Memphis

MEMPHIS — The Shelby County Commission voted 8-4 on Oct. 26 against withdrawing from the lawsuit challenging the state's takeover of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board. The four Republican commissioners, Michele Dial, Derek Mills, Mark Billingsley and Brent O'Dell, voted to leave the litigation. The eight Democrats voted to stay. Billingsley sponsored the exit resolution, which had lacked the votes in committee a week earlier. Parents and educators spoke on both sides before the vote. One speaker who opposed staying in the suit was escorted from the room. The county remains a party while a state-appointed oversight board holds authority over the district. The commission also delayed its two data center ordinances and appointed two judicial commissioners at the same meeting.

MEMPHIS — Voters in the redrawn 9th Congressional District decide today between Republican nominee state Sen. Brent Taylor and his opponents. ProPublica, with MLK50, published a review of his legislative record. It says he led a bill barring judges from weighing a defendant's ability to pay when setting bail. It also says he co-sponsored a law, passed in May, that requires District Attorney Steve Mulroy's office to report to the state and the U.S. Justice Department within 10 business days on any plea, reduced charge or dismissal in a felony case from a Memphis Safe Task Force arrest. Another law lets the state attorney general review the office's cases. Taylor has called Mulroy a weak link in the task force effort. ProPublica says he has claimed without evidence that Mulroy refuses to prosecute crimes. Taylor frames his measures as accountability for prosecutors. Polls close at 7 p.m.

MEMPHIS — The Memphis Police Department says Part 1 crime fell 27% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year. Its homicide bureau reports an 88% clearance rate through the quarter, up from 57% at the end of September 2025. MPD also reports 948 fugitive arrests, including 809 felonies, and a 47% decline in interstate shootings in 2026. The figures are the department's own and were not independently audited. The Tennessee Lookout reported on Sept. 30 that Beale Street businesses are struggling a year after the multi-agency surge began, as customers avoid downtown. The report says several factors are involved, and some local leaders point partly to the Tennessee National Guard's presence. The Memphis City Council has asked ICE and the Guard to leave, and federal and state officials have defended the task force.

MEMPHIS — The Dixon Gallery & Gardens has a pair of events on its calendar this week as it continues its 50th-anniversary year. Teacher's Night Out runs Friday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the museum holds its Daffodil and Amaryllis Bulb Sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A Project Pop Up collaborative art session follows from 1 to 3 p.m. Two exhibitions are on view. 'An Investment in Pleasure: Fifty Years of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Collection' runs through Jan. 10, 2027. 'Mallory/Wurtzburger: 80 Exhibitions, 18 Years' runs through Jan. 3, 2027. The museum lists a Taijiquan class Tuesday and a midweek garden talk on conifers Wednesday at noon. Check the Dixon's event calendar for admission and registration details.

MEMPHIS — The fall Memphis Home & Lifestyle Show takes over the Agricenter International Expo Center for three days beginning Friday. Admission is free, and Agricenter lists parking as free too. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The show is produced by Nationwide Expos. It brings together contractors, designers and remodelers, with product demonstrations and giveaways, according to its Eventbrite listing. Organizers encourage online registration, which they describe as optional. The show's website lists the next editions as a spring show on April 9-11, 2027 and another fall show on Nov. 5-7, 2027.

MEMPHIS — Just past this week's window, the Orpheum Theatre Group has two ticketed dates on its calendar. The Great Soiree, an Orpheum fundraiser, is set for Friday, Nov. 13. The rockabilly trio Stray Cats play the Orpheum on Sunday, Nov. 15, with the venue promoting their 1980s hits. Resale listings show the Stray Cats show starting at 7:30 p.m. The Orpheum's own listings for both events link to ticket sales. Later in November the venue lists Matt Mathews, Chanté Moore and Eric Roberson, Jodeci and Home Alone in Concert with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. This week, the Halloran Centre next door hosts the Indie Memphis festival, and the Orpheum's Soulsville and South City play 'Gold In Our Bones' opens Friday with free admission.