Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Bright & Early: Life Is Full Of Second Chances Edition
Good morning, Nashville. A new program that would allow long-overdue Davidson County drivers to pay only half of their parking tickets is coming up for discussion in tonight’s council meeting. We mentioned this bill a few months ago, but its sponsor Councilman Eric Crafton has finally worked out a few of the kinks with help from a few local judges. The short version is that Nashville drivers have stacked up more than $26 million in unpaid traffic fines (we’re looking at you, Oshi) and city officials are concerned that some folks are in so much trouble that they’re not able to afford the fees that would help them regain their licenses. And also, we’re guessing that the prospect of getting half of the money back is more appealing than getting none at all.
- Chupacup-what?? Recently, a Kentucky man thought he had spotted Big Foot in his backyard, so let’s just leave this next story at this: “A Dickson County man claims the creature he killed near his home over the weekend is not of this world, but from mythical folklore.”
- This is how it’s done. An East Nashville kid accidentally called the police on his marijuana-dealing mother yesterday. The child mistakenly pressed the keychain panic button on the home alarm system, and when the cops came out to answer the call, they smelled the pot and found 28 pounds of it stashed around the house.
- Bits & pieces. A Vanderbilt sociology professor blames “technology” for Kanye-esqe outbursts … East Nashvillians have officially filed the petition to put Councilman Pam Murray’s seat to a recall vote … Steve McNair’s estate has been valued at close to $10 million, though he seems to have owed a lot of folks a lot of money … All Metro precincts are seeing increased rates of home burglaries this year.
Photo by eem.chadwick.
Good morning, Nashville. A new program that would allow long-overdue Davidson County drivers to pay only half of their parking tickets is coming up for discussion in tonight’s council meeting. We mentioned this bill a few months ago, but its sponsor Councilman Eric Crafton has finally worked out a few of the kinks with help [...]
Happy Hour: Damage Control
- The TVA is doling out $40 million to help Kingston, TN and the rest of Roane County get themselves back on track after December’s devastating ash spill. The money could be used for schools, recreation, or water infrastructure. This money is in addition to the $1 billion cleanup, $2 million PR campaign on behalf of Roane County, some private settlements, and whatever else they end up being sued for. [WPLN]
- A broke Belmont student is selling her teeth, some beanie babies, and basically her entire childhood on Ebay for tuition money. There’s something to be said for dedication! [WSMV]
- What is it about elementary schools that makes people want to spraypaint all over them? [WSMV]
- And everyone will be pleased to know that Tennessee’s very first male strip club, Club Arrow, has now been open for two weeks and seems to be thriving. [WKRN]
- State senators Charlotte Burks and Andy Berke took some time out to write an op-ed about our state’s staggering problem of childhood obesity. [Tennessean]
Photo by eem.chadwick.
The TVA is doling out $40 million to help Kingston, TN and the rest of Roane County get themselves back on track after December’s devastating ash spill. The money could be used for schools, recreation, or water infrastructure. This money is in addition to the $1 billion cleanup, $2 million PR campaign on behalf of [...]
Bright & Early: So It’s Monday Again Edition
Good morning, Nashville. With all the convention center attention focused on contracts spiraling out of control, we’d almost forgotten about the businesses that are being bumped out of the way to make room for the construction. Metro has been making offers based on property assessments to Rocketown, Nashville Autohaus, Christie’s Cabaret, and the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum among others, but no one seems too pleased with the deals that have been proposed. Business owners insist they’re being low-balled by Metro and won’t give in until they receive some more reasonable offers.
- Fatal crash overnight. I-24 and I-440 are both back open after a car flew off of the 440 ramp and landed five stories below on I-24. The driver, a male in his 20s, was killed instantly and his identity has not yet been released.
- Non-discrimination debate. The Metro Council is still kicking around the idea of adopting a broader non-discrimination ordinance that would ideally extend protection to all employees who face discrimination for “non-merit factors” rather than singling out sexual orientation and gender identity. Previously, Metro’s legal council has stated that the broader bill was too vague and wouldn’t actually protect anyone.
