Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Happy Hour: Plop Plop Fizz Fizz
- After nearly a month of waiting and assessing, 10 Tennessee counties will be getting some federal disaster relief funding from the feds for last month’s flooding. [WSMV]
- The town of Lakewood will for-sure be having a recount for the election in which they voted 400-399 to dissolve their charter and join the cool kids of Metro Nashville. [Tennessean]
- Loews Vanderbilt is moving its corporate offices to Nashville early next year, which should bring about 200 more jobs to the downtown area. [WKRN]
- Tennessee Women’s Prison is trying out a new approach to exercise for their inmates: Zumba. [WTVF]
- The Sounds will keep their AAA deal with the Milwaukee Brewers at least through 2012. [City Paper]
- We nearly missed this tidbit yesterday in all the talk about Opry Mills in which one of the partial owners set forth the possibility that the mall could just never reopen if they aren’t able to work out the insurance situation. [WKRN]
- Dairy King is coming back! [WKRN]
Photo by jodestick.
After nearly a month of waiting and assessing, 10 Tennessee counties will be getting some federal disaster relief funding from the feds for last month’s flooding. [WSMV] The town of Lakewood will for-sure be having a recount for the election in which they voted 400-399 to dissolve their charter and join the cool kids of [...]
Bright & Early: Green, Greener, Greenest Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Mayor Dean will be making an appearance at the Nashville Farmer’s Market today to discuss some new initiatives aimed at preserving our city’s green space and making us the greenest city EVER. If you’re one of the three people who has nowhere to be at 1pm today, you can head over to the marketplace to check that out. You can also vote on the initiatives anytime between 10am and 3pm.
- More good news for Spring Hill. Yesterday brought the exciting news that the Spring Hill GM plant would be rehiring 400 people to help produce a new engine. Today we’re learning that GM has a press conference scheduled for Friday to share some even better news for the plant which idled nearly a year ago and resulted in more than 1,500 layoffs.
- We are still Nashville. As Extreme Home Makeover‘s Nashville Build continues for Lighthouse Preschool, they’re in desperate need of some help with painting. If you’ve got a few hours to spare, you can head directly over to the Antioch Community Center, located at 5023 Blue Hole Road. Let’s build these kids an awesome school.
- Bits & pieces. Surprise surprise, the TVA is hiking our electric bills again … In other surprising news, the neighbors are still upset about Belmont’s rapid expansion … Here are a couple of recaps from last night’s gubernatorial debate, which would have been infinitely more interesting if Basil Marceaux had been there … In case your sinuses haven’t already notified you, the ragweed is terrible this year.
Photo by Jacob Briggs.
Good morning, Nashville. Mayor Dean will be making an appearance at the Nashville Farmer’s Market today to discuss some new initiatives aimed at preserving our city’s green space and making us the greenest city EVER. If you’re one of the three people who has nowhere to be at 1pm today, you can head over to [...]
Happy Hour: The Neverending Story
- Opry Mills has decided to sue its insurance company for $150 million, claiming that they’re not paying out nearly as much as they should in repair costs. The mall is estimated to have sustained upwards of $200 million in damage and so far only about $50 million has been covered. This is apparently the reason why they haven’t set a target reopening date yet. [Tennessean]
- A judge as rejected the State Attorney General’s proposal to remove the Stieglitz art collection from Fisk University, which includes original works from Georgia O’Keefe, Pablo Picasso and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and was given to the school decades ago. About 200 of Fisk’s 800-member student body turned out for a protest of the proposal this morning in front of the Frist. [WKRN & Tennessean]
- Six people were injured this afternoon in West Tennessee after an explosion a factory that makes military flares. The cause still hasn’t been determined. [WSMV]
- The Spring Hill GM plant is getting some new life pumped into it by way of a new four-cylinder engine that will be produced there. The company is pulling up 400 of the workers they laid off when the plant idled nearly a year ago. [Tennessean]
- Mayor Dean visited the old Peterbilt Trucks manufacturing plant out in Madison today to announce the administration’s plan to convert it into a new police precinct and DNA crime lab. [WKRN]
- Oh hallelujah, they’re going to finally open the White Bridge Road flyover ramp on Friday that connects I-40 to Briley Parkway, which they have been working on for approximately one million years. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the West Nashville construction woes. [WKRN]
Photo by beckyrjohnson.
Opry Mills has decided to sue its insurance company for $150 million, claiming that they’re not paying out nearly as much as they should in repair costs. The mall is estimated to have sustained upwards of $200 million in damage and so far only about $50 million has been covered. This is apparently the reason [...]
