Good morning, Nashville. Last night was a rough one for fans of both Vanderbilt and Belmont, as both teams lost their March Madness match-ups and were eliminated from the tournament. Good thing there was all that green beer around to comfort you, right? Vanderbilt fell to Richmond in a heartbreaking 69-66 upset while Belmont succumbed to Wisconsin’s notoriously tough defense in a 72-58 loss. Well, we guess there’s always next year.

• Police are trying to figure out who’s responsible for aiming a laser pointer at a Vanderbilt LifeFlight helicopter early this morning in Donelson. Fortunately the helicopter was able to land safely and no one was hurt.
• A group of West Point cadets are using their spring break to help rebuild homes damaged in the flood last year, because yes, there are still homes to rebuild almost a year later.
• Bits & pieces. The bus route from Robertson County to Nashville has been hugely successful with 1,100 riders so far this month … Food prices increased by 4% in February, which is the largest one-month increase since 1974 … Babies born at Centennial Medical Center were dressed in St. Patty’s Day-themed onesies yesterday … Williamson County is considering parking the county’s school buses to help close the $8 million budget gap … The Great Smoky Mountains have seen a 31.6% increase in tourism this year over last year, and officials are guessing it’s because I-40 finally opened up following that giant rock slide.

Photo by Sara Figal.