• More than 1,000 teachers and 400 other staff called in sick Friday to Metro Nashville Public Schools, a move believed to be in protest of this year’s submitted Metro budget, which provides for seven percent less of a raise for teachers than requested from the district, with another wave likely today. The three percent cost of living adjustment in the budget is across the board for all metro employees.
• A judge has ordered the city to stop negotiating with LAZ Parking Georgia, LLC for the city’s meter parking contract after the other bidder filed a lawsuit alleging the process was unfair. The move was already facing an uphill climb because of public outcry.
• As many as 100 cars per day are stolen in Nashville, which police say is in the middle of an auto theft crime wave. The police department is working to curb the thefts.
• The city of Nashville has hired two new Codes Department inspectors to police the city’s short-term rental permits and write citations to anyone operating one without a permit. The city already has hired a firm to search listings on popular sites to ensure the permits match records on file.
• A proposal moving through Metro Council could have all of the city’s public buildings using 100 percent renewable energy by 2041, with ten percent of it coming from solar power. ☀️
• Fisk University is constructing its first new building in nearly three decades, The Roland G. Parrish Center for Career Planning and Development. The private historically black university has struggled in recent years with declining enrollment and fundraising challenges.
• A survey by popular site Zillow shows that the real estate market in Nashville is becoming more “buyer friendly,” meaning that housing inventory is not selling as quickly and sellers are more likely to offer concessions. Home prices are still holding steady, however.
• The Nashville Rescue Mission is hoping to raise money to support its 200 homeless mothers this Mother’s Day.
• The Nashville SC MLS team, set to begin play in 2020, will host an MLS All-Star game at some point in the future the league confirmed Thursday. The game is a bit different than other pro sports leagues, where the best from the league play a game against another world team. ⚽️
• In news we were well aware of and definitely not helping, CNN has a story that declares Nashville as the new bachelorette capital of the world over cities like Las Vegas.
• Newly re-hired Nashville Scene reporter J.R. Lind has a fascinating look at Fort Negley, a union fort near the Interstate that has historical significance to Nashville’s black community. Definitely worth a read.
• A bill that would place Tennessee on permanent Daylight Saving Time has been sent to Governor Bill Lee, though it has many more steps to go before it would apply. Opponents do not want Tennessee to be out of step with its neighbors. ⏰

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