The Shelby County Commission approved an expanded kitchen, an outdoor pavilion and more parking at the Barretville General Store. 

The rate of $3.399 advanced Monday, May 9, on first reading with uncertainty ahead for the second of three votes on May 23. 

Related stories:

Barretville General Store gets green light for expansion despite ‘family squabble'

County Commission debates filling open State House District 91 seat

The commission, at its Monday, May 9, meeting, also decides whether to fill a vacant state House seat in the Shelby County delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly.

“We want to make a successful transition from the benefits program into a quality, good-paying job,” said the executive dean of UM Global. “The whole point is to never go back and never look back. We want to put people on a pathway to thriving, not surviving.”

U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen and Michael Kustoff commented at separate events Thursday in Shelby County, elaborating on earlier reaction to the leaked opinion draft on the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. 

Related story:

Kustoff addresses national concerns, midterm elections

The Daily Memphian’s On The Record podcast reviews the results from Tuesday’s county primaries with a look ahead to the August county general election.

Dwan Gilliom referred to the new position with Allworld as the end of his career in public service.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris outlined his budget proposal the day after winning the Democratic primary for county mayor and advancing to the August county general election in his quest for a second term.

Only one of the incumbent Democratic clerks from 2018’s Democratic sweep of the offices was without a challenge from within the party. Three of the incumbents didn’t survive to advance to the August county general election.

Incumbent Democratic County Mayor Lee Harris defeated challenger Ken Moody. Harris said he expects a hard-fought contest in the general election contest with Republican nominee Worth Morgan. 

“It’s quite simple, the Democrat primary voters have decided who they want as their candidate,” Folsom said. “It was a well-fought race despite the incredibly low turnout.”

Steve Mulroy will face incumbent District Attorney General Amy Weirich in the general elections in August. 

District 4 was the only contested Republican race on the May 3 ballot.

Election for mayor narrows to a race between the incumbent and a Memphis City Council member. 

The former County Commissioner died in January, his family disclosed this month. He is buried in a county cemetery, 50 years after his only win in a storied political career that saw him go to prison twice.

The increase in cases aligns with national data, which shows new cases trending upward in many parts of the country as precautions like social distancing and mask wearing are loosened.

Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows gave the keynote speech at the local Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Gala, with many GOP figures vowing to regain the majority in the U.S. House in midterm elections this year. 

Steve Mulroy, Linda Harris and Janika White are contending for the Democratic nomination for the district attorney’s office and the right to challenge District Attorney General Amy Weirich in the August general election. 

In recent years, staff dealt with COVID-19. They aimed to teach students in a safe environment while also abiding by ever-changing guidelines.

State Sen. Jack Johnson said the current formula “is outdated, it’s antiquated, it’s difficult to understand. Quite frankly, it is broken. (This) rips that old formula out by the roots and starts with a clean state.”

The only two contested Republican primaries in August for seats in the Tennessee General Assembly representing parts of Shelby County could change dramatically with new challenges that could remove one of the contenders from each of the two-man races.

Those schools have remained under the operation of Memphis-Shelby County Schools since the municipal districts were formed in 2013.

“I just feel like a weight has been lifted up off of me.”