Two weeks out from the formal start of the merger of Shelby County’s two public school systems, critics of the merger on the Shelby County Commission portrayed it as about the Memphis City Schools’ or the Shelby County Schools’ way of doing things.

2. Schools Payroll Changed Back As Commission Okays Schools Budget - Tuesday, June 18, 2013

A week after announcing a change in when Shelby County Schools teachers get paid in the schools merger that begins July 1, interim schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson changed course. The change keeps teachers from the two systems on different pay schedules for the first year of the merger.

3. Chism Pushing for Younger Democratic Contenders - Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Candidates in the 2014 elections for Shelby County Commission emerged at Commissioner Sidney Chism’s political picnic over the weekend.

4. Funding Conundrum - Friday, May 24, 2013

There were times this week at the Shelby County Commission when the debate over school funding and the schools merger made the superintendent of the consolidated school system more spectator than presenter.

5. Shelby County Tax Rate Endgame Takes Shape - Wednesday, May 22, 2013

To some it’s a calculation with no binding effect on what is to come. To others on the Shelby County Commission it is an indication that a county property tax increase is about to be railroaded through.

6. Commission Approves Certified Tax Rate As Prelude To Tax Debate - Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners established a certified county property tax rate of $4.32 Monday, May 20, after much debate about what the calculation means in a reappraisal year where reappraisal values went down instead of up or staying roughly even.

7. City-County Swaps Grow More Complex - Monday, April 01, 2013

Memphis City Council members and Shelby County Commissioners are talking about a swap.

The Memphis Animal Shelter would be run by county government if the city would continue funding Memphis police officers in Memphis schools after the merger of Shelby County’s two public school systems.

8. County Commission Debates Schools Merger - Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners marked the two-year anniversary Monday, Feb. 11, of the federal lawsuit over schools consolidation and municipal school districts with a running debate across several items about the upcoming schools merger.

9. School Board Meets as Budget Debate Grows - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Countywide school board members meet Tuesday, Feb. 12, in special session to send a still-forming budget for the first fiscal year of the consolidated school system to the Shelby County Commission.

10. Obama Carries Shelby, Cohen Over Flinn and Two Tax Hikes Defeated - Wednesday, November 07, 2012

President Barack Obama carried Shelby County in unofficial Nov. 6 election returns as his Republican challenger Mitt Romney took the state’s 11 electoral votes.

Voter turnout in the most popular election cycle among Shelby County voters was 61.9 percent, about the same percentage as four years ago. But the 371,256 voters is fewer than 2008 when more than 400,000 Shelby County voters cast ballots. The percentage is about the same because there are fewer registered voters in Shelby County than there were four years ago after a purge by election officials.

11. Commission Approves Bartlett Senior Facility - Wednesday, November 07, 2012

If an expansion of an assisted-living facility at Baylor and Brunswick roads stays on schedule with votes next month by the Memphis City Council, the planned development should win final approval less than a month before the area it is in is annexed by the city of Bartlett.

12. Bartlett Zoning Case Tops Commission Agenda - Monday, November 05, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners take up a proposed assisted living facility at their meeting Monday, Nov. 5, that doesn’t yet require approval from the city of Bartlett but which is in an area Bartlett is seeking to annex.

13. Gay, Transgender City Workers Protected From Discrimination - Thursday, October 18, 2012

At the end of a long night at City Hall with a relatively short agenda, Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism told Memphis City Council members that their meetings looked like more “fun” than the commission’s meetings.

14. Shelby County Redistricting Process to Formally End - Monday, October 08, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will vote Monday, Oct. 8, on putting a formal end to the redistricting process, 10 months after the new district lines were due.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

15. City Council Mulls Future of Whitehaven Golf Course - Thursday, October 04, 2012

Memphis City Council members will take a second look at plans to close the Links of Whitehaven city golf course in November.

City Parks and Neighborhood director Janet Hooks told council members last month that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration wants to instead close the Davy Crockett city golf course in Frayser despite council approval this past spring to close the nine-hole Whitehaven golf course.

