County Commission plows through agenda from snowed-out meeting quickly
The Shelby County Commission finished up a short (but delayed) slate of items in about an hour Wednesday, Feb. 4.
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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February 2026
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Shelby County -
City of Memphis Should Memphis change snow strategy for smaller and school streets?
Council questions City of Memphis' street clearing. Plus, garbage service is set to resume.
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City of Memphis A block of Downtown Memphis inches toward new name
The Memphis City Council pushed forward with plans for Hyde Square and moved swiftly through a shortened agenda in its second online session in a row.
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City of Memphis City Council remains virtual, with MLGW, library employees on agenda
A change for Memphis library employees could end up as city charter amendment for the November ballot or the final vote on the referendum ordinance could be delayed as it was last week.
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Shelby County A stable for the Sheriff’s Office mounted-patrol unit. A bomb-squad robot. A new county medical examiner.
These items top the Shelby County Board of Commissoners’ Monday agenda.
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January 2026
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Metro Gloria Wade-Gayles, who wrote about living near border between Black and white in 1940s and ’50s Memphis, dies
Wade-Gayles, a graduate of the LeMoyne College, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Atlanta. An educator, activist and author, she penned a memoir about growing up in the old Foote Homes public-housing development.
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winter weather
MetroWinter-storm damage in Shelby County estimated at almost $5M
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen is asking Gov. Bill Lee to amend the Tennessee’s request to FEMA to include the estimate.
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ElectionsPolitics roundup: Trump non-endorsement, ICE and ice, campaign reports
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn gets an almost-endorsement from President Donald Trump in her run for governor. Jerri Green talks about ICE and ice. And some campaign finance reports get filed early.
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winter weather
City of MemphisTrash talk: Memphis waste stuck in the deep freeze
A thaw on city streets at week’s end gives way to another cold snap complicating plans to resume solid waste services and continue clearing streets.
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winter weather
City of MemphisCity Council goes virtual for Tuesday meeting
Council members return to pandemic rules as the body votes on putting a charter amendment on the November ballot, extra approval for jails and more.
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City of Memphis City Council wants to tweak labor dispute process, but the details are still being drafted
Icy weather had Memphis City Council members meeting virtually and deciding again to edit the way the body settles contract deadlocks. But the fine print needs to be ironed out before budget season begins.
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winter weather
MetroSecondary roads start to get attention as temps rise above freezing
City Council members meeting online Tuesday heard from city division directors with a cautiously optimistic view of how the city has handled the cold. MPD Chief C.J. Davis said crime was down 75%.
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City of Memphis Memphis mayor responds to Noem: ‘There has been no collaboration with ICE on immigration’
Paul Young responded to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s comparison of the city’s cooperation with federal law enforcement and vocal opposition to aggressive immigration raids in other cities.
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Behind The Headlines Universal pre-K money in Shelby County tied up amid ongoing negotiations
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ goals as he leaves office at the end of August include negotiating new terms for funding universal prekindergarten services across the county.
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winter weather
MetroStorm warnings: Stay off streets, prep for power loss — but Memphis is better prepared
Memphis Mayor Paul Young and the head of MLGW Doug McGowen are offering some hope — but also some warnings — as the city braces for a winter storm that’s already drawing comparisons to the 1994 ice storm.
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City of Memphis ‘Essential Housing’ effort breaks ground in North Memphis
The vacant lot is one of 43 in North Memphis and Binghampton assembled for construction of new homes to own and rent in an attempt for the city to fix its shortage of quality affordable housing.
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Elections Justin J. Pearson running for reelection and U.S. House
Races on the May and August ballots continue to take shape ahead of filing deadlines in February and March.
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Public SafetyChristmas party shooting rekindles fight over ‘party house’ rentals
What was billed as a “Pajama Christmas Party” with a cover charge and offers of free liquor Dec. 20 ended with gunfire and the death of a man shot outside the short-term rental in East Memphis.
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Shelby CountyNew GOP chair says there will be a Republican contender for county mayor
Rachel Wall the new chair of the Shelby County Republican Party, says the GOP should have a name contender for county mayor soon.
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Spirit of Memphis On MLK Day, calls for new activism echoed around the National Civil Rights Museum
The holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. drew a large crowd at the Civil Rights Museum as one of the last living members of the city’s civil rights vanguard called out against “the silence of good people.”
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Elections 2020 Black Lives Matter protest organizer to challenge Cohen for Congress
Already facing Rep. Justin J. Pearson, Steve Cohen faces a new challenger; one who was active during the George Floyd protests in Memphis years ago.
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Behind The Headlines Outgoing Public Defender: ‘We’re not into assembly line justice’
Phyllis Aluko said there’s been a shift in people’s attitudes toward crime, punishment and due process, but public defenders play a key role in upholding constitutional standards.
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Spirit of Memphis From organizers to donors, it took heart to make Northside Square project happen
Unconventional project provides new digs for Code Crew, Greater Memphis Chamber, Literacy Mid-South, Moore Tech, Memphis Symphony and Collective Blue Print.
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South Memphis Lowery’s ashes to be enshrined at LeMoyne-Owen
The City Council member and City Court Clerk died this past September.
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Public SafetyIn wake of fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting, some locals worry what could happen here
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen is calling on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign as federal immigration raids in other places have taken a violent turn.
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