- Bits & pieces. The nine-member Convention Center Authority is getting closer and closer to actually happening … The TVA will soon open its planning meetings to the public … Looking like it’s going to be a wet week … The Tennessean gives a recap of the school rezoning drama.
Photo by gypsygirl.photography.
Good morning, Nashville. With all the convention center attention focused on contracts spiraling out of control, we’d almost forgotten about the businesses that are being bumped out of the way to make room for the construction. Metro has been making offers based on property assessments to Rocketown, Nashville Autohaus, Christie’s Cabaret, and the Musicians Hall [...]
Happy Hour: Troubled Bridges And Troubled Water
- The bad news: At least 111 bridges in Tennessee have been deemed structurally deficient. The good news? TDOT will be fixing or replacing them all soon. [WTVF]
- A section of the Emory River will be closed for an extra month while the Powers That Be dredge all of the TVA’s mess out of it. [Pith In The Wind]
- If you’re one of the folks who likes to ride around Nashville on a bike, you may want to watch out for the stray Attack Killer Stray Dogs. [Tennessean]
- The Tennessee State Fair opens tonight and it’s going green. [Tennessean]
Photo by winstonavich.
The bad news: At least 111 bridges in Tennessee have been deemed structurally deficient. The good news? TDOT will be fixing or replacing them all soon. [WTVF] A section of the Emory River will be closed for an extra month while the Powers That Be dredge all of the TVA’s mess out of it. [Pith [...]
Fresh-Faced Tennessee State Fair Opens Tonight With Free Admission
It’s Tennessee State Fair time! Before you start griping at us about how lame the Tennessee State Fair is, check out their newfangled website, Twitter, Facebook and blog! Impressed yet?
We’re gladly giving our state fair another chance this year after some pretty big changes have been made to the fairgrounds and the agenda, and we’ll be trying it risk-free tonight with free admission from 5pm-7pm. The state fair will be open until September 20, and a full schedule of events can be found here. You’ll probably find us at the, uh, Extreme Canine Stunt Dogs tonight.
It’s Tennessee State Fair time! Before you start griping at us about how lame the Tennessee State Fair is, check out their newfangled website, Twitter, Facebook and blog! Impressed yet? We’re gladly giving our state fair another chance this year after some pretty big changes have been made to the fairgrounds and the agenda, and we’ll [...]
Best Of Nashville ’09 Voting Closes Tonight At 5PM
Nashville-enthusiasts, now’s the time to make your voice heard in the Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville 2009 Readers Choice poll. Voting closes at 5pm today, so get your ballots in before then, lest you have to wait another year for the chance to root for your favorite locals. And um, we wouldn’t mind if you paid a bit of special attention to category #141, if you can get that far.
Nashville-enthusiasts, now’s the time to make your voice heard in the Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville 2009 Readers Choice poll. Voting closes at 5pm today, so get your ballots in before then, lest you have to wait another year for the chance to root for your favorite locals. And um, we wouldn’t mind if you [...]
Bright & Early: Quacked Out Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Thanks to all who came out to Twestival Nashville last night and showed support for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee. We ate, we drank, we put on a duck costume, we gave away some sweet prizes, and most importantly we raised a pretty good chunk of change for some kids in our community. We’ve got a few more days to adopt, so if you haven’t already, stop over at the Twestival Nashville website for some important instructions on how to participate.
- Way to disappoint. Unfortunately, the Titans didn’t have quite as good a night as we did and lost to the Steelers 13-10 in overtime. Better luck next time, guys.
- Piece of the pie. Metro Schools are getting more than $21 million in state bond proceeds directly from the federal government. Although it’s only about half of what Memphis schools were given, both school systems apparently rank in the top 100 school districts in the country for children living below the poverty level.
