Amy Weirich’s new unit targeting police brutality is off to a fast start, charging two officers so far, yet faces challenges ahead.

A former MPD patrolman escapes prosecution for the liberal use of his Taser, yet a new District Attorney unit aims to hold brutal cops accountable.

The council will hear, in committees, about the idea of “potential acquisition and adaptive reuse” of a bottling company plant at Southern and Hollywood. On the council agenda is a vote urging Gov. Bill Lee to veto a bill that bans teaching critical race theory.

The painting shows the Cossitt Library shortly after or just before its 1958 renovation when the midcentury modern front of the landmark was added. 

Hundreds gathered Downtown in solidarity with those who have been killed or hurt in Palestine. 

City Council budget committee Chairman Worth Morgan and city Chief Financial Officer Shirley Ford talked about revenue estimates and the impact of federal American Rescue Plan funds as well as restrictions during “Behind The Headlines.”

It could have taken years for city crews to adequately manage garbage pick up in Area E, city council members were told Tuesday. Meanwhile, some council members appear likely to move for more funding of the Memphis Area Transit Authority and the parks division has a plan to add park rangers.

A former MPD officer accused of pepper spraying a handcuffed, mentally ill man is the second law enforcement officer to face criminal charges brought by a new prosecution unit aimed at cracking down on police brutality.

The City Council Scorecard looks at the almost unanimous vote making Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis the new head of MPD. The dissenting votes indicate Davis has cleared one hurdle but faces more to make the words that impressed most of the council match what she does as police chief.

Al Lamar’s departure follows complaints about solid waste services in Cordova, Hickory Hill and East Memphis. The problem led the city to cancel its contract with Waste Pro.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced Friday, May 7, that he is proposing bonus pay for police and firefighters over the next three fiscal years.

The Second Gentleman and the U.S. Labor Secretary pushed Thursday, May 6, for support of the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan proposal in Whitehaven and Downtown. They offered different definitions of infrastructure and what is necessary beyond the pandemic for economic recovery than the state’s two Republican U.S. Senators.

The temporary fix of cart paths on the golf course could wait to get a feel for what a larger makeover similar to that underway on the Overton Park golf course might involve. 

Decarcerate Memphis, a criminal justice grassroots coalition, has given MPD’s new police chief 100 days to tackle reforms it says are needed to change the “culture and structure” of the department. 

Memphis could soon have a daily reminder that we don’t have “time for things with no soul.”

The council also approved a new seven-year lease between the city and the Withers Collection Inc., which has been behind on its rent.

Council unanimously approves a resolution opposing the proposed configuration that would eliminate Scott Street’s southern connection to Poplar Avenue.

Mayor Harris is gathering more advice this week, including hearing from the municipal mayors. 

Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis became the new leader of the Memphis Police Department Tuesday, May 4, in a council vote that was almost unanimous.

On Tuesday, both sides in the pipeline dispute agreed to put their actions on hold until July.

What began as a more general ban of underground pipelines in the city is now a specific ordinance that allows existing underground infrastructure to be grandfathered in. It also allows companies to seek exceptions from the council to the ban.

The Tuesday, May 4, council day includes a possible vote on the nomination of C.J. Davis to be the new police chief. And the council has a proposal to change eviction set-outs 16 years after its last attempt to bring some order to the process.

A budget committee meeting Monday, May 3, drew 12 of the 13 council members together at City Hall for the first time since mid-March of 2020. The in-person meetings continue Tuesday with a full slate of committee meetings before the 3:30 p.m. session of the council. 

Douglas Emhoff and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh are among a blitz by the administration to promote President Joe Biden’s $4 trillion “American Jobs Plan.”

As Durham Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis awaits confirmation from the Memphis City Council as the new leader of MPD, city leaders, former colleagues and activists from her past weigh in on her law enforcement career.