Nashville

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The upcoming season will feature eight Nashville premieres, including the following:

The Wiz - Sept. 23-28, 2025
The Outsiders - Oct. 14-19, 2025
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - Nov. 4-16, 2025
Suffs – March 3-8, 2026
Back To The Future: The Musical - March 17-22, 2026
Some Like It Hot - April 21-26, 2026
Water for Elephants - May 12-17, 2026
Hamilton - June 17-28, 2026

The season will also include three limited return engagement presentations, including:

Les Misérables - Jan. 20-25, 2026
Six - Feb. 3-8, 2026
The Book of Mormon - June 2-7, 2026

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Following the recent Antioch High School shooting, MNPS installed Evolv Technologies concealed weapons scanners at the front doors of the school as a pilot program to assess how the technology works and the feasibility of implementing it district-wide.

But depending on how the technology is being used, there’s a chance it would not have detected the pistol in the Antioch High School shooter’s backpack.

“Evolv is saying that it can automatically differentiate weapons from common objects — you know, it’s going to have this seamless, touchless experience,” Don Maye, head of operations at the security and surveillance research group IPVM, told the Banner. “But in reality, you either have to lower the sensitivity settings so low that weapons will go through, or you put it so high that most metal objects will alert it, and that really seems to defeat the value proposition of Evolv.”

Evolv’s concealed weapons scanners detect ferrous metals — metals containing iron as the main component. However, unlike a traditional metal detector, the sensors are supposed to distinguish between weapons and harmless everyday items instead of alerting when they detect metal. Unlike traditional metal detectors, which require people to file through one by one, emptying their pockets and bags of any metal items, Evolv scanners are meant to allow large numbers of people to quickly enter through security checkpoints without having to discard harmless metal objects.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — A shooting that began as a robbery in the parking lot of Green Hills Mall Tuesday afternoon resulted in one person’s death and created a massive traffic nightmare for thousands of commuters.

Metro Nashville Police (MNPD) say the incident began around 2:30 p.m. when a man carrying high-end Louis Vuitton shopping bags was confronted by a suspect in the mall's parking lot. The suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Omari Moore, approached the unidentified shopper while a second man waited in a Tesla nearby.

According to witness accounts and surveillance footage, Moore got out of the car and attempted to rob the shopper.

"We can obviously see the confrontation between the shopper and the passenger of the vehicle," said Don Aaron, MNPD Public Affairs Director.

After the robbery attempt, the driver of the Tesla circled back to pick up Moore. It is at this point that police believe the driver was shot.

Moore, who is a convicted felon, claims he was unaware that his accomplice had been shot.

As the vehicle pulled away, the victim reportedly chased after it and threw an extended gun magazine at the Tesla. The magazine and two spent shell casings were recovered by investigators from the parking lot.

The suspects took off from the scene — the driver of the Tesla lost control and crashed into a tree along the I-65 northbound entrance ramp from I-440 shortly after fleeing the mall parking lot.

After the crash, MNPD says Moore got out of the wrecked car and threw an automatic pistol missing a magazine, which was later recovered by police. He was arrested at the scene after an officer witnessed the crash. The driver, whose identity has not been released, was found deceased with at least one gunshot wound.

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Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, was a daughter, sister and niece.

She played soccer and hoped to one day become a doctor.

Escalante lost her life on Wednesday after a shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville. A fellow student opened fire in the cafeteria, killing Escalante and injuring another student. The assailant then fatally shot himself.

Escalante was a sophomore at the AHS, which has about 2,000 students and is part of Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Escalante’s father, German Corea Escalante, spoke with NewsChannel 5 on Wednesday. He expressed that he never would have imagined that his daughter would not come home that day.

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Last year, two reports were published — the Greater Nashville Music Census and the Nashville Independent Venues Study — that collected data and made recommendations on the state of independent music venues in town. The resulting information was multifaceted, but there were a few findings that immediately resonated with supporters of those efforts.

“If the New Year’s Eve Big Bash is the top end of the live ecosystem, then Rudy’s Jazz Room and The 5 Spot are the foundation,” says Chris Cobb, president of the nonprofit independent venue organization Music Venue Alliance Nashville. The artists and musicians who play small stages work their way up the live music ecosystem, he says. “Jelly Roll is not on that Big Bash stage if it were not for the independent stages 20 years ago. If we want more Jelly Rolls on Big Bash stages, then we have to ensure that there are opportunities to get there.”

Jamie Kent, a communications consultant and founder of Backstage Strategies, adds that respondents to the Music Census point out a disconnect. They feel that the city infrastructure supports tourists going to big-name and big-budget venues on Broadway, but doesn’t prioritize getting tourists to the independent venues, where original music is more likely to be played.

