During the spring budget season, the commission opted for the one-time bonuses over a pay raise proposed by County Mayor Lee Harris. But after the fiscal year started, the move began to grant the pay raises as well as bonuses.

The Shelby County Commission asked Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order allowing parents to opt-out of school mask mandates. It also passed resolutions supporting a countywide mask mandate and spending funds on masks for all county public school systems.

The Monday, Aug. 23, county commission meeting also includes a resolution calling for a countywide mask mandate and another resolution calling on Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order that outlaws mask mandates in schools.

U.S. Census figures show some County Commission districts have grown in population while others have lost population since a decade ago. 

Other examples include K-12 schoolchildren whose parents have asked in writing for masking exemptions.

The commission scorecard focuses on a rare veto by the county mayor and the County Commission’s vote earlier this month to override that veto. It’s another chapter in a contentious political saga as the commission enters the last year of its current four-year term of office.

Restaurateurs worry that Shelby County’s new mask mandate might scare customers, but prefer it over more stringent restrictions on their businesses.

“I anticipate, honestly, that everyone that got the vaccine is going to want the booster. That is the feedback I have been getting,” says Melanie Keller, CEO of Meritan.

Students are still mandated to wear masks, unless parents present a formal, written request to school officials to opt out.

The earliest the City Council could vote on setting up a charter commission is its Sept. 7 meeting. 

Memphians are not happy with Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of mask mandates in schools. 

Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. senators were highly critical of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. military forces before his speech Monday, Aug. 16. They were more critical after the speech.

Suburban school districts are no longer requiring mask mandates for students, in line with Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order. However, the Shelby County mandate still affects staff.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting involving the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

While proponents of merging the City of Memphis and Shelby County governments cannot promise that consolidation would mean a spike in economic development, they believe it is the straightest line to major growth. Opponents aren’t so sure and worry about negative fallout. 

Attorneys representing the inmates, including lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union and Memphis’ Just City, claim conditions at the jail are ill-equipped to deal with safety regarding COVID-19.

“The ERs are inundated,” said Dr. Shailesh Patel. “If we do not change course, we are headed to our darkest hours, our darkest days.”

Five of the Shelby County suburban districts saw some of the top achievements in results for TCAP, the state-mandated testing.

The data will help determine how districts are drawn for the Tennessee General Assembly and Congressional districts as well as the Shelby County Commission and the Memphis City Council.

The first step toward consolidation shows up on the City Council’s committee list for next week. 

Authorities said 40 people have been indicted on drug trafficking charges for distributing drugs from three abandoned houses in a North Memphis neighborhood. 

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says even with recent changes in state laws this year, it’s unclear where the health department’s authority to issue mask mandates and require other measures ends and where decisions by elected officials begin.

Testing will begin Sept. 6 for Health Department staff.

The Shelby County Commission voted Monday, Aug. 9, to override the veto of a new ethics advisory panel the commission would appoint.