The Memphis economy bounced fully back after Covid-19.
U-Haul said Tennessee was a top growth state.
Tennessee tied Indiana for the most conservative legislature.
A new report found that hate crimes grew in Tennessee in 2021.
Nonconsenual pelvic exams remained legal in Tennessee with no legislation to change it.
Five Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers were fired after the violent beating death of Tyre Nichols.
Memphis experienced a turbulent week in the national spotlight in the aftermath of Nichols’ killing at the hands of the MPD. Many predicted violence after body cam footage of the event was released. However, protests were nonviolent and only closed traffic on the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge.
The Memphis Fire Department fired three employees for failure to adequately assess the medical needs of Nichols.
LeLe, one of the Memphis Zoo’s giant pandas, passed away.
Sterilization Services of Tennessee (SST) was well within its rights to emit cancer-causing ethylene oxide into the air, according to the Shelby County Health Department.
A Tennessee bill could (and ultimately did) ban gender-affirming care for minors in the state.
A state lawmaker wanted to add firing squads as an option for death row inmates.
A new bill would (but didn’t) decriminalize cannabis across the state.
Memphis was found to have the highest STD rates of any city in the country.
Juneteenth cleared a hurdle to become, ultimately, a state holiday.
A shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School left three children and three teachers dead. The event began a statewide debate on gun violence.
A new project was announced to revive Downtown’s Sterick Building.
No cancer clusters were found around SST’s South Memphis facility.
Three Tennessee legislators — Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), and Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) led a gun-violence protest on the floor of the Tennessee House. The GOP-dominated legislative body later voted to expel Pearson and Jones, both Black, and to keep Johnson, who is white.
The Hollywood Community Association was formed.
Gov. Bill Lee promised a special session on gun violence after GOP leaders failed to sponsor any of his bills on the matter.
Nichols’ family sued the City of Memphis for $550 million.
Details emerged about Ducks Unlimited Park, a 1,500-acre park on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River.
State officials worked on a plan that could possibly bring a statewide passenger rail line.
A project was underway to bring a grocery store to North Memphis.
Organizations and families challenged (but ultimately lost) a legal dispute against the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
A movement was underway to investigate or expel House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) for living outside of his district.
A new law allowed private schools to regulate trans athletes.
A man allegedly fired a single shot into FOX13’s station on Highland and hid in the Ubee’s bathroom. He live-streamed most of it.
The University of Memphis got more than $5 million for campus safety upgrades.
Tennessee tourism spending broke another record in 2022.
Lawmakers called for Lee to abandon his special session, calling it a “publicity stunt.“
Sexton gave mosque-fighting, anti-Black Lives Matter, anti-CRT, 9/11 Truther, Jan. 6 insurrectionist Laurie Cardoza-Moore a seat on a committee to review social studies books for public schools.
Lawmakers grappled with ways to regulate AI.
Data proved Tennesseans drank more after the pandemic.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti required a Nashville hospital to turn over personal medical records in a trans care case.
Thefts of guns from cars hit a record high in 2022.
Testing times for rape kits with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were cut nearly in half.
A new U.S. Department of Justice unit opened in Memphis to focus on hate crimes, civil rights violations, and domestic terrorism.
A state panel of experts recommended building a statewide railway system.
Federal legislation would have (but still hasn’t) made public some of the biggest salaries at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The Memphis Zoo parking lot was redone, part of a larger project to end parking on the Overton Park Greensward.
State and local health officials warned of a new drug called xylazine, also called “tranq dope.”
Tennessee Republicans flexed their supermajority during a special session on gun violence. They shut down protesters, kicked the public out of public spaces, and did very little legislating.
Tennessee recorded 13 mass shootings in 2022, a new record.
Residents filed a lawsuit against SST for damages caused by toxic emissions. The company announced later it would close its Memphis facility in April 2024.
Damages to Tom Lee Park by Memphis in May (MIM) events topped $1.4 million.
Memphis mourned the passing of food writer Jennifer Biggs.
Outdoors Inc. and Belly Acres closed their Midtown locations.
MPD reported that more than 70 percent of violent crime here involved guns.
FBI data found most hate crimes in Tennessee targeted Black people.
A report from Just City suggested Memphis judges needed more empathy toward victims and the accused.
The $63 million renovations to Tom Lee Park were unveiled to the public as the new park officially opened.
Downtown Memphis Commission president and CEO Paul Young was elected mayor.
MIM reported a record-low loss of nearly $3.5 million for its 2023 events and record-low attendance for Beale Street Music Festival.
Shelby County ranked high as an area most vulnerable to climate change, according to a new study.
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) proposed winter changes to some routes and to stop running buses after 7 p.m. Irked transit users said MATA “needs a complete do-over.”
A new study at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center aimed to unlock the links between genetics and the effects of cannabis.
Tourism in Shelby County topped $4 billion in 2022, a new record.
A project got underway to end Greensward parking and open up new areas of Overton Park for recreation.
A national study found the South’s “business-friendly” economic development policies are rooted in racism and failed most who live in the area.
State officials began drafting Tennessee’s first climate action plan.
Memphis held its first Trans Fest.
MIM announced it would not host Beale Street Music Festival in 2024 and would hold the Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Liberty Park.
Forward Momentum (the group that organizes Mempho Music Festival) and the Memphis River Parks Partnership announced a new, three-day music festival and barbecue competition at Tom Lee Park for 2024.
The Tennessee Innocence Project opened an office in Memphis.
Passenger rail planning moved ahead with a $500,000 federal grant.
Some of TVA’s salary information was disclosed following a lawsuit filed by the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
Jim Holt retired as president and CEO of MIM.
A man caused alarm and locked down a school as he walked through Midtown hoisting a gun.
