Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Happy Hour: Excuses, Excuses
- The adoptive grandmother of the Russian boy who was packed onto a plane and shipped back across the ocean has spoken out in defense of the incident. She’s also the one who actually put the kid on the plane. Oh and also, Russia is now considering stopping all adoptions of Russian kids by US citizens. [WTVF]
- See also: Gawker!
- Tennessee will be receiving nearly $19 million in new grant funding as part of the Ryan White program to help care for folks living with HIV/AIDS. [Out & About]
- Vince Young swears that he’s going to get us to the Super Bowl this year, no matter what it takes. [Tennessean]
- Mayor Dean wants the city to set aside $114,000 to demolish some of the old abandoned buildings that are falling apart in the city. [City Paper]
Photo victorjames615.
The adoptive grandmother of the Russian boy who was packed onto a plane and shipped back across the ocean has spoken out in defense of the incident. She’s also the one who actually put the kid on the plane. Oh and also, Russia is now considering stopping all adoptions of Russian kids by US citizens. [...]
Bright & Early: The Eleventh Plague Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Not that we’re hating on Spring or anything, but we’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to go through life without a sinus headache and a pollen-colored car. This year’s plague is the worst it’s been in years for many areas including Middle Tennessee as we’ve now been sitting under a high pollen alert for at least a week. According to the internets, we mostly have oak trees to thank for all of this, which produce 3,000 to 6,000 pollen particles per cubic meter and it only takes 10 pollen particles to anger the allergies. If you weren’t sneezing before, you probably are now.
- Giving back. A Shelbyville woman decided that the kid she adopted from Russia was did not arrive as advertised and she wanted to give him back. So she put him on a plane back to Russia with an expired US visa and a note saying that he had psychological issues. We would actually venture to say that perhaps he wasn’t the only one with the issues in this situation.
- Merci bien! France has deemed Nashville worthy of an “honorary” French consulate, which is sort of a half-consulate with no real diplomatic missions. We heard this rumor that they won’t give us a real consulate until they’re able to buy wine in our grocery stores (Okay, we made that part up) (ahem).
- Bits & pieces. Metro is having a Community Shred Day at LP Field tomorrow for folks who don’t have access to a shredder to destroy confidential documents … BNA is taking on a big green initiative that should create some new jobs … Apparently it’s confusing that the dogwood trees and the redbud trees are blooming at the same time, according to some folklore … The Metro Action Commission has received an additional $5 million in federal grant money to help low-income folks pay their electric bills this summer.
Photo by Silenus81.
Good morning, Nashville. Not that we’re hating on Spring or anything, but we’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to go through life without a sinus headache and a pollen-colored car. This year’s plague is the worst it’s been in years for many areas including Middle Tennessee as we’ve now been sitting under a high pollen [...]
Happy Hour: A Tilt And A Shift
- A group of parents called the Healthy School Food Team have banded together to urge Metro to offer healthier options in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Though they say that the school system is headed in the right direction, they want all the Cheetos removed from the cafeteria ASAP. [City Paper]
- We know this is old news, but we are still just a little bit baffled at Esquire’s choice to put Lane Kiffin up for sexiest woman of the year, which we suppose is the most belittling thing they could come up with or something. Which is sad. [WSMV]
- Tennessee’s four chambers of commerce can at least agree on one thing: They do not want Tennessee to pass an English-only law for driver’s license tests. [Tennessean]
- In the ongoing saga of the “I <3 Lady Gay Gay” shirt, Gaga herself has hopped into the fight with some words of encouragement for the Cole, the student who was sent home for wearing it. [WSMV]
- Congrats to Preds forward Joel Ward, who was nominated for the NHL’s Masterton Trophy. Every year, this award is given to a player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.” [City Paper]
Photo by stephencapps.
A group of parents called the Healthy School Food Team have banded together to urge Metro to offer healthier options in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Though they say that the school system is headed in the right direction, they want all the Cheetos removed from the cafeteria ASAP. [City Paper] We know this is old [...]
Bright & Early: Summertime Rolls Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Metro’s summer school program will be going invitation-only this year for the first time. It’s no secret that Metro has been struggling to meet No Child Left Behind requirements over the past few years in addition to facing some pretty detrimental funding cuts. Both factors came into play when creating the new restrictions for summer school programming, which will give priority to students who are at risk of not graduating and those who will turn 15 while still in middle school. Unfortunately, this decision happened on relatively short notice for parents who were counting on placing their kids who no longer qualify.
- No votes for you. In an effort to clean up Tennessee’s voter rolls (and, say, purge the 10,000 dead people who are still registered), many valid voters are finding that they’ve also been removed and must re-register.
- Valiant effort. Despite Willie Nelson’s best efforts, Tennessee lawmakers are moving a bill through the legislature that would allow horses to be slaughtered for meat. He says, “We ride horses in America. We don’t eat them.”