Bright & Early: Sound Of Music City Edition
Good morning, Nashville. In case we’d forgotten about the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which took one of the hardest hits during the flood, they’re now turning to their endowment for the necessary funding to repair the beautiful building. At the height of the flood, they had about 20 feet of water in their basement which ruined countless instruments, operations equipment and the center’s catering facilities. They expect to reopen early next year, but with federal assistance being pretty slow to arrive, much of the $39 million in repair costs will be fronted by funds from their endowment and slowly replenished as donations and federal assistance roll in. Even so, they’ll probably be taking quite a hit. So for the love of all things holy, get out there and catch a Nashville Symphony performance if you can swing it and let’s help them get back on their feet.
- Getting a little extreme. The Extreme Home Makeover crew and volunteers are still hard at work rebuilding Lighthouse Preschool, whose trailer we saw floating down I-24 during the flood. They’re still in need of some help if you’ve got extra time and expertise, so head over to the Nashville Build site to see what’s going on and how you can help.
- Gubernatorial debate tonight. Tennessee gubernatorial candidates Mike McWherter and Bill Haslam will have their first debate tonight out in Cookeville. With early voting just around the corner on October 13th, we’ve only got a few weeks to make up our minds and there are no debates scheduled for Nashville. You can catch tonight’s event live on News Channel 5 or streaming online at 7pm.
- Bits & pieces. Sevier Park could be getting a brand new swimming pool along with their shiny new community center … The Community Foundation has distributed more than $3 million in flood relief grants to date, and you can find the updated list of recipients here … Our neighbors in the ‘Noog can now brag that they have the fastest internet in the entire country. We’ll be right over, guys … Tennessee’s crime rate dropped a full 8% last year … We have no idea what would go on at a hip-hop conference, but Vanderbilt will soon find out.
Photo by µJoe.
Good morning, Nashville. In case we’d forgotten about the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which took one of the hardest hits during the flood, they’re now turning to their endowment for the necessary funding to repair the beautiful building. At the height of the flood, they had about 20 feet of water in their basement which ruined [...]
Happy Hour: Ttttthhhhppphhhttt
- We apologize, but this photo from the Nashville Zoo simply had to appear on our front page.
- Mayor Dean unveiled the first in a series of charitable parking meters downtown this morning, which is basically a way to donate change to the homeless without giving directly to panhandlers. The first meter is sponsored by Southwest and located in front of the Bridgestone Arena. [WPLN]
- Many students at Fisk University are none to pleased with the state’s proposed plan to take their Georgia O’Keefe collection and show it off at the Frist until they can afford to take care of it themselves. They’re holding a prayer vigil tonight at the Fisk Memorial Chapel. [WTVF]
- Some folks threw together a new website that tells you which restaurants and bars in Nashville allow guns and which don’t, called Gun Free Dining Tennessee. [Tennessean]
- A payday lender on Gallatin Road is suing the Metro Council for rezoning the area to exclude title loan, payday loan and quick cash businesses. [In Session]
- Mayor Dean wants to turn at least part of the State Fairgrounds into a park. The rest is up in the air. [WSMV]
Photo by monicag123.
We apologize, but this photo from the Nashville Zoo simply had to appear on our front page. Mayor Dean unveiled the first in a series of charitable parking meters downtown this morning, which is basically a way to donate change to the homeless without giving directly to panhandlers. The first meter is sponsored by Southwest [...]
Bright & Early: The Good Old Days Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Depending on how long you’ve lived here, you may or may not remember the glory days of the Starwood Amphitheater. Situated way out in Antioch, it certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was the primary venue for outdoor music here in Nashville until it closed down in 2007. Now Mayor Dean’s administration is kicking around the idea of building us a new amphitheater on the riverfront that would seat more people than the Ryman, but less than the Bridgestone. Since lots of shows pass us up because we don’t have a venue of that size, the hope is that something like that would bring even more live music to Music City.
- Gaylord’s still hiring. After rehiring over a thousand old employees and adding some new ones, Gaylord still needs to fill about 400 positions before they reopen in November. Check out this website for more information.
- Light it up. Starting October 1st, TennCare will be paying for services to help pregnant women quit smoking since it’s apparently a big problem. Recent studies show that almost 20% of Tennessee’s pregnant women admit to smoking during the last 3 months of their pregnancies.
- Bits & pieces. As promised, a minister in Springfield set fire to a copy of the Quran and some other book about Mohammed on Saturday … Titans won yesterday, which means they’re already doing better than last season … Steve McNair’s old restaurant, Gridiron9, reopened this weekend under new ownership … Mayor Dean has a fancy-looking plan to revitalize the Hickory Hollow Mall … The State Attorney General has proposed a plan to keep Fisk University’s Georgia O’Keefe collection in Nashville … Just a friendly reminder that they’re building a new convention center downtown.
