The state Senate passed Gov. Bill Lee's education savings account bill Thursday after a 20-13 vote, enabling public dollars to be used for private education.

Interstate 240 between the I-40/240 flyover and Bill Morris Parkway is scheduled to be closed for construction from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday.

The state House of Representatives approved a nearly $38.6 billion budget Wednesday, including $27.3 million to fund a TennCare program for severely disabled children and $18 million in pork barrel money, which could be a hurdle in Senate budget talks.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. and Mayor Lee Harris’ administration disagree about the intent of a phone call between a Nashville lobbyist and a special assistant to the mayor last month regarding filling school board vacancies.

Families and friends attended the 14th annual Garden of Lights Celebration at the Memphis Botanic Garden to honor loved ones they lost to homicide.

Longtime Memphian and native Nigerian John Amaefula has supported the Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival for years. This year, he decided to do more by helping and promoting an organization assisting his native country.

The city of Memphis has hired Extreme Networks Inc. of San Jose, California, to provide support for city government’s use of cameras and routing systems for transportation and logistics as well as the security of the city’s digital and computer network.

• $2.3M building permit filed for FedEx hub expansion 
• $4.2M building permit filed for stand-alone classroom building at Macon Hall Elementary
• City giving away mulch this weekend at Liberty Bowl

The House pushed an online sports betting bill to the finish line Wednesday, enabling people to use a computer or phone app to wager on sporting events.

District 1 City Councilman Sherman Greer comes from a political background of detailed constituent services and keeping an eye on the Tennessee Legislature as he prepares to run for a full four-year term on the council.

The Shelby County Schools board postponed discussion Tuesday of a resolution to suspend a national search for a superintendent and hire interim leader Joris Ray – setting members up to make a critical decision with minimal public discussion.

A letter of intent signed Tuesday replaces one being pursued for a joint development by Loews and THM. THM wants to build the second convention center hotel at a restored 100 North Main Building.

Latoshia Daniels, charged with first-degree murder in the April 4 shooting death of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church executive pastor Brodes Perry, will appear at a preliminary hearing May 14 at 2 p.m.

• City giving away mulch this weekend at Liberty Bowl
• Jubilee Schools, Aramark file WARN notices totaling nearly 500 layoffs
• Greater Memphis Chamber and SCS announce new CCTE partnership

Nearly half of the 35 longtime providers from around the state lost their state contracts in the latest award period in the Tennessee Early Intervention System, which provides educational services for children under the age of 3 with disabilities or developmental delays.

New Christian Brothers University president Jack Shannon Jr. plans to continue the initiatives of his predecessor and work to create even more partnerships to build the community through education and opportunity. 

The Memphis Branch NAACP honored three leaders of the efforts to remove Confederate monuments from two local parks and in the process Saturday reflected the balancing act that is a feature of the race for Memphis mayor.

• Memphis Fashion Week announces new chair, 2019 results
• Building permits filed for restaurant and office space at Commonwealth 
• TDEC partners with Google Maps to help Tennesseans safely dispose unwanted medications

Rather than go home for the year without passing substantive abortion legislation, the House and Senate on Monday both adopted bills banning abortions if federal law is reversed.

NASHVILLE – The House of Representatives barely passed Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher legislation after a historic 40-minute deadlock Tuesday that saw one member flip his vote to push the bill to passage by the narrowest of margins.

• MEM March passengers drive 9.1% traffic increase 
• Vaccine distributor to pay $1.65 million in back wages, benefits
• Lake District announces two new tenants 

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office and Clovernook Center hosted a "beeping" Easter egg hunt on Good Friday for the blind and visually impaired. 

The latest meeting on the Memphis 3.0 plan demonstrated the lingering confusion – and some suspicion – about what the long-range development plan recommends and how it works.

With a vote set for Monday, Shelby County Democratic lawmakers are castigating a bill from the Secretary of State’s Office penalizing paid voter registration drives for failing to undergo training and for turning in incomplete forms.

Memphis-area industrial hemp vendors join together for festival aimed at educating public and celebrating the controversial plant.