February 8, 2024

TRUMP FUNDRAISES IN NASHVILLE

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FEBRUARY 8, 2024 | VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 5

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How long can the city-state détente last?

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Gov. Bill Lee giving the State of the State address on Monday

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Flattened revenue growth, corporate tax refund headline Lee budget proposal

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Gov. Bill Lee on Monday delivered his annual State of the State address to gathered lawmakers, with his 2024-25 budget proposal defined by more than $1 billion in planned tax refunds for corporations and a projection that years of annual revenue growth have come to an end.

The governor’s most significant policy proposal for the year is his Education Freedom Scholarship Act, unveiled late last year. The program would fund voucher-like scholarships for up to 20,000 Tennessee students next year, with unlimited growth

planned for the years to follow. The program is expected to trigger substantial debate among lawmakers and could see changes from Lee’s initial proposal.

The overall spending plan totals $52.6 billion, down from $62.5 billion in the current year. State officials said the decrease was due to expiring federal funds stemming from COVID-19 response and infrastructure spending, plus a drop in one-time state funds.

“I’ve got three years left, and yet there is a lot to do. We’re not slowing down – not for a

second,” Lee said. “So, in 2024, and frankly for the remainder of my time in office, I believe our job is to fortify that which has been built over the years, and to remember the work it took to get here.”

Jim Bryson, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, said Monday that the state has gone “from high growth to basically no growth” and is “facing significant financial challenges.” He credited “conservative fiscal management” for helping the state stave off unplanned budget cuts or >> PAGE 2

They’re talking the talk, at least.

Leaders at both the Metro Courthouse and the state Capitol just down the street are saying nice things about one another, promising to put their tense past in the past.

“Right now I’m encouraged by at least the spirit and tone of conversations,” says Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who last year inherited a Metro government embroiled in legal and political battles with the state government.

Adds House Speaker Cameron Sexton: “We’re working with Mayor O’Connell.

I think he’s doing a wonderful job. We’re probably not going to agree on a lot of different policies, but as long as we can continue to have a conversation, we’ll be happy, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Sexton, a Crossville Republican, presided over a 2023 session characterized in part by attacks on Metro governance — from cutting the size of the Metro Council in half to taking over the board that oversees the Nashville International Airport to easing the path for NASCAR’s return to The Fairgrounds Nashville.

O’Connell and Sexton have met to discuss shared priorities, and both mention — unprompted — the East Bank as a possible area of positive collaboration.

The tension, of course, did not begin in 2023. In 2022, the Metro Council (with O’Connell then a member) opted not to support a bid to host the 2024 Republican National Convention in Nashville. That move infuriated key Republican leaders in state government and seems to have poured gasoline on the fire. But fights between the city and state long predate the RNC vote, with the state legislature cracking Nashville’s congressional district into three pieces months before the vote, plus a string of earlier preemption moves.

Maybe Republicans at the state got all their anger out last year. Maybe they saw mounting losses in court as a sign. Or maybe they’re simply ready to turn a new page when it comes to the capital city. But at least so far, there doesn’t seem to be >> PAGE 2

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How long

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much appetite among returning lawmakers to legislate directly at Nashville’s city hall. There still could be a push to take over all airport boards in the state, rather than just Nashville’s, and Metro leaders understand there will be plenty of legislation with statewide applicability they do not agree with, but at least they’re not squarely in the crosshairs.

Another change that gives some insiders hope for improved relations is O’Connell’s hiring of state Rep. Darren Jernigan (D-Nashville) as director of legislative affairs.

Jernigan, who remains a member of the state House but will not run for reelection, is the rare Democrat with a decent relationship with his colleagues in the GOP supermajority. The Old Hickory lawmaker has chaired and vice-chaired committees under Republican leadership, and he’s a former member of the Metro Council.

“We hate to lose Jernigan because he was in leadership in a subcommittee,” says Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville). “He was able to work with our colleagues in the other party to, as best he could, prevent some bad things legislatively from happening.

That also signals Mayor O’Connell’s commitment to make sure that inside of his administration there’s someone who has a relationship with the legislature who can have those conversations if those bills end up coming down, to keep the conversations at a low temperature.”

The shampoo effect is strong, though, and a single drink after last year’s bender could rapidly reopen still-healing wounds. And there’s no telling what that drink could be.

With 40 members, each with a microphone, the Metro Council presents an endless opportunity for causing offense, even if fabricated, to the Republicans in the legislature. Now the Metro Council is hiring a lobbyist of its own, separate from the lobbyists employed by the mayor’s office on behalf of the city.

“The way I am thinking about this in year one is that we are in a more relationshipbuilding and tracking [phase], but we can in time move to more proactive efforts on the legislative side,” new Vice Mayor Angie Henderson said at a December meeting of the Metro Council’s executive committee.

Specifically, Henderson lamented the previous administration’s apparent unwillingness to lobby against the bill cutting the Metro Council in half. She also said the council’s lobbyist should keep tabs on which members are showing up at the Capitol to talk to lawmakers (which they are “free to do,” she adds).

“We need somebody to speak officially on our behalf,” Henderson says.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

THE NEWS

Flattened revenue growth CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Covenant School mom and gun reform advocate Mary Joyce PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Protesters outside of the State of the State address deployment of reserves.

“This budget is more challenging than previous budgets and in many ways a lot less exciting,” Bryson said, while adding that the budget continues to increase funding for key priorities like education and law enforcement.

The tax refunds are a preemptive effort to avoid a lawsuit from companies that could challenge the state’s franchise tax regime. The refunds would go back up to four years and are expected to cost the state more than $1 billion in the coming fiscal year. Foregone revenue from changes to the tax will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars more annually. The budget includes no grocery sales tax holiday, though Democrats have proposed eliminating the tax entirely.

“Our members are having a very favorable reaction to the governor’s franchise tax proposal,” said Jim Brown, state director for the National Federation for Independent Business. “We also are gathering feedback from the tax practitioner community and sharing with state leaders to ensure the proposal’s implementation would go smoothly.”

As proposed, the budget includes $6.8 billion for K-12 education, the most ever.

That figure represents an increase of nearly $500 million from the current year, Bryson said, and includes funding for ongoing priorities like the progressive increase of teacher salary floors to $50,000. The

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

education budget proposal also includes $15 million for charter school facility support and more than $140 million for the first year of the education freedom scholarships.

A few dozen mostly student protesters gathered outside the state Capitol ahead of the speech, rallying against the voucherlike expansion proposal and for gun safety measures. Opponents of the private school scholarships in the audience interrupted Lee’s speech at times to voice their criticisms.

“We the students are here to say we are unsatisfied with the state of the state and we’re ready to make a change,” said Emmie Wolf-Dubin, a sophomore at Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville. “The status quo is fundamentally un-maintainable as we whitewash our history and cleanse our books of the American wrongs.”

Various interest groups also weighed in.

“We will always seek to find common ground with policymakers as long as the policy aligns with the needs of children and educators in our public schools,” said JC Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee. “The concept of universal vouchers would be costly to the state, and we urge the Tennessee General Assembly to move slowly. In particular, we have concerns over the lack of incomeeligibility requirements and accountability.

Our state must avoid any program viewed as a tax subsidy for existing private school families or a tax bailout for struggling

private schools.”

Said Lee: “We can give parents choice and support public schools at the same time.”

