Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Happy Hour: Out With The Old
- The glory days of Vince Young have officially come to a close with the removal of his giant picture from the side of LP Field. Sayonara, VY™. [WTVF]
- Meanwhile, the Titans began interviewing for a new coach to replace the ‘Stache today. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak, linebacker coach Dave McGinnis and offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger are all slated for interviews. [WSMV]
- In other Nashville sporting news, Jordin Tootoo was cleared to return to practice with the Preds after completing a voluntary rehab stint for substance abuse. Welcome back, Tootoo! [WSMV]
- Belle Meade made BusinessWeek.com’s top 50 most expensive small towns. The median home value for the area is more than $1 million. [WSMV]
- The weather has been nice enough for the meerkat pups at the Nashville Zoo to come out and play! The five pups are only four weeks old and probably think they were mistakenly dropped off in the Arctic. [WSMV]
- The Metro Council is considering a bill that would allow cars that are two years old or less to be exempt from emissions testing. [City Paper]
- Fisk University has added a fun new member to their Board of Trustees: Beyonce’s dad. [City Paper]
Photo by hikenandhistory.
The glory days of Vince Young have officially come to a close with the removal of his giant picture from the side of LP Field. Sayonara, VY™. [WTVF] Meanwhile, the Titans began interviewing for a new coach to replace the ‘Stache today. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak, linebacker coach Dave McGinnis and offensive coordinator Mike [...]
Bright & Early: Elephants In The Room Edition
Good morning, Nashville. After firing their CEO and being sued by one of the original founders, the Hohenwald Elephant Sanctuary is hoping to get a fresh start and take on a bigger role of educating the public about elephants. Located about 80 miles southwest of here, they take in old, sick or injured elephants from circuses and zoos and give them some peace and quiet in which to roam around. The sanctuary still won’t be open to the public, but they will be opening up an educational center in the Hohenwald town square so folks can learn all about the work they do. Additionally, they’ve installed 12 elephant cams so we can at least watch them on the internet when we’re procrastinating at work. We tested it out this morning and it’s a bit foggy, but we’re pretty sure it will be awesome once the weather clears up.
- Bridging the gap. The state will be making about $300 million in TennCare cuts this year by capping doctor and hospital visits at eight annually. The cap doesn’t apply to children and pregnant women. The cuts are part of an effort to make up for the state’s $1 billion budget shortfall (yes, that’s billion with a ‘b.’)
- Fatal bus collision. A man was fatally injured after being run over by an MTA bus downtown on Saturday night. Apparently he was running after the bus and smacking the window to try to get it to stop and fell underneath. No charges have been filed against the driver.
- Bits & pieces. A former Vanderbilt professor is suing the school for alleged racial discrimination … Metro Schools officials hope to ramp up their services for non-English speakers in order to meet NCLB guidelines … Metro is facing a big public housing shortage … We certainly hope you enjoyed the amazing weather this weekend as it is probably going to storm tomorrow and snow on Wednesday.
Photo by Kerry Woo.
Good morning, Nashville. After firing their CEO and being sued by one of the original founders, the Hohenwald Elephant Sanctuary is hoping to get a fresh start and take on a bigger role of educating the public about elephants. Located about 80 miles southwest of here, they take in old, sick or injured elephants from [...]
The Weekendist: Sixty What? Edition
After a few weeks of snow and ice, it’s feeling balmy at 45 degrees today. The warm temps are supposed to stick around through the weekend, and if it really gets to 60 degrees on Sunday, we suggest picnics and parks for everyone (conveniently, since events this weekend are few and far between). Get outside, get some air, and enjoy a few of our top picks for this weekend:
FRIDAY
- Night Market. Nashville Farmer’s Market, 6-8pm, free. Come down to the Nashville Farmer’s Market for the first Night Market of 2011! Special menus, special vendors (Saturday-only favorites included!), cash bars, live music, samples, blend-your-own-olive-oils, hot chocolate cocktails (need we say more?) and even some appearances from “local stars” are on the agenda. So far we haven’t been able to make it to any of the Night Markets, so we’re extra excited to be able to attend this one. Many of the farmer’s market merchants are still recovering from the flood closure, so join us and show your support!
- “The Strangeness of the Ordinary” Film Series: Blue Velvet. Frist Center, 7pm, free. Catch a screening of the 1986 film Blue Velvet as part of one of the Frist’s many free community film series. The film series are always free, but since the Frist is offering completely free admission for the next few weeks, take the chance to meander around and catch the Eggleston photography exhibit before the show!
SATURDAY
- Nashville Fishing Extravaganza. 9am-8pm Saturday, 9am-5pm Sunday, Municipal Auditorium, $5. We’ll just go ahead and admit right now that we’re not exactly into fishing (you would have never guessed, eh?), but for those who are, this weekend’s Nashville Fishing Extravaganza is the place to be. Kids under 16 get in free and adult admission is only $5, and you’ll get to see something called Slog Lake and another something called the Vicious Fishing Trophy Tank (which has never been seen before, apparently). Sign us up!
