• You probably noticed all the campaign signs popping up around town for the May 1 election, and The Tennessean has a nice recap of who all is running. The “Let’s Move Nashville” referendum will also be on the ballot county-wide.
• PSA: There is a convenient site for learning how to register to vote if you’re new to town (welcome!). Tennessee law requires that you be registered to vote at least 30 days prior to casting a ballot.
• The rain has pushed river levels towards flood stage, prompting local officials to review emergency plans if the city faces a repeat of the 2010 floods. The National Weather Service has the downtown meter at the “Action” stage.
• A Vanderbilt poll indicates that while support for Mayor Megan Barry has dropped in the last month following revelations of an affair with her head of security, she still maintains a 61 percent approval rating (down from 72 percent in March). It’s still remarkably high for an elected official.
• The Tennessean’s Editorial Board, however, sees things differently and says the mayor must resign for Nashville’s sake. A rumored non-binding resolution to that effect was not submitted by the deadline in the Metro Council, though a few council members have taken to social media to echo the sentiment.
• Mayor Barry has said repeatedly she does not intend to step down, but WPLN has a primer on what would happen if she were to resign, becoming the first Nashville mayor to ever do so. The short story is, aside from Vice Mayor David Briley taking over, that it all depends on when it were to happen: If before August 2018, an election would be held then for a one-year replacement; after that date would see Briley finishing her term.
• Vanderbilt and Lipscomb University will not penalize incoming students for whatever action a school may take against them for participating in demonstrations. Such demonstrations have happened nationwide in the wake of the February 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
• The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority will be rolling out new payment options this year and next, planning to allow mobile and re-loadable cards. They will also make kiosks available at select retail partners.
• A few high-profile restaurant closings has prompted media outlets to take a closer look at the trend, with The Tennessean calculating that we have hit a six-year low in the number of non-chain restaurants open around town. Downtown has bucked the trend, though, with more than 50 new restaurants opened or planned in the coming year.
• The owners of East Nashville’s The Dog Spot, a dog daycare and grooming business, have sued two people for what they posted on the beloved train-wreck that is the East Nashville Facebook Group, saying that the pair committed libel by claiming multiple dogs have died in their care. The company has a separate lawsuit from one such animal owner who claims her dog was killed when a much larger dog allegedly attacked it.
• The Nashville Predators (39-14-9) defeated the Winnipeg Jets (37-17-9) 6-5, with the newest Predator Ryan Hartman scoring the game winning goal with about a minute remaining in the third period. The Predators continue their four-game road trip with a stop in Edmonton (27-32-4) tonight, Vancouver (24-32-7) on Friday and Denver (33-24-5) on Sunday.
• Speaking of Hartman, he came over in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks (we were as shocked as you were) for prospects and a first round pick in next year’s draft. There also might be some confusion in the locker room about which one is “Hartsy.”
• Prior to the deadline, the Preds signed former captain Mike Fisher to pro-rated $1 million contract to finish out the regular season (starting as soon as tonight) and throughout the playoffs. Fisher says he is positive this is really, truly his last year but is looking forward to making a run for the Cup.
• An Uber driver was arrested Saturday night after admitting to taking a bunch of drugs in order to stay up for 24 hours straight to get more fares. One of the drugs was Nyquil, so we’re not sure how that worked out for him.
• Struggling Nashville-based guitar manufacturer Gibson has laid off 15 workers from its custom shop as part of a restructuring effort to avoid a rapidly approaching bankruptcy. The company continues to employ about 100 people, but not all are based in Nashville.
• Former President James K. Polk can’t get any relief from the state legislature, which has once again revived a resolution seeking to move his body from the capitol grounds to southern Middle Tennessee. Sponsors are hoping to make the small community where his family owned land a destination for historians, while opponents are mostly like “what the —-?”

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