Legislation could strip health department autonomy amid COVID surge
Health department director Alisa Haushalter and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris react to the wave of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and a bill that could usurp local authority.
Topic: Lee Harris
RSSThere are 602 article(s) tagged Lee Harris:
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November 2020
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Opinion: Black men supporting Trump chose policy over character
One of the major side stories to the 2020 presidential election is the noticeable shift of more African American men to Trump and his brand of politics.
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Harris backs farmers’ access to groundwater while preserving aquifer
The Shelby County mayor contends the proposed rule changes will stop “onerous” permitting requirements while still protecting the Memphis Sand Aquifer, a move he believes will stop legislation designed to undermine county rules.
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County Commission to look at budget season deadlines
A resolution by Edmund Ford Jr. on setting deadlines and milestones for the county budget season is on the County Commission’s agenda for Monday, Nov. 9.
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Harris: One in seven early votes statewide from Shelby County
More votes had been cast in Shelby County before the polls opened on Election Day than in any other county in the state, county Mayor Lee Harris said Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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October 2020
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County budget season blueprint gets closer look
Budget committee chairman Edmund Ford Jr. amended his resolution to stick with the county’s policy of keeping its financial reserves at 20% of general fund revenues. He has suggested a 15% to 20% guideline.
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Local leaders plan for election surprises beyond ‘incivility’
For two weeks, the state’s Emergency Management agency has been walking local leaders, including law enforcement, through such election surprises as voter intimidation, disruptions and even civil disorder in the event no one concedes in the contentious presidential race atop the ballot.
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U of M’s first Scheidt Award honors 2 mayors, tiger handler
First Rudi and Honey Scheidt Community Impact Award honors people who go out their way to work for the community and spirit it embodies.
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Let’s do lunch with Alisa Haushalter and Lee Harris
Join Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris via Facebook Live today at 11 a.m. as they safely enjoy a restaurant lunch.
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September 2020
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House Speaker calls for cutting Shelby Health Department autonomy
House Speaker Cameron Sexton will try to reduce the authority of the Shelby County Health Department and five others operating independently, but could run into opposition from others who believe urban areas need autonomy in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Haushalter hopes COVID effort is model for other chronic city problems
Record homicide, overdose rates are a sign of inordinate stress, the health department director says and qualify as public health issues for region.
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Plans for South Memphis TIF provide hope for improvement
A TIF would allow tax dollars generated by the community to be reinvested in the community.
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Group lobbying for South Memphis TIF
A group is lobbying to have a community-driven Tax Increment Financing District, or TIF, created for South Memphis to address poverty, blight and disinvestment in the area. -
Public safety reforms go to County Commission for second reading
Ordinances that address use of force, the purchase of military equipment and the use of tear gas will go to the full commission without a second reading committee vote.
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Committee fails to act on Shelby County’s hiring freeze revisions
Shelby County commissioners will get opinions from the county’s other elected officials as they work through problems with the county’s hiring freeze resolution.
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Shelby County offers $10K grants for closed bars in ‘Share the Tab’ program
Shelby County will offer grants up to $10,000 for limited-service restaurants closed during COVID-19; the application process begins Tuesday.
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County hiring freeze continues to thaw
A total of 78 positions in various parts of county government are the latest exceptions to a hiring freeze. But as they approved the waivers Monday, county commissioners signaled they are about to make a decision on the hiring freeze’s viability possibly by the end of this month.
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County to review suburban relief
Shelby County commissioners will consider distributing $3.4 million for the local suburbs in their meeting Monday.
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County Commission considers limits on use of military equipment by law enforcement
The proposal would ban the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office from getting camouflage uniforms and bayonets from surplus federal military stocks as well as militarized and weaponized vehicles or aircraft.
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August 2020
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Plans for new youth detention center up in air amid talk of renovation
Shelby County officials, who last year approved funding for preliminary work to build a new juvenile detention facility, are now exploring alternatives such as renovating a closed youth facility in Southeast Memphis.
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Harris: COVID-19 info on children to be handled with ‘extreme care’
COVID-19 claimed the life of a child under 13 years old this week, health officials said, noting the virus was either the cause of death or a contributing factor.
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Census effort draws election comparison as September deadline nears
Mayors Strickland and Harris and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen were quick Monday to draw parallels to the national debate about various forms of voting and problems with the U.S. Postal Service when it comes to mailing in votes or Census forms.
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Haushalter, Harris celebrate low numbers, look to marathon ahead
Health department adds 141 employees, funded with CARES Act money that expires Dec. 31.
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Shelby County data is the same, local school districts are not
When it comes to returning children to school or keeping them home during a world pandemic, school systems and parents must decide independently what's best for them.
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July 2020
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New Shelby County COVID-19 cases increased by 96% in July
From July 15 to Wednesday, Shelby County averaged 375 new cases a day, 2,463 test results a day yielding a 15.2% positivity rate.
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