MATA’s trustee said rider numbers are up. In other action, council members took steps to stop dumping in the Wolf River Bottoms, but balked at some strong limits suggested for city contracts to manage city parks.

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Memphis library workers might need to reapply for jobs

The comments came as the City Council debated an additional 2% raise for the Memphis Fire Fighters Association.

The council also gets an update on the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s three-month, no-fare experiment.

Sometimes a La Nina winter can produce a decent snow event, but Monday’s forecast calls for a mix of sleet and rain. 

The two sides have fought in court since early 2024.

“There’s so many people in this world who didn’t know we touched their lives because it didn’t happen to them,” Karolina Duda said of potential crime victims. The Daily Memphian rode along with Supervisory Deputy Duda to observe the on-the-ground work of the Memphis Safe Task Force.

The Tennessee House speaker, who attended U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s news conference Monday, Nov. 24, was asked what the state’s appetite was for funding a replacement to 201 Poplar. 

“The numbers tell the story themselves. They are undeniable,” said U.S. Attorney General Bondi, who traveled to Memphis on Monday, Nov. 24.

Memphis found a new deputy chief financial officer. Now, the city must find a new leader for its library division as Keenon McCloy retires after 18 years. 

The Memphis City Council voted to change the minimum salary for City of Memphis workers.

The Memphis City Council delayed voting on the 2% raise during an occasionally fractious committee hearing.

Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis presented the latest crime numbers for the first full month of the Memphis Safe Task Force. She also talked about the MPD’s relationship with the task force including on immigration arrests.

State and local leaders who sued the state over the guard deployment gathered to celebrate what they called a historic victory and discuss next steps.

A clean-up in Raleigh, MLGW division budgets, restrooms at the Shell and crime stats are expected to be up for discussion on Tuesday at City Hall.

Also in the political roundup, one county mayoral contender calls out current Mayor Lee Harris’ administration for its funding shortfall and another calls for change in the government’s relationship to the school system.

For the Task Force, the confiscation is a sign of progress in lowering crime. But, in a state where most adults can carry weapons without a permit, what constitutes an illegal gun?

The celebration of the project’s completion included balloon hats.

The Thursday, Nov. 13, formal opening of the new Old Forest acreage served as an epitaph for the conflict over what to do about overflow Memphis Zoo parking on the Overton Park greensward.

The Daily Memphian asked a selection of community leaders what, in their opinion, the long-term impact of the Memphis Safe Task Force could be.

The Memphis Safe Task Force could help deliver Memphis its lowest crime rate in years, but it remains unclear what the temporary law enforcement surge has done to the city’s trajectory.

While Mayor Paul Young is unsure how long the National Guard and Memphis Safe Task Force will remain, he said he wants to focus on sustaining a low crime rate once the operation ends.

The City of Memphis closed on the $22 million purchase of the hotel on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Both appointments received standing ovations at City Council chambers. The 0% loans will go to Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), the Hospitality Hub, the Mid-South Food Bank and Feed the Needy.

The pilot makes it so no passes, fare cards or payments are required on all fixed-route buses, trolleys and MATAplus services. 

The Monday hearing was the Tennessee version of a legal fight that has played out in U.S. courts over the past few months as Trump has sought to use the military in U.S. cities run by members of the opposite political party.