DA releases footage of police spraying protesters, fellow officers during No Kings march
The nearly 9 minutes of footage is from the body camera of one of the MPD officers who used pepper spray on No Kings marchers.
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 4299 articles by Bill Dries :
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May 2026
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City of Memphis -
Shelby County Commission to consider new rules for one of the county’s ‘biggest financial concerns’ — grants
One commissioner is proposing to put more conditions on the $2.6 million the body allocates for grants days after Mayor Lee Harris warned that funding grants is a great share of the county’s budget.
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Shelby County New rules for county ‘community’ grants head to committee
A new proposal would require receipts for money spent and a 5-year ban on new grants if nonprofits don’t follow the rules. The commission also set the stage for budget hearings.
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Shelby County$18M in additional funding for sheriff’s office hits snag
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris agreed earlier this month to settle Bonner’s lawsuit against Harris with a “confidential” deal for an $18 million amendment to the sheriff’s budget for the current fiscal year.
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Elections County primary election results have been certified, but there may be a challenge
The second-place finisher in one of the MSCS board Democratic primaries — the closest race in the May 5 county primaries — is reportedly weighing a recount.
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Spirit of MemphisDries: CBS Radio News signs off for the last time, leaving one less network to hit at the top of the hour
CBS Radio News ends broadcasting Friday, May 22, after nearly a century airing on hundreds of radio stations across the country. The end is another change in a way of reporting that is becoming harder to find and define.
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City of Memphis The City Council’s impasse over the city impasse procedure
At its Tuesday, May 26 session, the City Council will also take up a hotel surcharge for the Hyatt Centric at Beale Street and Riverside Drive, along with a name change for part of Alston Avenue.
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City of Memphis City Council lets impasse ordinance veto stand. Now the rewrite begins.
An ad hoc group will now work on another rewrite to overhaul the 48-year-old procedure for resolving impasses between the city administration and labor unions.
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Shelby County DA sues over state laws requiring Task Force reports
In the Chancery Court lawsuit, attorneys are seeking to have the laws declared unconstitutional and a court order barring their enforcement.
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ElectionsDemocrats switch to campaign mode in new congressional districts
The political roundup looks at a shift in the fight over congressional redistricting and what it says about the tactics of both parties in the state of Tennessee.
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Behind The Headlines GOP nominee for county mayor defends state intervention in city and county
John DeBerry, the Republican nominee for Shelby County mayor, talked on “Behind The Headlines” about state intervention in Memphis and Shelby County as well as his hopes for a gradual withdrawal of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
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MetroLondon Lamar opens Congressional bid amid redistricting revamp
The political roundup also looks at vote totals in the May primaries, and reactions to the Trump “anti-weaponization fund,” and recalls a redistricting dust-up during Davy Crockett’s days.
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June 2026
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Shelby County $18 million sheriff’s lawsuit settlement returns to County Commission
The expensive legal settlement grew more complex last week with word that the $18 million would have to be included in future Sheriff’s Office budgets.
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Shelby County Wanda Halbert seeks recount in primary loss
Halbert lost the Democratic primary for Criminal Court Clerk on the May 5 ballot by 126 votes to state Rep. Joe Towns Jr.
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Shelby County County delays $18M lawsuit settlement as debate continues
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the county administration say they agree on dollar figures, but not a solution to the dispute.
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Shelby County Sixth special judicial race coming to Aug. 6 ballot
A Shelby County judge has moved up his retirement date, so the Election Commission is adding a race for his position to the other five already on the ballot.
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Neighborhoods ‘If this were Poplar Avenue, … this would have been completed years ago’
A standing-room only crowd in Whitehaven heard that the Elvis Presley Boulevard project, begun in 2013, may last another five years.
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Shelby County County commissioners consider keeping $2.69 property tax rate
Shelby County commissioners talked Wednesday, June 3, about leaving the county property tax rate at $2.69. It’s a discussion they’ve had in past budget seasons with different rates. But this year’s decision may be different.
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City of Memphis Renovated Bickford Aquatic Center makes a splash
The renovated Bickford Aquatic Center opened Thursday, June 4, in North Memphis just in time for summer.
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City of Memphis Connecting the new housing dots and vacant lots in North Memphis neighborhood
Working a few lots at a time with different developers, the City of Memphis is beginning to connect the vacant lots in North Memphis neighborhood to form a pattern of redevelopment.
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Behind The Headlines Democratic sheriff nominee takes wait-and-see approach on cooperation with federal immigration
Anthony Buckner talked about immigration and the Memphis Safe Task Force as well as a new jail in a wide-ranging interview on “Behind The Headlines”.
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Shelby CountyVote-A-Rama and the War Powers Act. Wanda Halbert’s quest for a recount. Lamar Alexander on ‘Newt’s World’
From vote-a-rama to recount-a-rama, Tennessee’s representatives in Washington had a busy week and more in this week’s political roundup.
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City of Memphis Tax season drumbeat grows louder at City Hall
City Council members have some amendments to Mayor Paul Young’s budget, and they could move closer to closing out the budget season at Tuesday’s council day.
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Shelby County Souls to the Polls rally mixes political optimism with hardcore organizing
Outrage over the redrawing of congressional district lines is fueling get-out-the-vote efforts in Memphis. The formal effort went public Sunday with a Souls at the Polls rally, where candidates were seen but not heard.
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