Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Bright & Early: Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Back To School We Go
Good morning, Nashville. You may have noticed that your commute seemed a little long this morning… That’s right, it’s back to school day! Metro students are back for their first official day of school, though it’s only a half day. They’ll head back full time on Monday.
- This happened. Speaking of many, many children, if you tried to get anywhere near downtown last night you may have noticed that Justin Bieber was in town to fly around above his adoring Bridgestone Arena crowd in a giant heart. But before his show, he took a minute to present the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee with a $31,620 check for flood relief. Thanks, Bieber!
- Mother Nature. The Perseid meteor shower will peak tonight between 10pm – sunrise, with as many as 35 meteors per hour visible, and we’re pretty excited about that. Guess what we’re not excited about? Another 110 degree heat index day!
- Bits & pieces. Nashville’s bike-share program officially starts tomorrow … A North Nashville woman saved her family by pushing a dryer outside their home, while it was on fire … No one seems to know where the child’s skull that turned up in flood debris came from, though authorities now think that it dates back to the 1960′s … Tennessee will get $81.1 million to help unemployed homeowners avoid foreclosure.
Photo by stephenyeargin.
Good morning, Nashville. You may have noticed that your commute seemed a little long this morning… That’s right, it’s back to school day! Metro students are back for their first official day of school, though it’s only a half day. They’ll head back full time on Monday. This happened. Speaking of many, many children, if [...]
Happy Hour: Playing Hard Ball
- The Jonas Brothers have apparently challenged Kings of Leon to a softball game. And despite our hometown pride, we might have to pull for the Jonas Brothers on this one. [Tennessean]
- Here is a video of a monkey licking a frozen watermelon at the Nashville Zoo. Hey, they get hot too. [Tennessean]
- The Belle Meade Town Center, otherwise known as that Harris Teeter inside of an awesome old theater on Harding, is facing foreclosure. And as much as we love zipping up and down the escalators with fancy Starbucks drinks in our shopping cart cup holders, that theater is cool and could probably be something much more fun than a grocery store. [WSMV]
- According to the latest Rasmussen Reports poll, Bill Haslam has about 25 percentage points on Mike McWherter in the Tennessee gubernatorial race. [Nashville Scene]
- If you’re going to steal an entire ATM, don’t leave the job half-done. [WKRN]
Photo by xelcise.
The Jonas Brothers have apparently challenged Kings of Leon to a softball game. And despite our hometown pride, we might have to pull for the Jonas Brothers on this one. [Tennessean] Here is a video of a monkey licking a frozen watermelon at the Nashville Zoo. Hey, they get hot too. [Tennessean] The Belle Meade [...]
That’s A Wrap: 48 Hour Film Project Screenings Start Tonight
If you ever get antsy sitting in a two and a half hour movie, head to the Belcourt tonight and tomorrow night for an evening guaranteed to entertain even the most attention-span-challenged Nashvillians among us. Four collections of 7-minute (tops) films made by local filmmakers during this year’s 48 Hour Film Project will screen tonight and tomorrow night. There will be good, there will be bad, and there will definitely be ugly, but variety is the spice of life, right?
Over 50 teams participated in this year’s 48 Hour Film Project in Nashville, which took place the weekend of July 30. Each team was assigned a random theme, and was required to use the a common character, prop and line of dialogue (just to make the piece-of-cake task of filming an entire movie in 48 hours just a little more challenging). The 53 completed films are split into four groups for their screenings, because even at 7 minutes apiece, that’s a whole lotta film. If you’re really ambitious (and have a lot of free time), the Belcourt is offering a special rate of just $20 to all four screenings. You’ll probably laugh, you might even cry, but you’ll be supporting a bunch of crazy local filmmakers who lost a weekend of sleep for this project.
Group A (see film list): August 11, 7:00pm. Buy tickets here.
Group B (see film list): August 11, 9:30pm. Buy tickets here.
Group C (see film list): August 12, 7:00pm. Buy tickets here.
Group D (see film list): August 12, 9:40pm. Buy tickets here.
If you ever get antsy sitting in a two and a half hour movie, head to the Belcourt tonight and tomorrow night for an evening guaranteed to entertain even the most attention-span-challenged Nashvillians among us. Four collections of 7-minute (tops) films made by local filmmakers during this year’s 48 Hour Film Project will screen tonight [...]
Best Of Nashville 2010: Who’s Your Nashville Sweetheart?
The Nashville Scene’s annual Best of Nashville reader’s poll opened for votes today, and their snazzy new site makes voting easier than pie (coincidentally, this year’s theme is “Sweets of the City”). No need to register, no need to log in with your Facebook account, no need to scroll through pages of nominees to find your favorites* – Just click through the categories, type in the names of at least 20 favorites and hit “Submit Your Ballot” on the left side of the screen. It’s so easy, we don’t know why you’re still reading this. Get over there and vote!
You can vote once a day, so if you’re feeling particularly fiesty about your faves* this year, be sure to vote often!
*Psst… We’d love for your votes as Best Local Blog! Head over to the “Media” tab and vote for us, if you feel so inclined!