SUNDAY
- The Nashville Opera Presents: The Marriage of Figaro. TPAC’s James K. Polk Theater, 2pm, $5-92.50. The Nashville Opera’s newest production, Mozart’s classic The Marriage of Figaro, runs this weekend at TPAC. Friday’s show is already sold out, so hurry and snap up your tickets for Sunday now if you’re planning to go! The third and final performance is Tuesday, February 1 at 7pm.
After a few weeks of snow and ice, it’s feeling balmy at 45 degrees today. The warm temps are supposed to stick around through the weekend, and if it really gets to 60 degrees on Sunday, we suggest picnics and parks for everyone (conveniently, since events this weekend are few and far between). Get outside, [...]
Free Admission At The Frist Center Through February 19 [Freebies]
On the heels of a year full of Chihuly, The Birth of Impressionism and many other big-ticket exhibitions, the Frist Center is offering free admission through February 19 as a way of saying thanks to the community. If you’re anything like us, you blinked a few times at that news, but it’s true – Almost a month of completely free admission to the Frist! Their newest installation is William Eggleston: Anointing the Overlooked, a collection of photographs from Memphis photographer William Eggleston that we hear is definitely worth checking out (and at the whopping cost of “free,” there’s really no reason not to).
Free admission to the Frist Center, January 24 – February 19, 2011.
Photo by alumroot.
On the heels of a year full of Chihuly, The Birth of Impressionism and many other big-ticket exhibitions, the Frist Center is offering free admission through February 19 as a way of saying thanks to the community. If you’re anything like us, you blinked a few times at that news, but it’s true – Almost [...]
Bright & Early: The Sun Also Rises Edition
Good morning, Nashville. By the looks of the headlines this morning, you would think that nothing else is going on in the world besides the Titans kicking Jeff Fisher to the curb. Nevertheless, the federal government has ruled that Metro Schools must allow students in underperforming schools to transfer to better ones. Though this is standard procedures when schools don’t meet their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals under No Child Left Behind, Metro had hoped to appeal the procedure because standardized testing scores were so late coming in this year. As a result, they’ll be sending out one letter to parents letting them know that students can transfer and another trying to persuade them not to.
- Budget cuts for Metro. Metro’s finance director sent out a memo this week asking all departments to figure out how they would be affected by a 3% budget cut, indicating that something like that might be in the cards.
- Job growth in 2011. Economists predict that jobs will grow pretty steadily this year, but there probably won’t be any sort of magic boom in employment numbers. In all likelihood, they say, it may be 2014 before things return to pre-recession normal.
- Bits & pieces. If you have any old prom dresses lying around, consider giving them to these folks … Yes, we get it, everyone is out of road salt … TSU apparently has a pretty killer marching band … Several legislators are teaming up to combat child prostitution and sex trafficking in Tennessee … Please enjoy this lovely snow-free forecast for the next couple of days.
Photo by Alyssa Reeves.
Good morning, Nashville. By the looks of the headlines this morning, you would think that nothing else is going on in the world besides the Titans kicking Jeff Fisher to the curb. Nevertheless, the federal government has ruled that Metro Schools must allow students in underperforming schools to transfer to better ones. Though this is [...]
Happy Hour: Long Live The ‘Stache
- Sports Illustrated (and now a whole slew of other media outlets) is reporting that the Titans are preparing to dump Coach Jeff Fisher and the official announcement could come as soon as this evening. The 2011 season would have been his 17th as head coach with the Titans/Oilers franchise. [Sports Illustrated]
- That suspicious package outside of the Marine recruiting center this morning turned out to just be a case of soft drinks. [WKRN]
- The city will officially be studying traffic patterns along West End and Broadway and figure out which fancy new public transit thing would most benefit the area, including streetcars, a light rail and new bus rapid transit lines. [WSMV]
- Metro Schools officials are holding a public meeting tonight to figure out how to combat bullying in the classroom. [WSMV]
Photo by AJ Guel.
Sports Illustrated (and now a whole slew of other media outlets) is reporting that the Titans are preparing to dump Coach Jeff Fisher and the official announcement could come as soon as this evening. The 2011 season would have been his 17th as head coach with the Titans/Oilers franchise. [Sports Illustrated] That suspicious package outside [...]
Bright & Early: A Grain Of Salt Edition
Good morning, Nashville. The kids are back in school today! Miracles happen. For those keeping track at home, Metro used up their ninth snow day yesterday out of, well, four that were built into the schedule. February 11th and 21st will be make-up days and three more have been tacked onto the end of the year. Though the roads were still a bit slick today, Metro had SUVs patrolling back roads to make sure they were safe for buses. If not, they were asking parents to have a back-up plan in case their bus couldn’t get to them. Speaking of icy roads, some Tennessee counties are looking at the possibility of using sand and calcium chloride rather than salt since it’s cheaper. The problem is, they have to clean it up once everything melts and it doesn’t work as well.
- Germantown businesses robbed. Two of our favorite Germantown haunts, Zackie’s Original Hot Dog and Cocoa Tree, were robbed overnight. The robberies follow a string of home burglaries in the neighborhood and some believe they’re probably connected.
