Good morning, Nashville. According to the folks at Nashville WX, we’ve got another boatload of rain coming our way this weekend. Though they’re careful to stress that it will not be another major flooding scenario, they point out that this weather system looks an awful lot like the last one, but smaller. Rainfall totals could be has high as 2-3″ in some areas, making this officially the wettest May month in Tennessee’s history. But there is some good news! The next two weeks are looking warm and dry for us after this weekend, so we’re hopeful that we’ll have some time to wring our state out and let it dry before CMApocalypse. We can’t be looking all soggy and sad for our 56,000 guests, you know?

• Nashville is open for business. Many of the 2nd Avenue businesses that were flooded are slowly starting to reopen and try to bring some customers back in. Business has been pretty slow downtown since the flood, so when you’re planning your weekend, try to get down there and  show those guys some love.
• Stripping (at) the Opry. The Opry House has been stripped to its foundation for repairs, making for some pitiful-looking photos. That also means that it’s well on its way to a full recovery, and we’re pretty excited about that.
• He just wants to graduate. We can’t really put this any better than WZTV already did, so we’ll just quote from them. “A black bear hanging out in a tree near a high school in the Smokies foothills is being monitored, but is barely a problem… The Daily Times reported that when deputy arrived, the bear was up a tree, eating leaves.”
• Bits & pieces. A Good Samaritan rescued a homeless man in a wheelchair who was being beaten and robbed behind a West Nashville business … Watch out for the ‘skeeters this year, thanks to this year’s unusually swampy May … A bill proposing more than $200 million in additional federal funds for flooding in Tennessee will go to the Senate … Buckle up, rural Tennesseans. They’re coming for you … Gas up at Shell today and they’ll donate 2 cents a gallon to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Photo by Mr. Tooley.