Memphis Daily Local Headlines: February 28, 2026
Memphis, TN – February 28, 2026 – Police investigate a South Memphis shooting as City Council moves a library-worker vote and a records lawsuit advances.
Top local headlines
South Memphis shooting investigation
Police are investigating a late-night shooting that left a woman critically injured in South Memphis. Officers responded just before 10 p.m. Thursday to an aggravated assault call on James Street and found the victim at the corner of Kerr Avenue and James with an apparent gunshot wound. A suspect was described as wearing all black and reportedly left in a dark, four-door sedan.
Police records lawsuit adds pressure for transparency
A lawsuit filed by advocacy groups targets the city and police department over access to public records tied to use-of-force policies and procedures. The filing centers on a public records request submitted in May 2025, with the groups saying the public still needs clarity on what has changed since a 2024 federal report found serious problems in policing practices.
Library workers issue headed to voters
Memphis City Council members voted 10-1 this week to put a charter-related question before voters in November that could change how many library jobs are classified. Supporters say civil service protections would add workplace safeguards and strengthen collective bargaining options. City officials said roughly 230 library employees could be affected and, if the change passes, many would need to reapply for their jobs.
Schools: chronic absenteeism remains a major hurdle
District leaders warned that chronic absenteeism is still weighing heavily on Memphis high schools, with officials indicating close to 40% of high school students are at risk of missing enough days to be considered chronically absent. Leaders said that could represent roughly 12,000 students, far above the statewide high school average reported for the last school year.
Statehouse and household notes
State lawmakers are weighing legislation that would explicitly allow hunting inside city limits statewide, raising fresh questions about how that intersects with Memphis ordinances restricting firearm discharge. Meanwhile, a local radio newscast flagged growing concerns about higher utility bills following last month’s winter weather, plus developments involving a FedEx tariff refund lawsuit and a new evidence-review partnership that could speed up some criminal case work.
Sources
https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/02/27/woman-found-shot-sidewalk-south-memphis-mpd-investigates/
https://www.memphisflyer.com/denial-of-police-use-of-force-records-spurs-aclu-lawsuit/
https://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis-voters-to-decide-on-library-worker-classification/
https://www.memphisflyer.com/nearly-half-of-memphis-public-high-schoolers-likely-to-be-chronically-absent-this-year/
https://www.memphisflyer.com/bill-would-allow-hunting-in-memphis-city-limits/
https://www.wknofm.org/show/wknodaily/2026-02-26/wkno-daily-newscast-thursday-february-26-2026
