Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
There are 4048 articles by Bill Dries :
When Tom Lee arrived on the Memphis riverfront May 9, 1925, the morning after that long night, he began encountering people who already knew his name and knew the bravery of what he’d done.Related content:
Two ethics proposals return to the Shelby County Commission Monday. County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr., who faces criminal charges himself, is accusing others of wrongdoing.
A decade after the meeting, an unbylined column in The Commercial Appeal offered a reason behind Tom Lee’s decision to cut short his visit to the nation’s capital.
A headstone in Mt. Carmel Cemetery shows Tom Lee was born Feb. 18, 1885, and died April 1, 1952. Between those two dates, Lee mostly lived in Memphis.
The Shelby County Republican Party is hoping having partisan primaries in school board races will help them crawl back to relevancy in the Democratic-dominated county, even if they have little chance of winning some races.
On May 8, 1925, about 100 years ago, a steamboat capsized in the Mississippi River — a disaster that forced dozens of men, women and children to fight for their life against the current until a brave Memphian, a veteran river worker, reached out to help.
“There never was a case for removal or even investigation in the first place, and you don’t have to take my word for that,” Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy said on WKNO-TV’s “Behind The Headlines.”
The Shelby County Republican Party executive committee didn’t want partisan primaries in school board races two years ago, but Thursday’s vote went the other way.
The collapse complicates efforts to preserve some part of the historic church that went up in flames April 28.
Anasa Troutman, the leader of the nonprofit directing the restoration of Clayborn Temple, said the building may be considered a “complete loss” by the Memphis Fire Department, but she said she isn’t using the term.
Firefighters will investigate the cause of the blaze but will also need to determine if any additional parts of the structure need to come down. Calkins: On Clayborn Temple’s final day, shaken Memphians came to pay their respectsRelated content:
Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. joins what could be a large field of contenders in the Democratic primary to succeed Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.
Local Democrats set a May 31 date to pick a chair, Patricia Possel is the newest Shelby County election commissioner and Congressman Steve Cohen says revoking student visas is causing problems on Memphis college campuses.
“If history teaches us anything, it’s this: Clayborn Temple will rise again, because its foundation was never merely physical. It was spiritual. It was communal. And that foundation cannot be burned,” said NCRM President Russ Wigginton.
The multi-year dollar figure comes from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and would fundamentally alter the county’s annual capital budget now at $150 million a year for all capital projects.
Council Chair Ford Canale and Council member Philip Spinosa are working on a proposal they hope will not draw the attention of Airbnb lobbyists in Nashville who undid some of the regulations council members put in place in 2016.
Although the capital and operating funds are separate, the new capital projects are expected to push attendance up, which raises more money for the zoo to operate.
The council hears about a proposal to enforce standards for lighting and cleanliness of Downtown parking garages and votes on a move to extend the life of a temporary Downtown surface parking lot at Beale and Main streets.
County Commissioner Britney Thornton said Wednesday the allegations against Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. shouldn’t be considered in deciding what, if any, changes should be made to the body’s grant program.
Darren Goods is a veteran former Memphis police officer who, before his retirement, was part of the police brass, including leading several specialized units that focused on violent crime.
Investigators behind a new criminal justice report talked about a way to change how cases move through the courts.
The logistics of the concert business have changed dramatically since the city’s last stadium show 25 years ago, with more elaborate stages. The planned renovation announced last week would allow the biggest tours to again have a venue in Memphis.
Developers cut the ribbon Wednesday, April 16, on three new homes in Soulsville with plans for a total of 12. The Compass Circle developers aim to create affordable housing for first-time homebuyers.
Memphis Public Libraries marked the 1893 opening of the Cossitt on Saturday, April 12, with discussions of the history about public libraries in the city that touched on racial segregation and more.
Sunday’s shooting underscored a troubling week for gun violence in Memphis. There have been nine murders over the past seven days, according to the city’s Weekly Crime Trends report.