Metro Council begins budget debate
Gov. Bill Lee delivered his annual State of the State address Monday night, leading with a push for “innovation” to a joint assembly of the Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives.
The governor briefly touched on last month’s swift special session victories, from his divisive voucher legislation to an immigration crackdown and disaster relief funding for parts of East Tennessee affected by Hurricane Helene.
Among the most notable lines of the
night was Lee’s push for a plan for housing in the state. Recognizing continued population growth as a “point of pride,” he also characterized it as “a call to action” and proposed a $60 million “self-sustaining” Starter Home Revolving Loan Fund, which will provide 0 percent interest construction loans for new single-family homes. He also announced funding for affordable housing through the Rural and Workforce Housing Tax Credit, passed in the previous legislative session.
“Whether you’re born in Tennessee or choose to move to Tennessee, we want you to stay in Tennessee,” Lee said. “Our state needs a housing plan that makes this key part of the American Dream possible.”
While noting the state’s growth, Lee said he still believes conservation efforts are key to retaining Tennessee’s charm.
“How do we balance record growth with a plan to protect our natural resources?” Lee said. “You start by rejecting conventional wisdom that says
Budget talks for fiscal year 2026 are underway, and Nashville residents came out in droves to the Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse Tuesday night to make their funding requests heard before council.
With the pre-budget public comment period stretching for more than an hour, some of the most common requests were to allocate $10 million to the Varsity Spending Plan which aims to create safer neighborhoods for Nashville’s youth through the implementation of community center programs and the Office of Youth Safety, established in 2024. The plan received $1 million in funding in the past year’s budget cycle.
One of the dozens who spoke in favor of the plan was Trey French, a local therapist and member of Black Nashville Assembly.
“I work with teens and adults on a regular basis, and I know firsthand how the impact of violence has impacted their mental health and their overall wellbeing,” said French. “I think it’s far past time for us to invest in proactive measures that address the issues that lead to violence before the violence occurs.”
Other repeated requests by the public included cost of living increases for metro employees – who received a four percent increase last year – along with funding for housing and public transit. A number of other attendees approached the podium to advocate for increased arts funding, skate parks, spay and neuter clinics and funding for public schools in light of the recent school voucher legislation passed by the state.
After passing a $3.27 billion budget last year, officials with Metro officials have cautioned departments of potential constraints on this year’s budget,
JULIANNE AKERS
Gov. Bill Lee gives the 2025 State of the State address PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
you cannot do both. To grow Tennessee, we have to conserve Tennessee.”
Mainly, the governor laid out his new economic agenda, pushing the talking points of past years’ successes.
“Together, over the last six years, we have recruited more than $40 billion in capital investment that has resulted in 234,000
new jobs,” Lee said. “Tennessee is a top contributor to our nation’s economy because of our willingness to adapt and welcome emerging industries.”
He proposed sending the Tennessee Department of Transportation an additional $1 billion, and underlined support for innovation in all sectors and
especially in energy.
“The Volunteer State is on track to be the epicenter of energy innovation, and it couldn’t happen at a more crucial time,” he said, criticizing what he described as the federal government’s neglect of energy policy.
“As a result, we’re staring down the barrel of an energy crisis with an electrical grid that
is on the fragile verge of being completely overwhelmed. … So Tennessee’s ambition to lead in nuclear innovation is much bigger than just competing with other states. This is about securing the future of America.”
Lee pledged $10 million to the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund and $50 million to the TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear Site
Protesters at the State of the State address PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
— for which the TVA applied for an $800 million federal grant.
While critical of the Biden administration, Lee praised President Donald Trump and the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency — a legally dubious office under the direction of billionaire Elon Musk that is now cutting government programs.
“Limited government is knowing how to do more with less,” Lee said. “More bureaucracy does not mean better service. Businesses already know this — government should do the same.”
Lee — whose background is in private business, having run his family’s homeservices company prior to his election in 2018 — has long cited business as a prime example for how the state should function. He continued with the comparison in Monday’s address.
“Just like a business innovates to better serve their customer, or science innovates to save lives, or an athlete innovates to change the game, this is a time for us to innovate to create a brighter future for Tennesseans,” Lee said.
In a scathing “prebuttal” address released Friday, House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said after
Budget talks
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
14 years of Republican legislative control, “families are less safe and less secure.”
“Instead of focusing on the basics and governing responsibly, Tennessee’s governor and Republican legislators have chosen a different path for our state,” Clemmons said. “They have abandoned true fiscal conservatism in favor of handouts to the wealthy and payouts for special interests. They’ve doubled our state budget, grown our state government bureaucracy, increased our reliance on federal funding, and shifted an unprecedented financial burden to local governments.”