The Nashville Scene’s annual Best of Nashville reader’s poll opened for votes today, and their snazzy new site makes voting easier than pie (coincidentally, this year’s theme is “Sweets of the City”). No need to register, no need to log in with your Facebook account, no need to scroll through pages of nominees to find [...]
Bright & Early: What Goes Around Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Some of you might remember that time last year when East Nashville’s District 5 voted to unseat their Metro Councilwoman Pam Murray. The recall election came after a nasty months-long fight with her constituents–many of whom claimed that she actually lived and worked in Detroit, was mostly unreachable and therefore wasn’t fit to represent them. Turns out, she was indeed working at a methadone clinic in the D, but insisted she spent most of her time here in Nashville. The leader of the resistance, Jamie Hollin, was voted to replace her and things have been relatively quiet ever since. Until now! Ms. Murray has decided to file a defamation suit against Councilman Hollin and 11 other folks who supported him. She’s suing each one of them for $1 million in compensatory and punitive damages. But considering she didn’t even spell Hollin’s name correctly in the lawsuit, she may need to step up her game a bit.
- Trouble on the home front. Fisk University could be forced shut down completely if they can’t sell half of their Georgia O’Keefe art collection. They’ve been in tough financial shape for years, and they’ve been locked in a court battle over the artwork since O’Keefe expressly said she did not want it to be sold, ever, when she gifted it to the university.
- Notorious. Barry Stokes, Middle Tennessee’s famous (or is it infamous?) Ponzi schemer, died in federal prison yesterday. Stokes was serving time for scamming thousands of folks out of about $19 million in retirement savings, and he was recently diagnosed with lymphoma.
- Bits & pieces. Metro Schools have launched a new initiative to attract and retain good teachers … A tanker truck created quite a mess in Lebanon yesterday when it spilled 1,500 of diesel fuel after running into a gate … US Census officials believe that high unemployment led to better census workers being available and therefore saved the country a lot of money … GM continues to give us some hope about reopening the Spring Hill plant.
Photo by sunndog818.
Good morning, Nashville. Some of you might remember that time last year when East Nashville’s District 5 voted to unseat their Metro Councilwoman Pam Murray. The recall election came after a nasty months-long fight with her constituents–many of whom claimed that she actually lived and worked in Detroit, was mostly unreachable and therefore wasn’t fit [...]
Bright & Early: As We Walk In Fields Of Green Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Picture this: You’re on a plane just sitting in one of those little seats with your complimentary beverage, snacking on some lightly-salted peanuts while eagerly reading Twilight on your Kindle™, and the flight attendants begin preparing the cabin for landing. They chatter over the loudspeaker, maybe do a little song and dance routine if you’re flying that one airline, and you begin to stretch as the plane taxis happily into the terminal at BNA. “Welcome to Nashville,” the flight attendant exclaims, “where marijuana grows in fields like wildflowers!” Turning your head to the left to gaze out the tiny airplane window, you spot that beautiful field of green rippling in the warm Tennessee breeze. You smile, for you are home. Actually, this is more or less what just happened at BNA yesterday (though perhaps we embellished a bit) when several of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s finest found an actual “field of pot growing in an open area of the airport,” tended to by one Mr. Mark Vining who is 51 years of age. Having already racked up a few drug charges in his day, Mr. Vining was not actually an airport employee, which makes us wonder how he ended up with enough airport access to grow all that pot in the first place.
- Protesting the protests. City officials are putting some additional regulations on folks gathering in and around the courthouse to protest or rally at Metro Council meetings, such as requiring the gatherings to end 30 minutes before the meetings start, which kind of defeats the purpose of a protest. However, officials are concerned about disruptive noise levels and the safety of gathering in the mezzanine area with stairs that are easy to fall down.
- Debris disposal extended. Metro is extending free flood debris disposal services through the end of September because so many folks are still rebuilding. You just have to present a building permit (which is free for flood victims) proving that you’re doing the repairs and construction yourself.
- Bits & pieces. Two young women were arrested for running around Murfreesbroo naked and ringing people’s doorbells … Metro Animal Control wants to pass an ordinance limiting the number of pets we can have to prevent conditions that are unsanitary or harmful to the pets … Louisiana is sending us some help in the way of disaster recovery experts … The TVA predicts that energy demand is going to be the highest it’s been in years this week, so be smart about how you use it lest we end up with power outages … Young Buck officially owes the IRS $164,000.
Photo by Flickr Avatar.
Good morning, Nashville. Picture this: You’re on a plane just sitting in one of those little seats with your complimentary beverage, snacking on some lightly-salted peanuts while eagerly reading Twilight on your Kindle™, and the flight attendants begin preparing the cabin for landing. They chatter over the loudspeaker, maybe do a little song and dance routine [...]