- Bits & pieces. NES and Metro being sued for racial discrimination by twenty employees and past applicants … A section of I-440W will be closing again this weekend … Former Belmont President Herbert Gabhart passed away yesterday at age 95.
Photo by sweetvenus.
Good morning, Nashville. Thanks to all who came out to Twestival Nashville last night and showed support for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee. We ate, we drank, we put on a duck costume, we gave away some sweet prizes, and most importantly we raised a pretty good chunk of change for some [...]
Happy Hour: Tonight’s The Night
- We heard there was a Titans game tonight or something? [WKRN]
- (And in case that’s the reason you’re skipping out on Twestival Nashville, don’t do it! The Big Bang will have it up on the big screen for us.)
- If you happened to see some helicopters carrying giant slings of uprooted marijuana plants up near the Kentucky border today, you might’ve seen the beginning of one of Tennessee’s biggest drug busts. [WSMV]
- Councilman Mike Jameson is still plugging away in the fight to get Nashville to stop calling itself “Metro” because it’s supposedly confusing for visitors. [WSMV]
- Say what you want about the Gallatin Goodlettsville-based Dollar General Corporation, but their profits have tripled in the past year. [WPLN]
- More and more companies are stepping forward and claiming that the late Steve McNair owed them some money. [WTVF]
- A Putnam County animal rescue group is holding a special adoption event for black animals only this weekend. [WSMV]
Photo by newscoma.
We heard there was a Titans game tonight or something? [WKRN] (And in case that’s the reason you’re skipping out on Twestival Nashville, don’t do it! The Big Bang will have it up on the big screen for us.) If you happened to see some helicopters carrying giant slings of uprooted marijuana plants up near [...]
Don’t Forget: Twestival Nashville Tonight
Folks, don’t forget that Twestival Nashville is tonight at the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar on Broadway in downtown Nashville. We’ll be eating free food, drinking cheap drinks, watching the Titans game on the big screen, giving away some great raffle prizes, adopting rubber ducks to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, and mixing with new and old friends in Nashville Twitter community.
If you haven’t already, head over to GreatNashvilleDuckRace.com to adopt a duck. For each duck you adopt, you will receive one raffle ticket at the door tonight, and you’re entered to win even more prizes at the Duck Race on September 19. Even if you can’t make it tonight, please consider contributing toward our goal of 500 duck adoptions – With your help, we will provide 100 children with Boys & Girls Clubs memberships!
We’ll see you at 6pm!
Folks, don’t forget that Twestival Nashville is tonight at the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar on Broadway in downtown Nashville. We’ll be eating free food, drinking cheap drinks, watching the Titans game on the big screen, giving away some great raffle prizes, adopting rubber ducks to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, and [...]
Bright & Early: Washed Up Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Parents at several Metro high schools are a little worried after the school system decided to cut free tutoring services that many think are responsible for helping dozens of students graduate. The affected programs are those that target students in largely good standing who are having trouble academically, while more expensive tutoring programs for kids who have been suspended will continue.
- Unemployment glitch. A server glitch with Tennessee’s Department of Labor website prevented hundreds of folks from checking in with their weekly income and job search progress required to collect unemployment benefits. The problem has been resolved and they’ve instituted a three-day grace period for the people who had trouble.
- Careful out there! Break-ins are on the rise in many parts of Nashville this year and Metro is urging everyone to take some extra precautions. Incidents have increased by 11% since this time last year.
- Bits & pieces. If you’re traveling today, you may want to watch out for the blasting … But not blasting like this blasting … A child advocacy group based out of New York is trying to block a new state law that they claim would hurt foster care … A charter school’s entire fourth grade class was disbanded when Metro realized they didn’t actually exist.
Photo by urbanwoodchuck.
Good morning, Nashville. Parents at several Metro high schools are a little worried after the school system decided to cut free tutoring services that many think are responsible for helping dozens of students graduate. The affected programs are those that target students in largely good standing who are having trouble academically, while more expensive tutoring [...]
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