The 901: Lee Harris, Steve Mulroy win primary races; Grizzlies win to tie series
Good morning, Memphis, where we're all bleary eyed and hoarse from the late-night cheering as the Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors to tie the Western Conference semifinals at 1-1. .
But, first, incumbent Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris handily beat challenger Ken Moody for the Democratic nomination in the County Mayor primary, our Katherine Burgess reports.
Harris will face Republican Worth Morgan, a Memphis City Councilman, in the general election Aug. 4.
"I am thrilled by this evening's outcome and thankful to the voters," Harris said Tuesday night. "Honestly, I am also feeling grateful to Ken Moody for his years of service to our community, his indefatigable spirit on the trail and, based on what I felt when I met him, his genuine love for this community. I think we are energized around our issues like healthcare access and jobs, and I am focused on all the ways we move the attention to the lives and needs of working families."
Steve Mulroy becomes Democratic nominee for district attorney general
University of Memphis Professor Steve Mulroy, a former civil rights lawyer and federal prosecutor, will be the Democratic nominee for Shelby County District Attorney General after defeating opponents Linda Harris and Janika White in the primary, Katherine reports.
“I’m really glad this part is over with and I’m looking forward to a robust general election campaign," Mulroy said Tuesday night. "We can’t keep doing things the way we’ve been doing them. It’s time for a change. (The voters) need to keep an open mind about new approaches that have been proven to work in other cities to make the system fairer and also bend the curb on violent crime.”
Mulroy will face incumbent Amy Weirich in the August 4 general election. Weirich, a Republican, was unchallenged in her primary.
Incumbents win in Shelby County Commission races
Throughout Shelby County, residents headed to local polling stations to cast their votes in primary elections. Eight primaries for Shelby County Commission districts were on the ballot this year, seven Democrats and one Republican, our Gina Butkovich and Astrid Kayembe report.
The two incumbents running in the primary both won, with Republican Brandon Morrison beating newcomer Jordan Carpenter in a tight District 4 race and Democrat Edmund Ford Jr. delivering a commanding victory in District 9 seat.
Overall, most races were close, with half of the eight races being decided by less than 500 votes. Only Ford in District 9 and Charlie A. Caswell in District 6 won by a sizable margin.
Janeen Gordon wins Democratic primary for Juvenile Court Clerk
Former WMC Action News 5 anchor Janeen F. Gordon won the Democratic nomination for the Juvenile Court Clerk's job, besting Stephanie W. Gatewood, Reginal Milton and Marcus Mitchell. In the general elecdtion, she will face Republican Rob White, who ran unopposed in the primary.
Gordon is seeking to win the seat currently held by her mother, longtime politician and former radio host Janis Fullilove, who decided not to run for re-election.
What will happen to Planned Parenthood in Tennessee?
Politico published a leaked opinion that suggested the Supreme Court was considering a decision that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, our Micaela Watts reports.
Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood, offered a glimpse of a post-Roe v. Wade Tennessee.
The role of patient navigators, Coffield said, will include assessing which barriers a patient faces, such as financial inability or a lack of transportation. And for patients recovering from an abortion, Planned Parenthood will still be able to offer follow-up care in Tennessee.
Planned Parenthood will continue to offer healthcare options aimed at preventing unwanted pregnancies. Other offerings related to sexual and reproductive health like cancer and sexually transmitted disease screenings should not be impacted once Planned Parenthood ceases to provide abortions in Tennessee, Coffield said.
Who is Ed Stanton?
The state of Tennessee had intended to execute five convicts this year — but a "technical oversight" involving execution drugs led the state to stop the execution of Oscar Franklin Smith on April 21. Then the state called a temporary halt to all executions, our Daniel Connolly reports.
Gov. Bill Lee's office has released few details about what happened, and on Monday, Lee announced "an investigation by a respected third party." The governor's pick to lead that investigation is Memphian Ed Stanton III.
So who is Stanton?
Report says TVA brings an economic impact of more than $1 billion annually
Tennessee Valley Authority argued that its ability to grant economic development incentives and bring jobs to the region gives an attribute that any other company — or companies — providing Memphis and Shelby County electricity won't offer, our Samuel Hardiman reports.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who has sought to be neutral in the debate, has openly wondered whether any other provider could replicate TVA's ability to help recruit jobs.
Now, a study from the Greater Memphis Chamber's Center for Economic Competitiveness, commissioned by TVA, said "it is estimated that the economic impact of a five-year TVA facilitated project activity supports more than 9,000 jobs, generate $741 million in labor income, $1.8 billion in annual sales to area business, and contributes $1.02 billion annually to Shelby County's gross domestic product."
Grizzlies outlast Warriors in Game 2 of Western Conference semifinals
The Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 106-101 to tie the Western Conference semifinals series 1-1. and Ja Morant's historically great performance puts him in rarified air as he joins LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the only players to have multiple 45-point games in the NBA playoffs before turning 23 years old, our Damichael Cole reports.
Damichael provides us with some observations from Game 2 before Game 3 on Saturday in San Francisco. Meanwhile, columnist Mark Giannotto asks whether the Grizzlies and Ja Morant are on the verge of cracking the Golden State Warriors' code.
The 901 is written by Ray Padilla, digital producer for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Ray_Padilla_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: 2022 Shelby County primary election results, winners