16. Election Reform Advisory Board Approved - Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A new Election Reform Advisory Board approved Monday, Sept. 24, by the Shelby County Commission is to report its recommendations by the end of March to the Shelby County Election Commission.

And the Election Commission is under no obligation to act or even accept the recommendations, although election commissioners Steve Stamson and Norma Lester are also on the committee of 12.

17. Commission Approves Pera Group on Forum Lease - Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved Monday, Sept. 24, a change in the lease for FedExForum to the new Grizzlies ownership group headed by Robert J. Pera.

But the 9-4 vote came after commissioners criticized Pera’s representatives for not providing basic financial statements about Pera or his ownership group.

18. Ritz Settles In as Commission Chairman - Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners had some new seating arrangements and committee assignments Monday, Sept. 10, as commissioner Mike Ritz began his yearlong term as chairman of the body.

Former chairman and Democrat Sidney Chism was seated next to former chairman pro tempore and Republican Wyatt Bunker.

19. Election Winners Take Oaths of Office - Wednesday, September 05, 2012

The Labor Day weekend served as a political marker for past and future events in Memphis politics.

The four Shelby County general election winners from the Aug. 2 vote are officially in office as the weekend ends and the workweek begins.

20. Basar Prepares for Commission Service - Friday, August 17, 2012

The newest Shelby County Commissioner will take the oath of office Sept. 5 at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building.

Steve Basar was elected to the District 1 Position 3 seat in the August elections.

21. Ritz New Commission Chair, Burgess Chair Pro Tempore - Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners elected Republican Mike Ritz the new chairman of the body Monday, July 30, for a one-year term that begins Sept. 1. Democrat Melvin Burgess was chosen as chairman pro tempore for the same one-year term.

22. Commission Debates Muni Schools Case Subpoena - Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners voted down a resolution Monday, July 30, to stop a subpoena by their attorneys in the municipal schools district federal court case.

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Terry Roland would have instructed the attorneys arguing the municipal school districts movement is based on an unconstitutional state law to withdraw their subpoena seeking the identities of readers who commented on stories on The Commercial Appeal website. The newspaper is opposing the request.

23. Commission Tries Again At Electing Chairman - Monday, July 30, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, July 30, to elect a new chairman after 21 rounds of voting two weeks ago failed to produce someone who could get seven votes.

The four contenders through the balloting were current chairman Sidney Chism, current chairman pro tempore Wyatt Bunker, and commissioners Mike Ritz and Henri Brooks.

24. Cohen Talks About Opponents, Schools, Race and His Political Past - Monday, July 23, 2012

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen is running for a fourth term in Congress starting with the Aug. 2 primary, in which he is being challenged by countywide school board member Tomeka Hart.

25. After 21 Rounds of Voting, Still no Commission Chair - Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners put off electing a chairman for the next year’s term Monday, July 16, after 21 rounds of voting in which no one got seven votes.

The commission will try again at its July 30 meeting.

26. County Commission Delays Chairman Vote After 21 Ballots - Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners put off electing a chairman for the next year’s term Monday, July 16, after 21 rounds of voting in which no one got seven votes.

The contenders for the chairmanship term that starts Sept. 1 were current chairman pro tempore Wyatt Bunker, Henri Brooks, Mike Ritz and the current chairman Sidney Chism.

27. Commission Approves County Building Renovation - Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved $20 million in renovation work to come on the Vasco Smith County Administration Building. The vote Monday, May 25, came after a delay two weeks ago.

County engineers have said the nearly 50-year-old structure where the commission meets and it, along with the Shelby County mayor, have offices is badly in need of renovations to fix leaking pipes and outdated HVAC systems that cost the county twice as much as utilities do in more modern government buildings.

28. General Sessions Contenders Seek Changes to Office - Thursday, June 14, 2012

On a hot Saturday afternoon in Whitehaven, more than 100 people crammed themselves into an air-conditioned storefront to boost the bid by General Sessions Court Clerk Ed Stanton Jr. to remain the clerk of Shelby County’s largest civil court.