- Bits & pieces. Gas may hit $4 per gallon by the summer and hopefully will never run out in Nashville again … NES has a new automated system for reporting outages, just in time for storm season … It’s Mule Day in Maury County! … Metro Police thankfully stopped a driver zipping down the wrong side of I-65 last night before anyone was hurt.
Photo by ryan2013.
Good morning, Nashville. Metro’s summer school program will be going invitation-only this year for the first time. It’s no secret that Metro has been struggling to meet No Child Left Behind requirements over the past few years in addition to facing some pretty detrimental funding cuts. Both factors came into play when creating the new [...]
Happy Hour: You’re Not Gonna Reach Our Telephone
- Greenbrier High School (White House, TN) faculty sent a kid home after he came to school wearing an “I <3 Lady Gay Gay” t-shirt, saying that it became too much of a distraction for the rest of the student body. Naturally, this has landed Middle Tennessee in the national news spotlight again and we apologize in advance for this Perez link we’re about to give you. [Perez]
- In related news, a House subcommittee effectively killed Rep. Stacy Campfield’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill today when they sent it back to the State Board of Education for further study. The bill would’ve prohibited public schools from teaching kids about homosexual relationships. [Tennessean]
- The storms tonight are nothing to scoff at. Forecasters are predicting heavy rains, damaging winds, hail and a few isolated tornadoes possible. ETA for Nashville: 10pm. [Tennessean]
- After a number of gang shootings in recent weeks, the Metro Police Department is beefing up its anti-gang work and adding another gang unit next month. [City Paper]
- Metro will be shelling out a quarter of a million dollars to a woman they wrongly arrested back in 2006 because she happened to share the same name as the person for whom they were looking. [WSMV]
Photo by ept_0202.
Greenbrier High School (White House, TN) faculty sent a kid home after he came to school wearing an “I <3 Lady Gay Gay” t-shirt, saying that it became too much of a distraction for the rest of the student body. Naturally, this has landed Middle Tennessee in the national news spotlight again and we apologize [...]
Bright & Early: Sock It Away Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We’ve all worried about our credit score from time to time, but we’ve never given much thought to the fact that Metro has one, too. And it just took a bit of a hit over the lending involved in building the new Music City Center. The Powers That Be (Fitch Ratings–a bond-rating agency) dropped Metro’s bond rating from AA to AA-, citing “the potential additional fiscal strains of the debt-financed convention center upon an already pressured general fund beset by slim reserve levels, significant long-term liabilities and constrained revenue-raising ability.”
- Tea Partiers be darned. The State Attorney General has raised some questions about whether or not the Health Freedom Act is even constitutional. If passed, the bill would allow Tennesseans to opt out of the new federal health care plan. However, we think the best part of this story may be Rep. Naifeh stalling the House committee vote “by slowly reading the three-page legal opinion, including punctuation.”
- Fairgrounds bill withdrawn. Metro Councilman Eric Crafton has withdrawn his bill that would save the State Fairgrounds, but only since a task force was assigned to gather community input about what needs to be done with the space.
- Another water main break. An impressive water main break sent water shooting 20 feet into the air at 15th and Bernard near Belmont, and they can’t even blame the cold weather this time.
- Bits & pieces. Help Metro Police catch this guy who robbed eight Green Hills businesses (including Chipotle! How dare he!) on Friday night … Steve McNair’s estate owes nearly $4 million in state and federal taxes … The Preds have locked in a spot in the playoffs, and now they’re turning their focus to getting the best possible positioning … Big storms rolling in tonight around midnight.
Photo by fallingwater123.
Good morning, Nashville. We’ve all worried about our credit score from time to time, but we’ve never given much thought to the fact that Metro has one, too. And it just took a bit of a hit over the lending involved in building the new Music City Center. The Powers That Be (Fitch Ratings–a bond-rating [...]
Bright & Early: Biscuits No More Edition
Good morning, Nashville. It’s a sad morning for us here at Nashvillest as we’ve just learned that Loveless Cafe’s famous “Biscuit Lady,” Carol Fay Ellison, died yesterday after a three-week hospitalization. Details haven’t been released, but she will surely be missed around here. Since starting at the Loveless Cafe as a dishwasher at age 18, she’s since made her mark whipping up biscuits alongside such big names as Conan O’Brien and Martha Stewart, and most recently going up against Bobby Flay in a biscuit showdown.
- Accidents happen. The Davidson County Criminal Clerk’s Office accidentally sent out the clerk’s own social security number along with five staffers when they were responding to a request for criminal records, which makes us feel very secure in this town.
- Infamous. Speaking of feeling secure, Tennessee is the fifth most dangerous state according to the CQ Press, but what do they know?
- We told you that parking sucks. Everyone’s favorite blogging lawmaker Rep. Stacy Campfield was late for a committee vote yesterday and decided to skip the parking garage in favor of the much-more-convenient Capitol sidewalk. Rep. Campfield pulled up onto the sidewalk, turned on his hazard flashers, hopped out of the car, ran into the Plaza and voted, and then ran back out to move his car before anyone even had the chance to ticket him.