Clemmons added that Democrats’ focus is on getting back to basics like eliminating the grocery tax and lowering health care and child care expenses. He also stressed new infrastructure and public school investments.
The 114th General Assembly’s regular legislative session is ongoing, with more than 1,400 pieces of legislation filed. Several bills have already been introduced on first and second reading, and committee meetings are set to heat up in the coming weeks.
Lee’s administration is set to present his 2025-2026 budget for the first time to the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning.
noting uncertainty regarding recent tariffs and changes to federal spending imposed by the Trump administration.
This year’s budget process also comes as Davidson County properties are up for reappraisal, which is done every four years by the State Board of Equalization. Depending on the results, this could result in a property tax hike by Metro.
According to a report from the Nashville Property Assessor’s Office presented at Metro’s Budget and Finance Committee
meeting Monday, Nashville’s tax rates have been lower than Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis for more than 30 years.
Discussions on the budget will continue well into the spring and summer months and must be approved by Metro by the end of June – taking into consideration public comment and priorities by the Mayor’s Office, Metro departments and councilmembers.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1
As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. If you want protection, you need to purchase individual insurance.
Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.
The best way to avoid large dental bills is preventive care. Experts recommend checkups twice a year.
Previous dental work can wear out.
Your odds of having a dental problem only go up as you age.2
Treatment is expensive — especially the services people over 50 often need.
Unexpected bills, like $190 for a filling, or $1,213 for a crown3 can be a real burden, especially if you’re on a fixed income.
When you’re comparing plans
Look for coverage that helps pay for major services.
Look for coverage with no deductibles.
Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits.
Simply put — without dental insurance, there
Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND
Former Titans WR Brown catches game-winning TD in Super Bowl victory
Hopkins
JOHN GLENNON
posts scoring reception for Chiefs in losing effort
A.J. Brown has his first Super Bowl win. The Titans? They’ve got memories.
In a Super Bowl 59 that featured two talented — and traded — former Titans wide receivers, Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles steamrolled DeAndre Hopkins and the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in a contest that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
Brown caught what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown, when he was on the receiving end of a 12-yard pass from Jalen Hurts that gave Philadelphia a stunning 24-0 lead at halftime. The Eagles built a 34-0 advantage in the third quarter before the Chiefs scored 22 of the game’s final 28 points to save some face.
Brown’s touchdown was one of his three receptions (on five targets) for 43 yards, as the Eagles produced 210 yards through the air and 345 yards of offense.
It was the second Super Bowl appearance
in three years for Brown, a 2019 Titans second-round pick who was traded to Philadelphia in 2022 when contract negotiations between him and the team stalled. The 27-year-old Brown had made the Pro Bowl in two of his first three seasons with the Titans, twice topping the 1,000yard mark.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Brown told FOX Sports after the game. “I appreciate my time in Tennessee, but [Eagles general manager Howie Roseman] came and got me. Howie does a great job each and every year preparing us and getting a great team together. I’m glad he did.”
In exchange for Brown, the Titans got the 18th overall pick of the first round in 2022 and selected receiver Treylon Burks, who has been unproductive and/or injured for most of his career.
The Titans also got a third-round
selection (No. 101 overall), which they packaged with their own first-round pick that year (No. 26) in a trade to the New York Jets for three draft picks. Tennessee selected cornerback Roger McCreary, tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere and wide receiver Kyle Philips with those picks.
Philips, incidentally, will also get a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Eagles’ practice squad
“This team went through tough times, came up short one time [in the Super Bowl], got here and crumbled a little bit,” Brown said of Super Bowl 57, a 38-35 loss to the Chiefs. “But it’s all worth it. Two years later, it’s worth it.”
The 32-year-old Hopkins, meanwhile, failed to secure a Super Bowl ring in his first appearance in the title contest.
Hopkins did produce a late touchdown catch, a seven-yard reception from Patrick Mahomes that cut Philadelphia’s lead to 40-14 in the fourth quarter. Moments later, Hopkins caught a two-point conversion attempt that accounted for the final score.
Hopkins finished the contest with two receptions on five targets for 18 yards. Including the Super Bowl, Hopkins totaled just five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown in his final four contests with Kansas City this season.
A 12-year veteran and likely Pro Football Hall of Famer, Hopkins was traded in October after Tennessee’s 1-6 start led Hopkins to take himself out of the team’s loss to Buffalo. The Titans gained a fifthround pick in the upcoming NFL Draft for Hopkins, who had 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, his only full season with the Titans.