Lee also highlighted a proposed investment in rural health initiatives, TennCare growth and support for behavioral health care. The governor is also asking for more than $17 million in order to add 60 troopers to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Lee is also proposing an additional $71.5 million for the Heritage Conservation Trust, $25 million for the Farmland Conservation Trust, $20 million for river access and $10 million for a Bill Dance Signature Lakes Fishing Trail.

Though he offered few details, Lee also said he would push statewide permitting reform “to accelerate building times, lower costs and safely streamline construction in Tennessee.” The effort is designed to make it easier to build homes, businesses and child care facilities, he said, and comes as Metro councilmembers begin a campaign for zoning and codes reforms in Nashville with similar aims.

Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis), chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, offered a “prebuttal” to Lee’s State of the State on behalf of Tennessee Democrats, confined to the superminority in both the House and the Senate.

“Instead of working on the issues holding us back, Republicans have used their power to seize wealth for their campaign contributors and made cuts that hurt working people,” she said. “They’ve wasted years of our time and tax dollars in pursuit of a trickle-down agenda that serves billionaires and big corporations while literally undermining our personal prosperity, our safety and our freedom.”

Matt Masters contributed reporting.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Republican supermajority returns to frontlines of culture war

BY MATT MASTERS

The return of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly to Capitol Hill has brought with it the return of culture-war bills, this time targeting Pride flags and transgender health care, as well as bills that would make it easier to challenge the books offered in public school libraries.

State Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) introduced several bills early in this year’s session that have made the Tennessee Equality Project’s 2024 “Slate of Hate.” The list notes discriminatory legislation including House Bill 1605, which aims to ban the display of any flags other than those of the United States and the state of Tennessee from public schools and public charter schools.

The legislation was specifically introduced to remove Pride flags from schools.

In December, Bulso told Scene sister publication The News that Pride flags are among “flags that are there to present a political viewpoint, that are really not for any educational purpose, but really simply to indoctrinate students with regards to a particular political point of view.” He says the legislation follows complaints from parents and community members in Williamson County.

On Jan. 22, dozens of protesters — including members of TNEP and Nashville Pride — gathered in the Capitol rotunda to speak out against the Pride flag bill and other legislation.

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) tells Scene education reporter Kelsey Beyeler that she’s been hearing from constituents who are concerned about the bill.

“Folks will try and say, ‘Well, schools don’t need to be politicized,’ but when you constantly put these restrictions, you’re politicizing it, right?” Akbari says. “Kids are supposed to go in an environment where they are comfortable, and they feel accepted in their learning, and they’re safe. And that’s what we need to focus on, not this concept that, ‘Oh, school is indoctrinating kids,’ or, ‘We need to keep them from all these things that are occurring in the real world,’ when all you’re doing is alienating certain parts of the population and making them feel unwelcome.”

Another bill sponsored by Bulso, HB1634, “revises language prohibiting educators from discriminating against students on certain, specified bases to generally prohibiting educators from

discriminating against students who are members of a protected class under federal or state law; removes the definition of ‘gender identity’ for purposes of the family life curriculum.” He’s also sponsoring HB1632, with its Senate counterpart sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin). That one would allow the parent of a child “who attends, or who is eligible to attend, a school operated by a local education agency or a public charter school” to sue the agency to enforce the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, an effort to remove certain books from school libraries.

Bulso isn’t opposed to all books, however, as one of his filed bills seeks to name 10 “official state books of Tennessee.” Among the materials on the list are George Washington’s “Farewell Address to the American People” (not a book), the Aitken Bible, Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America and a children’s book by Dolly Parton.

SB1810, sponsored by Sen. Paul Rose (R-Tipton), would prohibit public schools and public charter schools from “knowingly providing false or misleading information to a student’s parent regarding the student’s

gender identity or intention to transition to a gender that differs from the student’s sex at the time of birth.” It would also require school employees to tell both a student’s parents and school administration if a student asks “for an accommodation to affirm the student’s gender identity.” The bill goes even further, allowing civil legal actions to be taken against schools by a student’s parents or the attorney general.

Several bills introduced in 2023 in both the general session and August’s special session have returned for debate. Those include SB 1339/HB 1215, sponsored by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, respectively, which would prevent medical providers who contract with TennCare from covering some transgender health care, specifically genderaffirming surgeries.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

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4

THE NEWS

Johnson lapping other Dems, trails Blackburn in fundraising

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

State Rep. Gloria Johnson during the special legislative session in August PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) continues to raise money at a healthy clip as she seeks the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, though she still lags behind incumbent Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn financially.

Blackburn, first elected to the seat in 2018, reported bringing in $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2023. That figure is a combination of money brought into her Marsha for Senate campaign account and an affiliated fund. Her campaign account had more than $7.4 million remaining as of the end of the year. She reported spending nearly $500,000 from the main campaign account, with additional expenditures flowing through the separate fund.

“I’m grateful to the incredible Tennesseans and conservatives whose generous contributions support our campaign to protect Tennessee and our values,” Blackburn said in a release. “Each

and every donation makes a difference.

Together, we will keep Tennessee red and continue to protect Tennessee and protect America.”

Johnson reported bringing in just north of $1 million in the fourth quarter, bringing her total raised during her campaign to more than $2.3 million. The campaign called that figure the best-ever by a Tennessee Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate over the first six months of a campaign, personal loans excluded.

Johnson reported spending nearly $800,000 during the quarter, with more than $1.4 million in cash on hand.

“Thanks to the groundswell of grassroots support over the past four months, we’ve been able to be proactive, and really hit the ground running as we enter the 2024 election cycle,” said Johnson campaign manager Cyrus Shick. “We know that we have a long road ahead of us, so the ability to be aggressive by building up a talented team and investing in strong infrastructure early is what’s going to make this race competitive.”

Johnson still must win the August Democratic primary in order to take on Blackburn in the November general election, when any Democrat will face long odds against the incumbent. Also running for the Democratic nomination are Marquita Bradshaw, Democrats’ 2020 Senate nominee, and Civil Miller-Watkins of Fayette County.

Both Bradshaw and Miller-Watkins trail Johnson in fundraising. Bradshaw reported bringing in more than $10,000, with $3,200 of that coming from the candidate. MillerWatkins reported raising nearly $5,000, with $2,000 coming from the candidate.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Trump to fundraise in Nashville with Kid Rock, congressional delegation

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Donald Trump in Nashville in 2022

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Former President Donald Trump will raise money in Nashville later this month as he continues to seek the Republican nomination for a third run at the presidency.

According to an invitation obtained by the The News sister publication Nashville Post, Trump will be joined by musician Kid Rock and the Tennessee GOP congressional delegation, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty and Reps. Andy Ogles, John Rose and Mark Green.

The event is scheduled for Feb. 22 in Nashville, though no venue is listed. A VIP

reception comes with a $6,600 donation.

Tennessee’s Super Tuesday presidential primary will be held on March 5. Trump’s lone remaining major competitor for the nomination is Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. Trump recently said Haley supporters would be “permanently barred” from his movement.

President Joe Biden is facing nominal competition for the Democratic nomination.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

6th Circuit’s Stranch reportedly heads toward retirement

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Nashville’s Jane Branstetter Stranch, a judge on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, is planning to take “senior status,” according to a Reuters report.

Her decision to take a step back from fulltime service on the Cincinnati-based court would give President Joe Biden a vacancy on the appeals bench that handles cases in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan.

Stranch was formerly a managing partner of law firm Branstetter Stranch & Jennings.

She was confirmed to the seat in 2010 after being nominated by President Barack Obama to fill a vacancy left by Martha Craig Daughtrey. Her father, Cecil Branstetter, was a longtime Nashville attorney.