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Five years ago Nashville was named the best pro sports city in America by the Sports Business Journal.

Now look at us.

Nashville's major league pro sports teams have taken a collective nosedive to the bottom of the standings. Postseason playoff games in our city are like affordable housing or convenient downtown parking: they're a thing of the past.

Why it matters: Despite the bad on-field products, Nashville fans still basically come out to support their teams.

All three franchises enjoy solid attendance marks, but they're not rewarding their supporters with reasons to celebrate. There's also the issue of tax dollars. Nashville and the state of Tennessee have ponied up billions to build pro sports venues and support the teams' operations.

Flashback: In 2019 when we were named the No. 1 pro sports city, Nashville was basking in the glow of hosting the NFL Draft, while the Predators and Titans routinely reached the postseason.

Nashville's pro sports scene was epitomized by the throngs of fans who flooded downtown in 2017 for the watch parties during the Predators' thrilling run to the Stanley Cup finals. The Nashville SC was on the brink of launching and the overall pro sports vibes in Music City were better than ever.

Zoom in: Let's start with the Titans.

The team's streak of missing the playoffs is now at three seasons following the latest debacle. The Titans are now 3-10 this year under new coach Brian Callahan.

Finishing with the worst record in the league is not out of the question.

The Predators spent more money on free agents this offseason than any team in the NHL, a whopping $128 million according to Spotrac.

The big spending has not paid off. The Preds have the worst record in the entire league, with a measly 20 points. The first-place Minnesota Wild, by comparison, have 42.

The Nashville SC are not immune to Music City's losing ways.

They missed the playoffs this year for the first time, finishing 13th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. As a result, the team made a coaching change in hopes of getting back on track.

The bottom line: Diehard support + government tax breaks should inspire our teams to give Nashville fans the winning teams they deserve.

Goodlettsville police say they responded this morning to a bomb threat at the home of Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense.

The heavy police presence led to the closure of portions of Patton Branch and Madison Creek roads in the Sumner County portion of Goodlettsville Wednesday.

This is one of a number of threats and swatting attacks against Trump cabinet nominees across the country.

“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

She said the attacks “ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting.’ In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.”

Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses.

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People in the area believe they were kept out of a vote to build a pickleball court feet away from their homes. They said the courts could bring more traffic and noise pollution to their backyards, so they are organizing to stop it.

Metro Parks said the pickleball courts would replace three deteriorated tennis courts in Charlotte Park, but the issue involves the residents living just feet away from the courts, who claim they did not know the project was happening.

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The group that unsuccessfully opposed Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit referendum ahead of the November election is taking a new approach, filing suit in Davidson County Chancery Court on Wednesday seeking to declare the vote void.

Nearly two-thirds of Nashville voters backed the proposal, which establishes a half-cent sales tax surcharge to be dedicated to Nashville’s transit system, sidewalks adjacent to the transit system and traffic signal updates.

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I voted for Megan Barry.

Hi, I’m a fool who is setting myself up to get fooled again, who has apparently not learned any lessons, and I’m here to eat a little public crow.

A year ago, I said I wouldn’t vote for Megan Barry in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District race, that I’d just write someone else in. But when I was actually standing there at the ballot screen, I poked her name with the coffee stirrer they handed me at the check-in station.

Opinion: Nashville's former mayor announced her candidacy for U.S. Congress. Have we forgotten how her term ended?

Nothing about my opinion on Barry has changed. She pleaded guilty to a felony. She’s lucky she didn't face prison time. And I personally find the enthusiasm about her candidacy shameful and confusing. But she’s not Mark Green. She’s not on the record voting for the cruel, anti-regular-person agenda of the Republicans. She’s not going to give a shit about who is doing what in my vagina, and she’s not going to vote to force women to serve as the mausoleums of dead fetuses. Plus, she’s not Trump’s buddy.

I can’t say the same about incumbent Mark Green.

I also voted for Harris. I’m not excited about her. Watching her slide right to pander to a bunch of Republicans who want to be lied to that they’re still important and someone still thinks they’re smart and worthwhile, and that once the Trump fever dream has ended, they can go back to being in charge of the Republican party makes me want to vomit. It’s so typical of the Democrats to try to build coalitions with people who hate them.

And I have lefty friends who aren’t going to vote for Harris because she won’t take a decisive stand on Israel and our nation supplying weapons that Israel is using to attack hospitals and kill children. And I get it. I do. Seeing all the images of dead children, it’s just not bearable. Seeing that guy hooked up to an IV, burning alive in a hospital bed?