In his postgame comments, Hopkins
addressed the idea that some obsevers had thought NFL officials were biased for the Chiefs. Kansas City was penalized seven times for 75 yards in the title game, while Philadelphia was flagged eight times for 59 yards.
“I saw a lot of things in the media about the refs, but obviously … What y’all gonna’ say now about the refs, when there was a lot of touchy calls?” Hopkins said. “Are y’all gonna’ report that? Are you gonna’ talk about the refs now?”
Not long after the game, Hopkins, who will be an unrestricted free agent in March, posted a social media message of thanks to the Chiefs.
“Forever grateful to be part of the Chiefs organization, Didn’t complete the mission or play my best game but that’s life.”
NOTES: Six players with college ties to the state earned Super Bowl rings ... Philadelphia safety Reed Blankenship (Middle Tennessee State alum) and linebacker Oren Burks (Vanderbilt) were both starters, with Blankenship contributing three tackles and Burks five in the victory. Fullback Khari Blasingame (Vanderbilt) is a member of the Eagles’ practice squad. Blasingame also spent three seasons with the Titans … Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell, kicker Jake Elliott and defensive end Bryce Huff are all former University of Memphis players. Gainwell gained 10 yards on six carries. Elliott went four-for-four on field-goal attempts, hitting from 48, 29, 48 and 50 yards. Huff was inactive for the contest.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
Predators need Stamkos to step up following NHL break
Forward in midst of season-high seven-game point drought
JOHN GLENNON
In the last game before the NHL began a two-week break, Predators center Ryan O’Reilly did all he could to help the team snap its six-game losing streak.
The 16-year veteran wound up totaling four primary assists and winning 10 of 17 face-offs Saturday as Nashville claimed a 6-4 victory over Buffalo preceding the first 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
“He was a huge factor,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “He did everything. He does everything most nights. But I thought he took it to another level [against Buffalo] and put the team on his back,
and made some real big plays at big times, his line especially. [It shows you] just how valuable he is to our group.”
It was the kind of uplifting performance that plenty of Predators fans have expected to see from another member of the team —
Steven Stamkos — on a regular basis this season, especially after he signed a four-year, $32 million contract.
But as opposed to O’Reilly’s big showing, the slumping Stamkos skated silently into the break.
He failed to produce a point in the Preds’ last seven games, which nearly doubled his
longest previous drought of the season (the first four games of the season). The 35-yearold Stamkos recorded only 13 shots on goal and posted a team-worst minus-10 rating in those seven contests, as the Preds effectively tumbled out of any realistic chance at a playoff berth.
What’s especially puzzling about Stamkos’ two-week absence from the scoresheet is that it followed his most productive stretch of the season. In the previous 19 contests — after Brunette had moved Stamkos from wing to center — he had totaled 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) with a plus-eight rating.
“I think he had such a good stretch, and it just seems his game has fallen off a little bit,” Brunette said after the team’s loss to Ottawa last Monday. “Not skating quite like he was for that [productive] stretch. I think [his line] was still creating a little bit the first couple games [of the losing streak], and then I thought the last couple games have been pretty quiet.”
Stamkos wasn’t the only player struggling offensively during the six-game losing streak, as the Predators scored all of 12 goals during that stretch before erupting for half a dozen in the victory over the Sabres.
A.J. Brown PHOTO: CASEY GOWER
But he was also playing a pivotal role in the fortunes of the top line, which featured Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault.
When Brunette switched O’Reilly into Stamkos’ spot against Buffalo, members of the top line accounted for 10 points — two goals from Forsberg and one goal and three assists for Marchessault, in addition to O’Reilly’s four assists.
Stamkos moved back to wing on the second line in that contest, playing with rookie center Fedor Svechkov and fellow vet Gustav Nyquist.
Perhaps the two-week break will help reenergize Stamkos, a 17-year veteran, who has 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 54 games this season. He’s on pace for just 50 points, which would be his lowest total in anything close to a full season since his rookie campaign of 2008-09.
“Yeah, we need him,” Brunette said following the Ottawa loss. “Obviously we’re a much better team ... when we got those [top] two lines going. Right now we’re having a hard time again, kind of similar to November [when] we really [didn’t] have anybody going.”
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
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• Fine Dining Options
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• Personal Balcony
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• Weekly Activities
• Exercise Room
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• Courtyard & Resident Garden
INDEPENDENT LIVING for a lifetime with home health to include Medicare covered services like physical therapy and other personal care medical needs. Stay independent for a lifetime in your own home. Third party services to include RN skilled care, physical and speech therapy, and personal care services.
