Elections
Floyd Bonner Jr. to announce run for Memphis mayor
Bonner’s announcement follows several months of consideration on the heels of his easy second term win in the August county general election.
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 4051 articles by Bill Dries :
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October 2022
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Elections -
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ElectionsPolitical Roundup: Early voting hits 20,000; Jason Martin campaigns in Collierville
The county’s early voter total through the first four days of the period is tops in the state.
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City of MemphisInside Sheriff Floyd Bonner’s move to run for Memphis Mayor
How to handle crime in Memphis will dominate Bonner’s mayoral platform. Meanwhile, another contender in the race told supporters Tuesday the next mayor shouldn’t be someone who will “keep us steady”
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Education MICAH pushes for national search for next MSCS superintendent
Four of nine school board members agreed to a national search, along with public input through public hearings.
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Behind The Headlines County Commission willing to start anew with County Clerk Halbert, for now
The Shelby County Commission elected in August is taking its first swing at enduring problems in the Shelby County Clerk’s office. A discussion with three commissioners on “Behind The Headlines” shows a willingness to start anew on the controversy but some indications it might not last.
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Transportation & Logistics Fred Smith on stagflation and more from the Freedom Awards
At last night’s Freedom Awards, FedEx Corp. founder Fred Smith talked about the economy and highlighted longtime staff members; two Pulitzer Prize-winning authors spoke about the time it takes to write about history.
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City of Memphis Pulitzer Prize-winning author talks ‘return migration’ at NCRM’s Freedom Awards
All three recipients of the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual Freedom Awards talked at the Thursday, Oct. 20, ceremony about the present divisions in America and the way forward.
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Update
City of Memphis‘Charged environment’ pervades Audubon Park public meeting
Memphis Parks director Nick Walker told a crowd at a public meeting Wednesday, “I don’t want to mislead you into thinking that it is our intention to do a wholesale change on this.”
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ElectionsEarly voting opens with new voting system and new trends
The Wednesday, Oct. 19, opening came with some new restrictions on campaigning near several voting sites and indications that the choice to vote on new machines or vote with a hand-marked paper ballot will be watched as closely as the vote totals.
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City of Memphis One Beale Grand Hyatt city loan approved with new wording
The city changed the terms of the $10 million grant/loan after running into accounting rules that would have required the city to list the amount as a long-term liability on its financial statements.
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City of Memphis City Council sends curfew enforcement proposal back to committee
The proposal for more police enforcement backed by centers for juveniles to wait out the night drew ran into a series of questions and concerns.
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Shelby County County Commission delays final vote on how chief ethics officer is picked
With no discussion, the commission sent the ordinance back to committee for more discussion. Meanwhile, the commission set dates for appointing four more judicial commissioners.
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ElectionsBallot Basics: Early Voting Oct. 19-Nov. 3
Here’s all you need to know about voting early and the new system that offers voters a choice between new voting machines and hand-marked paper ballots.
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Free to readers
ElectionsEarly voting for local, state, national general election begins on Oct. 19
For most of Shelby County’s voters, the most exciting thing about the ballot that opens early voting might be the new voting system.
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City of Memphis Strickland proposes soccer stadium instead of Coliseum as part of $684M sports upgrade package
Mayor Jim Strickland is proposing at least partial demolition of the Mid-South Coliseum to make way for a new soccer stadium. It’s part of a $684 million package of renovations and new construction at the city’s major sports venues. The city will seek roughly half of that total from the state.
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City of Memphis Compromise on MLGW leadership fails in City Council vote
Council member JB Smiley Jr. proposed that Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland appoint his pick, Doug McGowen, as interim leader of MLGW while a national search is conducted.
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City Council sends curfew enforcement proposal goes back to committee
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Shelby County County Commission sets goals for county clerk problems, Wanda Halbert
The commission’s unanimous vote covers staffing, a job study and the opening of the clerk’s new Riverdale Road location by Halloween. But Clerk Wanda Halbert and County HR director Gerald Thornton clashed on some of the basic details of what the office has and what it needs.
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County Commission delays final vote on how chief ethics officer is picked
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City of Memphis Standoff over next MLGW CEO could be settled Tuesday
Mayor Jim Strickland has nominated Doug McGowen to lead the city-owned utility. But council chair Martavius Jones wants the city to do a national search for the next president and CEO of MLGW.
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Education Frank Johnson is new MSCS board member
Johnson won the appointment to the District 7 seat over rival contender Jason Sharif. He serves the remaining two years and three months of the term of office in the seat.
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City of Memphis City’s $10 million loan for third One Beale hotel changes terms
The council approved the original deal of what amounted to a $10 million advance on the city’s lease of convention meeting space in the Grand Hyatt — the third of three hotels at One Beale — in September on a 10-0 vote.
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Elections Political Roundup: Emancipation Sunday urges voters to remove slavery from state constitution
Several churches rallied in support of a proposed amendment that would ban slavery in all forms in the state. A coalition of political groups is also urging voters to choose a hand-marked paper ballot.
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Shelby County County Commission to fill school board vacancy, consider goals for clerk’s office
At the Monday, Oct. 17, session, commissioners will also take a final vote on a change — proposed by a commissioner who once ran afoul of an ethics investigation — to who appoints the county ethics officers.
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Behind The Headlines The long road that went beyond reversing police, fire benefits cuts
A member of the Memphis Police Association leadership talks on “Behind The Headlines” about the long-term strategy to reverse a 2014 city council decision to cut city benefits.
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Health CareRegional One cites patient privacy concerns in city’s violence intervention program
Regional One responded to a resolution approved this week by the Memphis City Council that urges the Shelby County Commission to persuade the hospital to allow the intervention program’s counselors access to the hospital and victims of violent crime.
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City of Memphis McGowen appointment to lead MLGW disappears from council committee agenda
The change in agenda items for next week’s city council session reflects the ongoing tug-of-war over council chairman Martavius Jones’ demand for a national search to pick the new leader of the city-owned utility.
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