29. Commission’s Redistricting Battle Moves to Court Decision - Wednesday, March 28, 2012

There will be no fourth try at a redistricting plan by the Shelby County Commission. The issue will be decided by Shelby County Chancellor Arnold Goldin probably sometime in mid-May.

30. Commission’s Redistrict Debate Moves to Chancery - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

It is now up to a court to decide on a new set of district lines for the Shelby County Commission.

And Chancellor Arnold Goldin is not being asked to approve a simple tweaking of district boundaries that will essentially keep the commission as it is.

31. GOP Politics Resemble 2008 In Tennessee - Thursday, March 08, 2012

This time around, leaders of the Tennessee Republican Party were convinced their choice in the Republican presidential contest would be a match with voters in the state’s presidential primary.

Four years ago, when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee carried Shelby County and took the state, the party argued convincingly that the state’s second choice for the nomination – former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – was a victim of the move of the Super Tuesday primaries to February.

32. Santorum Carries Shelby and State, Jackson Out As Clerk - Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum carried Shelby County and the state of Tennessee in the Tuesday, March 6, Republican Presidential primary.

And incumbent but suspended General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson finished a poor third in a Democratic primary battle for the clerk’s office that was won by interim clerk Ed Stanton in the closest contest of the night over County Commission chairman Sidney Chism.

33. Santorum Carries Shelby In Early Vote - Stanton in Clerk's Race - Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Early vote totals in Shelby County confirmed what happened across the state in the Republican presidential primary Tuesday, March 6.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum took the early vote over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was third.

34. Voters Turn Out Today For Primary Races - Tuesday, March 06, 2012

The first thing parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church noticed before noon Mass, Sunday, March 4, was a line of black SUVs in the parking lot of the Cordova church. A back row at the church was filled with men wearing the same color suits.

35. Commission Redistricting Moves to Final Vote - Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Shelby County Commission’s overtime deliberations on redistricting have pulled in elements of other political issues.

There was a move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman and scramble the commission’s already tentative party line divisions. There was the suburban versus urban dynamic and even an intra-party dispute among Republicans on the commission.

36. Primary Battle Starts Locally With Early Voting - Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Early voting in the Tennessee presidential primary begins Wednesday, Feb. 15, but the Republican presidential contenders have Arizona and Michigan on their minds.

The early voting period in advance of the March 6 Election Day also includes a set of Shelby County primaries for General Sessions Court clerk, Shelby County district attorney general, property assessor and one Shelby County Commission seat. The winners in those primaries advance to the August county general election ballot.

37. County Commission - Luttrell Clash on Urgency of School Transfer Rules - Monday, February 13, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved Friday, Feb. 10, a resolution authorizing Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to negotiate with the countywide school board on the terms of a transfer of school buildings in the event suburban municipal school districts are formed.

38. Companies Sue County Over Minority Contracts - Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Giving minority contractors a bigger share of the pie in doing business with local government is a hot topic at the moment.

City and county officials, for example, have found themselves in recent days under pressure to explain low levels of minority participation in some of the area’s high-dollar capital investment projects.

39. Woodward Joins Crowded Primary - Friday, January 27, 2012

A public meeting is about to begin, and within one minute of attendees’ arrival, they are handed campaign literature for rival candidates running in the same local primary.

It’s obviously the thick of political season.

40. New District Plan Fizzles, Causes Strife - Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The dust hasn’t completely settled on the differences Shelby County Commissioners are having with each other across party lines and on a number of other fronts.

“We’ve outed a civility gap on this commission,” commissioner Steve Mulroy said. “It’s existed for a while.”

41. County Commission Starts Over On Redistricting, Resolves Some Turmoil - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A seven-vote majority for leaving the Shelby County Commission at five districts collapsed dramatically Monday, Jan. 23. And at the same commission meeting a resolution to change the ground rules to permit a majority vote to remove the chairman was withdrawn. Meanwhile, a censure resolution against two commissioners also fizzled as larger differences among commissioners continued to emerge.

