Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Bright & Early: Enough Already Edition
Good morning, Nashville. If you’re looking out the window this morning and wondering how the heck it’s still snowing, we’re right there with you. And if you didn’t know it was snowing, a quick skim of the headlines would probably tip you off. We’re seeing everything from kids going without food because school is closed to snow driving down the price of roses to the Nashville Shores expansion soldiering on through the snow to cute animals playing in the snow at the Nashville Zoo to El Niño bringing us even more snow in March to Metro Schools wondering how they’re going to make up all of these snow days. Tired of snow yet, Nashville?
- Nashville firefighters battling cancer. Due to recent health data indicating that a shocking 8.6% of Nashville’s firefighters are suffering from cancer, researchers believe that the numbers may be linked to exposure to diesel fumes from fire engines idling in closed spaces. Nearly 70 Nashville firefighters currently have cancer and 30 others have died from cancer in the past 20 years.
- Love, true love. Over the weekend, a local couple got married in a Murfreesboro White Castle where one of them had worked for four years. According to the (very short) article, her “White Castle family” was also able to attend the wedding. Best of luck, you crazy lovebirds.
- Bits & pieces. Those with keyless remote starters may soon be able to warm up their cars without risking a ticket … Vanderbilt University is being nationally recognized for their innovative use of social media … Tennessee will kick off a new Cash for Appliances program on April 22 to help homeowners replace non-energy efficient appliances in their homes using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act … Councilman Eric Crafton will defer his fairgrounds preservation bill to give the council more time to come up with a plan to save the fairgrounds … Domestic assaults were up on Valentine’s Day, including one woman who went crazy on her boyfriend when he had flowers delivered to her.
Photo by niseag03.
Good morning, Nashville. If you’re looking out the window this morning and wondering how the heck it’s still snowing, we’re right there with you. And if you didn’t know it was snowing, a quick skim of the headlines would probably tip you off. We’re seeing everything from kids going without food because school is closed [...]
Happy Hour: Jump Off That Sofa
- Metro is trying their absolute best to drum up support for the new convention center by, well, taking possession of the Sommet Center parking lot and blocking it off during tonight’s Black Eyed Peas show, resulting in the kind of apocalyptic overflow of parked cars that can only be caused by a crowd of 10,000 people. Moral of the story: Do not try to park downtown tonight. [Tennessean]
- We’ve been keeping an eye on the wintry weather forecast for this weekend and it sounds like the bulk of it will be happening Sunday night into Monday, which many of us have off anyway. Hooray! [WSMV]
- Construction continues on the part of I-40 that crosses White Bridge Road, and as such, there will be rolling roadblocks in the area all weekend. We haven’t heard anything about I-440 closures this weekend but this probably doesn’t mean they’re not happening. [WKRN]
- The kids at Spring Hill High School spent a good part of the day under lockdown after authorities suspected there might be a gun on campus, which thankfully turned out to be false. [WTVF]
Photo by minds-eye.
Metro is trying their absolute best to drum up support for the new convention center by, well, taking possession of the Sommet Center parking lot and blocking it off during tonight’s Black Eyed Peas show, resulting in the kind of apocalyptic overflow of parked cars that can only be caused by a crowd of 10,000 [...]
Bright & Early: Why Not Wine Edition
Good morning, Nashville. The controversial issue of allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores is certainly not a new one, but lawmakers and advocates are taking a slightly different approach this year. The current bill moving through the legislature would give individual counties the opportunity to vote on the issue as early as August. As such, Metro Councilman Charlie Tygard is trying to make sure we’re prepared for the vote by introducing a council resolution that would add the wine vote to the ballot in the next election rather than going to the trouble of having a special election. We’re getting a little excited!
- CoverKids back on track. The CoverKids part of the state health insurance program is finally taking new enrollees again after shutting its doors in November due to our state’s current budget woes. The program will now be dipping into Tennessee’s public health savings account every month to make ends meet.
- Vandy frat house raided. Early this morning, Metro police burst into a Vandy frat house with guns drawn in response to a disturbance call, handcuffing some students and holding them outside in the cold while they searched the house. The three officers are now on paid administrative leave while their actions are investigated.
- Bits & pieces. The vandalism of the Al-Farooq Mosque is making national news with coverage by CNN and the Poynter Institute. Also, a group is gathering at 11am today to help scrub and paint over the graffiti … The Musicians Hall of Fame is making one last-ditch effort to save themselves from being leveled for the new convention center … The TVA is raising rates again, effective March 1.
Photo by Brad Butcher.
Good morning, Nashville. The controversial issue of allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores is certainly not a new one, but lawmakers and advocates are taking a slightly different approach this year. The current bill moving through the legislature would give individual counties the opportunity to vote on the issue as early as August. [...]
