The weather in Memphis on Jan. 7, 2023, was mild, with clear skies and temperatures in the 50s. But the events of that night created a storm that still hovers over the city.

“I think it’s time for us to figure out a solution, and it’s hard to believe that the solution is Wanda Halbert as county clerk,” said the Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris on WKNO’s “Behind the Headlines.”

The first woman to lead the state’s highest court will oversee negotiations between lawyers for Nicole Freeman and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., Chief Jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government. 

Tauheed Rahim II, a native Memphian and artist-in-residence at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., circulated a petition to maintain his rights to a problem property where his mother used to live near St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

The day after the special prosecutor from Chattanooga came to Memphis to hear from the public, Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright has drafted a formal complaint against Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright said Wednesday, Dec. 27, he is in the process of drafting a formal complaint against Wanda Halbert for the special prosecutor’s office in Chattanooga to consider.

A $25 wheel-tax hike tops the annual list of significant votes by the Shelby County Commission. The vote had a ripple effect on the 13-member body from electing a new chair to a special prosecutor investigating County Clerk Wanda Halbert.

The most common variant in the U.S. now is the highly contagious HV.1 strain, which accounts for about 30% of new COVID-19 cases. 

Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty G. Wamp, in a letter to Shelby County commissioners, says the investigation has been slow moving with unreturned phone calls and denied records requests that she says violate state law.

The case of one county commissioner against another was dismissed in court Wednesday, Dec. 20. 

Shelby County commissioners also funded 21 new “youth development specialist” positions at Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court, and a rugby field for Memphis Inner City Rugby.

The Shelby County Commission’s final meeting of 2023 will review contract extensions for health care services at the jail and juvenile detention facilities along with a grant for the Memphis Inner-City Rugby program.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr.’s request for a temporary order of protection from fellow commissioner Mickell Lowery has been denied — at least for now.

During the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, the Mississippi River mayors signed an agreement with an Indian river advocacy group and announced a new pilot program with Munich Reinsurance Co. 

The March 5 primary is Shelby County’s first election of 2024 and is topped by Tennessee’s presidential primary. The race for General Sessions Court clerk is the only countywide position on the ballot in 2024.

The City of Bartlett is considering switching management of its branch library, the last of the suburbs in Shelby County still connected to the Memphis Public Libraries.

County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. is seeking a court order of protection against fellow commissioner Mickell Lowery after the two exchanged words in August. Attorneys are seeking to seal the order and the details of Ford’s legal motion.

A vote on a construction contract for a rugby field was delayed Monday, Dec. 4, amid an ongoing commission debate about whether programs in one area are a start or are a limit that doesn’t benefit other areas. 

Funding for a Whitehaven High School STEM Center is among the votes Shelby County commissioners are expected to take Monday.

Friday’s free event will also include a catered dinner buffet, presentations, vendors, informational displays and giveaways, and it will culminate with a balloon release to honor everyone in the Memphis community impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said despite the overwhelming grief of losing loved ones to violence, remembering them can bring about a sense of resolve and hope.

At least 11 judges have been referred for removal dating back to the 1800s for a variety of offenses, from aiding in a duel to writing a letter to Hustler magazine on official stationery.

Millington wants the Shelby County Clerk to pay for use of the building owned by the suburb. However, after 18 months, no agreement has been met.

MLGW’s CEO said the utility has operated with a “run to fail” mindset, meaning it only fixes what’s broken, and there haven’t been regular investments in MLGW’s infrastructure for decades.