The 6th Circuit is made up of 10 judges appointed by Republican presidents and six appointed by Democrats. Another Tennessee-based judge on the court, GOP nominee Julia Smith Gibbons, is also planning to take senior status.

Biden previously nominated Butler Snow attorney Andre Mathis of Memphis to the appeals court, a move that angered U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch PHOTO COURTESY OF NASHVILLE BAR ASSOCIATION

5

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Gun control advocate Shaundelle Brooks moves toward House run

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Shaundelle Brooks PHOTO BY ROD WRIGHT

Shaundelle Brooks, a local gun control advocate whose son Akilah DaSilva was killed in the 2018 Waffle House shooting, is making her bid for state House official.

She appointed a campaign treasurer this week, according to state records. Brooks had previously expressed interest in running in District 60, where Rep. Darren Jernigan is not seeking reelection.

Brooks could face financial adviser Tim Jester in the August Democratic primary.

Jester also recently appointed a campaign treasurer but told the Post he has not made a final decision about running. No Republican has yet filed to run for the seat, the district for which includes Old Hickory. Candidates cannot begin qualifying for the ballot until next week, and the qualification deadline is in April.

“For the past five years, I have walked into the Tennessee legislature, testified at committees, had gun lobbyists say ugly things to me, and watched politicians do nothing to stop gun violence,” Brooks wrote on social media in December. “That is why I’m considering a run for House District 60.”

She could not be reached for comment.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

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6

THE NEWS

How teacher shortages affect students with disabilities

BY KELSEY BEYELER

Napier Elementary School

PHOTO BY DANIEL MEIGS

Teacher shortages have been affecting school districts across the country for years. While some schools struggle more than others, the overall effect of prolonged vacancies touches everyone in the public school system — and often the hardest positions to fill serve the students who need help the most.

The Metro Nashville Public Schools system currently has around 170 open teacher positions. Positions teaching English learners, pre-K and science are among those with the most vacancies, but vacancies in what’s known as exceptional education far exceed other categories, with 47 open positions. Per state law, maximum class sizes range from 20 to 30 students, depending on grade level — this means thousands of students are left without a full-time teacher.

Vanderbilt University professor Douglas Fuchs researches special education. He was a co-lead author on a 2018 study finding that students with disabilities are, on average, more than three years behind their peers.

“There are too few special educators with appropriate licensure or certification,” Fuchs tells the Scene. “So schools have no recourse but to hire others who are not nearly

adequately trained.”

The educator shortage is the result of myriad accumulating factors. Schoolstaff labor union the National Education Association dates the start of this national phenomenon to around 2009. The NEA found that inadequate compensation, underfunded school systems and a general lack of respect toward teachers are among the contributing factors.

Alongside difficulties finding and retaining qualified full-time teachers, districts also struggle to find enough substitute teachers.

MNPS teacher Hallie Trauger says she’s asked to fill in for other teachers on average once a week. She prefers not to, but fills in when the need is “desperate.” Trauger and other teachers are paid extra when they fill in, but they lose time to get other work done, resulting in hours spent outside of school doing unpaid makeup work.

“Our school consistently has vacancies,” says Trauger. “From the start of the year, I have students who have classes where they don’t have a teacher, which has, of course, implications for their education.”

Laura Leonard, another MNPS teacher, says she feels “horribly guilty” when she

has to take time off to go to doctors’ appointments or care for her family. When she leaves, she says, students aren’t learning or doing the work they need to.

This was the case for Nashville School of the Arts student Thomais Moshopoulos, whose mother Yadira Calderon says she’s had to be in classes led by substitute teachers for prolonged periods.

“We’re promised we’re gonna learn something, but then we don’t,” Thomais tells the Scene. “I want to be exposed to things that’ll help me grow up and thrive in a world where I can be understood and respected and given support, and that they can accept who I am and learn to better help me without putting pressure on me.”

Thomais is on the autism spectrum, which means she has what’s known as an individualized education plan. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires students with disabilities receive mechanisms like IEPs to receive a free appropriate public education. Even with these guidelines in place, it can be hard for students with IEPs to receive proper education, especially when schools lack special education teachers and rely on substitutes.

Emily Whitson is the mother of a student with Down syndrome in Williamson County.

“You have to stay on top of what is happening at school, because otherwise it will fall through the cracks,” says Whitson.

Students and their families can file complaints, use mediation to address concerns with schools or follow a legal process to address IDEA violations.

These options can be time-consuming, intimidating and costly, requiring resources that many families don’t have. Whitson has been through programs to learn how to advocate for her daughter, like the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Volunteer Advocacy Project. As an exceptional education mentor with The Arc Tennessee, Whitson now helps other families advocate for themselves.

Other resources like the Tennessee Technical Assistance Network help schools and families better support students with disabilities.

Whitson tells the Scene that two of her daughter’s special education teachers quit

within the same school year. “She didn’t enjoy school — she didn’t want to go at all,” Whitson says. “I don’t feel like we made a lot of progress … toward her IEP goals.”

Eleese Meschery is the parent of a neurodivergent student, and she tells the Scene why substitute teachers present difficulties. “Transitions are hard for him,” Meschery says of her son. “Changes in schedule — any changes — can disrupt his emotional regulation.”

So what’s the solution to address these shortages and provide students with the education they deserve? There isn’t a quick and easy approach, but most experts agree that raising teacher pay would help. Though MNPS touts having the highest-paid educators in the state, the city’s higher cost of living means many Nashville educators still can’t afford to live here. Leonard says she sees raises “in tiny, insulting increments.”

Likewise, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law last year raising teacher salaries to a minimum of $50,000 by the 2026-27 school year. Baked into the law, however, is an anti-union stipulation. The state also has a “Grow Your Own” program that allows people to train to become teachers at no cost.

Trauger suggests raising teacher salaries and rates for subs. Though she says “it’s a decent place to work if you have a Ph.D. … we’re not necessarily especially well-paid toward the beginning parts of that spectrum.”

She also thinks making teachers feel more respected and creating more sustainable working conditions — like less paperwork and more autonomy — would help.

“A challenge of being a teacher is that we feel we’re the last ones for the students,” says Trauger. “So we feel the need to try to absorb all of the limitations of the school system in ourselves. … But we’re human.

And so: One, we shouldn’t be asked to do that, and two, we can’t prevent it from having an impact on students.”

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

Teen killed, another injured in Wednesday night Bellevue shooting STAFF REPORTS A Jan 31. shooting in Bellevue killed an 18-year-old and wounded a 17-year-old when, as police said, the two teens shot each other in what was potentially a “drugrelated” incident.

According to a Metro Nashville Police Department news release, the shooting

took place around 8:17 p.m. at the Kroger shopping center at 7071 Highway South and resulted in the death of Gavin R. Dauzart, who police found with gunshot wounds in the shopping center’s parking lot with a pistol beside him.

The other victim and alleged shooter,

Raphael S. Jobehdari, was “critically wounded” with gunshot wounds to his abdomen and leg and was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Police said that Jobehdari fled to the nearby Kroger and “attempted to conceal a gun,” which was later found by police.

“Duzart’s and Jobehdari’s vehicles were located at the scene,” MNPD said. “The continuing investigation leads detectives at this point to believe that drug activity is linked to the gunfire.”

7

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Lawmakers consider addressing landfill capacity

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BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT With various Tennessee communities facing the prospect of full landfills within the next decade, some state lawmakers are considering changes to solid waste laws in an effort to identify a path forward.

