Good morning, Nashville. Yesterday’s storms left at least 178 people dead across the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Virginia. Alabama took the largest beating with 128 fatalities and hundreds of injuries as the tornado originated in Tuscaloosa and then plowed through several other states. Tennessee saw 15 dead, mainly in the southeast part of the state, and parts of Middle Tennessee did see some flooding. Currently the storm system is still spawning tornadoes in Maryland and Virginia as it makes its way off the coast. If you’d like to donate $10 to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, just text ‘REDCROSS’ to 90999,

• Teachers union bill update. The Tennessee House and Senate are nearing an agreement that will repeal the 1978 law that allowed teachers to unionize and negotiate contracts. Though they’re still working out the language, Republican leaders are “confident they have a final agreement.”
• Show us your fang fingers. Tonight, the Preds will take on the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. They’ll play Game 2 in Vancouver on Saturday before returning to Smashville next Tuesday and Thursday, and there are still tickets left!
• Bits & pieces. The Greyhound bus station will soon have a new home at Fifth and Lafayette, slated to open this fall … Mayor Dean gave the State of Metro address yesterday, but everyone was paying attention to the storms instead. Here’s what he said … A US District Judge has denied the NFL’s request to freeze her previous ruling to lift the lockout … For some reason, Shrek will be at the Opryland Hotel soon … Nearly 100 police officers and several civilians were honored yesterday for their heroic efforts during last year’s flood.

Photo by Paul Beavers.

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