Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | News in Shelby County TN | Shelby County TN Breaking News

County Clerk's Office tweaks hours

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:11:37 -0500

Meanwhile, the Clerk’s Office continues to close in-person vehicle registrations and renewals one day a month to deal with a backlog and for staff training.

County Commission stays in MSCS-takeover lawsuit

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:24:15 -0500

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners also delayed action on two ordinances dealing with data centers and appointed two new judicial commissioners.

County Commission to consider an exit from lawsuit over state's schools takeover

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 20:53:39 -0500

The proposal to exit the lawsuit over the state takeover of MSCS’ elected board didn’t have enough votes in committee last week. The commission also votes on a new data center moratorium in the unincorporated county.

This consulting firm is advising Memphis state takeover leaders. Here's what we know so far.

bhatch@chalkbeat.org (Bri Hatch) — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:00:02 -0500

The consulting group advising Memphis schools’ state takeover board has worked on similar efforts nationwide, including a Colorado takeover that ended in a lawsuit, and has been the subject of federal and state investigations in Florida.

Violent-crime rate continues slide, led by robbery decline

mevans@dailymemphian.com (Mary Evans) — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 06:19:11 -0500

Memphis’ major violent-crime rate has continued falling throughout the year, according to the latest data from the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission.

Buckner names new command staff, sets priorities for crime reduction and jail safety

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:02:31 -0500

“These leaders tonight will help me make decisions that would change the conditions of our jail, make it more humane, make our jail one of the safest jails in the United States of America,” Shelby County Sheriff Anthony Buckner said.

Lowery’s transition team delivers recommendations for Shelby County’s future

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 10:01:06 -0500

New Shelby County Mayor Mickell Lowery said the county government’s financial situation is manageable but requires changes in how the government handles revenue and expenses.

One year after Shelby County didn't pass muster, state approves budget

editors@dailymemphian.com ( The Daily Memphian Staff) — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:59:33 -0500

The approval restores the county’s borrowing ability, but the state is still urging Shelby County to rebuild its General Fund reserves.

Memphis Safe Task Force pursuit ends in fatal multi-vehicle crash

mevans@dailymemphian.com (Mary Evans) — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:14:56 -0500

A 32-year-old man is facing vehicular homicide and other charges following a high-speed pursuit with law enforcement on Wednesday.

County Commission advances data center pause

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:33:25 -0500

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners’ action mirrors the direction the Memphis City Council is going on data centers.

County Commission will take up data center moratorium of its own

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 15:10:48 -0500

The Shelby County Commission will take a first vote on a data center moratorium. It comes as the Memphis City Council is considering a similar proposal.

New MSCS board leaders say they won’t let the state takeover overshadow student needs

bhatch@chalkbeat.org (Bri Hatch) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 04:00:04 -0500

Tamarques Porter and Sable Otey, two MSCS board members recently elected as this year’s chair and vice chair respectively, say they’re confident they can weather the storm.

Donor-funded consultant helped ready Memphis school takeover board during pause

Ltestino@dailymemphian.com (Laura Testino) — Fri, 9 Oct 2026 12:05:39 -0500

A consulting firm that worked with Houston’s school system during its takeover has quietly played a key role in readying the state-appointed board to resume control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Assessor says SpaceXAI, data centers need new tax code

hardiman@dailymemphian.com (Samuel Hardiman) — Tue, 6 Oct 2026 20:07:22 -0500

New Shelby County Assessor Javier Bailey said he and other county assessors are working on legislation to tax data centers differently than they’re currently assessed.

Shelby County jail inmate killed

mevans@dailymemphian.com (Mary Evans) — Tue, 6 Oct 2026 21:43:40 -0500

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is launching a homicide investigation after an inmate’s death on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 201 Poplar.

New chief jail inspector brings nearly 50 years of experience

blagrone@dailymemphian.com (Brandon LaGrone II) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:44:42 -0500

After a two-year retirement, 46-year veteran Anna Barnett is returning to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to serve as chief inspector of the jail amid ongoing operational challenges.

County commissioner wants to breathe new life into air-quality standards

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 18:16:38 -0500

A vote on resetting air-permit fees opened a move to address air quality concerns about data centers.

Short agenda Monday as new Shelby County Commission settles in

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 10:33:43 -0500

Commissioners will vote on committee chairs, including a first-term budget chair, after putting off an ethics commission revival and a data center moratorium in committee.

New county mayor focused on money

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 04:00:06 -0500

Almost a month into his four-year term, Shelby County Mayor Mickell Lowery said his top priority is the county’s financial stability.

More 'focused time' in County Clerk's Office to clear car-title backlog

bdries@dailymemphian.com (Bill Dries) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:43:00 -0500

County Clerk La Sonya Hall says her office has cleared about half of the 34 crates of unprocessed car titles and vehicle registrations from car dealers so far.