State Government
‘Homes not Hedge Funds’ passes state senate
Republican supermajority passes Nashville Democrat’s bill banning individuals and corporations from owning more than 100 single-family homes in most Tennessee counties.
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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March 2026
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State Government -
Shelby County County Commission fills Ford’s former seat
The Shelby County Commission returns to 13 members after the body named its newest member to serve the six months remaining in the term of Edmund Ford Jr.
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ElectionsPrimary ejections and the county clerk candidate who survived
How are candidates booted from primary ballots? Also in the political roundup, heads butt on the Memphis Safe Task Force, where Lee Harris and Edmund Ford Jr. agreed and recent D.C. votes on Iran air strikes.
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Shelby County County Commission will pick 13th commissioner
A group of 10 applied for the six-month appointment to Edmund Ford Jr.’s former seat. One withdrew and another was a no-show for interviews last week. Here is who’s left.
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Shelby County Data-center tax estimates lift County Commission gloom
When Shelby County commissioners began their budget retreat, the outlook for tough financial decisions in the upcoming budget season was as gloomy as the persistent rain and overcast skies outside the Memphis Zoo’s Teton Trek lodge.
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Behind The Headlines Crime has dropped in Memphis. ‘Why’ is a question that still divides.
The Memphis Safe Task Force was among the topics discussed in a Behind The Headlines reporters roundtable.
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Elections Two Democrats eye August state primary for chance to challenge Brent Taylor
All 13 state House incumbents and three state senators representing Shelby County have checked out qualifying petitions for the August ballot. The filing deadline for primary challengers is March 10.
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City of Memphis Could AI help shut down party houses?
A Memphis City Council member is pushing the city to crack down on short-term rental problems.
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City of Memphis Impasse procedure gets rewrite, delay at City Council meeting
The Council put off any vote on the streamlined impasse procedure for three weeks. Meanwhile, a Council discussion about how to regulate short-term rental properties took an AI turn.
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City of Memphis City Council wants answers to short-term rental problems
The council could vote Tuesday on a new procedure for resolving impasses between the city and unions. It also gets an update on crime statistics.
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Shelby CountyBlackburn, Rose and Green mix it up over hockey and power outages
Also in the political roundup, Tim Burchett at Lincoln Day, xAI surfaces at Democratic mayor’s forum, Henri Brooks on reasons to run and the shape of the new County Commission.
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City of Memphis‘Build up, not out': City leaders wrestle with affordable-housing puzzle
Pieces of the puzzle include a delayed grocery store in Hyde Park, a Land Expo, emerging developers, questions about putting the cart before the horse and a community garden in Binghampton.
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February 2026
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State Government City’s federal elected officials react to airstrikes on Iran
Three of Memphis’ four representatives in Washington support the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
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ElectionsBlackburn, Rose jockey for GOP nom for governor in front of apocalyptic Lincoln Day backdrop
“We’re seriously close to losing our country. If these midterms go the wrong way, we will lose everything we have,” said a U.S. representative speaking at Shelby County’s largest annual fundraiser for the local Republican Party.
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Elections Democrats boot five, Republicans strike three from May primary ballot
Another Republican claims another County Commission seat. And the busiest primary on the ballot remains the Democratic primary for County Clerk.
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ElectionsJohn DeBerry runs on mayoral platform that Shelby County ‘is not an island’
The former Democratic state representative is running in the May Republican primary for Shelby County mayor. “I intend to win this race,” he said.
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Metro Cohen, Kustoff, Hagerty, Blackburn react to Trump speech
The reaction among the city’s four representatives in the U.S. Capitol to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday, Feb. 24, State of the Union speech was along party lines. One of the four boycotted the speech.
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City of Memphis Change for Memphis library employees goes on November ballot
The Tuesday vote came with concerns that some library employees don’t believe they will have to reapply for their jobs.
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Shelby County County Commission begins restructuring minority-business effort
The commission also approved a $250,000 contract for “trauma-informed, restorative group programming and staff training services” at Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court.
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City of Memphis Seven candidates stake out positions at Democratic county mayoral forum
The candidates each talked about their differences with each other as the campaigns move past introductions.
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Elections Here’s who made the Shelby County primary ballot
A total of 121 candidates made the deadline to file their qualifying petitions with the Shelby County Election Commission.
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City of Memphis City Council returns in person with a backlog of delayed final votes
Topping the council’s agenda are final votes on the first step toward a Hyde Square plaza Downtown, as well as discussion on changing the status of library workers and an update on the city’s bus system.
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Shelby County Group of 10 applies to fill County Commission vacancy
Commissioners are also voting on an effort to restructure its diversity efforts in keeping with the Trump administration’s ban on such programs.
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Shelby CountySorting the Feagins situation. Rose calls local leadership a ‘disaster.’ Buckner opens campaign HQ.
Also in the political roundup, Rose says he has a plan for state control after the Task Force; Buckner says the Task Force has a secret; and Smiley says the county mayor has a role to play at the jail.
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Arts & CultureJames Lawson autobiography traces path of Civil Rights icon through Memphis and beyond
Lawson’s autobiography, coauthored by Memphian Emily Yellin, had a Memphis launch Friday, Feb. 20, at the National Civil Rights Museum.
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