42. Commission Takes Up Redistricting and Ouster Rule Change - Monday, January 23, 2012

Shelby County Commission members pick up Monday, Jan. 23, where they left off last Wednesday – in turmoil and possibly headed for a political realignment of the partisan body along something other than party lines.

43. Commission Looks at Power Realignment - Friday, January 20, 2012

For three months, a split among the six Republicans on the 13-member Shelby County Commission has been more evident than the split among the seven Democratic commissioners.

As the commission started over this week on the redistricting process that highlighted the Republican rift, however, the split has evolved into a realignment of political power on the body.

44. Commission Strife Deepens with Censure, Ouster Moves - Thursday, January 19, 2012

A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.

45. Commission Strife Deepens with Censure, Ouster Moves - Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.

46. Commission Stuck in Neutral on Redistricting - Wednesday, January 11, 2012

There isn’t a lot of optimism that a fresh start on redistricting by the Shelby County Commission will give any plan the nine votes needed to win final approval or produce a new plan.

But the way forward with the old set of plans was an ordinance that had been amended so many times, there were some healthy differences of opinion about exactly what the commission was deadlocked over.

47. Electrolux Chooses WG Yates as General Contractor - Monday, January 02, 2012

Electrolux's Major Appliances Division has picked W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. as general contractor for construction of its manufacturing center in southwest Memphis.

48. Electrolux Chooses W.G. Yates as General Contractor - Friday, December 30, 2011

Electrolux's Major Appliances Division has picked W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. as general contractor for construction of its manufacturing center in southwest Memphis.

49. Council Begins Bed Tax Discussion - Monday, January 02, 2012

The first meeting of the Memphis City Council for 2012 offers some familiar issues and some new moves that point toward a break with the past in city operations.

The council meets Tuesday, Jan. 3, starting at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall, 125 N. Main St.

50. Local Leaders Express 'Concern' to Electrolux - Thursday, December 29, 2011

The chairmen of the Shelby County Commission and the Memphis City Council say they are concerned about the level of participation by local and minority-owned businesses in the construction of the Electrolux North America Cooking Products plant.

51. Election Commission Website Causes Confusion - Monday, December 19, 2011

The information was there somewhere on the www.shelbyvote.com website, Shelby County Election Commission staffers insist.

It was just somewhere that most politicos interested in basic information about the four countywide races on the March 6 primary ballot couldn’t find.

52. County Primary Ballot Set With 3 Exits and 2 DQs - Friday, December 16, 2011
One of the four sets of Shelby County primaries on the March 6 ballot was decided at the Thursday, Dec. 15, deadline for candidates to withdraw from the ballot.

The Shelby County Election Commission Thursday certified 16 candidates in the two sets of primaries for four county offices and one independent candidate who advances automatically to the Aug. 2 county general elections.

53. Commissioners Fail to Approve Redistricting Plan - Thursday, December 15, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, Dec. 19, to give final approval to a new set of district lines for the 13-member body.

At a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, a new set of district lines that would keep but tweak the current five-district setup won approval on the second of three readings. But it did not appear to have the two-thirds majority – or nine votes – needed to pass next week.

54. Commissioners Fail to Approve Redistricting Plan - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, Dec. 19, to give final approval to a new set of district lines for the 13-member body.

At a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, a new set of district lines that would keep but tweak the current five-district setup won approval on the second of three readings. But it did not appear to have the two-thirds majority – or nine votes – needed to pass next week.

55. Weirich and Ross Unopposed At Filing Deadline - Friday, December 09, 2011

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich appeared to have no opposition in the March GOP primary for the job as the county’s top prosecutor.

56. Weirich and Ross Unopposed At Filing Deadline - Thursday, December 08, 2011

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich appeared to have no opposition in the March GOP primary for the job as the county’s top prosecutor.

57. Deadline Looms For Candidates In March Primaries - Thursday, December 08, 2011

There is the paperwork and there are the deadlines in politics. And then there are the campaigns that begin long before the paperwork or deadlines.