The conservative Republican's divorce scandal further demonstrates what we already knew about the congressman's cruelty

But will there be fewer of those atrocities if Trump gets back in office? Is America going to become less hateful? How can we say we’re on the side of the downtrodden and vulnerable and then stand back and not do the one thing that would prevent Trump from implementing his evil plan to deport everyone he doesn’t like?

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — During the six decades since United Record Pressing stamped out the Beatles’ first U.S. single, the country’s oldest vinyl record maker has survived 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, Napster, iPods and streaming services. Now, the Nashville-based company has rebounded so dramatically that some of its equipment and technology has been retrofitted to keep pace with an ever-growing demand for old-school vinyl.

The 75-year-old company has adjusted its business from filling jukeboxes to helping DJs spin and stocking shelves despite a pandemic. On shelves in its warehouse are master versions by Johnny Cash, Kanye West and The Black Crowes.

When Mark Michaels bought the company in 2007, vinyl was fading — its 38 employees mostly made singles for rap artists, often promos for clubs. Michaels wanted a hands-on chance to build a business and thought he could keep this one steady, but not grow it substantially. It also came with a rich history as the first record pressing plant in the South, including an apartment atop the factory that housed Black artists and music executives during segregation.

“You walked into this building and you just felt 50, 60 years of history and just the importance of what it stood for,” said Michaels, the company’s CEO and chair. “And yeah, you you get choked up, you get gooseflesh just experiencing that.”

Today, United Record Pressing runs a newer factory six times bigger than what Michaels bought, with about 125 employees who make up to 80,000 records a day.

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In April, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 843, which mandates that “materials in a library collection must be suitable for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials and must be suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school.”

The full text of the bill and those suitability requirements can be found here.

As a result, schools have begun removing from their shelves books students have read for decades. At a school board meeting in Wilson County on Thursday, Director of Schools Ed Luttrell included in his report a full list of 390 books that have been banned by the county. The titles include “The Green Mile” by Steven King, “Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut, “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, “Wacky Wednesday” by Dr. Seuss, “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline, “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead and more.

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Around 150 students walked out of class at the University School of Nashville on Wednesday morning to call for the resignation of two school leaders over their handling of sexual harassment allegations against a now-former teacher.

The group, along with a handful of parents and alumni, gathered on the lawn in front of the school along Edgehill Avenue around 11 a.m. The University School of Nashville Student Union for Action organized the event, calling for the resignation of school director Amani Reed and assistant head of school Quinton Walker.

Students led the group in chants saying, "Reed must leave," "protect our kids" and "save our school." At times, they turned to faced the doors of the school, where one student said Reed was inside. The group also marched around the block, chanting with signs in hand as they wound along 21st Avenue South before returning to campus.

Dean Masullo, who taught English at the school for 15 years, was suspended in May immediately after a female student came forward and accused him of grooming and sexually harassing her. Masullo was ultimately fired in July. The student has since graduated. The Tennessean is not naming her, as it does not identify victims of sexual harassment.

In August, the former student's lawyer sent a letter to the school's board of trustees lambasting the response of school leaders to the situation. It said the school failed to hire an independent investigative team, despite Reed's claims it had engaged "third-party experts." The letter also said Walker promised to keep the former student and her family updated on what was happening, but instead deferred to the school's lawyer to communicate with them.

The letter also took issue with nearly $30,000 paid to Masullo as part of a separation agreement. The student union, formed in the wake of Masullo's firing, has also voiced concerns over the school's response and the payment.

"Paying off a predator is not the answer," the former student said at the demonstration Wednesday.

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As the clock ticked down to zero at FirstBank Stadium Saturday night, Vanderbilt fans let out a roar so loud you could hear it from miles away.

Their reaction matched the historic scale of Vanderbilt's "David vs. Goliath" victory: The unranked team had beaten Alabama, No. 1 in the nation.

Why it matters: It was perhaps the greatest moment in Vanderbilt football history, and the first time ever the Commodores had prevailed against a top-five opponent.

What they're saying: "Games like this change your life," Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said afterward.

State of play: The news shot through the sports world like a lightning bolt. Alabama fell to No. 7 in the Associated Press' Top 25 football poll.

It spurred national news stories and shoutouts on "Saturday Night Live."

"I'm from Nashville," comedian Nate Bargatze said to cheers during his opening monologue. "We had a big day today."

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Referendum supporters have counter-arguments to most of those. The signalization plan would reduce commute times by 10 percent, Briggs said, and could not be rolled out quickly without the new funding. Bus ridership is increasing, and new cross-town routes enabled by developing transit centers around the county would help people commute without transferring downtown. Additionally, supporters emphasize that establishing dedicated funding for transit will help the city bring more than $1 billion in federal funding back to Nashville, and the zoning reform elements of those applications are not specific demands and account for a small portion of only some of the programs.

