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 4305 articles by Bill Dries :
There are city residency questions surrounding two of the six declared contenders to succeed Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Here’s a summary of legal opinions fueling the controversy.
Two suburban economic development pros said on “Behind The Headlines” that infrastructure and real estate are Shelby County’s two critical areas as it sees growth from Ford’s BlueOval City in Haywood County.
A reporters’ roundtable on “Behind The Headlines,” looks at the November midterm election results in Shelby County and the campaign for Memphis Mayor that ends with an October 2023 Election Day.
Martavius Jones has been acting chairman of the body since Jamita Swearengen gave up her council seat in August. Council member JB Smiley Jr. remains council vice chairman.
The City Council delayed a vote on the Memphis in May plan Tuesday, Nov.15, and is discussing some amendments, including a third-party arbiter to watch the set-up and take-down of Memphis In May’s two biggest events.
A 5% surcharge on anything bought at the Sheraton Memphis Downtown Hotel drew lots of questions from Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Nov. 15. Council members were surprised that plans for a 300-room expansion remain tentative.
Commissioner Henri Brooks, whose district includes Klondike, sought again to delay the second of three votes on a TIF district for the redevelopment of the residential area. Other Democratic commissioners on the body moved forward.
The first of the giant wooden animal sculptures arrived in Tom Lee Park Tuesday, Nov. 15. The animals, all native to the Mississippi River Basin, are another sign of the bustling park’s construction activity.
The resolution approved Monday calls on the state to allow the city and county to tax single-family rental portfolios of 50 or more homes at a higher commercial property tax rate. Four new judicial commissioners appointed to new 24-hour bail courtRelated story:
The Shelby County Commission have appointed five more judicial commissioners as the criminal court system gears up for a new round-the-clock bail court.
Council members will discuss the proposed Tourism Development Zone 5% surcharge — which would be charged on hotel guests’ bills — at an 8:30 a.m. committee session Tuesday, Nov. 15.
The resolution, which would ask the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Bill Lee to change state law, is an alternative to a registry of rental property owners.
Thecouncil scorecard looks at the moves of city chief operating officer Doug McGowen to head Memphis Light Gas and Water Division and Chandell Ryan to the number two post at City Hall as well as a primer on both positions.
The leaders of the Mid-South Food Bank and Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association said on “Behind The Headlines” that food insecurity in Memphis isn’t going anywhere as inflation and other economic factors replace food access barriers that surfaced in the COVID pandemic.
The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast takes a closer look at the unofficial results in the Tuesday Nov. 8 election.
The State House Democratic leader joins an already-crowded field and emphasized basic city services. Meanwhile, one of her key supporters speculates about another big name that might get into the race.
The Commission Scorecard covers October votes on a change to county ethics rules, filling a vacancy on the MSCS board, Election Commission funding and the new commission’s relationship with County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
The 34-home subdivision is near the site of a new Frayser public library and the Rodney Baber Park trailhead for the Wolf River Greenway.
Democrat Steve Cohen and Republican David Kustoff were heavily favored to win reelection and did. But which party will be the majority in the U.S. House is still in doubt.
Attorney Allan Wade — in a legal opinion from last week made public Wednesday, Nov. 9 — said a 1996 amendment to the city charter makes living in the city a qualification to hold the office, not run for the office.
In Shelby County returns, the closest contest among the four was Amendment 1, which made the state’s “right to work” law part of the Constitution.
A third of the county’s voters showed up to vote in the last election of 2022 — and most of them voted early or absentee. The early vote totals told the story of what the rest of the night would be like. Related story:
Shelby County turnout up to noon Tuesday was quiet but steady, according to election officials. There were some poll book problems at the outset. Campaign literature on both sides of the partisan divide turned up at sign in tables at at least two polling places in the county Tuesday morning. Memphis Election Day answers questions away from national spotlight Early voters’ numbers hint at Election Day turnout Ballot Basics: Election Day Nov. 8, 2022 Related stories:
The ballot features a statewide race for governor and questions about voter interest as well as the county’s balance between Republicans and Democrats.Related stories:
Here is everything you need to know about the voting process for Tuesday’s Election Day in Shelby County.