One group of candidates in the 2012 election cycle is approaching its first deadline Thursday, Dec. 8, at noon – the filing deadline for the March 6 county primaries.

58. Stanton Pulls Petition for Gen. Sess. Court Clerk - Monday, December 05, 2011

The interim General Sessions Court clerk has pulled a qualifying petition to run for the office in the March Democratic primary.

Ed Stanton Jr. was appointed interim clerk in August after General Sessions Court judges suspended clerk Otis Jackson following his indictment on four counts of official misconduct.

59. Stanton Picks Up For Gen Sessions Court Clerk - Friday, December 02, 2011

The interim General Sessions Court Clerk has pulled a qualifying petition to run for the office in the March Democratic primary.

Ed Stanton Jr. was appointed interim clerk in August after General Sessions Court Judges suspended clerk Otis Jackson following his indictment on four counts of official misconduct.

60. Chism Vying With Jackson for Court Clerk - Thursday, December 01, 2011

With one week to the filing deadline, the race for General Sessions Court Clerk is the busiest of the four races to be decided next year in the March 6 county primaries and the Aug. 2 general elections.

61. Chism Vying With Jackson for GS Court Clerk - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

With one week to the filing deadline, the race for General Sessions Court Clerk is the busiest of the four races to be decided next year in the March 6 county primaries and the Aug. 2 general elections.

62. Commission Begins Redistricting Work - Monday, October 31, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners take the first of three votes Monday, Oct. 31, that will likely change the structure of the 13-member legislative body.

The commission would remain at 13 members representing the entire county, but commissioners are considering two redistricting plans that would change how the districts are configured.

63. Taylor Appointed To Commission - CCHS Claims Family Planning Contract - Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Former Memphis City Council member Brent Taylor is the newest Shelby County Commissioner.

Taylor, a Republican, won the District 1 Postion 3 seat vacated by Republican commissioner Mike Carpenter this month.

64. Commissioners Hear School Board Applicants - Friday, September 09, 2011

The Shelby County Commission’s 10-hour interview session this week with several dozen applicants for appointment to seven positions on the new countywide school board was, at times, more of an education for them than it was an introduction of them to the commission.

65. Commission Readies to Replace Carpenter - Thursday, September 08, 2011

After the Shelby County Commission fills seven positions on the new countywide school board next week, it will then consider a vacancy in its own ranks.

The departure of commissioner Mike Carpenter at the end of this month dovetails with the seating of the countywide school board that will replace the separate Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools boards on Oct. 1.

66. CCRFC Approves Bonds for Pyramid, Convention Ctr. - Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. has approved the bond financing that should make it possible to begin construction Oct. 1 on the adaptive reuse of The Pyramid.

67. Commission Considers Convention Center Buyout - Monday, August 22, 2011

It was May 2009 when the Shelby County Commission sold the county’s share of The Pyramid to the city of Memphis.

At the time, A C Wharton Jr. was Shelby County mayor and Robert Lipscomb was city director of Housing and Community Development. And with commission approval Monday, Aug. 22, of a similar buyout of the county’s interest in the Memphis Cook Convention Center, Wharton will sign the contract as the city of Memphis mayor.

68. Decision Leaves Board Question Unanswered - Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Attorneys for all of the sides in the schools consolidation court case have a Friday, Aug. 12, deadline that will set the stage for the next crucial part of the landmark court case.

What does a new countywide school board look like and when is there a transition to that school board?

69. Shelby County School Board Meets Wed. On Schools Case - Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Shelby County school board members meet Wed., Aug. 10 at 3 p.m. in special session to weigh their next move now that a federal judge has ruled in the schools consolidation lawsuit.

The meeting comes two days before all sides in the lawsuit are to submit their proposals for a new countywide school board that would play a pivotal role in a transition to consolidating Shelby County's two public school systems by Aug. 2013.

70. Commissioners Plan for 2nd Yr. of Term - Monday, August 08, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners meet Monday, Aug. 8, to set the stage for the second year of their current four-year term of office.

