Shelby County Schools rallies citywide push at end of eventful school year
The "SCS is 901" campaign marks 150 years of organized public education as the city celebrates the 200th anniversary of the founding of Memphis.
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 4211 articles by Bill Dries :
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May 2019
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City of Memphis Parks partnership says Tom Lee Park changes to start in fall
Memphis River Parks Partnership plans to begin making changes to Tom Lee Park in the fall. The fall construction appears to steer clear of most, if not all, of the park used by the Memphis In May International Festival.
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City of Memphis Strickland moves ahead with Memphis 3.0 as council vote is awaited
Mayor Jim Strickland signed an executive order implementing the Memphis 3.0 plan Tuesday at a South Memphis CDC, a week before the Memphis City Council takes the first of three votes on the plan.
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Shelby County Local Democratic Party controversy shares stage with efforts to improve local role
The fate of local Democratic Party Chairman Michael Harris is sharing space with more mundane details, such as organizing political events and getting a local party with a lot of new blood better organized.
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City of Memphis Ballot Basics: An early look at the Memphis election ballot
Here is a look at how the 18 races on the Oct. 3 Memphis ballot shape up a week before candidates are able to pull qualifying petitions signalling their official entry into a race.
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Shelby County Local Democrats to hold hearing on chairman’s future in 20 days
Shelby County Democratic Party chairman Michael Harris called a special session of the local party's executive committee Thursday night to decide whether he should stay or be removed as leader of the party.
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City of Memphis Strickland says city watching coming tax sale of Firestone plant site closely
On "Behind The Headlines," Mayor Jim Strickland said North Memphis critics of the Memphis 3.0 proposed land use and development plan want the city to turn over the former Firestone plant site to them for uses other than manufacturing.
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Arts & Culture Tom Lee’s story remembered 94 years after river rescue
The hero who rescued 32 people on the Mississippi River south of Memphis in 1925 has a simple story but a complex legacy. It includes descendants dedicated to making sure he is remembered and connections to those he rescued as well as those rescued by others.
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City of Memphis Council again delays Memphis 3.0 and Graceland decisions
The Memphis City Council Tuesday delayed a vote on the Memphis 3.0 plan after a vocal critic filed a lawsuit against the council in federal court. The council also delayed for fourth time a vote on a Graceland expansion agreement.
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City of Memphis Beale Street $5 cover to return for rest of May
A city council decision to return to a Beale Street cover charge for the remainder of May reignited a long-running debate. It follows two crowd "surges" and a shooting after two sold-out nights at the nearby Beale Street Music Festival last weekend.
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City of Memphis Mississippi River at Memphis on the rise again
Look for the river at Memphis to go just above flood stage of 34 feet this weekend.
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City of Memphis Memphis 3.0 plan and Graceland agreement await council’s return after three-week break
The Memphis City Council returns to action Tuesday with Memphis 3.0, a Graceland expansion and $150 million in bonds for Memphis International Airport on the agenda, among other items.
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Shelby County Group seeks to remove Harris as local Democratic Party chairman
Several members of the Shelby County Democratic Party's Grass Roots Council are questioning how the vote electing Michael Harris was taken at a party convention in April. There are also questions about bankruptcy filings by Harris.
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City of Memphis City Council budget committee begins operating budget review with police spending
Memphis City Council members begin scrutinizing the budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.
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Metro Fire damage estimated at $5 million to building in Forum Flats development
Damage is estimated at $5 million to one building under construction in the 205-unit development at Danny Thomas and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
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Shelby County Harris says terms for county funding of MATA address balance between frequency and coverage
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says he wants to know county funding for the bus system will go to increasing ridership, and he also talks about whether Memphis Area Transit Authority should go to more frequent routes or broader coverage.
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City of Memphis Cohen calls Barr ‘chicken’ as Republicans back attorney general
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis reacted to Attorney General William Barr's no-show before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday by bringing a ceramic chicken and a bucket of KFC. The reaction of the city's Republican representatives in Washington has been decidedly different.
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Business Epping Way Raleigh mansion site to become gated subdivision
The mansion that Berry Brooks built atop a hill in Raleigh is coming down along with the hill for a new subdivision of affordable houses.
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City of Memphis Wilson, Moses push mayoral campaigns at May Day rally
Two contenders for Memphis mayor called for change in the city's leadership during a lunch hour rally outside City Hall that featured competition from a rain storm and an active shooter scare.
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Arlington Arlington ballot starts to take shape with mayoral challenge
Incumbent Mayor Mike Wissman is seeking his third term and has a challenge from one of the town's aldermen in early moves toward setting the Sept. 19 Arlington ballot.
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Education Selection of Ray is latest chapter in politics of public education
Joris Ray's public campaign to go from interim to permanent superintendent was different, but the push to keep the school system's leadership local and from within the system has been a constant feature of choosing a superintendent.
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April 2019
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City of Memphis Memphis City Council begins detailed budget review
The process for getting neighborhood speed humps and their distribution, and the cost of a modernized traffic intersection were among detailed line items City Council members reviewed on the first day of budget hearings Tuesday.
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City of Memphis Task force on TVA-MLGW relationship gets down to business of power Tuesday
A 20-member advisory group on the idea of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division changing its relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority meets Tuesday for the first time.
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City of Memphis People’s Convention set for June 8 with survey results forming agenda
A “People’s Convention," designed to develop a ticket of candidates in the 2019 Memphis elections around a particular agenda, is back on the calendar for June 8.
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Education Eleven school superintendents in 60-plus years chronicle changes
As board members of Shelby County Schools consider making interim Superintendent Joris Ray permanent, here's a look at superintendents who have lead Memphis schools over the past half century and how their selections altered the process.
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