Steven Stamkos PHOTO: CASEY GOWER
Area home sales see 1 percent increase year over year
Median price dips below $500K as inventory remains high
WILLIAM WILLIAMS
The Nashville area saw 1,905 home closings in January, up 1 percent compared to the 1,886 closings in January 2024.
According to a Greater Nashville Realtors press release, the figure is a drop from 2,842 home closings in December, 2,567 home closings in November and 2,841 home sales in October.
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The GNR release notes the median price for a single-family home in January was $490,000, an increase from the January 2024 median price of $460,000. The singlefamily home median price in December was $500,000. The single-family home median price figure also was $500,000 in November, $490,000 in October, $467,000 in September and $485,000 for August 2024.
The median price for a condominium in January was $339,000, a decrease compared to the $349,360 figure of January 2024 and a decrease compared to the $341,520 mark of December 2024.
There were 2,185 sales pending at the end of January, compared to 1,898 pending sales at the conclusion of the same month in 2024.
Inventory at January’s end was 10,821, a 22 percent increase from the 8,787 active listings reported for January 2024.
The release notes the average number of days on the market for a residence in January was 56. The mark was 50 days for December, 49 days for November, 48 days for October, and 46 days for both September and August. For context, February 2024 registered 59 days and January of that year recorded and average of 57 days on the market. In 2023, homes often sold in no more than 40 days.
Conventional 30-year fixed-rate mortgages offer an average interest rate of about 6.63 percent, according to Zillow.
“January data points to rising consumer confidence with increases in inventory, closings and median sales price,” Collyn Wainwright, Greater Nashville Realtors 2025 president, said in the release.
“The 22 percent increase in inventory provides buyers with more choice and negotiating power, while a 15 percent increase in pending sales illustrate rising confidence in the 2025 market,” Wainwright added.
The GNR data was collected from Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
Rock Block pub to close in March
WILLIAM WILLIAMS
Longtime Elliston Place watering hole
The Corner Bar will close in late March after a 20-year run.
The closing is due, in large part, to a future tower Nashville-based Giarranta has planned for the site. The development will require the razing of the building at 2200 Elliston Place in which The Corner Bar operates.
Owned by Sekvan Mohammed and his family, The Corner Bar is one of the only dive bars operational in the general Midtown area and the only such business remaining on the city’s Rock Block. It is open 365 days a year from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The Corner Bar opened in 2004, with Mohammed having overseen the business. Mohammed said the last day of operation is expected to be March 23.
Mohammed told The News sister publication the Nashville Post he has enjoyed a quality working relationship with his landlord, Cooke/Wilson Properties.
Mohammed also noted his general manager, Torre Wyatt, has been with Corner Bar since it the business opened 20 years ago. In addition, Danyelle Ferrigno has been employed for 14 years.
Originally from Kurdistan and having once spent four years in a refugee tent camp, Mohammed (who arrived in Nashville in
1992 and later worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military) said he is looking for a new location for The Corner Bar and would prefer to stay in the Midtown area.
Cooke/Wilson Properties could not be reached for comment regarding the status of the building’s other tenants, which include Michelangelo’s Pizza, and a date when the building will be demolished.
Old-school bars that once operated in the general Midtown area and have closed since the 1990s include The Gold Rush, Hurry Back and South Street.
As the Post reported in August 2024, the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals approved Giarratana’s request for a special exception from the height setback and height control plane requirements related to the aforementioned proposed tower.
As planned, the building will rise 17 floors and offer a combination of 356 apartment units and ground-level retail and restaurant space. The address is 22002204 Elliston Place. In addition, Giarratana is eyeing a five-story (with two levels below grade) 578-space parking garage, to supplement the tower, for an adjacent property located at 209 22nd Ave. N.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
An infrastructure project dubbed the Secret Sidewalk aims to enhance an existing walking path between The Nations and Sylvan Park neighborhoods.
Civic Design Center, which is heading up the project, is working with the Nashville Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Transportation and CSX Transportation to increase walkability and accessibility on the path — which will run underneath Interstate 40 in West Nashville to connect Delaware Avenue in Sylvan Park to Alabama Avenue and Charlotte Avenue in The Nations.
The project was approved for funding from NDOT’s Tactical Urbanism Program in October, which will be used to install projection art to light up the space, which will also make the path safer for walking at night.
“It’s definitely a great shortcut if you live in that neighborhood and you’re trying to get to the business district without having to drive your car around or take a really long, 30-minute walk from the neighborhood, into the business district,” said Veronica Foster, communications and advocacy manager at Civic Design Center.