The meeting at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St., begins at 1:30 p.m.

71. Hardy’s Perseverance Runs in The Family - Monday, July 25, 2011

Carolyn Chism Hardy initially thought owning her own business would be as a business consultant. She was a certified public accountant with a comfortable position and a specialty in cost efficiency at the Memphis Coors brewery in 2006 when Molson-Coors Brewing Co. put the Memphis plant up for sale.

72. Chism, Bunker Elected Commission Leaders - Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sidney Chism got his second term as chairman of the Shelby County Commission this week. And he did it with relative ease on the first ballot at the Monday, July 11, commission session.

73. Chism-Bunker Selected As New-Old Commission Leadership - Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Electing a chairman was easy for the Shelby County Commission.

But it took nine rounds of voting and the nominations of seven of the 13 commissioners to find a chairman pro tempore at the Monday, July 11, session of the commission.

74. Jackson Indicted for Official Misconduct - Monday, July 11, 2011

General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson has been indicted on four state charges of official misconduct.

75. County Commission to Select Leaders - Monday, July 11, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners settle the simmering political question of who will lead the 13-member body for another year at their Monday, July 11, meeting.

On Monday’s agenda is the election of a chairman and a chairman pro tempore for the year-long term that begins Sept. 1.

76. Carpenter Out Of Chairman’s Contest - Friday, July 08, 2011

Shelby County Commissioner Mike Carpenter won’t be seeking the chairmanship of the body next week when the commission chooses its leader for a one-year term to start Sept. 1.

77. Carpenter Out Of Chairman’s Contest - Thursday, July 07, 2011

Shelby County Commissioner Mike Carpenter won’t be seeking the chairmanship of the body next week when the commission chooses its leader for a one-year term to start Sept. 1.

78. Thomas Seeks No. 2 County Commission Post - Friday, July 01, 2011

Shelby County Commissioner Chris Thomas is running for the No. 2 position on the commission, chairman pro tempore.

79. Commission Approves Balanced Budget - Wednesday, June 22, 2011

No county property tax hike. No 2 percent pay raise for county employees. The full $400,000 in funding for the county office of early childhood and youth, and no cuts in funding to the Greater Memphis Chamber or Shelby Farms Park.

80. Commission Delays Final County Budget Vote - Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners cut several million dollars across county government Monday June 6 with a resolution suggesting all county employees making over $100,000 a year take a 10 percent pay cut. They also slashed $300,000 from the county’s office of early childhood and youth and moved $250,000 in funding for a sickle cell clinic from the general fund to the fund balance.

81. Reappraisal Appeals Increase County Red Ink - Monday, May 23, 2011

As the week began, the Luttrell administration upped the gap between revenues and expenditures in its county operating budget proposal by approximately $4 million.

County chief administrative officer Harvey Kennedy told county commissioners Wednesday the amount of red ink has increased to a total of $16.6 million because of lower revenue estimates for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

82. School Consolidation Attorneys Meet Friday - Friday, May 20, 2011

All sides in the schools consolidation lawsuit meet in Memphis federal court Friday to work out a quicker resolution of the lawsuit filed in February.

The scheduling conference before U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays comes a week after Mays heard a day and a half of oral arguments from all sides.

83. Wharton Preps for 2011 Mayoral Campaign - Friday, May 13, 2011

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. was still fielding national media flood inquiries with a mantra of “Memphis is open for business” as he attended the latest of the early campaign fundraisers this week for his re-election effort.

84. MED Gives Up $10M In County Funding - Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and the Shelby County Commission are still considering layoffs and service cuts to balance the county’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

85. Judge Mays Begins Schools Mediation - Wednesday, May 04, 2011

U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays began the third attempt to reach a settlement in the schools consolidation lawsuit Tuesday with more private talks among the different sides.

This time, Mays himself appeared to be mediating the attempt to find common ground in the complex and contentious political turned legal dispute.

