Good morning, Nashville. Almost two years after flooding in May 2010, Opry Mills mall is still in the midst of a complicated legal battle to get more money from its insurers. Despite the lawsuits, the mall will finally reopen on March 29. The reopening will bring 3,000+ jobs back to the city and certainly help the state in the sales tax department.

• Pay the MTA. Basic MTA cash bus fares will get bumped up by 10 cents on Friday (20 cents if you use AccessRide). It’s the first MTA price hike in 4 years, and officials attribute it to rising gas and other operating costs, plus expenses from the 2010 flood.
• Frozen in place. Despite Safety Department emails predicting that Occupy Nashville protesters would break camp when temperatures dropped, the encampment is holding strong at Legislative Plaza and has even grown to approximately 60 tents (from 20 in October). Occupy Murfreesboro packed it in earlier this week.
• Bawk bawk bawk. Metro Council gave preliminary approval to the backyard chickens bill last night, leaving just one more approval from the full council before becoming law. If passed, Metro residents could keep 2-6 backyard chickens for a $25 annual fee.
• Bits & pieces. A 53 year old man is accused of throwing a flaming teddy bear at a 9 year old boy in Bean Station, TN … The Stache is interviewing with the Miami Dolphins … Missing: One Clarksville 10×12 deck … Rumours Wine & Art Bar in 12 South will either relocate or close by the end of February … Shea Weber was back on the ice at practice yesterday, but his return to gameplay is still a big question mark … Stressed? UT is offering a stress reduction course … A flight from Nashville to New York was diverted yesterday to Raleigh after a passenger failed to claim two cell phones left in the bathroom … Metro Parks has a shiny new logo.

Photo by Shalva Kashmadze.

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