The project includes regular cleanup of the area, maintaining trees and brush, installation of wayfinding signage and lighting, the addition of a mural along the path and paving to make the path wheelchair-accessible.
“We’re essentially trying to advocate for more of a tactical urbanism installation to not only make it a usable path, but make it feel like a safer path,” Foster said. “It will be a really cool way for people to discover the secret sidewalk as a secret art project, as well as make it a little bit more safe and functional for folks.”
Foster said there have been some delays in installing the projection art while the organization establishes ownership of the area between NDOT, TDOT and CSX.
“We’re really hoping for that spring installation so that we can raise awareness for this and get it activated,” she said. “But it may not happen until closer to the end of the year, whatever happens with the bureaucratic process.”
This
Vanderbilt neuroscience researcher awarded $6.2M
Carrie Jones to work with British scientist to study opioid effect
on the brain
HANNAH HERNER
A Vanderbilt researcher has been awarded $6.2 million to study the effect of opioids on the brain.
Vanderbilt’s Carrie Jones will work with University of Glasgow’s Andrew Tobin using funds from the Discovery Award, part of Great Britain’s Wellcome Trust. The pair will study if blocking a receptor in the brain (M5 muscarinic) will prevent or address opioid addiction. The effect could be the
development of a medicine that allows safer use, than otherwise, when coupled with opioids, according to a press release.
Jones, associate professor of pharmacology and director of in vivo pharmacology and development at the Vanderbilt Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, had already completed preliminary research that showed some effectiveness of inhibiting the M5 receptor.
It is the first time a Vanderbilt researcher has received such an award from the trust, according to the release.
“Carrie’s achievement underscores the importance of the pathbreaking research at the WCNDD and the critical role they play in addressing global health challenges,” said Padma Raghavan, Vanderbilt vice provost for research and innovation and chief research officer.
“Her collaboration with Dr. Tobin and their work on M5 receptors holds extraordinary promise for advancing addiction treatments — showcasing how visionary research can lead to real-world solutions.”
Millions of dollars from opioid abatement lawsuits were distributed in 2024 in an effort to address the crisis, with Vanderbilt University Medical Center one of the recipients.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
Development company pays $1M for Belle Meade land
AJ Capital now owns distinctive property next to site of since-closed Kroger in deal with Hill Realty
WILLIAM WILLIAMS
One of West Davidson County’s more unusual pieces of raw land — property owned by a singular entity for almost 100 years, no less — has sold for $1 million.
According to a Davidson County Register of Deeds document, the new owner of the 5.04-acre property, with an address of 0 Harding Pike (according to Metro records) and located within the city limits of Belle Meade, is an LLC affiliated with AJ Capital Partners.
Based in Nashville, AJ Capital plans a major redevelopment of a property that sits adjacent to the just-acquired land and that was home to the recently closed Kroger at Belle Meade. AJ Capital paid $87 million for that property, which also includes the Belle Meade Plaza building, in July 2023.
The seller was H.G. Hill Realty Co., which had owned the land — surrounded by the Hillwood Boulevard viaduct, a CSX railroad track and both Richland and Sugartree creeks — since 1927.
Because the raw land sits within both a
Lipscomb launches Office of Innovation University appoints Todd
McCullough to head up new initiative
JULIANNE
AKERS
Lipscomb University announced the launch of its new Office of Innovation – LUInnovate – which will implement programming, partnerships and innovative learning models.
Todd McCullough will lead the office as the university’s inaugural chief innovation officer, Lipscomb announced in a press release. In the position, McCullough will work to build business development opportunities, encourage collaboration across university departments and strengthen industry partnerships.
McCullough worked for more than 30 years advising, including for Fortune 500 companies and higher education institutions. He has contributed to the growth of The Coca-Cola Company, Ford Motor Company,
Anthem and Target, according to the release. He also taught courses in innovation and strategic growth at Vanderbilt University and Illinois Institute of Technology.
“LUInnovate represents another exciting step forward for Lipscomb University as we continue to cultivate a culture of creativity, entrepreneurship and forwardthinking education,” said Lipscomb President Candice McQueen. “With Todd McCullough’s leadership and our talented Lipscomb team, we are poised to continue to build innovative, high-quality programs that broaden access to education and drive meaningful impact.”
The new office is being funded by the Lipscomb Innovation Fund, started by Lipscomb Board of Trustees Member Sue Nokes.
Innovation has been a focus of area colleges in recent years. This past June, Vanderbilt announced a partnership with the mayor’s office to create the Nashville Innovation Alliance to research issues facing the city and potential improvements to infrastructure and economic development.