The conversation broke into a debate at the District 26 meeting when Marcia Masulla, a representative of the independent campaign supporting the referendum, used the Q&A time to ask Evans what her alternative plan was.

“We all admit and recognize that Nashville has made a lot of mistakes,” Masulla said. “Are you suggesting an alternative plan, or are you saying just stick our head in the ground and wait another eight to 10 years? Traffic is not going to get better. Things are not going to get better if we do nothing. We’ve learned that.”

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Republican Congressman Mark Green has filed for divorce from his wife of 35 years after having an affair, according to a dispatch from his wife.

In a note obtained by the Banner, Camilla Green accuses her husband of having an affair with a 32-year-old woman after being corrupted by his time in Congress, warning that his peers may become “intoxicated with power and adoration.”

“He is living life greatly deceived. I have offered reconciliation, and he wants nothing of it and has insisted on a divorce. Satan has rewritten our marriage in his mind,” she wrote. Multiple sources tell the Banner that the letter was sent to members of Congress.

Rep. Green asked for privacy after the note was released, but did not address the validity of the affair.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19643632

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240911120039/https://www.propublica.org/article/russell-maze-nashville-medical-examiner-recants-testimony

Bus ridership in Nashville has been rebounding after dramatic reductions seen nationwide during the height of the pandemic. And officials say the latest numbers show overall trips have surpassed pre-COVID levels.

WeGo says its strongest improvements are being seen on its bus route connecting to the airport (Route 18), and on some of the routes with the most frequent service, like those on Murfreesboro (55), Dickerson (23), and Nolensville (52) pikes. In the last part of 2023, ridership was up 6% compared to the prior year.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18924931

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240822113428/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/franklin-politics/a-white-supremacist-warned-me-to-comply-with-his-demands-or-else-now-hes-in-federal-custody

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18310079

The brazen appearance of white supremacist groups in Nashville left the city grappling with how to confront hateful speech without violating First Amendment protections.

They first arrived at the beginning of July: dozens of masked white supremacists, shuffling out of U-Hauls, to march through Nashville carrying upside-down American flags.

A week later, members of a separate neo-Nazi group, waving giant black flags with red swastikas, paraded along the city’s famed strip of honky-tonks and celebrity-owned bars. The neo-Nazis poured into the historic Metro courthouse to disrupt a City Council meeting, harassed descendants of Holocaust survivors and yelled racist slurs at young Black children performing on a downtown street.

The appearance of white nationalists on the streets of a major American city laid bare the growing brazenness of the two groups, the Patriot Front and the Goyim Defense League. Their provocations enraged and alarmed civic leaders and residents in Nashville, causing the city to grapple with how to confront the groups without violating free speech protections.

Non-paywall link

Hey all, I'm visiting Nashville (Brentwood) with my dad this next week and was hoping for some local input on fun things to do, places to see, etc… One thing I'd really like to find is a good beer bar (wide selection, especially local offerings) that has trivia either Tuesday or Wednesday night. Good places to eat during the week would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance! 🤙

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17681956

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240718111142/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/the-only-way-to-appeal-an-eviction-in-tennessee-is-pay-an-entire-years-rent-upfront

From Jefferson to Davidson to Shelby Counties, Tennessee has a housing affordability problem as the demand for new homes has outpaced supply, a new report from the state’s intergovernmental agency details.

Since 2019, Tennessee’s median home price has risen by 44%, surpassing the national average of 34% as tracked by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The problem isn’t isolated to fast-growing counties and cities, the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) said in its report approved by commission members last week, but across the state, adding more people are seeking to buy a limited supply of homes, driving up prices and putting the cost “out of reach for many.”

TACIR identified zoning, particularly single-family zoning, as one of the driving factors impacting the number of new homes that are built.

Single-family zoning is a type of land regulation that prevents homeowners from building more than one housing unit on a property. This type of regulation makes it harder for developers to build apartments or even split properties into multiple units. It ultimately restricts the number of people who can live in certain neighborhoods and communities, creating intense competition for fewer homes and driving up prices.

Zoning has become a bipartisan issue, with states like Democratic-controlled California and Republican-controlled Montana adopting laws requiring city and county governments to remove many of the regulations around building new homes.

Ron Shultis, a policy researcher with the conservative think tank Beacon Center of Tennessee, said the state’s single-family zoning creates a housing affordability crisis and that rents are increasing slower in cities like Minneapolis, which have abolished the policy.

“You can see the results when you put in best practices and allow for essentially the market to do what it does best, which is to meet a demand,” Shultis said.

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