There are 50 article(s) tagged John Gillespie:

• December 2022

  • Mission Impossible? DA says criminal justice reform and crime reduction can mix

    Memphis has a massive crime problem. Steve Mulroy has lofty ideas about criminal justice reform, but priority is to reduce crime and make the city safer.

    By Don Wade December 25, 2022

• November 2022

  • Taylor wins Kelsey’s state Senate seat

    Incumbent candidates for every state legislative seat in Shelby County won reelection, and no open seats flipped from one political party to the other. Former Rep. Barbara Cooper won despite her death last month.

    By Ian Round November 09, 2022

  • One-third of Shelby County voters show up for midterms

    A third of the county’s voters showed up to vote in the last election of 2022 — and most of them voted early or absentee. The early vote totals told the story of what the rest of the night would be like. 

    Related story:

    The posts: Local voters talk Election Day

    By Bill Dries November 09, 2022

  • Tennessee private prison operator ramps up campaign spending

    CoreCivic gave $107,490 to Tennessee politicians and PACs from July to September, the majority going to incumbent Republicans. The company has stayed in business despite a high murder rate and accusations of underinvestment in safety.

    By Ian Round November 07, 2022

• October 2022

  • Youngest Republican in state House faces District 97 challenger

    The East Memphis district is one of only a handful where Tennessee Democrats think they have a chance to gain ground in the Republican-dominated General Assembly.

    By Ian Round October 31, 2022

  • More prisons an option for Tennessee despite past problems

    Tennessee passed a law similar to “truth in sentencing” in 1979. The law led to overcrowded prisons, rioting and millions in damage to state property. The National Guard was called in. The result was a federal consent decree and sentencing reform. Will history repeat itself?

    By Ian Round October 10, 2022

  • Lawmakers doubling down on crime in upcoming session

    Many of the proposed bills would increase penalties for rape, kidnapping and other violent crimes and require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to test rape kits faster.

    By Ian Round October 03, 2022

• March 2022

  • Senate delays action impacting Germantown namesake schools

    Tennessee senators delayed action on a bill impacting Germantown’s namesake schools. The bill will go before a house committee later this week.

    By Abigail Warren March 21, 2022

• February 2022

  • Collierville raccoon receiving state honors

    A Collierville critter is getting time in the state spotlight this week due to his ability to predict spring.

    By Abigail Warren February 02, 2022

• January 2022

  • New proposal pushes tougher penalties for drag racing

    State Rep. John Gillespie, a Memphis Republican, intends to make it easier to prosecute drag racers with an offense more severe than mere reckless driving.

    By Ian Round January 25, 2022

  • Drag racers hard to catch, harder to charge and convict

    Whether it is an old-fashioned drag race on a quarter-mile of city street straightaway, weaving in and out of traffic at 100-mph-plus on interstates or performing stunts in public parking lot, the street racing culture brings danger, and sometimes tragedy, to those unfortunate enough to be nearby.

    By Don Wade January 18, 2022

  • Shelby County lawmakers set priorities for the 2022 session

    Residency requirements, reckless driving and Germantown’s namesake schools are among the issues lawmakers plan to address at the upcoming General Assembly session. School funding reform might have to wait until next year.

    By Ian Round January 10, 2022

• November 2021

  • Behind The Headlines: Thompson and Gillespie have differing views of special session

    State Representatives John Gillespie and Dwayne Thompson spoke on this week’s “Behind The Headlines.”

    By Bill Dries November 27, 2021

• September 2021

  • Hagerty bound for Europe to talk with allies about Afghanistan withdrawal

    Hagerty spoke Wednesday, Sept. 1, at an East Memphis political fundraiser just before leaving for a tour of Europe to meet with government leaders and NATO allies.

    By Bill Dries September 01, 2021

• June 2021

  • Penalty for drag racing increases next month as MPD cracks down

    Even Anthony Smith, who was a drag racer in the ‘Street Outlaws: Memphis’ TV series, says there’s a problem. ‘These kids now are out here ... cutting doughnuts and shooting guns in the air, and that ain’t the drag racing we do.’

    By Yolanda Jones June 21, 2021

  • Four rookie lawmakers reflect on legislative session

    First-term Tennessee legislators Heidi Campbell, John Gillespie, Torrey Harris and Eddie Mannis say they’ve learned to be tough but find friends across the aisle as well.

    By Ian Round June 20, 2021

• November 2020

  • Gillespie narrowly defeats Salinas for District 97 seat

    In a close race, John Gillespie, a political newcomer, narrowly defeats Democratic challenger Gabby Salinas in the state House District 97 race. 

    By Yolanda Jones November 03, 2020

• October 2020

  • Key races set to shape Shelby legislative delegation

    Few House races statewide are expected to see turnover in the Nov. 3 election, but Shelby County has a handful of seats that could shift.

    By Sam Stockard October 11, 2020

• September 2020

  • Gillespie, Salinas spar over refugee rights endorsement

    Democrat Gabby Salinas and Republican John Gillespie are getting feisty over an endorsement she received from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, hinting at a lively race this fall for an open House seat.

    By Sam Stockard September 18, 2020

• August 2020

  • Gillespie, Salinas will vie for state House District 97 seat

    A showdown is brewing for the state House District 97 seat between Republican John Gillespie and Gabby Salinas, who narrowly lost a state Senate race in 2018.

    By Sam Stockard August 07, 2020

• July 2020

  • Leatherwood, Mills clash in Republican primary for House District 99

    The race pits state Rep. Tom Leatherwood, who his says his experience is needed to help steer Tennessee, against challenger Lee Mills, a former Republican Party chairman who calls his opponent a “career politician.”

    By Sam Stockard July 20, 2020

• February 2020

  • Coley backs Gillespie in House District 97 Republican race

    Republican state Rep. Jim Coley, who is leaving the state House after seven terms, is endorsing John Gillespie in the race to replace him in House District 97.

    By Sam Stockard February 21, 2020

• December 2019

  • Weise, Gillespie separated by vouchers as House District 97 race takes off

    House District 97 Republican candidates Brandon Weise and John Gillespie are taking different stands on education vouchers, with Weise opposing them and Gillespie declining to say exactly where he stands on the governor’s initiative.

    By Sam Stockard December 09, 2019

  • Democrat Salinas, Republican Weise to enter House District 97 race

    The race to replace Republican state Rep. Jim Coley in House District 97 is shaping up with a Democrat and another Republican joining the fray.

    By Sam Stockard December 07, 2019

• June 2019

  • Republican Gillespie will seek District 97 House seat in 2020

    Shelby Countian John Gillespie will run in the Republican primary for the House District 97 seat being vacated by Rep. Jim Coley in 2020.

    By Sam Stockard June 13, 2019