A proposed expansion of the Middle Point Landfill in Murfreesboro is tied up in court for now. The facility accepts waste from about a third of the state, including Nashville, and ownership has said the landfill will have to close within a few years if it cannot expand.

“We can come up with better solutions together than we can trying to figure out 95 different solutions [for all 95 counties],” said Donna Barrett, a Central Tennessee Regional Solid Waste Planning Board member who testified before the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

Sen. Steve Southerland, the Morristown Republican who chairs the committee, said he wants to see “a major comprehensive bill” to address the issue. That work could start with a task force rather than a more targeted bill this session.

One bill that did come up, though, was Sen. Heidi Campbell’s extended producer responsibility proposal. EPR policies, which incentivize manufacturers to make their packaging more easily recyclable, have been enacted in several states in recent years.

“For all of us, it’s a pressing issue, whether we know it or not,” Campbell said. “I think a big part of this is going to be reduction.”

Nashville is making its own strides toward reducing dependency on landfills in other counties, though it’s a long process.

The city adopted a solid waste master plan in 2019 and rolled out twice-weekly recycling pickup and a curbside compost pilot program last year.

New Mayor Freddie O’Connell is also working on establishing a standalone solid waste department for the city. Metro could institute a “pay as you throw” fee system for trash pickup in an effort to encourage residents to throw away less and raise money to address the landfill situation, though O’Connell said in October a fee structure had not “been seriously considered yet.”

Sen. Shane Reeves, a Republican whose district includes Middle Point, applauded the idea of establishing a task force.

“Continuing to scale [Middle Point] indefinitely, it just can’t be done,” he said.

“We have to have solutions.”

A version of this story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

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8

THE NEWS

OPINION

A call for common sense: why Tennessee needs to embrace gun reform

BY BILL FREEMAN

As a longtime businessman and gun owner in Tennessee, I was intrigued to see House Bill 2193 introduced during this legislative session. Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) filed the legislation, which aims to impose a 15 percent tax on the retail sale of firearms in Tennessee. As reported

by WKRN, “That revenue would then be put into a fund to be used by the Tennessee Department of Education exclusively for the purpose of staffing school counselors

Bill Freeman was invited to a reception with President Joe Biden on Jan. 30 hosted at the Miami home of Chris Korge, the president’s Democratic National Committee finance chairman.

PHOTO PROVIDED

in elementary and secondary schools.”

Redirecting funds toward mental health support is a cause many can agree is crucial.

Mitchell acknowledged the difficulty in moving this kind of legislation due to the environment in our state, but he also realizes that lawmakers have to do something.

According to Everytown.org, our state is consistently ranked among the highest in gun deaths, with the 12th-highest rate in the United States. As Tennessee Lookout reported in August, our state’s rate of gun deaths in youth ages 17 and younger is 36 percent higher than the national average.

Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the state. Further, notes Everytown, “Gun violence costs Tennessee $18.0 billion each year, of which $415.5 million is paid by taxpayers.” Tennessee’s weak gun laws and high rates of gun violence should be a cause for concern for every resident, regardless of their stance on the Second Amendment.

In March of last year, the Covenant School shooting shook our community to its core, claiming the lives of three children and three adults. To many of us, it was a stark reminder that the time for action was long overdue. An Everytown projection shows that “if Tennessee had the gun death rate of … the eight states with the strongest gun safety laws, we could save 12,514 lives in the next decade.”

An extreme risk law similar to those implemented in 21 other states might have prevented the Covenant School tragedy.

Such a law would empower authorities to intervene and temporarily restrict access

to firearms for individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others. I recognize that the Second Amendment is important — I understand it, and I own guns myself. But I also understand the importance behind defining those who are not mentally capable of making good or safe decisions when they are allowed access to guns.

House Bill 2193 is a step in the right direction. According to Rep. Mitchell, the idea stemmed from a recent town hall meeting, where a Republican voter — and gun owner — acknowledged the urgency of addressing the gun problem in our state.

It’s encouraging to see bipartisan discussions on potential solutions. But knowing there are many intricacies in legislation, we have to recognize that discussions and proposals do not always equate to tangible change.

We can only do what we have the power to do — and Mitchell has taken just such an opportunity by filing HB 2193.

Of course, Mitchell says he does not want to tax anyone, and he points to “legislation filed by fellow Democrats, including safe storage and red-flag bills by Reps. Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) and Bob Freeman (D-Nashville), as things that lawmakers could do to keep Tennesseans safer from gun violence.” Mitchell also explains that if either of those bills were to pass, he would “happily” withdraw his tax bill.

After a recent shooting near Belmont University in which a young student lost her life, Republicans are advocating for more mental health reform. House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) has emphasized the need to prevent individuals who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial from possessing firearms — a change that Democrats also support. It’s a step toward acknowledging the intersection of mental health and gun violence, yet the comprehensive reforms needed could remain elusive. Some still believe that arming teachers is a potential solution, but certainly, many parents do not want that for their children.

A report by Everytown shows advocates from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action have been tirelessly pushing for common-sense reforms. Their efforts resulted in the rejection of legislation to arm teachers. Sierra Barnett, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, aptly points out, “While we are encouraged by proposals meant to promote the secure storage of firearms, [last year’s special legislative session] fell woefully short.” It’s a testament to the power of advocacy, but it also highlights the long road ahead.

When we sit down to discuss this, let’s

remember this issue is not about politics — it’s about the safety of our children and our communities. I applaud Mitchell for working toward a solution and for filing HB 2193. Further, I believe most of us value common sense over ideological divides.

Embracing common-sense gun reform is not an attack on the Second Amendment; it’s a responsible step toward curbing the alarming rates of gun violence that continue to plague our beloved Tennessee.

Bill Freeman Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and The News.

LOGAN BUTTS ASSOCIATE EDITOR MATT MASTERS NEWS REPORTER AND PHOTOJOURNALIST NICOLLE S. PRAINO STAFF REPORTER LISA BOLD PRODUCTION MANAGER CHELON HASTY SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER HEATHER CANTRELL MULLINS PUBLISHER ELIZABETH JONES CORPORATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR TODD PATTON CFO MIKE SMITH PRESIDENT AND CEO BILL FREEMAN OWNER

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9

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

OPINION

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT

TICKED OFF!

CAPITOL GALLERY SEATS What a bunch of bull, now the power hungry Speaker Sexton wants to require the fine folks of Tennessee to “require members of the public who wish to sit in the west gallery to seek tickets from lawmakers, who are allowed to give out a single spectator ticket each day” Again WHAT A BUNCH OF BULL. Does Speaker Sexton want to make sure that the opposing party members don’t get a ticket? I can see it now , Sorry all the tickets have been given out today, try again tomorrow. I’ll stick my neck out on this but I bet that many, many of his Republican backers will not have a problem getting a ticket while folks on the other side are told that there are no seats available today. How much more control does the Republican Super Majority want over controlling the people of TN. ? Being as we the people don’t seem to have much control as to how the republicans are setting themselves up as the supreme rulers we have no choice but to VOTE THE BUMBS OUT. Remember come term expirations all the things this currant body has done or not done (calling a special session at the cost of thousands and accomplishing almost nothing). not even the reason the special session was called for. All this crap starts at the governors office via Sextons input and Lee listens to him so he can spend his time on the school voucher program screwing he want to impose on most of the tax payers. If you don’t vote the BLUE ticket you are some of the blame for the situation we are in right now. Thanks for your time.

