• Nashville’s government has released a four-part plan to “reopen” the city’s businesses and parks, conditioned on a 14-day decline of new cases of the coronavirus. The guidelines are aimed to prevent overwhelming the hospital system.
• Outside of the state’s major metro areas, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is adopting a much more lenient approach to “open” the state on May 1 that is in conflict with the advice of public health officials.
• There have been 22 deaths related to coronavirus in Davidson County among the 2,144 confirmed cases.
• Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall says that he expects the number of COVID-19 cases to increase in the city’s jails from the 11 who have already tested positive of the 1,003 held in custody.
• Nashville’s restaurants are persevering through the pandemic through rapidly changing their business model and doing what they can to take care of their staff.
• The region of Tennessee that includes Nashville accounted for 29,065 of the state’s nearly 69,000 unemployment claims filed last week. An estimated 396,000 people have filed for unemployment in the state in the last six weeks.
• More layoffs are hitting the hospitality industry, with one downtown bar and restaurant group adding hundreds to the unemployment rolls this week.
• If you’re wondering what the condos that would overlook the “Rock Block” on Elliston will look like, wonder no more.
• The adult bookstore Hustler Hollywood downtown tried to label themselves as essential until the city’s inspectors disagreed.
• The Tennessean‘s copy editors might want that headline back.
• WPLN has a story about the struggle of Metro Nashville Public School teachers trying to adjust to reintroducing learning after weeks of distributing food and other supplies to the city’s students.
• The fight over the future of Watkins College of Art continues after a judge declined to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the “Save Watkins” group. The group argues that the state has improperly abdicated its role as a trustee.
• A lower Broadway bar owner is already planning what changes must be made in order to reopen his business, including the installation of plexiglass shields and less contact between staff and customers.
• If you have $10 million laying around send it our way, you could buy country music artist Zac Brown’s midtown studio.
• Tonight is the NFL Draft, with the Titans selecting 29th overall thanks to their runner-up finish in the AFC Championship game last season. Unlike the 2019 draft in Nashville, this one will be held via video conference.
• The state is evaluating federal guidelines on what benefits are available to people who do not feel safe to go back to work amid the pandemic.
• We haven’t heard much about dockless scooter lately (remember when it was in every rodeo?), but the Metro Council is preparing to introduce a new round of regulations about public safety and customer support.
• If you get sick or need a checkup, there’s a good chance your doctor prefers that you schedule a telehealth visit instead of coming to the clinic. That said, still go to the ER for emergencies.
• The “party wagons” really want to get back to the business of clogging up downtown traffic.
• A plan to privatize downtown Nashville’s system of distributed hot and cold water pipes used to heat and cool buildings has been abandoned, with the city deciding to retain control of the utility.
• In a recurring theme, Metro Nashville Police will again delay the planned rollout of body cameras, this time owing the postponement to COVID-19 and a looming budget crisis. The cameras were initially promised in 2016.
• In one bright spot amid all this, the Metro animal shelter says it has reached a record number of foster care signups in the last month, meaning the shelter pets are staying in caring homes rather than kennels.

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