Political Roundup: The race for Democratic chair; Tesla and townhalls
The political roundup focuses on a busy Saturday. Democrats discussed what has gone wrong in the party, and we look at some tumultuous Congressional townhall meetings of the past.
Bill Dries
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 :
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March 2025
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Behind The Headlines School takeover terms still taking shape in Legislature
The legislation and local reaction to it were among the topics discussed by a reporters’ roundtable on “Behind The Headlines.”
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North Memphis Girls Inc. Youth Farm in Frayser growing along with crops
Leaders of Girls Inc. and city officials cut the ribbon Friday, March 21, on a new greenhouse to go with the 20,000-square-foot building opened in 2023. It is part of a storied Frayser landscape.
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Shelby County For years, Mayor has tried to appoint new members to ethics board. County Commission hasn’t taken a single vote
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has produced six letters, going back to April 2021, in which he asked the County Commission to vote on new ethics board members.
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Downtown Grounding the Flyway: Construction continues on latest Tom Lee Park project
The Flyway, a boardwalk and observation deck off the river, continued Tuesday, March 18, when work crews dug two 50-foot holes and filled them with reinforced concrete.
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City of Memphis City Council sets early start to budget season in return from spring break
The council also voted on a slate of ordinances, including a $300 fee to go with the tax bill of owners of blighted properties the city has to clean up.
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Shelby County County Commission will continue giving grants, despite federal bribery case
A proposed one-month moratorium on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners’ grant program was voted down, but the commission may change how grants are made. There could also changes to the ethics board.
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County Commission has little appetite for giving itself a raise
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Shelby County County Commission has little appetite for giving itself a raise
While only two commissioners voted to get a raise, the panel showed more warmth to a proposed minimum-wage increase for county employees.
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Shelby County County Commission to mull grants moratorium, other ethics moves
The possible freeze, which follows the indictment of Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. on bribery and tax evasion charges linked to grants, is one of the items on the March 17 agenda.
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Metro D.C. Scorecard: Federal government avoids shutdown
The D.C. Scorecard tracks how Memphis’ representatives in Washington voted in the passage of a continuing resolution and looks at past trips to or near a government shutdown.
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Public Safety Memphis’ group violence-intervention program still work in progress
Memphis Police Department Chief C.J. Davis talks on “Behind The Headlines” about getting group violence-intervention right by looking at Detroit’s approach, the pressure that comes with last year’s drop in crime and more.
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Public Safety Trump pardons former state Sen. Brian Kelsey
Kelsey pleaded guilty in November 2022 to charges related to his attempts to funnel campaign money from his state legislative seat toward his failed 2016 congressional bid and he reported to federal prison last month.
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Shelby CountyCommission Scorecard: An inside look at voting on Regional One, MSCS
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners stands by its decision to cap county funding for Regional One Health’s new campus, and it looks to a forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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MetroAfter 17 years in elected office, Edmund Ford Jr. is at a crossroads
The Shelby County commissioner faces federal bribery and tax-evasion charges as he nears the end of his second term on the Board of Commissioners and after 11 years on the Memphis City Council before that.
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MetroFord family’s Memphis history extends back to Reconstruction era
The Ford political dynasty has deep roots in Memphis that stretch across three centuries and is littered with bribery and fraud charges. One family member was even wrapped up in the Tennessee Waltz sting operation.
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State Government Gun switches could be outlawed if new bill becomes law
Tennessee currently has no law on the books that deals explicitly with gun switches.
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City of MemphisMayor Young describes art as ‘need to have’ at meeting to discuss music report
A gathering at Minglewood Hall drew more than 100 people in the first session to gauge reaction to a new report on the Memphis music ecosystem.
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Shelby County Commissioners weigh moratorium on program at heart of Ford indictment
The grant program that allots each county commissioner $200,000 is at the heart of federal bribery and tax-evasion charges against Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr.
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Music‘Music defines cities:’ What a new report says about Memphis music scene
Sound Diplomacy’s 169-page report, released Saturday, touches on some sensitive topics in the long history and heritage of Memphis music, not the least of which is the intersection of music and business.
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Shelby County Inside proposed ethics changes for Shelby County government
The proposals include ballot questions for voters countywide in 2026 and an attempt to bring to life the dormant Shelby County Ethics Commission — or abolish it.
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Shelby County Harris wants to suspend Ford Jr. from making more county grants
Mayor Lee Harris also said he wants to meet with attorneys and other elected officials to see if further steps need to be taken.
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MusicMemphis music study says Mud Island Amphitheater could be valuable asset
But in doing so it assumes the venue would be fully renovated and maximize possible revenue from food and beverage sales, “premium seating experiences” and sponsorships.
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MusicBreaking down Memphis’ music scene
Sound Diplomacy counts 1,148 “music-related assets” in Memphis and within a 5½-mile buffer outside the city. The organization also made recommendations for how to grow the Memphis music industry.
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Shelby County Ford indictment spotlights County Commission ethics guidelines
There is no provision for removing a Shelby County commissioner facing criminal charges, but there is a push to strengthen the ethics commission’s role, Chairman Michael Whaley said.
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Downtown Who determines how riverfront is used? Lawsuit over new Memphis Art Museum narrows.
Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson dismissed most of the claims in the Friends for Our Riverfront lawsuit seeking to stop construction of the new museum. But she kept the central question in the case.
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