City Council votes on xAI tax revenue, MATA money, Oak Court OK and more
The Council voted 11-0 to direct property tax revenue from the two xAI data centers to nearby communities.
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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August 2025
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City of Memphis -
City of Memphis City to put $900,000 into more aggressive battle against blight
The City’s more aggressive stance on blighted properties is focused on taking court cases to Chancery Court instead of Environmental Court. The funding would fuel that effort and could be sustained with money from the sale of properties out of receivership.
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City of Memphis Liberty Park Southern Avenue entrance could get new look
The Memphis City Council will dive into a revamped entrance and security upgrades for Liberty Park along with a $14.6 million “action plan” from Mayor Paul Young.
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Behind The Headlines How to keep interest in Downtown Memphis ahead of big projects
The head of the Downtown Memphis Commission talks on “Behind The Headlines” about what’s beyond Downtown’s waiting period for several new and renovated institutions to come online.
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Shelby CountyRead the room: Push for county commissioners to ‘vote your party’ on school board gets chilly response
Also Republican contender for governor John Rose on Medicaid expansion and “Tennessee values,” and Democratic contender Jerri Green on debating Senator Marsha Blackburn.
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Shelby County Ups, downs and votes on a new County Commission chair
It took one vote to elect the new County Commission chair and four to elect the chair pro tempore. In between was the usual commission intrigue and grievances.
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Shelby County County Commission punts on when to get school board races on same ballot
The Shelby County Commission agreed to start term limits for Memphis-Shelby County Schools board elections with the 2026 election. But it delayed a decision on when to get all those races on the same ballot.
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State Government Gubernatorial candidate John Rose has ‘epiphany’ on crime in Memphis
“My time as a member of Congress is not my calling card for this job,” the Republican Congressman from Cookeville said of his run for Tennessee Governor.
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State GovernmentWhat the race for governor looks like with Blackburn officially in
As Bill Lee’s final term nears its end, multiple contenders stepped up for the race for state governor. Plus, this political roundup also explores the Democratic primary race to succeed Wanda Halbert.
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Shelby County How the County Commission’s debate on school board elections has turned
The move to put all nine MSCS board seats on the ballot in 2026 took a few turns last week in County Commission committee sessions.
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MetroMarsha Blackburn invites ‘small group of local press’ to closed roundtable
A Monday, Aug. 11, roundtable discussion U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is hosting at PURE Academy will not be open to the public, according to information obtained by The Daily Memphian.
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Education High lead levels found in water sources at some Memphis school campuses
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also notified Tennessee regulators and provided bottled water to be used along with water-filtration systems and hand sanitizer.
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Public Safety‘We know we need a new jail': Commission reacts to ambitious Firestone jail plan
While most county commissioners support building a new jail, not all of them agree on where its built, who pays for it and who’s included.
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New jail targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jail
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Public Safety New jail plan targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jail
A plan to build a new jail and relocate every criminal and civil justice institution in Shelby County to the former Firestone plant site in North Memphis was presented to the Shelby County Commission.
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City of Memphis ‘This is disgusting’: MATA update to City Council comes with skepticism
MATA’s interim leader told the council all the buses are ready but only for a pared-down system and that former leadership spent more than a million dollars in federal funds it hadn’t secured.
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$900K for police task force could go to fix city’s potholes, blight, sidewalks
Memphis librarians want a change to city charter allowing them to seek union representation
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City of Memphis Memphis librarians want a change to city charter allowing them to seek union representation
Memphis City Council members are weighing whether there is an easy and quick way to make the change or whether the change will take a charter amendment voters would have to approve.
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City of Memphis $900K for police task force could go to fix city’s potholes, blight, sidewalks
The $900,000 intended for “integrity in policing” could instead fund several different projects across this city.
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City of Memphis City looks to kick in $900K for ‘integrity policing’
The funding — generated from $2.8 million interest income on federal grant money — would support a police reform task force appointed in late 2024. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, Children and Youth Wellness Crisis Center and PURE Academy are also proposed to receive a piece.
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City of MemphisSouthaven mayor on xAI, more MLGW customers eligible for cutoff and 2026 campaign updates
This Political Roundup dives into what the Southaven mayor said about Elon Musk’s xAI buying a former energy plant, MLGW customers who could be cut off skyrocket, TVA’s demand highs and more.
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Behind The Headlines Taller homes and 3-D houses among affordable housing strategies
Two developers of affordable housing and the head of the city’s Housing and Community Development Division talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the latest wrinkles in building more affordable housing to meet a citywide shortage.
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Shelby County County mayor candidate talks MATA, taxes and development
Assessor Melvin Burgess Jr. came to the Frayser Exchange Club on Thursday, July 31, to talk taxes. He also talked about broader issues touching on his bid to become the next county mayor.
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July 2025
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Spirit of Memphis Tom Lee’s house gets money for restoration
The grant from a $3 million pool of grant funds to 24 sites is the latest by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to several historic properties in Memphis.
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Shelby County County Commission postpones MSCS board changes vote
While some commissioners said the resolution the could end terms early for some MSCS board members is “unfair” and that there were “pure hypocrites in this room,” unhappy community members said, “It’s time for change.”
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Shelby CountyJavier Bailey back on the ballot. And the political life and times of Bill Morris.
Bill Morris, who died July 25 at 92, was the longest serving Shelby County mayor since the office was created. And Javier Bailey is set for next year’s Democratic primary for assessor.
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Shelby County County Commission to vote on putting all school board seats on 2026 ballot
A resolution on the Monday, July 28, County Commission agenda would cut in half the four-year terms of five elected Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members.
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