In 2023, Belmont University’s Belmont Innovation Labs received $6 million from the Templeton Religion Trust to create the Transformational Business Network Alliance – a five-year project made up of investors and entrepreneurs internationally seeking to address poverty in low-income and underserved communities.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
floodway and the city limits of Belle Meade — Belle Meade zoning allows essentially only single-family residential construction — the future usage options are limited.
AJ Capital officials declined to comment regarding their plans for the property.
Jimmy Granbery, Hill Realty CEO, told The News sister publication the Nashville Post in 2023 that the company years ago offered to donate the property to the City of Belle Meade. The city declined.
Wooded and verdant, the oddly configured property was appraised in 2021 for a mere $22,200. That figure meant Hill Realty avoided paying a large annual tax bill. However, Granbery said in 2023 the company did incur some costs to cut the grass. This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
LOGAN BUTTS EDITOR
HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS NEWS REPORTER AND PHOTOJOURNALIST
NICOLLE S. PRAINO STAFF REPORTER
LISA BOLD PRODUCTION MANAGER
CHELON HASTY SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER
ELIZABETH JONES CORPORATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
TODD PATTON CFO
MIKE SMITH PRESIDENT AND CEO
Carrie Jones
PHOTO: HARRISON MCCLARY
Five free and cheap family things to do in Middle Tennessee
This is your week if you love the opera and want to share that passion with your little ones. The Nashville Opera has a free event at the Williamson County Performing Arts Center on Feb. 15 as well as one on the same day over at the Tennessee State
NowOPENingreenhills
Museum in Nashville. The museum is also hosting a day of special activities for homeschoolers on Feb. 18 for families looking to learn about Black History Month. The Kidsville Family Walk is happening at Centennial Park, where they’ll unveil the new storywalk. And then there’s an event over at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary focused on fungus. There’s a cost associated, but it could be a great parent-kid event for a Saturday that has benefits later on.
As part of our series on free cheap things to do with the family, here is our weekly roundup of places to spend time together over the next week:
WILD ABOUT FUNGUS
On Feb. 15, Owl’s Hill is hosting a 10 a.m. to noon guided fungus hike. A $40 entry fee pays for a mushroom cultivation kit, guided hike for two and an education in the basics of mushroom cultivation for edible oyster mushrooms and the biology and ecology of fungus. Attendees will learn how to get started with their mushroomgrowing kits at home and how to take care of the oyster kits that come with the event. And then the best part, eating, comes much later after you care for your fungi at home.
‘GOLDIE B. LOCKS & THE THREE SINGING BEARS’
The Nashville Opera will be at the Williamson County Performing Arts Center on Feb. 15 in partnership with the Williamson County Public Library. The family-friendly performance begins at 10 a.m. and is for folks of all ages. The opera will perform Goldie B. Locks and the Three Singing Bears, which uses Mozart and Offenbach’s music to deliver comedy and a lesson rooted in honesty. The 40-minute performance is free, but registration is required.
NASHVILLE OPERA: ‘WHEN MARIAN SANG’
Over in Nashville, the Nashville Opera will present a new performance, When Marian Sang, at the Tennessee State Museum. The program is based on Pam Muñoz Ryan’s book, When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson, who was the first Black opera singer to sing a principal role at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955. The performance will include traditional spirituals, popular songs and opera arias to bring Anderson’s story to life for an entirely
new generation, according to the museum. The event is free, and there’s no registration required.
KIDSVILLE FAMILY WALK!
At Centennial Park, Kidsville is hosting the annual Kidsville Family Walk on Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. The entire family is invited to participate in movement games, a dance party, instrument petting zoo, arts and crafts and a selection of food and drinks for sale. The walk will unveil the storybook walk around the lake, which features the book You Are a Garter Snake!
HOMESCHOOL DAY: BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Tennessee State Museum is hosting a day full of historical activities in honor of Black History Month. On Feb. 28, families are invited to experience the museum’s living history presentations, hands-on learning programs and children’s gallery crafts. The day is led by educators and is free. No registration is necessary, and programs will rotate every 30 minutes. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. and goes until 12:30 p.m.
AMANDA HAGGARD
Kidsville
PHOTO: VON REISCH PHOTOGRAPHY
Bella Napoli’s Penne Alla Vodka Pasta
BY EDIBLE NASHVILLE
Just in time for Valentine’s Day is this vodka infused Italian pasta dish. In Italy, pasta is always cooked in the sauce allowing it to soak up the flavors. Use a large skillet to allow room for the penne to nestle in with the sauce.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups penne pasta (dry)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces Italian pancetta (or ham)
½ onion, diced
½ cup vodka or white wine
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes in puree
1. Boil pasta in salty water until al dente; drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Heat skillet over medium/high; drizzle with olive oil and add pancetta. Cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add onions and sauté 10 minutes or until translucent.
