Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana Sunday with approximately 150 mph winds, making it a Category 4. Category 5 hurricanes start at 156 mph. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S.

Gabby Salinas emerged as the new local party chair at an online party convention Saturday, Aug. 28, after former party chairman Corey Strong withdrew from the balloting.

Developer Franklin Haney’s plan to buy the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant and sell the electric power it generated to Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division started the ongoing exploration of MLGW possibly leaving the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Federal suit filed in Memphis late Thursday afternoon. 

“All our leaders around the state and region understand the connection between rising case counts and bans on masking,” mayor says.

Some say the attacks demonstrate the problems in the rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops and a lack of planning.

The two complaints were over a 2020 contract for a $1 million marketing campaign to urge Shelby Countians to wear masks.

Commissioners made changes Monday to the blue ribbon ethics panel it created despite a veto by county Mayor Lee Harris. The changes didn’t go down well with those who wanted the group to report directly to the commission and not the county Ethics Commission.

A proposed ordinance establishing setback requirements for oil pipelines will advance to a final Shelby County Commission vote next month despite getting only five “yes” votes from commissioners this week.

The county-owned hospital is hiring to reopen 21 beds with $2 million in city funding approved last week. The county funding will also help over the next 13 weeks as Regional One competes with other hospital systems across the country to hire skilled health care workers to meet the demand from the latest COVID surge.

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.