LPR Thursday Feb. 1st there was a meeting at the Hermitage Police Station regarding LRP’s (License Plate Readers) Everyone was invited and guess what????? About 15 people showed up. If you were not there you missed it because the officers that gave the meeting were very precise and the information they afforded to us was very useful. If you are one of the negative folks on LPR’s I really think you would change your mind after hearing what a great help these devices are in police patrolling. Nashville Metro Police Department is stretched pretty thin and the LPR’s are helping them to areas where offenders might be located.

To the non believers the officers made a point of telling us that the LPRs only read the BACK of the vehicle, not any side or front, that way no persons are visible, only

the license plate. Those who are worried that Big Brother is watching you really have nothing to worry about because Big Brother watches you every time you go to Kroger or Mapco or any place you scan your card.

Kroger knows when you were there and what you purchase, same with Mapco. Lets face it we are under the watchful eye just about any place you go. As you can see I am a proponent of LPRs. As I see it the only draw back there is, is the cost. But during the meeting it was brought out how many “bad guys and girls” were caught and the number of stolen guns and drugs were discovered.

So I ask our Mayor and Council people to loosen up some cash so Nashville residents can feel even more safe because more police officers will be able to patrol our neighbor hoods while cameras are keeping an eye on the bad people.

AG RIGHT TO PUSH BACK AGAINST NCAA This article was in the Tennessean on Feb. 3rd. Of course not the whole article is reproduced here because of space so if you need to read look in the Tennessean Saturday morning. What I think the best part of the article is the first line. I love reading these comedies first thing.

Check this out.

HEADLINE: AG Right to push back against NCAA. Tennessee Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti sees his role as one of advancing state policy interests and, yes, that means doing battle with the federal government — and any other entity — when he believes they overreach their authority.

Talk about a hypocrite, this clown should get his head out of his butt and look around.

The Super Majority Republican Party of TN. have been overreaching their authority since day one after the past mayor refused to allow the Republican National Convention in Nashville. That is all I can say.

LINCOLN Lincoln’s worries As long as you have individuals with the brain of a gnat, that idolize the Orange Jesus, pied piper leading the rats over the cliff, there will always be a possibility of a result of another insurrection.

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10

THE NEWS

SPORTS

Seven players from Tennessee schools seek Super Bowl ring

BY JOHN GLENNON

Background: The 6-3, 233-pound Burks was in 2018 a third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, where he spent his first four NFL seasons ... But Burks has been more productive in each of his last two seasons in San Francisco, where he’s played in 32 games and made eight starts. Burks has totaled a combined 84 tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in those two years for the 49ers. He played 326 defensive snaps this season, the most of his career … At Vanderbilt, Burks once intercepted two passes against Kentucky during his second season, returning one for a touchdown. In his last two years with the Commodores, Burks totaled a combined 139 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.

Jauan Jennings

PHOTO COURTESY OF UT ATHLETICS

Seven players from Tennessee colleges will be seeking Super Bowl rings when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.

Four are Middle Tennessee State alums, two played at the University of Tennessee and one at Vanderbilt.

Three of the players will be looking to add to their Super Bowl ring collection: Kansas City linebacker Darius Harris (Middle Tennessee State) will be in search of a third Super Bowl ring, while Chiefs guard Trey Smith (University of Tennessee) and San Francisco cornerback Charvarius Ward (Middle Tennessee State) have each already captured one.

Here’s a quick look at all seven who will be competing for the NFL’s ultimate prize in less than two weeks:

a wide receiver at MTSU, where he caught 60 passes for 559 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games during his final season in 2022.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Name: Richie James College: Middle Tennessee State Position: Wide receiver Background: A seventh-round pick of San Francisco in 2018, the 5-9, 185-pound wideout has played five seasons in the NFL, totaling 105 catches for 1,372 yards and seven touchdowns … He’s also excelled as a returner, posting 95 punt returns and 56 kick returns … His most productive season came with the Giants in 2022, when

Name: Izaiah Gathings College: Middle Tennessee State Position: Tight end Background: The undrafted Gathings was signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad in December, after originally signing with the New York Jets following a mini-camp tryout last spring … He has yet to play in an NFL game … The 6-4, 222-pound Gathings was

Name: Darius Harris College: Middle Tennessee State Position: Linebacker Background: An undrafted free agent who originally signed with Kansas City in 2019, Harris has played in 33 games, starting six, from 2020-23 … His best season to date was 2022, when Harris played all 17 games, starting four, and posted 43 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks … He hasn’t played any defensive snaps in his five games this season … Harris’ most productive year at Middle Tennessee State was his senior season, when he totaled 97 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks.

James caught 57 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns … This year, Jones was activated by the Chiefs from injured reserve in November, and he went on to catch 10 passes for 114 yards … In college, James was highly productive, catching more than 100 passes in each of his first two seasons before injury limited him to five games during his final MTSU season.

Name: Trey Smith College: Tennessee Position: Guard Background: The 6-6, 321-pound Smith was a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2021, and he has been a fixture on the offensive line ever since. A Humboldt native, Smith has played and started in 50 of a possible 51 regular-season games over three years, earning Pro Football Writers of America rookie honors in 2021 … In 2,634 passblocking snaps over three seasons, Smith has allowed just nine sacks, per Pro Football Focus … In college, Smith was a two-time all-Southeastern Conference selection.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Name: Oren Burks College: Vanderbilt Position: Linebacker

Name: Jauan Jennings College: Tennessee Position: Wide receiver Background: A seventh-round pick of the 49ers in 2020, Jennings has played in 45 games from 2021-23, starting seven ... Jennings made five touchdown catches in 2020, but his most productive overall year was 2022, when the 6-3, 212-pound receiver caught 35 passes for 416 yards. This year, Jennings averaged 13.9 yards on his 19 catches, totaling one touchdown … A Cowan native who went to Blackman High in Murfreesboro, Jennings spent five years at the University of Tennessee, posting 146 catches including 18 touchdowns.

Name: Charvarius Ward College: Middle Tennessee State Position: Cornerback Background: Ward made the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and he’s gone on to play six seasons — his first four in Kansas City and the last two with San Francisco … The 6-1, 196-pound Ward has played in 90 games during that stretch, starting 77. He’s totaled 10 interceptions, 381 tackles and 63 passes defensed … Ward won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019, but he’s coming off his best NFL season in San Francisco. In 2023, Ward earned his first Pro Bowl selection after making five interceptions and returning them for 91 yards—including one touchdown … In a combined two years at MTSU, Ward had 74 tackles, two interceptions and 13 passes defensed.

A version of this story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

11

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

SPORTS

Father Ryan, Brentwood earn podium finishes at dual wrestling state championships

BY LOGAN BUTTS

The 2023-24 dual wrestling state championships took place at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center in Franklin over the weekend, and several local teams competed for a chance to win a state title.

In an All-WillCo battle for third place in the Class AA bracket, Brentwood defeated Summit 40-32 for the Bruins best finish a the state duals since 1998.

Brentwood (26-4) fell out of the championship bracket after a 45-30 loss to unbeaten eventual state champions Cleveland, but bounced back with two wins in the consolation bracket for a podium finish.

Summit (26-3) also lost to Cleveland, falling 38-26 in the first round. The Spartans won a pair of consolation bracket matches to earn a spot in the third-place battle with Brentwood.

In the Division II Class A-AA bracket, Brentwood Academy (17-8) lost to eventual champion Lakeway Christian 50-

18 in the semifinals.

