Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Bright & Early: The Buck Stops There Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Just a few days after News Channel 5 blasted Metro for some outrageous spending on convention center PR, Mayor Dean put his foot down. An investigative report revealed that Metro had shelled out about six times the amount that was in the original contract with local PR firm McNeely Pigott & Fox, and now the mayor has called for a temporary suspension of all dealings with the firm until they get things straightened out. Check out Mayor Dean’s full letter to MDHA here.
- Guns in parks? Tonight, the Metro Council’s safety committee will vote on whether or not the guns-in-parks ban from the 1960s will remain in effect and override the new state law. Several counties and cities across Middle Tennessee have chosen to opt out of the new law, but Metro may not have to if the old ordinance is found to be valid.
- Titans remember. All of the Titans players will be wearing a small #9 decal on their helmets this season in honor of Steve McNair. Their first televised preseason game is this Sunday.
- Bits & pieces. People are upset about all of the trash and graffiti showing up in Love Circle these days. We choose to complain about John Rich’s ugly house … Nashville is getting its first charter high school … More budget cuts in the cards for the State of Tennessee … The next few days are going to be hot hot hot.
Good morning, Nashville. Just a few days after News Channel 5 blasted Metro for some outrageous spending on convention center PR, Mayor Dean put his foot down. An investigative report revealed that Metro had shelled out about six times the amount that was in the original contract with local PR firm McNeely Pigott & Fox, [...]
Happy Hour: Unlucky Day
- A Franklin home went up in flames last night after being struck by lightning. Twice. [WTVF]
- Unless you love your henna tattoo enough to keep it forever, you may want to stay away from the Opry Mills henna kiosks. [Tennessean]
- A plumber is suing Nashville’s Habitat for Humanity organization after she was raped at a Habitat construction site in north Nashville last month. [WSMV]
- It was a bit of a rough morning for the Herm, where a gas line ruptured and shut down an intersection for a few hours near Summit Medical Center. And though that’s unfortunate, we are still excited to learn that we have an assistant fire chief in town named Steve Holt. [WKRN]
- Tennessee is getting 2,500 brand new charging stations for electric vehicles. [WPLN]
- How is it that we’ve never heard of the World’s Longest Yard Sale before? By “longest,” they mean that it stretches on for 650 miles along US-127 starting in Ohio, swinging through Kentucky and Tennessee, and ending in Alabama. [WZTV]
Photo by Jas132.
A Franklin home went up in flames last night after being struck by lightning. Twice. [WTVF] Unless you love your henna tattoo enough to keep it forever, you may want to stay away from the Opry Mills henna kiosks. [Tennessean] A plumber is suing Nashville’s Habitat for Humanity organization after she was raped at a [...]
Bright & Early: Rocky Road Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Debate over the proposed non-discrimination ordinance began in the Metro Council last night and drew out some strong reactions from both sides. Opponents claim that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity never been a problem and that current Metro policy and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already prohibit it. Supporters point out that past victims may have resisted coming forward out of fear because there was no clear policy in place to protect them. Councilman Eric Crafton even introduced an amendment that would add height, weight, political affiliations, and military veterans to the ordinance.
- Beating suspects in court. The four teens accused of brutally beating and robbing a 62-year old man inside of the Green Hills Mall parking garage are scheduled to appear in court today. The charge filed against all four of them is “especially aggrivated robbery.”
- Smooth criminals. Several thieves made an unsuccessful attempt to steal an ATM from Regions Bank in south Nashville last night. They managed to get the machine but couldn’t figure out how to break in and actually steal the money.
- Bits & pieces. We thought we got a lot of rain last night until we read about the University of Louisville having to evacuate parts of its campus by boat … Three immigrant women are seeking asylum in Tennessee thanks to some new policies to help them escape domestic violence … Flu season looks like it’s going to be vicious this year.
Photo by Silenus81.
Good morning, Nashville. Debate over the proposed non-discrimination ordinance began in the Metro Council last night and drew out some strong reactions from both sides. Opponents claim that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity never been a problem and that current Metro policy and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already prohibit it. [...]
Happy Hour: Wanna Get Away?
- Metro is looking for a way out of paying the $250,000 they owe to a man who was injured by a Public Works employee’s horseplay. The employee was trying to give a pedestrian a scare while driving a giant bulldozer and the pedestrian was startled enough that he leapt over a guard rail and hurt himself pretty badly. Metro was found to be at fault. [Tennessean]
- A section of the Emory River will be closed off for about a month while cleanup crews dredge it for coal ash from December’s Kingston spill. [Tennessean]
- Tonight marks Nashville’s 15th annual Night Out Against Crime. To find out what’s happening in your neighborhood, check out News Channel 5. [WTVF]
- The Salon Professional Academy is reaching out to potentially displaced GM employees by offering an unlimited number of $5,000 scholarships for those who may be laid off from the Spring Hill plant in the coming months. [Tennessean]
- The storms are back! Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Davidson and other parts of Middle Tennessee until 9pm tonight. [NashvilleWX]
Photo by Army.mil.