2. Carefully add vodka, (will flame up) scraping up browned bits (deglazing) on bottom of pan. Add tomatoes;
½ cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese fresh basil
reduce heat to low, and cook about 5 minutes. Slowly add heavy cream, stirring for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add pasta and starchy water to the tomato sauce, stirring to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes allowing pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Serve with parmesan, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.
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To subscribe to the magazine that comes out 6x/year, go to ediblenashville.com.
ACROSS
1 Suddenly stopped moving
6 Japanese noodle
10 Pronoun that’s falling into disuse
14 Japanese noodle soup
15 Chicago paper, familiarly, with “the”
16 V irtue signal?
17 In plain sight
18 The devil’s workshop, it’s said
20 Hiccup
22 Like tres and cuatro relative to uno and dos
23 Shade of black
24 Pasture sound
27 Casserole topped with guacamole or sour cream
31 They elevate a choir’s performance
33 www addresses
34 Comedian’s stage performance
37 Talk excessively
39 State leader?
40 Relating to form
41 Burst of energy
44 Actress Skye of “Say Anything …”
45 Hole near a sole
46 Corridor
48 Sur veyor’s measure
49 Home plate is the “four th” one
52 Michelle Obama, to Craig Robinson, for short
53 Common volleyball combo … or 20-, 34- and 41-Across together
58 Most tacky
61 Wrinkle remover
62 Dad humor, perhaps
1 Word on a gift tag
2 Shankar who performed at Woodstock
3 Black cat, maybe
4 “F iddler on the Roof” star
5 Catch in a sting
6 Soup recipe instr uction
7 Surgeon, informally
8 Shire resident
9 Héloise’s lover
10 “Kapow!”
11 Ancient Chinese dynasty
12 Word with style or fashioned
13 Sept. and Oct.
19 Element named after the Greek word for “sun”
21 Pitchfork-shaped letters
24 Place to pick daisies
25 Mysterious knowledge
63 Bread in a tandoor
64 Papal vestment
65 Sacrifice a fly?
66 Younger Stark daughter on “Game of Thrones”
67 Book often shelved on its side
26 Rick of Rickrolling fame
27 Ear l of food storage fame
28 Southwestern gully
29 Attacked, as by a tiger
30 Shakespearean dying words
32 Party pooper
35 Flight board posting: Abbr.
36 Near
38 Personification of darkness, in Greek myth
42 Cross-country r unner’s asset
43 Big ___ (Seton Hall’s conference)
47 Portugal’s capital, in Portugal
50 Warrior’s weapon
51 Assignment often graded with a red pen
53 Not quite broken, say
54 Mountain above Vulcan’s forge
55 Right-leaning type?: Abbr.
56 Nut that’s a source of caffeine
57 Noneternal flames?
58 Loops in, in a way
59 It’s not one of the five W’s
60 The “E” of B.C.E.
ANSWER TO PUZZLE
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/ crosswords ($39.95 a year).
Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.
Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.
PUZZLE BY LAURA DERSHEWITZ
WOODMONT BAPTIST CHURCH
Food Pantry runs every Tuesday 10 am -12 noon*
Nashville Humane Association’s 16th Annual Unleashed
PHOTOS: GETPETPICS
Nashville Humane Association’s 16th Annual Unleashed: Dinner with Your Dog, presented by PEDIGREE®, was an immense success, drawing over 400 guests and more than 200 dogs to the Hilton Nashville Downtown on February 1, 2025. The soldout event raised $219,689 in critical funds for NHA’s mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome homeless pets throughout Middle Tennessee.
Emmylou Harris, the legendary 13-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, made a memorable debut as the event’s host, captivating attendees with her warm presence and passion for animal welfare. Her involvement, alongside the support of a roster of notable walkers, brought the night to life as celebrities joined NHA shelter dogs on the runway for the much-anticipated runway show.
The evening was filled with a variety of fun-filled activities, including a cocktail hour
with treats for both guests and their furry companions, a delicious dinner, mechanical guitar rides, custom bandanas, a celebrity & NHA shelter dog runway show, and live auction. The event’s theme, Yee Paw – a Country Western Mutt Gala, encouraged guests to show off their best Westernthemed outfits, with dogs and humans alike embracing the denim, boots, and fringe.
The event was co-chaired and founded by Marcia Masulla, Founder of Tiny But Mighty Fund, and Shawn Wilson, NHA Board Vice President of Development.