In the second semifinal, Battle Ground Academy (10-8) lost to Boyd Buchanan 65-12.

In the Division II Class AAA bracket, Father Ryan (11-5) reached the championship match with a 37-30 win over Baylor in the semifinals. The Irish finished as the state runner-up after falling to McCallie 38-31 in the championship match.

In the Class A bracket, Station Camp (27-8) won its first round match over Anderson County 48-16 before falling to Soddy Daisy 42-30 in the semifinals.

The Division II individual state championship meet will take place on Feb. 16-17 at Montgomery Bell Academy.

The Division I and girls individual state championship meet will take place Feb. 2324 at the Williamson County Ag Arena.

Brentwood wrestling PHOTO BY DAVID RUSSELL

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12

THE NEWS

Wilhoite faces challenger in reelection bid

Davidson County property assessor, former employee vying for Democratic nomination in March

BY NICOLLE S. PRAINO school board and family court judge are also on the March ballot.

Wilhoite is fresh off an unsuccessful bid for mayor. She was first elected to the assessor’s office in 2016, beating incumbent George Rooker Jr. Day was previously a deputy assessor in Metro for nearly eight years.

Both candidates answered questions from the Post about their campaigns.

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING TO BE THE ASSESSOR OF PROPERTY?

Vivian Wilhoite

PHOTO BY

Early voting for the Metro NashvilleDavidson County primary election is just around the corner. The deadline to register to vote is on Feb. 5, and early voting begins Feb. 14.

The general election is August 1, but the March 5 primary is especially important

Tomesia Day

PHOTO BY

when the only candidates running for a seat are vying for the same party’s nomination.

In the Davidson County assessor of property race, incumbent Vivian Wilhoite and Tomesia Day are both running for the Democratic nomination, with no Republican candidates qualified. Primary elections for

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Day: I have a passion to serve.

Most importantly, I’ve had the unique opportunity to work in this actual office under two different administrations and obtained a Tennessee Master Assessor certification, the highest distinction in Tennessee. My hands-on knowledge, experience and education propelled me to run for this office. I always tell others to be the change you seek and now I’m running to be the change I want to see. I want the job and my mission is to provide fair and equitable assessments while demonstrating professionalism, integrity and transparency

to the citizens of Nashville and Davidson County.

Wilhoite: Continue a Legacy. Over the last eight years, I have built a proactive approach, and I want to continue the legacy of work of providing fair and equitable valuation to the property owners of Nashville and Davidson County, promoting an amazing staff who is committed to our mission, and continue to give energetically, informative leadership to property owners and the residents of Davidson County, Tennessee.

WHY SHOULD VOTERS ELECT YOU? Day: The opportunity that I’ve had to work in this office under two different administrations, along with experience gained throughout my career positions me to lead this office. The perspective and lessons gained from my previous employment at the Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee Education Lottery and Tennessee Department of Human Services have prepared me for this moment. >> PAGE 13

13

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

This is my first time running for office.

I don’t see myself as a career politician, but as a person dedicated to serve others — that just so happens to be uniquely qualified for this position. I am not using this position as a springboard to something else. Entering this race gives people another choice and a viable option and not just the status quo.

Furthermore, when people have a choice, it brings awareness and helps to educate the community. Information is power and I feel that when the right information is available, it helps voters make an informed decision.

Wilhoite: Experience counts. Before being elected as the assessor of property in 2016, I had compiled eight years of experience as an appraiser in the mass appraisal arena for ad valorem tax purposes at the state level. After successfully serving eight years at the local level as the assessor of property, I have a combined 16 years of experience in the mass appraisal and ad valorem arena, and that experience is one of the reasons why Davidson County voters should vote to keep me.

Davidson County voters should vote to keep me because of the commitment to building an amazing diverse staff of professional and credentialed employees who are committed to the mission of fair and equitable valuation. Voters should keep me because of the more than 250 outreach presentations completed over the years to help property owners and non-property owners be informed of the reappraisal process, their right to appeal, the availability of the tax freeze, tax relief and tax deferral programs that the Office of the Trustee administers, and the tax assistance program that Metro Social Services administers to benefit property owners.

WHY SHOULD VOTERS PAY ATTENTION TO THIS RACE? Day: I am a Nashville native and want everyone to know that every race is important and to exercise their right to vote. This office and in particular this race is often overshadowed by the presidential race on the ballot. We all should be focused on this race because this office impacts us all directly; not just homeowners, landowners or business owners. A little-known fact, is that property tax is an ad valorem tax, which is a tax that is imposed on the proportional value of the underlying asset.

Taxes generated from the assessment process help to fund/support the essential services that our local government provides.

There is a lot of misinformation in regards to what this office does and the role of the assessor. The role of the assessor is to discover, list, classify and value all taxable property in their jurisdiction. Assessment should be done in a manner that is fair and equitable for everyone. Many people just don’t know and it goes back to transparency and educating the public.

Wilhoite: A home or business may be one of the biggest purchases in one’s lifetime, and the assessor and staff play a critical and crucial role in determining values for ad valorem purposes.

It starts with a value. Davidson County voters should pay attention to the assessor of property’s race because the payment of taxes, in Davidson County, that’s 52 percent of the budget, is one of the most stable revenue streams of any county. Additionally, I believe that Davidson County voters have learned more from the Office of the Assessor of Property about appeals and valuation under

my leadership since elected in 2016.

Voters should pay attention to this race because the State of Tennessee legislators are considering a change to the frequency and the process of a county’s reappraisal. To keep me, means that [voters] have someone who has 12 years of experience in working with state legislators to address questions and comments. To reelect Vivian Wilhoite means that you will keep a person who ... completed two reappraisals, years 2017 and 2021 with the next reappraisal to be conducted in year 2025.

WHAT ARE THE KEY PARTS OF YOUR PLATFORM FOR THIS RACE? Day: Transparency is a core principle of good governance. It requires honesty and open access to records and information. I will facilitate the disclosure of information as it relates to office operations and the assessment process. This position has a job to serve the citizens and make information readily available. Transparency is imperative to promote confidence and build trust in our government offices and processes. I stand by this as a core value for myself along with integrity and professionalism.

Integrity is the quality of a person being sincere, faithful and truthful in appearance, speech and action. Integrity is key and I will hold myself and the organization accountable to high morals and ethical principles. Professionalism means conducting and holding yourself to high standards. The high standards guide your words, thoughts and actions. This ultimately reflects in the work you do, the way you conduct yourself and the example you set for the organization — which leads to better customer service.

Wilhoite: Experience Matters.

What changes, if any, do you plan to make with four years in the position?

Day: My experience under the different leaders [in this office] helped to mold and shape me to who I am today. As a leader, you have to know where you have been in order to know where you are going. Sometimes you have to step away to reflect and analyze.

You examine what was successful and what could be better and it helps direct your path. An organization is only as good as its employees and there are some good ones in this office. I believe there is an opportunity to make this office more diverse and be a true reflection of the community we serve.

Sometimes change is good. A fresh approach, new ideas and a different perspective can go a long way. A new direction of leadership, along with the application of these values is contagious. There is an opportunity to change the culture inside and outside of this organization. It will truly be a new Day! Wilhoite: I cannot say I would change the plans that I have started and implemented. I will say though, that I will work on the plan to continue to build on the achievements and successes of providing fair and equitable valuations, transparency and proactive, informative leadership to the people of Davidson County. I, along with my amazing staff, will successfully implement the Computerized Assistance Mass Appraisal System that will benefit Davidson County citizens. I will continue the plan of supporting my amazing staff’s professional development and continue the plan of working to ensure that my staff is competitively paid at every level.

