Good morning, Nashvillle. When he’s not out riding the bus, Mayor Karl Dean is thinking about adopting a program that would make community college free for hundreds of students. He would be joining forces with mayors from Knox, Shelby, and Hamilton counties to make it happen The program, which would pay for 450 students, would probably cost upwards of $350K the first year and could double in year two. Mayor Dean isn’t totally sold on it, but he’s definitely mulling it over.

• We <3 TDOT. Just when we thought things might be getting better on I-65, it looks like there will be a major construction project starting up tonight at 8pm to resurface the stretch between Williamson County and downtown that’ll continue every weekend through October. We suggest you start planning your alternate routes now.
• Kids these days. Apparently kids in Tennessee are too cool to go huntin’ and fishin’ like their parents. Something about being too busy and not having enough patience. But don’t underestimate the power of tradition, as one commenter talks about purchasing a lifetime hunting license for his 1-year old. The dream lives on.
• Bits & pieces. Seigenthaler to head north with PR firm … People are concerned about the fate of Hickory Hollow Mall, which keeps losing all its anchor stores … MTA’s facing a whole new problem of overcrowded buses, causing them to not even bother stopping for some folks waiting at bus stops … A truck driver pulled over for DUI ran from police and jumped 60 feet off a bridge into the Cumberland River … Early voting for the congressional, state and local primaries opens August 7th.

Photo by chris1051.