• Metro Nashville Public Schools may soon lift their mask mandate as cases of COVID-19 continue to fall across the county.
• Nashville mayor John Cooper says that his office has filed for federal grants to expand a “co-responder” program that pairs a mental health professional with police officers in hopes of better handling interactions with folks in crisis.
• The new blue Tennessee license plates may not be easily read by automated license plate readers, according to at least one guy who has them set up at his home. LPRs are a hot button topic after Nashville greenlit a pilot program last week.
• Six of the seven men charged in the death of DJ Barrett at Whiskey Row on lower Broadway last year have all entered not guilty pleas, with the seventh waiting on legal representation. Barrett died after an altercation with bar security.
• A Hermitage hospital was briefly locked down Wednesday after someone discovered a suspicious package that later turned out to be a medical device.
• An effort to crowdfund the purchase of the building currently home to The Groove in East Nashville has failed the business owners announced. They say that all money will be returned to the donors.
• Nashville ranked 15th on a list of popular places to start a business, on account of its strong business networking community.
• WPLN has created a resource for Nashvillians grappling with rising rents in the city, with a recent report from Zillow saying they have jumped 19 percent since 2020.
• A woman making a food delivery had her car stolen with her infant still inside of it Tuesday night. Fortunately, the car was recovered shortly thereafter and the child was unharmed.
• A new Tennessee bill could force businesses to accept cash as payment, a move at odds with small businesses that are hoping to deter robberies and break-ins that mainly targeted their cash registers. Not accepting cash as a payment would be a misdemeanor criminal charge.
• The Nashville Predators dropped a 4-3 game to the Dallas Stars on the road last night. They will face the Winnipeg Jets at home Saturday.
• An effort to unionize Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery has failed by a vote of 9-21 according to officials at the National Labor Relations Board. Some employees had alleged that working conditions had deteriorated since the purchase of the business by a larger global conglomerate.
• Speaking of the Preds, the team is gearing up for their Stadium Series game later this month by announcing a “winter park” from February 24-26.
• A plan by the US Army Corp of Engineers to lease land adjacent to Percy Priest Lake to a private company to develop campgrounds and other amenities is facing opposition from local residents who say it is wrong for a private company to charge a fee to use public land.
• The Nashville Scene has an interview with retiring congressman Jim Cooper about his three decades in office.
• Metro Nashville Police say they will be patrolling the I-24 after a recent surge in road rage incidents, including a recent case where a young child was struck in the hand with a bullet.
• The historic Eighth Avenue reservoir is undergoing a major renovation that officials say will improve the movement of water through the facility.
• Tenants at the downtown Arcade property have received notices that their leases will not be renewed as the new owner looks to begin major renovations at the site.
• The Nashville Zoo is hosting a food drive to benefit the Community Resource Center where you can exchange four or more eligible items for a free ticket. It is the second year they’ve hosted the event in conjunction with the Super Bowl.

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