A version of this story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Five free and cheap family things to do in Middle Tennessee

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

This week in our list of free and cheap events, the offerings run the gamut: Unleash your child’s creativity at Turnip Green Creative Reuse’s Kids Class, where they can spend time transforming everyday materials into one-ofa-kind artworks under the expert guidance of TCGR instructors. Dive into the artistic haven of the 6th Annual Handmade Market in Murfreesboro, featuring over 60 vendors.

For our furry friends and their families, head to Baxter Bailey & Company in East Nashville for Mutti Gras!, a canine carnival offering a doggie costume contest, naturally.

Meanwhile, the Parthenon at Centennial Park hosts its staple Kidsville program, which blends arts and active play. And, as we head into Super Bowl weekend, the Nashville Zoo will host the Music City Puppy Bowl, where adoptable puppies take the field for tail-wagging touchdowns, promising a day of canine cheer and the chance to bring home a furry MVP. 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: TGCR’S KIDS CLASS Turnip Green Creative Reuse hosts a Kids Class every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. where your young one can use their imagination to make creations.

Instructors from TCGR will guide kids through hands-on activities that encourage them to repurpose and transform everyday materials into unique works of art. Kids will be able to paint, build, craft and sculpt in a supportive environment.

6TH ANNUAL HANDMADE MARKET This indoor, all-handmade craft fair in Murfreesboro offers free admission and 60plus vendors and food trucks. There will be door prizes for the first customers to arrive, a Valentine’s Day photo booth and more. The market begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Mid TN Expo Center and runs until 4 p.m.

MUTTI GRAS! A CANINE CARNIVAL Bring your pup to Baxter Bailey & Company in East Nashville to celebrate Mutti Gras! There’ll be a doggie costume contest, a wheel of prizes, “muttuccinos” and treat bags. The whole family is invited, but this one is more for your four-legged children than your regular ones. The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

KIDSVILLE AT THE PARTHENON Centennial Park Conservancy’s Kidsville program invites Nashvillians aged 2-12 and their families to arts and active play

opportunities at Centennial Park’s Parthenon.

The activities are focused on growth through education, experience and exploration.

Registration begins onsite at 10:30 a.m. and the program begins at 11 a.m.

MUSIC CITY PUPPY BOWL AT NASHVILLE ZOO The Nashville Zoo is hosting its first Music City Puppy Bowl on Sunday with the Nashville Humane Association. Local pet friendly businesses will be on site to “witness the cutest game in town at the Nashville Zoo.” From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., NHA will have adoptable puppies on the field for the big game, which will feature tail-wagging touchdowns and the chance to bring a star of the game back home with you. This event is included with general admission to the zoo or with a membership. The adorable teams will battle it out on the turf to see who reaches their end zone enough times to take home the 2024 trophy.

14

THE NEWS

BUSINESS BRIEFS

HCA’s longtime CFO to retire

BY HANNAH HERNER

Chad Wasserman PHOTO PROVIDED Bill Rutherford will retire from HCA Healthcare after 34 years at the company and 10 years as CFO, the company announced this week.

Mike Marks, senior vice president of finance, will take over the role, effective May 1. Marks joined HCA in 1996.

“Bill has had a tremendous impact during his 10 years as CFO,” said Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA. “The impressive operating results and shareholder returns achieved throughout his tenure are a testament to his leadership and disciplined approach to driving profitable growth. Without question, Bill’s legacy will endure.”

Nashville Business Journal reported that

Marks will earn a base salary of $900,000, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. He will also receive long-term equity incentives totalling $2 million in value.

On Tuesday, HCA announced its fourth quarter 2023 results with revenues of $17.3 billion, compared to $15.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company is projecting $67.75 billion to $70.25 billion in revenues in 2024.

The Q4 earnings were better than expected, and stock prices rose on Tuesday following the earnings release. The company cited growth in admissions and emergency room visits, including a 10 percent increase in Medicare Advantage admissions.

“In the quarter, we experienced strong demand for services across our diversified portfolio of markets, facilities and service lines,” said Hazen. “This growth coupled with improved cost trends drove solid financial performance in the fourth quarter. Once again, our people have delivered positive outcomes for our patients, the communities we serve, and our other stakeholders. I want to thank them for their hard work and everything they do for our company.”

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Bellevue lands Davidson County’s third Marco’s Pizza

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS

Officials with Brentwood’s Highland Ventures Ltd. have announced the opening of Davidson County’s fourth Marco’s Pizza, located at 7047 Highway 70 S. in Bellevue.

The new Marco’s joins the Marco’s Pizza locations at 2528 Murfreesboro Pike in South Nashville, at 103 White Bridge Pike on the city’s west side and at 3905 Lebanon Pike in Hermitage. In addition, Middle Tennessee offers another 15 Marco’s locations.

Highland Ventures Ltd. relocated its headquarters to Brentwood from Glenview, Ill., in September 2022. According to a release from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development at the time of the mid-2022 relocation announcement, the move was expected to have represented an $8.2 million investment and to have yielded about 80 jobs.

Founded in 1984, Highland Ventures is the parent company of Hoogland Restaurant Group (doing business as Marco’s Pizza),

Highland Pure Water & Ice and Legacy Commercial Property.

“We are grateful for our community in Nashville and are thrilled to extend the residents more opportunities to enjoy authentic Italian cuisine with their friends and families in Bellevue,” Doug Prickett, Hoogland Restaurant Group director of operations, said in the recent release. “With this being our fourth location in the area it’s a testament to our following here and we can’t wait to see how the new store in Bellevue is embraced.”

Highland Ventures operates more than 700 retail locations across the United States and has developed sites with more than 450 retail strip centers. Marco’s has more than 1,100 locations in 35 states.

A version of this story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Lipscomb buys campus-area property once again

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS Roughly 2.5 weeks after paying about $697,900 for a residence near its campus — and continuing its spree of similar real estate deals — Lipscomb University has finalized its first purchase on the north segment of a modest side street in the area.

According to a Davidson County Register of Deeds document, Lipscomb paid $616,613.85 for the residence, which offers an address of 1114 Morrow Ave. The seller was John Burton, who paid $600,417 for the 0.26-acre property in October 2022, Metro records note. The Post was unable to determine details about Burton.

The transaction comes after Lipscomb on Jan. 12 paid about $697,900 for a residence with an address of 1105 Caldwell Lane. Caldwell is located one street north of Morrow.

The purchase of 1114 Morrow Ave. represents Lipscomb’s fifth on the street.

Previously, the university acquired properties located nearby at 1133, 1135, 1103 and 1109 Morrow Ave. Adjacently, Lipscomb owns five properties at 4000 to 4020 Granny

White Pike — spanning Morrow on the north to Maplehurst Avenue to the south.

The Morrow Avenue deal with Burton and the Caldwell Avenue purchase follow a November transaction in which Lipscomb paid RER Partnership a collective approximately $2.44 million for three residential properties located near the campus and with addresses of 1301 Grandview Drive, 1305 Grandview Drive and 1109 Caldwell Lane.

That purchase followed multiple other Lipscomb deals, many of which involved RER Partnership. The partnership includes members of Nashville’s Church family.

Lipscomb has paid a collective approximately $9.43 million for the properties it has acquired from the family partnership.

