Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana Sunday with approximately 150 mph winds, making it a Category 4. Category 5 hurricanes start at 156 mph. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S.

Developer Franklin Haney’s plan to buy the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant and sell the electric power it generated to Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division started the ongoing exploration of MLGW possibly leaving the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“All our leaders around the state and region understand the connection between rising case counts and bans on masking,” mayor says.

Some say the attacks demonstrate the problems in the rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops and a lack of planning.

The call came during a memorial service in Memphis for Alvin Motley Jr., whose family has seen video of the fatal shooting. 

The City Council Scorecard looks at recent council votes that don’t seem to pack a political punch but nevertheless call for an attention to detail.

“After some of the initial (COVID) restrictions were relaxed in the early spring, we started to see some behavior Downtown that was not what we were used to,” said commission president Paul Young.

Last week, president M. David Rudd said he would pursue making shots necessary as soon as FDA lifted emergency-use approval.

The Shelby County Commission asked Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order allowing parents to opt-out of school mask mandates. It also passed resolutions supporting a countywide mask mandate and spending funds on masks for all county public school systems.

U.S. Census figures show some County Commission districts have grown in population while others have lost population since a decade ago. 

Restaurateurs worry that Shelby County’s new mask mandate might scare customers, but prefer it over more stringent restrictions on their businesses.

“I anticipate, honestly, that everyone that got the vaccine is going to want the booster. That is the feedback I have been getting,” says Melanie Keller, CEO of Meritan.

The letter circulating Tuesday warns of “catastrophic” effects that could “affect health care at every level.” Meanwhile, the city council is urging Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order to allow parents to opt out of school mask mandates.

The earliest the City Council could vote on setting up a charter commission is its Sept. 7 meeting. 

The newly planted greens of MiniVerde Bermudagrass are 99% ready. But the Bermuda Certified 419 fairways and tees still have bare spots, and the tall fescue for the natural areas and habitats must be reseeded this fall, the city’s top golf official says.

While proponents of merging the City of Memphis and Shelby County governments cannot promise that consolidation would mean a spike in economic development, they believe it is the straightest line to major growth. Opponents aren’t so sure and worry about negative fallout. 

Attorneys representing the inmates, including lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union and Memphis’ Just City, claim conditions at the jail are ill-equipped to deal with safety regarding COVID-19.

Violent crime is both a national problem and a Memphis problem. But when criminals point guns your way, as 26-year-old engineer Manuel Rodriguez discovered, it forever becomes part of your personal history. So much so, that you consider leaving the city you have always called home. 

While there are no firm plans on a solution, for the first time in three years, TDOT, the city and community members seem to be on one accord. A significant departure from a few months ago when Scott Street closure, as part of a $45 million redesigned Poplar Viaduct, seemed a formality.

Greater Memphis Chamber chief public policy officer Bobby White said planning construction could take a decade or more, most likely across the administrations of several presidents, governors and mayors.

Memphis Fire Department Director Gina Sweat is asking the public to do three things — get vaccinated, wear a mask and social distance. In addition to COVID, car crashes have added to system stress.

“The ERs are inundated,” said Dr. Shailesh Patel. “If we do not change course, we are headed to our darkest hours, our darkest days.”