Easter Sunday marked the first time many Memphians dusted off their Sunday best since the pandemic shut down churches last year. 

On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, state Rep. Mark White acknowledges the bill doesn’t address many of the complexities of the local schools merger and demerger that kept the three namesake Germantown schools in the Shelby County Schools system.

Tutor says the next local party chairman has a chance to win back countywide offices in 2022 that Republicans lost due to what Tutor says was the result of anti-Trump sentiment.

A February exchange of letters between County Mayor Lee Harris and County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones shows there are difficult questions about whether the legislative duties of Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. should be limited when he hasn’t been charged with a crime. 

Property appraisal expert discusses how the proposal to move to reappraisals every two years instead of every four years would set a precedent for other major cities.

The County Commission Scorecard looks at two pipeline-related resolutions voted down by the commission. One could return for reconsideration. The other could change the specific route of the pipeline through southwest Memphis.

“As many doses as I have on hand, that’s how many appointments I will have next week,” said City of Memphis COO Doug McGowen.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and a representative of County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. sparred Wednesday, March 24, over accusations that Ford violated the county charter with a 2019 grant and Harris’ involvement in the allegation. 

Shelby County’s reproductive rate rose to 1 last week for the first time in 2021, indicating cases are again increasing, likely due to the highly contagious U.K. variant. 

Cases of COVID-19 fell steadily in January and February. The plateau now is very likely due to the U.K. variant pulling the numbers up again, Dr. Manoj Jain says.

Commission also approves the appointment of Dr. Marco Ross as Shelby County medical examiner.

The County Commission put off a vote on the change in the reappraisal cycle until its April 12 meeting as commissioners hear a lot from constituents about increased property values in the current reappraisal.

The Monday, March 22, meeting also featured the defeat of a resolution calling for federal officials to reconsider a nationwide permit for the pipeline project granted in February by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

An independent report concluded Ford failed to disclose a county grant he proposed in 2019 would be used to buy computer equipment from Ford totaling $45,000.

All residents age 16 and older will be eligible to get vaccine appointments beginning next week, Shelby County Health Department Deputy Director David Sweat told county commissioners Monday afternoon, March 22.

The move to every other year comes as property owners are getting reappraisal notices this month that increased property values by an average of 15% to 20% countywide. 

When Shelby County Schools students entered their school buildings this month, many did so for the first time in about a year. But children attending smaller suburban municipal districts had been back for months.

While many are surprised by their reappraisal, some Germantown residents feel the assessor’s office did not keep its promise after the 2019 flood.

Greater access through more public sites and pop-up events combined with higher vaccine allotments from the state and declining wait times are three reasons attributed to the changes in recent weeks.

Face mask directive is effective today; health directive changes begin Saturday.

The 15-page report obtained by The Daily Memphian details a nearly year-long investigation that initially faded for lack of corroboration but came back to life as paperwork confirming the grant emerged. Ford has contended he recused himself since he left the room during the vote on the grant. The report says that doesn’t resolve the conflict of interest and could lead to his removal from office.

State will issue final report in several weeks on the lapses it found at the Shelby County Health Department.

The County Commission Scorecard tracks votes on a piece of legislation in Nashville that would change the way county commissioners are elected and final approval of a share of county contracts for locally owned small businesses.