Shelby County
How a tweak to Tennessee law signals Grizz lease momentum
A Shelby County Board of Commissioners vote signaled the subtle progress local governments are making toward a long-term lease with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Samuel Hardiman
Reporter
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development.
There are 652 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
-
March 2026
-
Premium
Shelby County -
City of Memphis Officers who beat Tyré Nichols could be excused from civil suit
Attorneys for RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother, filed a motion to dismiss the five officers from the nearly 3-year-old civil rights lawsuit.
-
Shelby County XAI properties appraised at $3.5 billion, documents show
The appraisals for the two data centers help to determine how much Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company will pay in property taxes.
-
Public Safety After Downtown shootings, Memphis police chief is looking at youth curfew
The city is still searching for a space where teenagers, once picked up by MPD, would spend time waiting for their parents.
-
Public Safety ‘We still have work to do,’ Young says as Trump claims credit for Memphis crime
Memphis Mayor Paul Young says the city is moving in the right direction on crime, but didn’t credit President Donald Trump or the Memphis Safe Task Force for that.
-
Metro Trump visits Memphis to talk Task Force
During his visit to Memphis, President Donald Trump said that Memphis is a different place because of his Memphis Safe Task Force, praising the city’s leadership along with the Task Force while noting the declining homicide rate.
-
Metro US to hold off striking Iranian power plants, Trump says in Memphis
“I directed the Department of War to temporarily postpone land strikes against major energy and electricity targets in Iran,” President Donald Trump said during his Memphis visit Monday, March 23.
-
Premium
City of MemphisMemphis’ lack of population growth could soon hurt budget
For years, people choosing to move outside Memphis’ city limits have reshaped neighborhoods and changed spending patterns. But now, continued population loss could start to compound in the city budget.
-
Metro Mississippi regulators approve xAI turbines in Southaven
The vote followed widespread community outcry about the turbines’ impact on the quality of life for neighbors and residents.
-
North Mississippi Mississippi moving too fast on xAI permit decision, NAACP says
Mississippi is rushing plans to make xAI’s request for permanent natural gas turbines in Southaven, according to the NAACP.
-
Premium
MetroTax revenue from xAI projected to double
In the past year, xAI has built out a second Memphis data center campus in Memphis’ Whitehaven neighborhood.
-
Premium
City of MemphisIs Memphis crime a grave emergency? Tennessee court mulls legality of National Guard
After months of legal limbo, the State of Tennessee and several Memphis Democratic elected officials squared off over the legality of the Tennessee National Guard’s deployment in Memphis.
-
Metro Trump says deal on data centers will lower electricity prices as tech companies vow to cover costs
The president of SpaceX, which just merged with xAI, made a series of pledges about xAI’s plans for Memphis and North Mississippi.
-
Public Safety Memphis continues to see ‘huge’ drop in crime in 2026
MPD Chief C.J. Davis showed the Memphis City Council data for the first two months of 2026 that showed multi-double-digit percentage drops year over year in crime.
-
City of Memphis Council members question Liberty Park project after Daily Memphian reporting
The Daily Memphian dove into the $2.2 million invested in the still-stalled private development. Now, two Memphis City Council members want answers from Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s administration.
-
Premium
Public Safety‘Do you support building a new jail?’ 77% say yes
A majority of Shelby County residents want to build a new jail and think the Memphis Safe Task Force has been a success. But the majority also thinks the Task Force’s widespread immigration-related arrests have not made Memphis safer.
-
Premium
City of MemphisMATA trustee Rodrick Holmes wants it all for Memphis riders: Stability, free fares, trolleys and more
“I feel like we are on the right track — kind of pun intended — to stabilize, improve the service and then grow,” MATA Trustee Rodrick Holmes told The Daily Memphian.
-
-
February 2026
-
Elections What should be done about 201 Poplar? Democratic county mayor candidates share their ideas.
For most of an hour at Springdale Baptist Church in North Memphis, six of the Democratic candidates for Shelby County mayor displayed few differences. Then, the prospect of a new jail to replace the dilapidated and struggling 201 Poplar brought them to life.
-
City of Memphis MLGW: Price of gas, increased electricity use led to higher bills
The bitter cold that battered Memphis in January has led to February utility bills that are much higher than last year and last month.
-
Premium
Shelby CountyOne Shelby County candidate has more cash than all his opponents combined
Newly filed campaign finance forms show two Shelby County Democratic mayoral candidates with far more financial resources than the rest of the crowded primary.
-
Elections Human error caused temporary voter registration lookup outage, Secretary of State says
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday that the issues some voters had accessing their registration Tuesday night stemmed from a computer glitch.
-
Premium
City of MemphisMemphis paid $2.2M for Liberty Park consultants — and it’s still an empty lot
The city needs sales-tax growth at Liberty Park to pay bonds at the Memphis Sports and Events Center. To generate that tax growth, it needs hotel and apartments to become something more than hypothetical.
-
-
January 2026
-
Premium
Memphis GrizzliesFedEx founder’s family offered to buy Grizzlies
FedEx executive Richard Smith said the family inquired about acquiring a majority interest in the team from owner Robert Pera. “But he knows of our possible interest if he ever changes his mind.”
Related content:
Calkins: Robert Pera remains the best hope for keeping the Grizzlies in Memphis.
-
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.
-
Metro SpaceX and xAI could merge, according to reports
Elon Musk, the CEO of both companies, has spoken about putting artificial intelligence data centers in space in recent months.
-