Happy Hour: It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere
- Facing the wrath of All Of Tennessee, Rep. Curry Todd insists that he’s not actually trying to close bars after midnight and that the bill is just a drastic attention-grabbing ploy to address some other issues so could we please simmer down and stop with all the angry calls and emails already, thank you very much. [WPLN]
- In the latest attempt to make up for that enormous revenue shortage, the Tennessee state Senate voted to renew the special tax on beer and soft drinks, which goes to clean up all of the littered empty containers that once contained beer and soft drinks. [WTVF]
- Oh, but the senate does officially hate Michael Jackson. They wouldn’t even pass that resolution crowning him as the King of Pop today, can you believe that? [WPLN]
- Mayor Dean and Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas visited the Al-Farooq Mosque today to “express their concern that this crime occurred” and to assure the victims that this act doesn’t represent our city in any way. [WKRN]
- John Mayer gave a blubbering, tearful apology at last night’s Sommet Center show for some awful things he said in a Playboy interview and it was very awkward. So naturally we will direct you to the Youtube video in case you’ve not already seen it during your travels around the internet today. [WKRN]
Photo by Grey Street Girl.
Facing the wrath of All Of Tennessee, Rep. Curry Todd insists that he’s not actually trying to close bars after midnight and that the bill is just a drastic attention-grabbing ploy to address some other issues so could we please simmer down and stop with all the angry calls and emails already, thank you very [...]
Bright & Early: Adventuretime Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We keep getting more and more intrigued by this whole idea of an “Adventure Play Park” being built on the east bank of the Cumberland. So far we’ve heard talk of water jets, rock climbing walls, wading pools and an amphitheater, but we’re having a little trouble visualizing such a thing. What we do know is that it will span about 7 1/2 acres, they still need to acquire almost 300 parking spaces from LP Field, and it’s supposed to be open by summer 2011. The park is supposedly part of a massive effort by the Dean administration to revitalize both sides of the riverfront.
- City with a big heart. After the vandalism at the Al-Farooq Islamic Center of Nashville yesterday, we’re happy to hear that “Tim,” an unemployed truck driver from East Nashville, stopped by yesterday with some paint and helped with the cleanup. The full text of the nasty note was also released and it was about what you might expect, waxing poetic about Moslems [sic] and Satan. The vandalism is being investigated by the FBI as a hate crime.
- Tent City meetings. The Metro Homelessness Commission met about Tent City again yesterday and didn’t get a whole lot further in their efforts to figure out a solution for the homeless encampment. So far, they’re still looking at either moving it or shutting it down.
- Bits & pieces. January was the 20th straight month that Tennessee’s sales tax revenue collections were below budget … Tennessee-based restaurant chain Cracker Barrel was ranked as the third-worst employer for gays by the Human Rights Campaign … Councilman Eric Crafton announced yesterday that he’ll be running for Juvenile Court clerk.
Photo by Brad Butcher.
Good morning, Nashville. We keep getting more and more intrigued by this whole idea of an “Adventure Play Park” being built on the east bank of the Cumberland. So far we’ve heard talk of water jets, rock climbing walls, wading pools and an amphitheater, but we’re having a little trouble visualizing such a thing. What [...]
Happy Hour: Things To Frown About
- Our hearts go out to Knoxville today where a fourth grade teacher decided to bust into Inskip Elementary School and gun down the principal and assistant principal. Neither were killed, though Elisa Luna, who’s actually the daughter of former state Senator Jerry Cooper, is still listed in critical condition. No children were in the school at the time either. [WKRN]
- An MTSU study found that Middle Tennesseans are getting more and more pessimistic about the current state of the economy and job market, which we must admit is pretty sucktastic. Turn that frown upside down, Tennessee! [WPLN]
- The date for this year’s state sales tax-free weekend, of which there is now only one, has been bumped up a week to July 30-August 1. Last year’s tax-free weekend was basically a giant fail because it happened after the school year had already started when the entire point is to help families purchase school clothes and supplies. [WSMV]
- Rep. Curry Todd. Remember this name, because he’s the one trying to ban all liquor sales in Tennessee after midnight. [Tennessean]
- Fresh on the heels of News Channel 5′s controversial report on the Islamville Muslim community in Dover, TN, the Al-Farooq Mosque in Nashville was greeted with spraypainted slurs and a nasty letter. [Pith In The Wind]
- Public health groups are urging lawmakers to raise the cigarette tax again to $1.00 per pack. [WSMV]
Photo by Kittywinks Peeks.