Metro is looking for a way out of paying the $250,000 they owe to a man who was injured by a Public Works employee’s horseplay. The employee was trying to give a pedestrian a scare while driving a giant bulldozer and the pedestrian was startled enough that he leapt over a guard rail and hurt [...]
Metro Shatters Convention Center PR Budget By… A Lot [Nashvillest Polls]
From the very beginning, plans for the new convention center have been met with a lot of resistance from folks who are concerned about the city taking on such a huge project in the midst of a sour economy. Supporters of the project insist that it’s an investment–we have to spend money to make money. At least part of the funding will come from taxes targeted at tourists to shift the burden off of local taxpayers. But how much is too much? This morning, a reader tipped us off to News Channel 5′s investigative report that made us do a bit of a double-take:
The politically connected firm McNeely, Pigott & Fox agreed to provide public relations services to the Metro Development and Housing Agency, which oversees the convention center project.
According to the original contract, spending was not supposed to exceed $75,000. Months after signing the contract, Metro deleted the “not to exceed” portion.
Now, spending has ballooned to more than $458,000.
The nearly half million dollar price tag has included a positive article in the Tennessean, help with speeches, keeping an eye on blogs, posting on internet forums, maintaining the website, Facebooking, and Twittering. According to the report, even councilwoman Emily Evans was a little shocked when a reporter showed her the latest figures, saying “If we’re not managing the contracts now, where are we going to be $500 million from now?” With this latest news, we wanted to give our readers the chance to sound off:
Loading ...From the very beginning, plans for the new convention center have been met with a lot of resistance from folks who are concerned about the city taking on such a huge project in the midst of a sour economy. Supporters of the project insist that it’s an investment–we have to spend money to make money. [...]
Bright & Early: Party Fowl Edition
Good morning, Nashville. The fight over urban chicken coops continues to escalate in the Metro Council with the introduction of a second bill that would make chickens legal and create some regulations to keep them under control. This comes on the heels of the the other chicken-related bill that would declare them illegal. Apparently keeping chickens is already a violation of zoning in most residential areas of Davidson County, and recent lawsuit brought the issue to the forefront. As an aside, the best part of this article pertains to a chicken advocate named Jud Laughter who has four chickens named John, Paul, George and Ringo. We did not make this up.
- Milestones. Congratulations to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, which just won the Chamber of the Year award from whomever doles out those sorts of things. The victory was due in part to the Nashville For All Of Us campaign against the English language ordinance.
- More milestones. Tennessee 511, TDOT’s road condition/weather/Amber Alert hotline, received its 2-millionth call yesterday. The service launched in August 2006.
- Bits & pieces. Sherri Goforth, the Senate staffer who was busted for sending out a racist email about President Obama, still isn’t back at work … 236 people really, really want a say in the new Judicial Nominating Commission … Four months after John Bryant’s wife and baby were killed in the Murfreesboro tornado, WSMV checks in on his recovery … Clarksville commissioners are hiking taxes to allocate more funding for nonprofits.
Photo by Grey Street Girl.
Good morning, Nashville. The fight over urban chicken coops continues to escalate in the Metro Council with the introduction of a second bill that would make chickens legal and create some regulations to keep them under control. This comes on the heels of the the other chicken-related bill that would declare them illegal. Apparently keeping [...]
Happy Hour: Revenge Of The Crack Tax
- The gentleman responsible for getting our state’s crack tax overturned is now filing a class-action suit against the state to get back the money that was collected under the law, which is apparently over $10 million. [Tennessean]
- A new study shows that 1/5 of the folks caught driving drunk will be caught again for the same offense. [Tennessean]
- The Contributor, a paper produced by Nashville’s homeless community and advocates, won a national award over the weekend. [WPLN]
- Speaking of newspapers, you might’ve noticed a new one gracing the stands: the Nashville Retrospect newspaper. Like its name implies, it posts articles and pictures from Nashville in decades past. [WPLN]
- Some unlikely businesses are starting to take food stamps to keep business up now that more folks are using them. [WKRN]
Photo by stephaniedshepherd.
The gentleman responsible for getting our state’s crack tax overturned is now filing a class-action suit against the state to get back the money that was collected under the law, which is apparently over $10 million. [Tennessean] A new study shows that 1/5 of the folks caught driving drunk will be caught again for the [...]
