Elections
Early voting for local, state, national general election begins on Oct. 19
For most of Shelby County’s voters, the most exciting thing about the ballot that opens early voting might be the new voting system.Related story:
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 4213 articles by Bill Dries :
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October 2022
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Free to readers
Elections -
City of Memphis Strickland proposes soccer stadium instead of Coliseum as part of $684M sports upgrade package
Mayor Jim Strickland is proposing at least partial demolition of the Mid-South Coliseum to make way for a new soccer stadium. It’s part of a $684 million package of renovations and new construction at the city’s major sports venues. The city will seek roughly half of that total from the state.
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City of Memphis Compromise on MLGW leadership fails in City Council vote
Council member JB Smiley Jr. proposed that Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland appoint his pick, Doug McGowen, as interim leader of MLGW while a national search is conducted.
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City Council sends curfew enforcement proposal goes back to committee
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Shelby County County Commission sets goals for county clerk problems, Wanda Halbert
The commission’s unanimous vote covers staffing, a job study and the opening of the clerk’s new Riverdale Road location by Halloween. But Clerk Wanda Halbert and County HR director Gerald Thornton clashed on some of the basic details of what the office has and what it needs.
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County Commission delays final vote on how chief ethics officer is picked
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City of Memphis Standoff over next MLGW CEO could be settled Tuesday
Mayor Jim Strickland has nominated Doug McGowen to lead the city-owned utility. But council chair Martavius Jones wants the city to do a national search for the next president and CEO of MLGW.
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Education Frank Johnson is new MSCS board member
Johnson won the appointment to the District 7 seat over rival contender Jason Sharif. He serves the remaining two years and three months of the term of office in the seat.
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City of Memphis City’s $10 million loan for third One Beale hotel changes terms
The council approved the original deal of what amounted to a $10 million advance on the city’s lease of convention meeting space in the Grand Hyatt — the third of three hotels at One Beale — in September on a 10-0 vote.
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Elections Political Roundup: Emancipation Sunday urges voters to remove slavery from state constitution
Several churches rallied in support of a proposed amendment that would ban slavery in all forms in the state. A coalition of political groups is also urging voters to choose a hand-marked paper ballot.
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Shelby County County Commission to fill school board vacancy, consider goals for clerk’s office
At the Monday, Oct. 17, session, commissioners will also take a final vote on a change — proposed by a commissioner who once ran afoul of an ethics investigation — to who appoints the county ethics officers.
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Behind The Headlines The long road that went beyond reversing police, fire benefits cuts
A member of the Memphis Police Association leadership talks on “Behind The Headlines” about the long-term strategy to reverse a 2014 city council decision to cut city benefits.
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Health CareRegional One cites patient privacy concerns in city’s violence intervention program
Regional One responded to a resolution approved this week by the Memphis City Council that urges the Shelby County Commission to persuade the hospital to allow the intervention program’s counselors access to the hospital and victims of violent crime.
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City of Memphis McGowen appointment to lead MLGW disappears from council committee agenda
The change in agenda items for next week’s city council session reflects the ongoing tug-of-war over council chairman Martavius Jones’ demand for a national search to pick the new leader of the city-owned utility.
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Behind The Headlines Mulroy says crime labs are ‘state responsibility’ with focus on rape kits
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy talks about the “horrific first week” of his term as the county’s chief prosecutor on “Behind The Headlines” and the two violent crime cases still reverberating a month later in criminal justice reform discussions.
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Elections Downtown Neighborhood Association past president Jerred Price opens city council campaign
Price plans to run in Super District 8 after running four years ago in District 7. Meanwhile, other council races on the October 2023 ballot are also taking shape with a little less than a year to election day.
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City of Memphis Bonner: ‘I have no issues with moving back into the city’ if he runs for mayor
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, who currently lives in Bartlett, says he will decide this month on a bid for Memphis Mayor on the October 2023 city ballot.
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Elections New voting machines prepped for start of early voting
The November ballot features four proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution, which will be presented by Shelby County’s new voting machines.
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City of Memphis Second look at City Council redistricting takes tentative shape
An outline for the working group that could suggest deeper changes in the boundaries of council districts ahead of the 2023 elections started to form Tuesday, Oct. 11.
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City of Memphis Council showdown on MLGW appointment delayed another week
The council has unusual back-to-back meetings this week and next week, which might have been a factor in delaying what could be a standoff over the appointment for another week.
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Public Safety Council wants Regional One to allow access to violence intervention group
A nonbinding resolution asks the Shelby County Commission, which funds the county-owned hospital, to pressure the hospital to allow counselors to approach crime victims.
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Group Violence Intervention Program updates City Council on progress
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City of Memphis Council faces competing calls to move ahead vs. delay MLGW appointment
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says he is ready for the council to act on his appointment to lead MLGW. But council chairman Martavius Jones says it’s not on the agenda Tuesday and he wants a national search.
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Elections Registration deadline shows changes in county’s voter demographics
The deadline to register to vote on Nov. 8 ballot is Tuesday. Shelby County Election Commission numbers from July show growth since 2020 in the numbers of voters ages 28-37 and 38-47.
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South Memphis ‘Mighty, mighty Wildcats’ sing as renovation of Melrose High begins
The groundbreaking Friday, Oct. 7, for the renovation of the 84-year-old school building ends a 40-year debate about whether the Orange Mound landmark should be renovated or demolished.
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Shelby County Shelby County Commission approves two midwives for Choices in post-Dobbs grant
The commission split along the same partisan lines that split a vote by the previous commission this past January on funding for the center for reproductive health that has nothing to do with abortions.
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City of Memphis Strickland: No national search for new MLGW president and CEO
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland reacted Friday to a call from City Council Chairman Martavius Jones to conduct a national search for the next president and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division.
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City of Memphis Council chairman wants national search for next MLGW president
The appointment of Doug McGowen to head the utility and the appointment of Chandell Ryan to succeed McGowen as city chief operating officers are not on next week’s committee agenda for the council to consider.
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