Happy Hour: Keeping Our Cool
- Several organizations including Metro Action Commission are trying to get window units into the hands of as many air conditioner-less people as possible. So if you’ve got an extra one to spare, find out where you can take it. Similarly, keep an eye out for elderly friends and neighbors or anyone else without A/C who might be in need. [WSMV]
- The Antioch Islamic Center is finally good to go, having finally purchased the old theater building they were looking at, much to the chagrin of many of the town’s residents. [WSMV]
- Sales tax collections showed the biggest increase in three years between June and July, which is a good sign for our state’s economy since we depend on sales tax. [WTVF]
- The Preds gave their executive leadership team a bit of a makeover with a new CEO and COO, both of whom are expected to give the business side of things a boost. [Tennessean]
- Here is that thing which happens every year around this time and which causes us to stay inside under several layers of netting: West Nile mosquitoes! Metro Health Department is already on it, however, and they’ve got traps set up in hopes of catching them before they infect anyone. [WSMV]
Photo by ToddMorris.
Several organizations including Metro Action Commission are trying to get window units into the hands of as many air conditioner-less people as possible. So if you’ve got an extra one to spare, find out where you can take it. Similarly, keep an eye out for elderly friends and neighbors or anyone else without A/C who [...]
Happy Hour: Speed Of Sound
- Twitter has been all a-buzz (can we say that?) about the high-speed rail between Nashville and Atlanta that’s in the works. We’ve heard this story before, but it sounds like they’ve already secured $14 MILLION in federal funding for the project. The contractor is looking to grab another $34 million to get the job done a little faster. It’ll likely stretch between Atlanta and ‘Noog first before being extended to Nashville and Louisville, KY. [Tennessean]
- Well, it only took five days, but Douglas Henry was declared to be the winner in the District 21 Senate primary by just 13 votes. As expected, Jeff Yarbro’s campaign is calling for a recount. [Nashville Post]
- A man was shot in the foot in broad daylight this afternoon somewhere on Fourth Avenue, and police are still trying to figure out what happened. [WTVF]
- A local Catholic priest is under fire after a video interview surfaced in which he calls for the Catholic Church to let priests marry and to stop condemning birth control. Bishop David Choby is “looking at several possible disciplinary responses.” [Tennessean]
Photo by JSDavis82.
Twitter has been all a-buzz (can we say that?) about the high-speed rail between Nashville and Atlanta that’s in the works. We’ve heard this story before, but it sounds like they’ve already secured $14 MILLION in federal funding for the project. The contractor is looking to grab another $34 million to get the job done [...]
Bright & Early: Tangled Web Edition
Good morning, Nashville. The City of Lakewood, a one-square mile community in Davidson County, isn’t so sure they want to join Metro after all. In last week’s election, they decided by one vote to dissolve the city and become a part of Metro but now residents are demanding a recall. Among other things, many of them are concerned about having to pay property taxes and that Metro Police won’t provide them with as much protection as the current Lakewood Police.
- Homecoming. As of today, most of the 278th National Guard Unit will finally be arriving home in Tennessee, six months earlier than expected. The few remaining soldiers will be home in a little over a week.
- Staying covered. Gaylord is understandably doubling up on their flood insurance coverage this time around since the Opryland Hotel and Grand Ole Opry House were among some of the worst-hit properties in Nashville.
- Bits & pieces. Hardeman County officials are working hard to get their town to slim down, as they are the most obese county in the state … Chris Johnson says he’ll play for what the Titans give him this year, but next year he’s demanding a raise … A man who jumped off of the Shelby Street Bridge on Friday night survived the 90-foot fall … Stones Creek in Murfreesboro is now back open to the public after a sizable spill of raw sewage … The World’s Longest Yard Sale happened this weekend along Highway 1-27, running from Alabama to Michigan … Tennessee has received $325,000 to create a searchable online database of the state’s newspaper archive … Oh look, a heat advisory!
Photo by Paul Nicholson.
Good morning, Nashville. The City of Lakewood, a one-square mile community in Davidson County, isn’t so sure they want to join Metro after all. In last week’s election, they decided by one vote to dissolve the city and become a part of Metro but now residents are demanding a recall. Among other things, many of them [...]
Happy Hour: Expanding The Empire
- Welcome to Davidson County, Lakewood? Even if you did only decide to join us by one vote. [WSMV]
- And we thought we’d have an answer by now, but the Yarbro-Henry Senate primary is still too close to call. At last count, Douglas Henry was winning by three votes. [WKRN]
- The emergency dispatcher responsible for waiting 18 minutes to sound the tornado sirens last week has officially been canned and everyone else will be undergoing some remedial tornado siren training. [WSMV]
- Some graffiti artists were arrested in Bellevue and are believed to be connected to that rash of tire-slashing that took place nearby. [City Paper]
- The good news: Probably no storms this weekend. The bad news: It’s gonna be hot hot hot. Still. [Nashville WX]
Photo by hikenandhistory.
Welcome to Davidson County, Lakewood? Even if you did only decide to join us by one vote. [WSMV] And we thought we’d have an answer by now, but the Yarbro-Henry Senate primary is still too close to call. At last count, Douglas Henry was winning by three votes. [WKRN] The emergency dispatcher responsible for waiting [...]
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