“There’s already plenty of gas stations ... That’s not what the community has asked for. They’ve asked for investment in their community in terms of supportive items,” said a board member of Uplift Westwood.
The East Memphis nature center’s new area is designed for unstructured play. Meanwhile the museum system overseeing Lichterman and several other several other city-owned attractions continues to move toward a private board and day-to-day control.
The Memphis City Council will have more direct control over Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s spending for at least six months.
Both resolutions are not binding and have little effect, but they express the body’s political will at a time when many members feel Shelby County’s autonomy is under threat from the Tennessee General Assembly.
The developers “withdrew” their application but say they only meant to postpone the vote. Council member Easter-Thomas doesn’t buy it.
The Memphis City Council approved $10 million from the city’s rainy day fund to fill the gap, most of which — about $9.7 million — is in the Memphis Fire Department’s budget.
Oral arguments were heard Tuesday, April 9, in an appeal of a class-action lawsuit against the City of Memphis about its alleged lack of testing more than 12,000 sexual assault evidence kits, some dating back decades.
Mayor Paul Young and Interim Chief C.J. Davis support a Memphis City Council ordinance to create a philanthropic and research foundation that would take private donations and put them toward the city’s public safety efforts.
Throughout his first 100 days, Memphis Mayor Paul Young has sought ways to get to “yes” and make Memphians feel heard by their new mayor, wielding his newfound power and spotlight to recast the city’s narrative and try to paint hope on Memphis’ self-portrait. But yes is not easy to come by. Listening takes hours that turn into days. Narratives don’t change in 90 days. Or 100. Already, circumstance has intervened.
A new deal has been struck to fund the FedExForum renovations, according to a draft agreement obtained The Daily Memphian.
The council move comes as Mayor Paul Young prepares to fill the newly created position of city public safety director. Meanwhile, Young takes some changes in the current city budget to the council Tuesday, April 9, which may be clues to his budget for the new fiscal year.
But first, the Memphis Police Association says the city needs to demote 120-plus newly promoted second lieutenants.
A bill to complete the financing remains pending at the Tennessee General Assembly.
Also happening this week: Memphis City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas’ ethics board hearing. Plus, there’s a free Brown v. Topeka Board of Education conference at the University of Memphis.
Fifty-six years to the day of his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr.’s son stood on the balcony where his father was fatally wounded in 1968 and talked about the movement King led in the here and now. MLK III says current times and painful memories bring him to MemphisRelated story:
The son of Martin Luther King Jr. returns to Memphis on the anniversary of his father’s assassination for the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual commemoration.
“It is critical in the face of such tragedy that we don’t surrender to hopelessness. We’ve got to strengthen our resolve, amplify our voices and expand our reach,” said the executive director of Memphis Child Advocacy Center.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn was in Memphis Wednesday and talked with The Daily Memphian about crime, a proposal she is sponsoring to strip federal funds from cities with a no-cash bail policy and whether Memphis is a “soft-on-crime” city.
Sports authority board approves part of $550 million in planned renovations to FedExForum and provides a look at the upgrades the Memphis Grizzlies are planning.
MPD and its police union disagree over the recent creation of a frontline supervisor role, but Memphis Mayor Paul Young says the second lieutenant rank is needed to avoid another U.S. Department of Justice consent decree.
The first Memphis City Council Scorecard of the body’s term of office finds the council cleaning up a few leftover matters and examines the vote that didn’t happen on a North Memphis biomass facility.
MPD’s establishment of the second lieutenant field supervisor role was meant to fill a gap within the force. But after arbitration and further negotiations, the process has left officers divided.
Also happening: Baptist Health Sciences University’s cuts the ribbon on a new college, and the deadline to file a petition for the August election is this week.
Memphis Police Association President Matt Cunningham and Vice President John Covington discussed recent public safety legislation, agreements and negotiations with the Memphis Police Department, recruitment and more on the WKNO-TV program “Behind The Headlines.”
The political roundup recaps some of the major action just ahead of the April 4 deadline for candidates to get on the August ballot.