• This week marks two years since Nashville’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, news that would bring the city to a near-halt and stall tornado recovery efforts. Tennessee trails the national average of 65 percent of residents fully vaccinated at 53 percent.
• Friends of the two people killed near Five Points in the 2020 tornadoes penned an emotional tribute to them on Nashville Severe Weather’s blog.
• Local workers say they make more money in taking short-term gig work than they do at low-paying jobs in the food service and hospitality industries. The shift suggests that the so-called labor shortages are here to stay without significant pay increases and job training programs.
• A fifteen year-old killed in a forklift accident is asking for community support to help cover his funeral expenses.
• Three Brothers Coffee on West End could become the first unionized coffee shop in the city if their voluntary recognition petition is accepted by ownership.
• Metro Parks has filed a petition with the Tennessee Historical Commission to remove the “Confederate Private Monument” on park property, a bronze statue of a seated soldier with a rifle above a plaque with the names of 540 soldiers. It was vandalized in 2019 and was a focal point for protests in the summer of 2020.
• Party bus owners say that unseasonably warm days pose a safety risk for passengers without the ability to remove city-mandated panels when alcohol is on board. They are asking the Metro Council to relax the new regulations that went into effect in December.
• Voces de Nashville is a new program aimed at providing the city with more bilingual professionals while giving native Spanish speakers a job opportunity in the community.
• A bill moving through the Tennessee General Assembly would allow pipeline projects to bypass county and local governing bodies to obtain approval. The move is opposed by environmental groups that highlight the potential of accidents.
• Nashville SC remains undefeated two games into their third MLS season after a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United FC Saturday night in game with a 74 minute lightning delay. The team returns to action Saturday against FC Dallas.
• The Nashville Predators routed the San Jose Sharks 8-0 on the road Saturday night, tying a franchise record for margin of victory. The team hosts the Dallas Stars tomorrow night.
• Atlanta Braves fans can mark their calendars for a chance to see the World Series trophy in person next month.
• The family of a Nashville firefighter who died four years ago this month is asking the public for information about his death in Waverly. The investigation has not turned up new leads.
• WPLN has a feature story on how difficult it can be for people to navigate the social safety net in Nashville, requiring a ton of time and forms for less aid than they need to get by.
• Local nonprofits are asking for donations to support the more than 540 Afghan refugees who have resettled in Tennessee following their country’s fall to the Taliban in August of last year.
• A new art exhibit at the Frist Art Museum highlights the struggles Nashville-area teachers have been through during the pandemic.
• The Nashville Scene interviews this year’s Nashville Youth Poet Laureate, a program created eight years ago to showcase the talents of the city’s youth.

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