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 4420 articles by Bill Dries :
Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis says he is “disheartened” by the bus system’s “operational and fiscal crisis” after he helped secure $140 million in federal transit funding for MATA in recent years.
“This flyway provides (an) opportunity to get closer to the river, to see a natural habitat and to enjoy the quietness of this area of the park,” Memphis River Parks Partnership COO Art Davis said.
Council members discuss the Sheraton convention center hotel deal in committees Tuesday, Oct. 1. They will also vote on new city-backed funding for the 100 N. Main mixed reuse project.
The Memphis City Council’s other-action items Tuesday, Oct. 1, included more money for affordable housing and more cameras.
The financing is a switch from another type of bond the city wanted to use but couldn’t to bridge a $10 million gap in the renovation and reuse of the city’s tallest building.
Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson wants briefs from both sides in the ouster attempt as she weighs a motion to dismiss it.
The Daily Memphian’s D.C. Scorecard tracks votes on two measure to continue temporarily federal spending into December — one that failed and the one that passed.
The old museum at Mud Island River Park is transitioning from a story about the Mississippi River to an immersive experience called “Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time.”
MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins breaks down school closures and changes, including eliminating 600 vacant positions and reassigning those in other roles to decentralize the school system and refocus on what happens in the classroom.Related content:
The funding is for work on Elvis Presley Boulevard between Winchester and Craft roads, a stretch that takes in the segment of the state highway that borders Graceland and The Guest House at Graceland hotel.
The Memphis City Council vetoed a fast-food restaurant development on Union Avenue, but allowed a hotel and townhomes to continue.
Commissioners and county administration found $10 million of the $16.4 million Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said he needed, and said the rest will have to be paid out of the sheriff’s budget.
The council will review Tuesday, Sept. 24, a camera system for police to respond to traffic tie-ups and crimes in real-time as well as a plan for a family shelter on the old Manassas High School site.
Also in this roundup: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn writes op-ed for right-wing media outlet accused of conspiring with Russian state media and accused of making untrue statements; how Tennessee’s congressional delegation voted on the spending bill.
Shelby County Commissioners will also vote at their Monday, Sept. 23, meeting on a consulting contract to assist with the master plan for the city’s hip-hop museum.
“These ballot questions are a fraud on the voters of Memphis,” General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement his office released about its decision to not challenge a court’s ruling allowing the gun-control referendum to continue.
On “Behind the Headlines,” Memphis City Council Chairman JB Smiley Jr. said the body would likely sue if the Tennessee Legislature attempted to withhold sales-tax revenue from the city.
Mayor Young says he still thinks the referendum is not the best approach, but told The Daily Memphian he understands the sentiment. Gov. Lee says the referendum is about finding a way to “circumvent the law.”
Ritz’s resignation follows his confirmation by the U.S. Senate Monday, Sept. 16, as a federal appeals court judge.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young met with around 150 people at his latest town hall at the McWherter Senior Center in East Memphis.
Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson plans to make a ruling in writing “in a week or so” on whether to dismiss or hear the ouster complaint filed last month against Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz was confirmed as the newest judge on the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court Friday, Sept. 13, with both of Tennessee’s U.S. senators voting against him.
Tennessee’s abortion ban comes up in discussion of Memphis’ gun-control referendum; Sen. Blackburn uses old stats to talk crime, and remembering Jim Sasser, the former U.S. senator who was instrumental in bringing pandas to the zoo.
All sides are back in court Tuesday for a hearing on Halbert’s attorney’s motion to dismiss the case entirely.
The city’s Democratic elected officials thought nominee Kamala Harris successfully baited nominee Donald Trump. Republicans thought Harris was changing her tune on key issues.