Photo by jodyrobert.
Good morning, Nashville. Depending on how long you’ve lived here, you may or may not remember the glory days of the Starwood Amphitheater. Situated way out in Antioch, it certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was the primary venue for outdoor music here in Nashville until it closed down in 2007. Now Mayor Dean’s administration is [...]
The Weekendist: Running Like Chickens Edition
TGIF, Nashville. Your Nashvillest editors have big out of town plans tomorrow, so we hope you’ll forgive us for the abbreviated nature of today’s Weekendist. And though we may be going out of town tomorrow, we’ll be making up for it on Sunday by running around town in The Nashville Challenge: The Ultimate Urban Scavenger Race (you can still sign up to compete against us!). So whether you come downtown to laugh at us cheer us on or choose to spend your weekend stuffing your face with baklava, we won’t hold it against you.
Americana Music Festival
We’re just going to throw this out there – We’re completely embarrassed at the lack of love we’ve given this fantastic festival that’s camping out in Nashville this week. Some of the biggest names in songwriting (with the occasional smattering of international superstars like Robert Plant) have graced five of our local venues this week. Thankfully, it keeps going through the weekend. Click HERE for the upcoming lineup, and keep an ear out for last-minute “secret” shows to be announced.
Tennessee State Fair
The Tennessee State Fair opened to a soggy start today, but the drier forecast for Sunday means it’s a great chance to explore opening weekend at the new, revamped Tennessee State Fair. Check out the schedule HERE and plan to catch some ice cream eating contests, pig racin’ and especially Kenya Safari Acrobats. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for kids and ride wristbands are $25.
Nashville Greek Festival
We hit up the Nashville Greek Festival every year for tasty, traditional Mediterranean treats and entertainment. You can check out the menu and the schedule of entertainment HERE (PDF warning!), or just head down to the backyard at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Franklin Pike to check it out for yourself. Admission is $2, and the fest runs through Sunday evening at 7pm (Saturday hours 10am-9pm, Sunday hours 12-7pm).
Belle Meade Plantation Fall Fest
If “fall” is in the title, we’re in. Though fall is technically still a couple of weeks away, celebrate its coming at the Belle Meade Plantation at their 25th annual Fall Fest. There will be games, rides, music, crafts, antiques, wine and the promise of fall in the air (or maybe we made that part up). Admission is $10 for adults, children under 10 are free, and the fest runs Saturday from 9am-5pm and Sunday from 10am-5pm.
Tennessee Titans v. Oakland Raiders
Okay, so if you don’t already have tickets you’re probably not going to this one. Even so, it’s worth mentioning that our Titans are playing their season opener against the Oakland Raiders right here in town this Sunday, so brace yourself for traffic or just steer clear (you can find the season road closures HERE).
Nashville Challenge: The Ultimate Urban Scavenger Race
Did we mention that we’ll be running around downtown like crazies this Sunday? That’s because we’ll be following a set of 12 clues to different places in Nashville, taking cute snapshots of ourselves all sweaty and out of breath, and racing back to the finish line for a whopping $200 first-place prize. Go Team Nashvillest! You can sign up on race day until 3pm (clues are handed out at 3:30pm), so there’s still time to get in on the action. But you’d better not beat us.
Regions Free Days at the Adventure Science Center
Free. Science. “Grossology.” The Adventure Science Center is free this Sunday from 12:30-5:30pm, so unleash your inner kid (or your real kids) and hop on that moonwalk. For more info, click HERE to read last week’s post about Sunday’s upcoming free day.
Photo by ibeginz.
TGIF, Nashville. Your Nashvillest editors have big out of town plans tomorrow, so we hope you’ll forgive us for the abbreviated nature of today’s Weekendist. And though we may be going out of town tomorrow, we’ll be making up for it on Sunday by running around town in The Nashville Challenge: The Ultimate Urban Scavenger [...]
