• Southern states are becoming new COVID-19 hot-spots because of their low vaccination rates, prompting some public health officials to consider reinstating mask requirements and limits on large gatherings. Only about 39 percent of Tennesseans are fully vaccinated, though Davidson County is at 48 percent.
• WKRN talked to several teachers expressing concerns about returning to the classroom this fall when students under 12 cannot yet be vaccinated.
• Some MNPS parents are pushing for the system to reinstate a mask mandate for the fall in response to increasing cases of COVID-19 and the more dangerous delta variant of the virus. A petition has collected more than 1,000 signatures.
• Vanderbilt University announced Friday that all faculty and staff must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus before returning to campus this fall, including postdoctoral students. The university has not yet announced a similar requirement for students.
• Conservative talk show host Phil Valentine has been hospitalized with COVID-19 and statement from his family indicates that he intends to promote vaccination after his recovery.
• Lawyers representing the Davidson County Election Commission admitted in a filing that there will not be a referendum election on September 21. Two separate groups sued the commission for actions related to the referendum and the appeals court declined to expedite the proceedings.
• Forty three years after its placement at the State Capitol, the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest has been removed and sent to the nearby Tennessee State Museum. The bust had been the site of protests because of the namesake’s history of slave trading and serving as a general in the confederacy.
• Activist Justin Jones (who lead several protests related to the bust) had an assault charge dismissed by a judge after questions arose about positively identifying that he was the person who allegedly swung a megaphone at a State Trooper. He has two other charges pending related to the incident.
• Metro Animal Care and Control lost air condition at its holding facility over the weekend, leading to urgent requests for fosters to keep the animals safe. It is expected to take a few days to fix the air conditioner.
• Continued development across Nashville has many residents concerned about the effects on wildlife that are losing habitat to the growth. Sudden changes to habitat can lead to starvation and unnecessary encounters with humans.
• That growth has benefited one group of folks: construction workers, on which Nashville is said to be spending the second-most per worker in the country.
• Nashville SC (6-1-8) picked up 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati (3-7-4), moving into second place in the conference and riding a seven-game unbeaten streak. The team travels to face Toronto FC (3-8-4) next Sunday.
• The Nashville  Predators had a busy draft weekend, picking up six new players through seven rounds.
• And finally, the Nashville Zoo trains its porcupines for easier handling by zoo keepers, as they are known to have a prickly personality otherwise.

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