process that would seek specific proposals from electric power suppliers that could replace the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The MLGW board meets Wednesday and is likely to get a recommendation from its CEO to find a firm to field price quotes and other specific options toward either staying with TVA or what life after TVA looks like.
The veto and override came on a full day of council discussion and debate about police reform in general, including a vote on a resolution opposing the presence of the federal Operation LeGend in the city and U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant's meeting with the council.
The Memphis City Council voted down plans Tuesday, Aug. 18, for a manufacturing facility and vocational school at the old Graves Elementary School site in Whitehaven. The project was the latest stage of an expansion of Graceland's presence in Whitehaven that includes a hotel-resort and an entertainment complex.
Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Strickland says public sentiment will probably have to resolve the differing views on what police reform in Memphis means two week after the council took a residency referendum off the November ballot. The proposed amendment was part of a push to increase the size of the police force.
Finances for The Walk, a vote on a controversial plan to convert a vacant Whitehaven school into a manufacturing plant and vocational school are candidates for Tuesday's council agenda.
The board heard Monday from a coalition of groups pushing for cutting ties to TVA and other electric power suppliers that could replace TVA.
The claim by a Missouri "photo historian" is being opposed by Elmwood Cemetery, which counters that the relative of J. Sam Morton included as a plaintiff is too distant to exhume the body to get a DNA sample. The case is built on alleged resemblances in old photos and the legend of Etta Place, the outlaw's companion.
On "Behind The Headlines," Dr. James Downing talked about the gap between public health and health care as well as the research hospital's $20 million effort to keep the virus off its campus through weekly testing. Data from the testing regimen is also part of a global research effort and St. Jude is participating in clinical trials for a vaccine.
A gym, aquatics center, tennis court, park and art space are some features of the new Ed Rice Community Center.
The city has also signed a letter of intent with Capstone Development for two hotels on the Central Avenue frontage. The founder of Capstone sees a different kind of recovery from the pandemic for the hospitality industry — one led by the families that travel regionally to the sports tournaments that are the financial engine for Liberty Park's public and private uses.
The Congressmen, in their respective districts during Congress’ recess, say they are prepared to return to Washington if Democrats and Republicans can reach an accord on pandemic relief and stimulus funding.
The scorecard highlights a pivotal vote in the police reform debate and why both sides in the discussion still have separate paths to pursue.