The funds raised will support NHA’s efforts to provide medical care, adoption services, and community outreach programs to enhance the lives of animals throughout Middle Tennessee.
For more information about Nashville Humane Association and how to support its mission, please visit nashvillehumane.org.
Unleashed Co-chairs Shawn Wilson and Marcia Masulla
Anna Myint with Webster Billy Ray Cyrus with Puddin’
Mayor Freddie O’Connell
Ciona Rouse with Pepper
Kelly Sutton with Minnie Pearl Marlowe
Tim Warnock with Butterbean
Emmylou Harris
Nashville Humane Association Executive
Director Laura Baker Elissa Patel with Grits
Meg (@punkypittiemom) Winston
THE GREEN HILLS APARTMENTS
is no longer just for retired teachers. All seniors 62 and older may apply with no fee. Efficiencies start at $500 which includes utilities.
One bedroom & studio apartments available starting at $625 per month. Must be 62 and older and live independently.
One bedroom apartments available starting $650 per month. Must and older and live independently.
615-297-7536
greenhillsapts@comcast.net
destin Condo Rental
Beachfront 2 bed, 2 bath Spring break 20% discount Jeff 615-400-3441 jdzola@yahoo.com
all about antiques and interiors
Donna Cuje 1801 Highway 41 Ridgetop, TN 37152
Buy, Sale, Consign and Estate Sales (615) 507-0179 daynashop@yahoo.com
I am super personal assistantHousehold / pet management, driver, security, business / legal consulting, problem solver. $60 / hr. Stellar References. (615) 292-7615
W.J. Miller (615) 890-0533 Buy American
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA – COUNTY OF GEORGETOWN – IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT – CASE NO. 2024-DR-22-212 – Allyson Wells Haggard, - Plaintiff, - vs. – Steven Tyler Haggard,Defendant. – SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT – TO THE DEFENDANT ABOVE NAMED -YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and notified that an action has been filed against you in this court. Within thirty (30) days of the day you receive this Summons, you must respond in writing to this Complaint by filing an Answer with this court. You must also serve a copy of your Answer to this Complaint upon the Plaintiff or the Plaintiffʼs Attorney at the address shown below. If you fail to answer the Complaint, judgment by default could be rendered against you for the relief requested in the Complaint. -- NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above-entitled action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Georgetown County on July 2, 2024. By Amy K. Raffaldt, Esq. The Law Office of Amy K. Raffaldt, Esq., 1341 44th Avenue North, Suite 205, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, 843.839.2900 Telephone, 843.839.2913 Fax, Amy@raffaldtlawfirm.com.
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Certified CPR, 40 years home healthcare experience. Cleaning, medications, day to day companion care.
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SoS, Serving our Seniors is committed to providing consistent quality care. Licenced, Insured and background checked. Give us a call to discuss your future care needs. SOS Serving Our Seniors www.sos-seniors.com (615) 767-2273
Are you looking for Ultimate Care for your Loved One? 31 years of experience. Outstanding references. Serving Middle Tn. Call Laverne (615) 569-2829
12:00 Noon, February 28, 2025
at Elm Hill Marina 3361 Bell Road Nashville, TN 37214
The following list of boats will be set for auction:
1. 1972 Gibson
TN 7792 ZV
Hull ID: N/A Slip: G-32
2. 1987 Catalina Sailboat OH 0387 YV
Hull ID: N/A Slip: H-60
3. 1985 Catalina Sailboat
GA 0552 XD
Hull ID: N/A Slip: H-56
4. 1978 Trojan
TN 6585 DE
Hull ID: TRJ081950378
Slip: G-38
5. 1972 Sailboat
TN 8576 DK
Hull ID: N/A Slip: H-127
6. 2017 Sun Tracker
TN 0018 KR
Hull ID: N/A Slip: K-74
7. 2015 Crest
TN 9716 EH
Hull ID: CSM01446D515
Slip: L-79
8. 1989 Donzi
TN 7850 EB
Hull ID: DMRRD496A989
Slip: C-17
9. 1974 Nauta-Line Craft
TN 3958 AW
Hull ID: N/A Slip: F-61
10. 1981 Glastron Sailboat
TN 3449 AK
Hull ID: CEC23488M79E
Slip: H-61
11. 1972 Sailboat
TN 8365 DR
Hull ID: ERY27217M74A
Slip: H-119
12. Sailboat
TN 9546 BF
Hull ID: HUNB02091783
Slip: J-1
13. 1993 Stardust
TN 2512 DF
Hull ID: N/A Slip: J-29
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