- Bits & pieces. Some “hunky” Nashville firemen are strutting down the catwalk of the Southern Women’s Show “in their skivvies” to raise some money “for charity,” and one of those hunky firemen is 72 … The Church Street viaduct (the bridge thing) will be undergoing some repairs so you might run into periodic closures this week … The Bald Eagles are bouncing back in Tennessee … You guys really did storm the Green Hills Apple Store castle on Saturday for the iPad release, didn’t you?
Photo by Chris1051.
Good morning, Nashville. It’s a sad morning for us here at Nashvillest as we’ve just learned that Loveless Cafe’s famous “Biscuit Lady,” Carol Fay Ellison, died yesterday after a three-week hospitalization. Details haven’t been released, but she will surely be missed around here. Since starting at the Loveless Cafe as a dishwasher at age 18, [...]
Blogs We Love: East Nashville Blog
Though the Nashvillest HQ is tucked away in Green Hills, we find ourselves spending a good chunk of our free time across the river. There’s just so much to love about East Nashville – Great new restaurants (and coffee shops) reproducing like rabbits, the Shelby Bottoms greenway, Pied Piper Creamery, the Tomato Art Fest and a zealous listserv are just a few of our favorite things about our neighbors to the east. But there’s only so much we can say about East Nashville before our well of knowledge runs dry, and that’s where East Nashville Blog comes in.
After a November-to-March hiatus, East Nashville Blog seems to be back in full swing (and we’re loving it). Written by a team of knowledgeable locals, you’ll find plenty of foodie news & reviews, tidbits of interesting East Nashville info, a sprinkling of music, and the heads-up about fun East Nashville happenings.
For East Nashvillians, wannabe East Nashvillians and just-visiting-from-the-other-side-of-the-river Nashvillians alike, East Nashville Blog is a fun, well-written, informative read. Get the scoop on all things East Nashville at East Nashville Blog.
“Blogs We Love” is a recurring feature on Nashvillest. Check out more Blogs We Love here!
Photo by osmium.
Though the Nashvillest HQ is tucked away in Green Hills, we find ourselves spending a good chunk of our free time across the river. There’s just so much to love about East Nashville – Great new restaurants (and coffee shops) reproducing like rabbits, the Shelby Bottoms greenway, Pied Piper Creamery, the Tomato Art Fest and a [...]
Bright & Early: If It’s Not Carp Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend, and we’re sorry if you’re one of the 1,300 East Nashvillians who woke up this morning without power thanks to an unruly driver who hit-and-run a utility pole last night. The good news is, you should have power back by now!
- Bigger, better. The Sounds are still pushing for a new stadium despite the recent $2.5 million upgrade that Greer received last year. We don’t care where they play, as long as we can get our Thirsty/Throwback Thursdays on.
- Just kidding? Three sharks and an octopus – yes, you heard that right, an octopus – have been found in Tennessee waters in the past few weeks. State wildlife biologists are crediting the strange river finds as a hoax, but with the state of our rivers and the things that are in them as of late, we’re not convinced.
- $0.02. Speaking of rivers, the Army Corps of Engineers is holding a public meeting at Cheatham County Central High School to gather input on the best way to manage the Cumberland. Please, someone go to this meeting and bring up the killer carp, we dare you…
- Bits & pieces. Carol Fay Ellison, the Loveless Cafe’s famous Biscuit Lady, is in the hospital with a life-threatening illness … The latest Nashville Tea Party drew a crowd of 400 … Morale is low at the Metro PD, according to a survey that less than 1/3 of the officers completed … Start thinking about other parking arrangements for that tractor trailer in your driveway.
Photo by ept_0202.
Good morning, Nashville. We hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend, and we’re sorry if you’re one of the 1,300 East Nashvillians who woke up this morning without power thanks to an unruly driver who hit-and-run a utility pole last night. The good news is, you should have power back by now! Bigger, better. [...]
Happy Hour: The Hills Are Alive
- It’s been almost a year since the Good Friday tornadoes that killed two and injured many more out in Murfreesboro last spring. Here’s hoping for less dangerous weather in 2010. [WTVF]
- Metro may be closing some sites that serve hot meals to low-income senior citizens every day, due to the endless budget cuts. [WSMV]
- In addition to the Disney Channel, the next season of Real World and the Titans cheerleaders are looking for new recruits. [WSMV & WSMV]
- Mindy McCready is in all sorts of trouble again, and clearly this is a very slow news day or we would not be mentioning it. [WSMV]
Photo by Neuski.
It’s been almost a year since the Good Friday tornadoes that killed two and injured many more out in Murfreesboro last spring. Here’s hoping for less dangerous weather in 2010. [WTVF] Metro may be closing some sites that serve hot meals to low-income senior citizens every day, due to the endless budget cuts. [WSMV] In [...]
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