Bright & Early: Rough Weekend Edition
Good morning, Nashville. A Billy Currington concert in Alberta, Canada went horribly wrong over the weekend when a storm blew through and caused the stage to collapse. Though they tried to clear the stage about three minutes before the storm hit, one person was killed and fifteen other folks were injured. Currington managed to escape with a gash to the head while some of his band members sustained multiple injuries. Two people are still in critical condition.
- Rocketown moving. Rocketown is trying to figure out what to do now that Metro is kicking them out of their current space downtown because of the new convention center. Though they’ve picked out a new building, they’re waiting on the Metro Housing & Development Authority to make a final offer on the old building.
- Tax free fail. Tax-free weekend kicks off this Friday, but it comes a week too late for some families in counties where school starts today. Since the main purpose of tax-free weekend is to give back-to-school shoppers a break, many wonder about the poor planning.
- Bits & pieces. Residents in Westmoreland, TN are wondering why a tornado warning wasn’t issued last week … The city is looking at past five years’ worth of crime data to determine where to put the next police precinct … The Tennessean tries to explain why men are suffering more emotional stress due to unemployment … MTA’s bus schedule changes start this week.
Photo by so.salem.
Good morning, Nashville. A Billy Currington concert in Alberta, Canada went horribly wrong over the weekend when a storm blew through and caused the stage to collapse. Though they tried to clear the stage about three minutes before the storm hit, one person was killed and fifteen other folks were injured. Currington managed to escape [...]
East (Nashville) Eats: Shaking Things Up
East Nashville is seeing some serious shakeup in the eating department, both in the past few months and in the days and weeks to come (but don’t think that’s a bad thing). Here’s a rundown of the shakeup across the river:
In addition to the opening of Nuvo Burrito in Five Points, a tiny new Vietnamese restaurant has quietly opened its doors up a couple blocks on Fatherland. Far East (get it?!) Vietnamese not only gets points for one of the most clever restaurant names we’ve ever heard, but for bringing Vietnamese to the east-of-Charlotte masses in need of some piping hot pho. Bites visited Far East and reported back with a thumbs-up, but we’ve heard mixed reviews from the community.
Then there’s The Green Wagon, the tiny, earth-friendly general store in Sylvan Park, who announced an East Nashville expansion earlier this year. The ink is fresh on their lease at 1100 Forrest Avenue in Five Points, and they’re aiming to be open by September 1st. Plans for the East Nashville store include a small vegetarian cafe.
Las Maracas is getting two new homes in the East Nashville area. Currently, the bustling orange building in Inglewood is one of the only Mexican options on the east side (Thanks to Paul for the correction!), but that will soon change. Las Maracas is opening a true East Nashville location at 2704 Gallatin Pike in a week or two, and a Madison restaurant will follow for those a bit further down Gallatin.
UPDATE 8/4:The Inglewood store will not renew its lease on October 31 of this year. We apologize for the misinformation that was passed to us by Las Maracas management.
And we can’t forget about PadThai Kitchen, and their upcoming move from Woodland (thanks, Chris!) to a new location at 604 Gallatin Avenue in September. With the location change, they plan to be open 7 days a week, good news for east side Thai enthusiasts.
All in all, we’re kind of jealous of our East Nashville friends and their new eateries, but we can make do with frequent visits.
East Nashvillians, tell us – With all your new options, what’s one new restaurant or business that you’d really like to see come to your part of town?
East Nashville is seeing some serious shakeup in the eating department, both in the past few months and in the days and weeks to come (but don’t think that’s a bad thing). Here’s a rundown of the shakeup across the river: In addition to the opening of Nuvo Burrito in Five Points, a tiny new [...]
Nashvillest Readers, We Toast To You!
Readers, we love you! Your recent support led to us winning the Tennessean’s Toast of Music City “Best Blog” award, and we can’t thank you enough! Every day, your emails, comments and tweets keep us going. We don’t get a chance to respond to everything, but we’re always here and always reading, and we truly appreciate your readership and support.
Check out our online Toast of Music City winners’ profile here, or click here to browse through the rest of this year’s winners. You also might have been privy to our full-page Q&A feature in the Tennessean if you picked up last Sunday’s paper, but alas, that’s not on the interwebs anywhere for readers on this “Best Blog” to check out (you win some, you lose some).
Congrats to all of our friends who were winners and nominees!
Readers, we love you! Your recent support led to us winning the Tennessean’s Toast of Music City “Best Blog” award, and we can’t thank you enough! Every day, your emails, comments and tweets keep us going. We don’t get a chance to respond to everything, but we’re always here and always reading, and we truly [...]
Active Discussions