Business
MLGW CEO J.T. Young takes position with Florida utility
Young leaves MLGW after four years. His departure next month comes at a critical point in the utility’s consideration of leaving the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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 4394 articles by Bill Dries :
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September 2022
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Update
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City of Memphis Cleanup group talks long-term and short-term fixes for blight, illegal dumping
The city is adding a convenience dumpster site soon at Collins Yard and next year, plans to roll out artificial intelligence tracking to address blight and illegal dumping.
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Shelby County Halbert says ‘whistleblower’ status should make her immune to recall
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert reacts to talk of legislation lowering the number of signatures needed to force a recall election. She also continues to blame County Mayor Lee Harris’ administration for a backlog of license plates and tags that she says has been cleared up.
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Public Safety Kevin Ritz confirmed by U.S. Senate as new U.S. Attorney
Ritz was recommended to the White House by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis and succeeds Joe Murphy, who had been acting U.S. Attorney since February 2021.
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Elections County Commission to form committee focusing on violent crime
The ongoing discussion and debate were also present Wednesday, Sept. 21, as commissioners interviewed 30 attorneys who have applied to fill three vacant positions for judicial commissioners.
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Public Safety General Sessions Court judges offer to screen judicial commissioner applicants
The Shelby County Commission that took office this month has three judicial commissioners to appoint. It’s part of a chain reaction from the dozens of judicial races decided on the August ballot.
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Elections Canvassing groups tackle voter registration — and voter turnout
The voter registration deadline for the Nov. 8 ballot gives a sense of urgency to the latest canvassing forays into the city to increase not only voter registration but voter turnout.
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Elections City Court Judge special election field holds at nine
Between the Sept. 14 deadline to file qualifying petitions with the Shelby County Election Commission and this past Sunday’s deadline for candidates to withdraw the field stayed the same in the last judicial race of this election year.
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Shelby County County Clerk’s office closes to public for second weeklong ‘blackout’
County Court Clerk Wanda Halbert said the weeklong closing to the public, which begins Monday, Sept. 19, is necessary to clear a backlog of car titles. It’s the Shelby County Clerk’s second closing in a month.
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Education School board chair plans run for Memphis mayor
Michelle McKissack is currently chairwoman of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board and is looking at a potential run for Memphis mayor.
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Shelby County Harris cites new problems in county clerk’s office, urges extended hours
“Unfortunately, over the course of the last several weeks there have been many reports of new operations and customer service issues at your offices,” the county mayor wrote in the memo to Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
Related story:
County Clerk’s office closes to public for second weeklong ‘blackout’
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Elections County Commission Scorecard: Settling an old score in a new term
The Commission Scorecard tracks votes on an attempt to change who investigates ethics complaints and selection of a new chairman and chairman pro tempore at the first meeting of the term.
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Behind The Headlines Two weeks of violent crime trauma sees uneasy mix of calls for change
The chairman of the local crime commission and a Memphis City Council member talk on “Behind The Headlines” about the reaction to weeks of violence.
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Update
DowntownTom Lee Park cutbank bluff to be named for One Beale developers
The Carlisle name follows a $1.5 million donation by the developers to the $62 million Tom Lee Park redesign. It honors the late Gene Carlisle, the family patriarch who called the One Beale real estate “the best piece of dirt in Memphis.”
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State Government Gubernatorial candidate faults Lee, state Legislature for DNA test delays
During a campaign stop Thursday, Sept. 15, in Memphis, Dr. Jason Martin pointed to low funding levels for the TBI crime lab despite a state surplus of $2 billion
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Public Safety Blackburn and Hagerty cite Memphis violence in call for federal funding to fight violent crime
The proposed “Restoring Law and Order Act” would include federal grant programs for more police and detectives focused on violent crime as well as a General Accounting Office examination of delays in processing rape kits.
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Elections Nine make qualifying deadline for City Court judge special election
The Shelby County Election Commission also approved two new polling places for the Nov. 8 election day.
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State Government Weirich pushes back on criticism of 2020 Kelly plea deal
Former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich talked to The Daily Memphian about the 2020 plea deal for Ezekiel Kelly that Gov. Bill Lee called an example of “soft-on-crime plea deals.”
Related story:
Gov. Lee calls for changes in plea deals during Memphis visit
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Public Safety City Council wants 50 Highway Patrol troopers to support MPD
In wide-ranging discussion about violent crime, the Memphis City Council voted to ask the state for at least 50 more state troopers for at least six months and a digital messaging system similar to Amber Alert.
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Elections Deadline is noon Wednesday to file petition for City Court judge
The election will fill the vacancy left when Tarik Sugarmon resigned last month to become Juvenile Court Judge.
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Public Safety Gov. Lee calls for changes in plea deals during Memphis visit
Gov. Bill Lee was in Memphis Friday, Sept. 9, touting stricter laws targeting violent repeat offenders passed during his tenure.
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Shelby County Henri Brooks returns to commission, proposes changes to office that investigated her
The ordinance would take the power to appoint the county ethics officer away from the county attorney’s office. It comes eight years after that office investigated whether Brooks lived in the commission district she represented, and concluded she didn’t.
Related story:
Shelby County Commission weighs forming public safety committee in wake of recent violence
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Shelby County Shelby County Commission weighs forming public safety committee in wake of recent violence
The committee proposal is a reaction to last week’s violence in the city, with more discussion to come at committee sessions later this month before a vote.
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City of Memphis City Council talks crime after a violent week puts new urgency in discussion
The council’s monthly crime update from Memphis Police brass could be more than a regular check-in. Last week’s violence has renewed a long-running civic discussion. And it has moved swiftly to questions about the criminal justice system.
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City of Memphis City Council Scorecard: New face, runoff reprise and One Beale deal
The scorecard looks at two special meetings this month that filled an open council seat, shut down another city charter change ballot question and approved a compromise on One Beale.
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