Bright & Early: Yes, You Signed That Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We’re running behind this morning, so here’s your abbreviated Bright & Early:
- Homeless shelters could be facing a new barrier in the form of a recently-signed state law that only allows two registered sex offenders to live at one address. Since many homeless folks use addresses of shelters and transitional housing, this could cause some problems. When asked about the law while touring Room In The Inn’s new facility yesterday, Governor Phil replied, “Did I sign that?” [Tennessean]
- After 16 years in pro football, fan favorite Kevin Mawae is expected to announce his retirement at a 4pm press conference. Though he played with the Titans from 2006-2009, he wasn’t re-signed this year and has been serving as a strength and conditioning intern at Vanderbilt. [Tennessean]
- Some Nashvillians are worried that their houses might slip-n-slide during the winter due to some nearby landslides during the flood and more ground saturation anticipated this winter. [WSMV]
- Today’s been looking pretty gloomy with some scattered showers in the forecast for the rest of the day. We could see a couple of strong storms tomorrow. [Nashville WX]
- Tennessee is getting a fancy new 911 system next year that will allow us to send texts, photos and videos to emergency dispatchers. [Tennessean]
- Don’t forget about the street closures for Sunday’s Titans game! [Tennessean]
- In case anyone was concerned, the Springfield minister who pledged to burn a Quran in solidarity with the minister in Florida is still going to hold the bonfire, despite the Florida burning being postponed or called off. It should be up on Youtube before the weekend is out. [Tennessean]
- For some reason, this popular German American Idol-ish reality show has been filming in Nashville and they kind of like it here. [City Paper]
Photo by Chuck Sutherland.
Good morning, Nashville. We’re running behind this morning, so here’s your abbreviated Bright & Early: Homeless shelters could be facing a new barrier in the form of a recently-signed state law that only allows two registered sex offenders to live at one address. Since many homeless folks use addresses of shelters and transitional housing, this [...]
Happy Hour: Our Favorite Vege-Table
- We might be bad at a lot of things here in Tennessee (especially health-wise!), but when it comes to eating our veggies, we’re apparently the best in the nation according to the CDC. Way to go, us! [WSMV]
- The annual Nashville Nine list–a list of Nashville’s most endangered historic properties–was released by Historic Nashville, Inc. today. The properties include Fort Nashborough, the Gallatin Pike Historic District and John Geist & Sons Blacksmith Shop and House in Germantown. [WKRN]
- Congrats to the folks at the Campus for Human Development who had a ribbon-cutting ceremony today for their new $13 million Comprehensive Center. It looks fancy! [WSMV]
- More than 25,000 people hit up the new Flamingo Lagoon exhibit over Labor Day weekend at the Nashville Zoo. They even beat their own one-day attendance record on Saturday with nearly 10,000 paying visitors. [WKRN]
- The city is partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs to start up a pilot program to get Nashville’s neediest veterans off the street and into services that can help them. [WTVF]
Photo by Paul Nicholson.
We might be bad at a lot of things here in Tennessee (especially health-wise!), but when it comes to eating our veggies, we’re apparently the best in the nation according to the CDC. Way to go, us! [WSMV] The annual Nashville Nine list–a list of Nashville’s most endangered historic properties–was released by Historic Nashville, Inc. [...]
Bright & Early: Rebuilding Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Saturday marks the start of the Nashville Build by the crew of Extreme Home Makeover and a few thousand volunteers. The crew will be rebuilding the home of a flood victim somewhere in Nashville and probably making it super-fancy since the mysterious beneficiary has likely been crammed into a hotel or friend’s couch for the past several months. Parts of the house are already being constructed off-site as we speak and they still need volunteers and donations. So what are you doing with your Saturday?
- Hate on. A Springfield minister wants in on that Quran-burning action happening in Florida on Saturday. And not to be outdone by the Floridians, he says he plans to post the video online. “If they want their religion,” he says, “they can have it somewhere else.”
- Sharp shooter. Someone who is evidently not very good at shooting doves managed to take down the internet, cable and phones across four counties earlier this week. The individual is thought to have tried to shoot a dove sitting on a wire which happened to be the Internet Wire for Bedford County and surrounding counties, and the entire internet was down until Wednesday.
- Bits & pieces. Flu shots may be mandatory for Vanderbilt Medical Center employees … Some jerk stole a woman’s pet dogs in Williamson County, but they were eventually recovered safe & sound … The President of Lipscomb University is off to Washington for a meeting of faith leaders … A family is suing Metro after claiming that a teacher accidentally knocked their kid’s front teeth out by accident … We might be in for some rough weather tonight … We might also be in for a rough commute with former President Bill Clinton speaking downtown tonight … The number of Tennessee students who qualify for free and reduced lunch is up 3% from last year.
Photo by me, alexis.
Good morning, Nashville. Saturday marks the start of the Nashville Build by the crew of Extreme Home Makeover and a few thousand volunteers. The crew will be rebuilding the home of a flood victim somewhere in Nashville and probably making it super-fancy since the mysterious beneficiary has likely been crammed into a hotel or friend’s [...]
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