- A whole lotta holes. You’ve probably noticed all of the gigantic potholes opening up, which happens every year in the winter but is probably worse this year because the weather has been awful. Report interstate potholes to TDOT or call Metro’s pothole hotline (yes, they have one of those) at 862-8750 for non-interstate holes.
- Bits & pieces. A coalition of more than 50 businesses have come together in support of the proposed nondiscrimination ordinance currently making its way through Metro Council … Anthropologie is opening up one of its accessories-only stores in the Green Hills Mall … Metro charter schools could enroll 4,000 students by 2018, which would triple their current numbers … A suspicious package was found at a Marine recruiting center in Donelson this morning.
Photo by Jeffrey Davis.
Good morning, Nashville. The kids are back in school today! Miracles happen. For those keeping track at home, Metro used up their ninth snow day yesterday out of, well, four that were built into the schedule. February 11th and 21st will be make-up days and three more have been tacked onto the end of the [...]
Happy Hour: Something That Isn’t Snow
- Belmont University President Bob Fisher announced this afternoon that the university will be extending their nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation. The new clause will be added to all student, faculty and staff handbooks. [Belmont Vision]
- Melrose Lanes, the abandoned bowling alley above Melrose Billiards on Franklin Pike, may turn into some condos soon. According to the proposal, Melrose Billiards wouldn’t be bothered. [Nashville Post]
- Red Cross blood donations experienced the biggest slump this year that they’ve seen in a decade, and they’re blaming the snow. [WTVF]
- Hey, check out this beautiful Siberian husky who got a prosthetic paw from a local vet! [WSMV]
- We’ve been meaning to tell y’all about this for weeks, but biologists have discovered a monstrously large new crawfish species in Tennessee. By “monstrous,” we mean that they are five inches long, but that’s twice the size of the normal ones. Sweet dreams? [WSMV]
Photo by snellycat.
Belmont University President Bob Fisher announced this afternoon that the university will be extending their nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation. The new clause will be added to all student, faculty and staff handbooks. [Belmont Vision] Melrose Lanes, the abandoned bowling alley above Melrose Billiards on Franklin Pike, may turn into some condos soon. According [...]
Bright & Early: Oh Snow It Didn’t Edition
Good morning, Nashville. We woke up this morning and there was… not much snow outside at all, really. Nevertheless, Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner and a whole slew of other midstate counties closed schools today and all of us adults are probably at work. As far as Metro goes, they aren’t dipping into summer school just yet, but since we’ve still got a good month or two left of winter, we wouldn’t rule it out.
- Can you recycle salt? The other story that seems to show up in the headlines every single time it snows or almost snows is the salt shortage. TDOT is in hardcore conservation mode, trying to make the meager supply last until their next shipment comes in February.
- Secret’s safe with them. A recent audit found that Metro Schools had a training presentation containing students’ names and social security numbers posted on their website for two years. Once notified, one presentation was removed immediately while the other was left up online for another six months.
- Bits & pieces. Very, very sad to report that country music legend Charlie Louvin passed away this morning. He was 83 … A fancy new 101-room Marriott will be built by the airport on Elm Hill Pike … Though lower than the national average, Middle Tennessee’s foreclosure rate rose 1/2% from 2009 to 2010 … Some folks are lobbying for a mountain bike trail in Warner Parks.
Photo by Brad Smith.
Good morning, Nashville. We woke up this morning and there was… not much snow outside at all, really. Nevertheless, Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner and a whole slew of other midstate counties closed schools today and all of us adults are probably at work. As far as Metro goes, they aren’t dipping into summer school just [...]
Happy Hour: Are We Frozen Yet?
- Current models put us under 3-5″ of snow by tomorrow afternoon. A winter storm warning has been issued from midnight tonight through noon tomorrow and y’all already went and crashed our favorite local weather source Nashville WX, otherwise we’d throw them a link. But trust us, that’s what they said.
- Sumner County added four more snow days to their school schedule just in case. Metro, of course, has already used up all of theirs. [WKRN]
- Kroger says that they’re already stocking up on more “milk, bread, eggs and ground beef” because those are the four items that everyone decides they need immediately whenever there is snow in the forecast. So enjoy your milk, egg and ground beef sandwiches everyone. [WKRN]
- The Grand Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Pigeon Forge earned the top honor in TripAdvisor’s Dirtiest Hotel in America 2011, meaning that it’s the officially grossest hotel in the country. Though we’ve never stayed there ourselves, we have to wonder if these people considered the Stadium Inn in their contest? Seriously, please read these reviews while you’re snowed in tomorrow and you can thank us later. [WTVF]
- Rep. Ryan Haynes wants to pass a law allowing Tennesseans to yield when turning right on red rather than coming to a complete stop. Apparently lots of folks are being caught by red light cameras for rolling on through when the coast is clear. [WSMV]
Photo by Paul Nicholson.
Current models put us under 3-5″ of snow by tomorrow afternoon. A winter storm warning has been issued from midnight tonight through noon tomorrow and y’all already went and crashed our favorite local weather source Nashville WX, otherwise we’d throw them a link. But trust us, that’s what they said. Sumner County added four more [...]
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