Our hearts go out to Knoxville today where a fourth grade teacher decided to bust into Inskip Elementary School and gun down the principal and assistant principal. Neither were killed, though Elisa Luna, who’s actually the daughter of former state Senator Jerry Cooper, is still listed in critical condition. No children were in the school [...]
Speaking Of Lineups: Vandy Announces Rites Of Spring Bill
Not to be left in the dust by Bonnaroo’s big-time lineup announcements yesterday, InsideVandy.com announced the full lineup for this year’s Rites of Spring this morning.
Not to be left in the dust by Bonnaroo’s big-time lineup announcements yesterday, InsideVandy.com announced the full lineup for this year’s Rites of Spring this morning. Headliners are Ben Harper & Relentless7 and Drake, but we’re guessing that since this is Nashville, supporting acts Passion Pit and Phoenix will have the place equally as packed. [...]
Bright & Early: Ready Set Fight Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Metro school officials are kicking around a couple of ideas for making up the last snow day, which was not actually a snow day because they’re out of those. For some reason, just every other school system in the midstate builds in anywhere from 10-12 snow days and they all seem to be handling things just fine, but Metro has already used their allotted five and then some. Consequently, Metro is looking at shortening Spring Break, tacking days onto the end of the year and making several half-days into full days. We imagine that none of these options will please the kiddos, but what can you do?
- Doesn’t grow on trees. It seems like we read different versions of this story every other week, but Tennessee’s unemployment fund is still running out of money. Claims have tripled, unemployment rates are steadily hovering around 10%, and this all equates to one very depleted funding pool.
- TDOT can help. This is just your friendly reminder that if you run over pot holes that damage your car (which is especially likely during this time of year), you can file a claim with TDOT and they might help you cover the cost of repairs.
- Bits & pieces. Wintry weather in other parts of the country continues to wreak havoc on outbound flights from BNA … In the midst of things like our unemployment fund running dry, Tennessee lawmakers are working tirelessly to place a ban on late-night Girls Gone Wild ads … Our city is Very Drunk and in this particular case, it’s not a good thing.
Photo by c. marie photography.
Good morning, Nashville. Metro school officials are kicking around a couple of ideas for making up the last snow day, which was not actually a snow day because they’re out of those. For some reason, just every other school system in the midstate builds in anywhere from 10-12 snow days and they all seem to [...]
Happy Hour: Surrendering To The ‘Roo
- The Bonnaroo lineup has been trickling out all day and so far includes The Flaming Lips, Weezer, GWAR, Dave Matthews Band, She & Him, Jay-Z, and holy crap we’re salivating already. Stay glued to Mobileroo, the Tennessean‘s killer Bonnaroo hub, for all the latest additions. [Tennessean]
- Metro is snatching up a span of riverfront property for that mysterious and fun-sounding “adventure play park” that they’ve been plotting for quite some time now. The park will take up at least part of an LP Field parking lot. [WPLN]
- State Rep. Curry Todd has proposed a bill that would ban all alcohol sales (including bars and restaurants) after midnight, “because nothing good happens after midnight.” [WKRN]
- Metro Police made the largest pot bust in the city’s history, arresting nine people and seizing 4,000 pounds of marijuana. [WKRN]
- Oh no! The Cool Springs Galleria Disney Store will be shutting its doors this month, taking the magic with them. [Tennessean]
Photo by Karen Alisa.
The Bonnaroo lineup has been trickling out all day and so far includes The Flaming Lips, Weezer, GWAR, Dave Matthews Band, She & Him, Jay-Z, and holy crap we’re salivating already. Stay glued to Mobileroo, the Tennessean‘s killer Bonnaroo hub, for all the latest additions. [Tennessean] Metro is snatching up a span of riverfront property [...]
Will You ‘Roo? Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup & Tickets Available Today
The internets are all ablaze today due to Bonnaroo’s excruciatingly-slow lineup leak for the 2010 festival. While the flashy animated cuckoo clock on their Myspace is cute for about three seconds, if they don’t finish the announcements soon, we’ll be on our way to the festival before they’re done telling us who’s playing. Speaking of heading to Bonnaroo, tickets are going fast – we’re already looking at the third price tier ($234.50 plus fees) or more if you didn’t get tickets the minute they went on sale.
Bonnaroo has already announced headliners Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band and Kings of Leon, and we should be seeing a Stevie Wonder announcement pretty soon. Other officially-announced acts include:
The internets are all ablaze today due to Bonnaroo’s excruciatingly-slow lineup leak for the 2010 festival. While the flashy animated cuckoo clock on their Myspace is cute for about three seconds, if they don’t finish the announcements soon, we’ll be on our way to the festival before they’re done telling us who’s playing. Speaking of [...]
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