86. Mediation Considered For Schools Consolidation - Wednesday, April 20, 2011

They don’t appear to have a plan of any kind that they agree on at this point.

But none of the sides in the schools consolidation lawsuit appears anxious to run up what could be some sizeable legal bills in a case they all agree could take time to get a full ruling on. And then there would be an inevitable appeal by the losing parties.

87. Mediator Might be Next Step in Schools Case - Tuesday, April 19, 2011

There will be another two-week delay in a hearing in the schools consolidation case before Federal Judge Hardy Mays, and a mediator of some kind will be involved in trying to find some common ground on the terms for moving toward consolidation of Shelby County’s two school systems.

88. Schools Chess Game Gives Way to Settlement Talks - Wednesday, April 06, 2011

After a wild political ride that has lasted from about Thanksgiving to now Easter just around the corner, all of the players in the schools consolidation drama have made just about all of the moves they can to checkmate the other sides.

89. County Commission Tightens Attorney-Client Rules - Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Shelby County Commission could keep legal documents out of the hands of some of its own members if they talk to the public about what happens in closed attorney-client meetings.

The commission passed the resolution Monday establishing that and other sanctions including censure that would have to be enacted with a majority vote.

90. Commission Rejects Paid Leave Restrictions - Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Shelby County commissioners were short of the votes Monday to specifically prohibit county employees from getting paid leave for Christmas shopping days or in exchange for donating blood and other charity work.

91. School Parties Agree to Begin Talks - Tuesday, April 05, 2011

All of the sides in the schools consolidation lawsuit have agreed to begin talks to resolve the lawsuit and possibly set new terms for the consolidation of Shelby County’s two public school systems.

92. School Consolidation Parties Agree to Begin Talks - Monday, April 04, 2011

All of the sides in the schools consolidation lawsuit have agreed to begin talks to resolve the lawsuit and possibly set new terms for the consolidation of Shelby County’s two public school systems.

93. Commission to Consider County Leave Policies - Monday, April 04, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners take another look Monday at county government’s policies for employee leave.

Earlier this year, an overhaul of the entire paid leave system backed by Mayor Mark Luttrell’s administration was voted down by the commission. It faced vocal opposition from local municipal unions representing county workers.

94. Judge to Hear School Board Appointment Arguments - Monday, April 04, 2011

Federal Judge Hardy Mays could make his first decision Monday in the schools consolidation lawsuit. Mays is specifically hearing motions seeking a court order to block the Shelby County Commission from appointing a countywide school board for now until the full case is decided.

95. School Board Hearing Now Set for April 4 - Tuesday, March 29, 2011

There was no court hearing Monday in Memphis federal court in the schools consolidation case.

After a scheduling conference with all sides in the case last week, U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays had left two possible dates for a hearing on the future of an appointed countywide school board.

96. Hearing on Countywide School Board Now Set for April 4 - Monday, March 28, 2011

No court hearing took place Monday in Memphis federal court in the schools consolidation case.

After a scheduling conference with all sides in the case last week, U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays had left two possible dates for a hearing on the future of an appointed countywide school board.

97. Commission Awaits Schools Hearing Date - Monday, March 28, 2011

U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays has an early decision to make in the schools consolidation case.

Shelby County Commission chairman Sidney Chism agreed last week to call off a planned Monday commission meeting to appoint members to a new 25-member countywide school board.

98. Mays Sets Monday Hearing in Schools Suit - Friday, March 25, 2011

U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays has set a tentative Monday hearing in the schools consolidation lawsuit, hours before the Shelby County Commission was scheduled to appoint citizens to a 25-member countywide school board.

99. Election Commission Could Certify Schools Referendum - Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Shelby County Election Commission meets Wednesday to consider certifying the results of the March 8 referendum on school consolidation.

The meeting is at 4:30 at Election Commission headquarters, 980 Nixon Drive.

100. Luttrell Won't Sign On Second Track Schools Merger Plan - Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell will not sign an ordinance and two resolutions approved by the Shelby County Commission creating a 25 member countywide school board.