Record homicide, overdose rates are a sign of inordinate stress, the health department director says and qualify as public health issues for region.

A set of four ordinances affecting the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the county corrections division advanced through second reading Monday, Sept. 28, at the Shelby County Commission. And the use of electric shields by deputies at a Downtown demonstration last week was part of the commission’s discussion. Final votes are scheduled for Oct. 12.

Shelby County commissioners put off a vote Monday, Sept. 28, on $5.8 million to buy a new voting system, a move that election officials say could mean it will take days to count all the votes in the presidential general election.

A TIF would allow tax dollars generated by the community to be reinvested in the community.

“Limited-service (restaurants) are not riskier than others if measures are followed,” said Dr. Bruce Randolph, Shelby County health officer.

Ordinances that address use of force, the purchase of military equipment and the use of tear gas will go to the full commission without a second reading committee vote.

Shelby County commissioners will get opinions from the county’s other elected officials as they work through problems with the county’s hiring freeze resolution.

It’s probably not even possible to measure the full impact Pat Lawler has had in the 40 years he has been running Youth Villages. But the nonprofit’s growth, while insisting on tracking the effectiveness of programs, has led to a national model. 

ServiceMaster’s We Care Day has morphed into We Care Week because of COVID-19. The company will donate money to charities for each “Caring Step” logged by employees.

Even with declines in the poverty rate for Memphis and Shelby County, there is not much movement on who is poor and where they live.

From Sept. 5 to Sept 19, the Health Department reported an average of 148 new coronavirus cases each day. That’s similar to the 146 new-case average from the preceding 14-day period.

Three police reform measures cleared the Shelby County Commission on the first of three readings this week. But it amounted to a test vote with more votes in play than were committed. Our commission scorecard shows where the division is on the specific issues.

A total of 78 positions in various parts of county government are the latest exceptions to a hiring freeze. But as they approved the waivers Monday, county commissioners signaled they are about to make a decision on the hiring freeze’s viability possibly by the end of this month. 

The trio of ordinances affecting the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and corrections officers advanced automatically in Monday’s first of three votes on the measures. A second reading will be held in two weeks and a third is tentatively set in October. 

SWAT team deputies with Shelby County Sheriff's Office fatally shoot man barricaded in home in Fayette County. 

It is the first reported death from the coronavirus at the facility. 

The three ordinances are scheduled for the first of three votes on Monday. And still to weigh in on the proposals is Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.

Shelby County commissioners will consider distributing $3.4 million for the local suburbs in their meeting Monday.

The proposal would ban the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office from getting camouflage uniforms and bayonets from surplus federal military stocks as well as militarized and weaponized vehicles or aircraft.

When the county’s lease originally ended in January, the clerk’s office was not ready to leave, so the lease was extended four months. When the pandemic hit, more time was given.

Plus, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris on Tuesday announced $5,000 in funding for Senior Tech Connect, a new county program that will connect long-term care facilities with technology so residents can see their families.

After weeks of planning and device distributions, Shelby County Schools rings the bell for the first day of virtual school and will stay that way until further notice.

The latest edition of our scorecard looks at several moves in the hiring freeze and what the rejection of a convenience store on East Holmes Road could mean for similar businesses in the rest of the county.

Shelby County commissioners approved a waiver to the freeze Monday for county firefighters but put off another waiver for 78 more positions in other departments. 

Milton's argument comes as the head of information services for county government says his lean budget could exacerbate problems hiring tech employees. The commission votes Monday on a set of exceptions to the county's hiring freeze totaling 104 positions and nearly $7 million.