• PSA: Today is election day for party primaries for Governor, US House, US Senate, Tennessee House and Tennessee Senate as well as the the unexpired term portion for Vice Mayor of Nashville and the even-numbered school board districts. You will need to request a party-specific ballot at your designated polling location for that first group, but not for the second set of local elections.
• Organizers of the “Community Oversight Now” group says that it has collected more than 8,000 petition signatures necessary to add a Metro Charter amendment to the November ballot in order to create a community oversight board for the police department. The group submitted those signatures, though not without some drama.
• The director of Metro Nashville Public Schools is under fire for what critics say is a de facto endorsement of one of his supporters in the school board race. As for the candidate, her  statement responding to the controversy included the phrase, “WATCH ME WHIP.” ?
• The Metro Planning Commission has approved the zoning for the MLS stadium at Fairgrounds Nashville, clearing the way for the Metro Council to take up the relevant legislation for funding and management in the coming weeks. Opponents continue to call the deal a “land grab” and vow to fight the proposal.
• Luke Bryan’s entry into the I-Have-My-Name-on-a-Broadway-Bar trend has opened, boasting eight bars and a bunch of other stuff we have no intention of ever seeing in person. Woo. ?
• A deal reached between the owners of the future MLS franchise and the city would have the group paying $200,000 annually for 30 years to lease 10 acres of land for private development, with much of that cost likely offset by parking revenue the group would be able to keep. The 10 acres has been a sticking point among critics because it was included without a cost in the original stadium proposal.
• The Edgehill neighborhood is divided over a plan to slow the pace of development in the area, citing that the historically black neighborhood is forcing out residents with higher property prices. The vote was the other measure on agenda for the planning commission Wednesday.
• Turnip Truck plans to expand from its Gulch and East Nashville locations to include a new upscale grocery store in West Nashville at the current location of the Nashville Cash & Carry outlet.
• Mayor David Briley declared yesterday as “Nashville Hot Chicken Day” to recognize a Pringles flavor marketed by Dollar General stores. We still haven’t tried them.
• We are not totally sure what to make of this story about companies dealing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin buying up a bunch of real estate in and around Nashville. Hopefully the home prices aren’t as unpredictable.
• Nashville public housing will not enforce a federal ban on smoking for current residents, citing a unique arrangement between MDHA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a desire to focus on cessation treatment instead of an outright ban.
• The Nashville Electric Service plans to relocate a substation in North Gulch (seriously, we’re still calling it that?) plant trees, add sidewalks and bury power lines to better serve the neighborhood. The design will go before the planning commission today.
• The Better Business Bureau is warning of a scam where someone claims to have pictures or video of you watching pornography, and that they will send it to everyone on your contact list unless you pay their ransom. The group says anyone receiving such messages should report it to the authorities.
• Nashville’s new “community solar park” in Madison held a “plug in” ceremony in lieu of a ribbon cutting to start its operations Wednesday. Subscribers pay a fee each month with their bill to support the green power alternative.
• If you have surgery in the coming months that requires anesthesia and receive insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, you might be paying a lot more than expected. Hospitals and the insurance company are trying to work through agreements with a provider over rate changes.
• And finally, some good news for commuters on I-440: TDOT will not do a full closure of the parkway when work begins this fall, opting instead to work around the clock to complete the project. ?

Photo by Bryan Quigley. Want to see your photo featured here?