Lipscomb officials have declined to comment on their various campus-area property purchases, and the Post was unable to determine if brokers were involved in the most recent transaction.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Plans progress for proposed Green Hills mixed-use building

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS Plans for a mixed-use building to sit near Hillsboro Pike and Calvary United Methodist Church in Green Hills are moving forward, as the development company is now seeking water and sewer service capacity information from Metro.

As the Post reported in September 2023, a partnership involving Nashville development company Material Ventures and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Stiles Corp. paid $7.25 million for the property, with an address of 2121 Crestmoor Road.

The document references a mixed-use six-story building with 90 residences: four one-bedroom units, 48 two-bedroom residences and 38 three-bedroom units.

About 3,500 square feet of ground-level retail is also being planned.

A specific plan rezoning was landed in August 2022.

Tim Johnson, Material Ventures founder and owner, declined to comment.

The Material Ventures website offers three projects, including the planned Crestmoor Road effort. It notes Johnson

previously undertook development work with Shorenstein Properties, focusing on apartments.

Stiles is working with Nashville developer Ray Hensler on a Rolling Mill Hill mixeduse project.

As previously reported, Nashville’s Smith Gee Studio will serve as architect, with Barge Cauthen & Associates, also a local company, as the land-planner and civil engineer. It is unclear if a detailed color rendering of the future building has been finalized.

A two-story modernist office building sits on the property. Longtime locals will recognize the structure as having been home to a Comdata office in the 1980s. With an alternative address of 2207 Crestmoor Road, the building now houses Weichert Realtors – The Andrews Group and Genesis Lifestyle Medicine.

The property sits within Metro Coucilmember Jeff Preptit’s District 25.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

15

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Civic Design Center unveils resolutions for improving Nashville

BY CONNOR DARYANI

Nashville intersection PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

New Year’s resolutions may be a tough sell in the final days of January, but Nashville’s Civic Design Center recently unveiled 24 of them that it believes could make Nashville a better place in which to live.

As a part of a fundraising campaign, the local nonprofit allowed donors to submit community resolutions — one resolution for every $10 donated — naming things they would like to see Nashville accomplish or initiate this year. The group, which advocates for civic design that could improve the quality of life in Nashville, compiled the top 24 submissions and unveiled them at an event on Jan. 24.

The submissions cover a broad range of ideas, from things as small as making crosswalks look more attractive to as big as successfully passing a transit referendum, which could end up on the ballot in November.

Below are the CDC’s 24 resolutions Nashvillians believe could make life in the city easier.

• Ensure that all outdoor spraygrounds and fountains are operational by summer 2024, for kids to play in when it’s hot.

• Make a comprehensive BCycle network — especially returning BCycle stations to parks.

• Tactical urbanism “face lifts” for

buildings in the central business district that are vacant.

• Paint a bus-only lane in the downtown core.

• Activate public parks through concessions kiosks and cafes.

• Increase frequency of the airport bus to every 18 minutes,reducing airport district trafficand prioritizing transit over rideshare.

• Create artistic public space under Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.

• Create artistic crosswalks along Banker’s Alley at Third and Fourth Avenues to make pedestrian crossings safer.

• Implement supportive infrastructure for cyclists, like bike racks in commercial districts.

• Pass a new sidewalk ordinance that can withstand legal challenges and help build the sidewalk network we all deserve.

• Audit existing downtown wayfinding and update accordingly.

• Break ground on a major Vision Zero Complete Streets project.

• Increase pet-oriented amenities like boxes dispensing free waste bags downtown.

• Don’t let trash block the sidewalk. Pass a policy that requires our trash collection agency to replace receptacles off the sidewalk.

• Create WeGo free-ride days to promote

transit education.

• Implement a “road diet”for Eighth Avenue, which has already been studied, allowing more people to walk and bike safely.

• Pass dedicated funding for transit in November 2024.

• Add crosstown bus route through Antioch (i.e., airport connection).

• Turn ugly overpasses into “Gates of the City.”

• Fully fund construction for the future park at Madison Station Boulevard.

• Integrate upsized playgrounds in parks, addressing the lack of activity for teenagers.

• Overhaul the zoning code to address the city’s housing crisis.

• Implement a quick-build intervention that makes the Clarksville Pike bridge between Bordeaux and North Nashville safer for walking and biking.

• Identify innovative, pet-friendly transitional housing for people currently experiencing homelessness (i.e., hotels, dormitories, tiny houses, unused schools, etc.).

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

Rep. Andy Ogles calls for answers from U.S. regulators following report on short-selling of Israeli stocks

BY MATT MASTERS U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles has signed onto a bipartisan letter seeking answers from U.S. regulators on if stock traders engaged in the short-selling of Israeli stocks in the days before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

The Jan. 31 letter from the Tennessee Republican and California Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman requests that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) investigate the claims that were brought to light following a December 2023 draft paper, “Trading on Terror?”.

The research paper, which is not yet peer-reviewed, was published by law professors at New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School and reports a “significant spike in short selling in the principal Israeli-company ETF [exchange-traded funds] days before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.”

“Our findings suggest that traders informed about the coming attacks profited from these tragic events, and consistent with prior literature we show that trading of this kind occurs in gaps in U.S. and international

enforcement of legal prohibitions on informed trading,” the study reads in part.

“Taken together, our evidence is consistent with informed traders anticipating and profiting from the Hamas attack.”

Now Reps. Ogles and Sherman are asking the SEC and FINRA to investigate the claims, and provide answers to the following questions by Feb. 23.

• Has the SEC or FINRA identified the traders who placed short sales on the MSCI Israel ETF or on Israeli public companies listed on exchanges in the United States immediately before the Oct. 7 attack?

• Were any such traders or beneficial owners of such traders from the Cayman Islands, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan or Syria?

• Has the SEC previously seen similar instances of short-selling spikes in the leadup to the Second Intifada, 2006 Lebanon War, 2008 Gaza War or 2014 Gaza war?

• As Israeli financial authorities conduct their investigations into similar activity that allegedly occurred on Israeli exchanges, will the SEC and FINRA commit to providing support and cooperation?

“If our financial regulatory agencies had

knowledge of illicit trading practices done by bad actors, the American people need to know about it,” Ogles told The News.

“Analyzing abrupt market trends like this one can certainly help us investigate potential attacks on our home front before they happen. I am proud to work with my colleague from across the aisle, ranking member Brad Sherman of the subcommittee on investor protection, entrepreneurship, and capital markets to fight for accountability.”

“The proximity of unusual spikes in short sales of Israeli stocks to Hamas’ Oct. 7th terrorist attacks warrant a closer look by both the SEC and FINRA,” Sherman said. “I hope the SEC and FINRA will conduct the proper investigation to protect the integrity of our capital markets. The starting point is to see who the beneficial owners were of the major short sales.”

The October attack and subsquent war have led to the rallying of Nashville Jewish community members and commitments of solidarity and support of Israel from Gov. Bill Lee. Palestinian community members have continued to protest and call for

Rep. Andy Ogles in Franklin, Oct. 2023 PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

a ceasefire, while Ogles and Tenn. Sen. Marsha Blackburn have called for ending humanitarian aid for Palestinians and barring Palestinian refugees from the United States.

16

THE NEWS

French Butter Cookies

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

BY EDIBLE NASHVILLE

NO. 0103

ACROSS 1 Teacher of the Talmud

I fell in love with some butter cookies that a friend gave me one Christmas. They came in a tin, and were called called Le Grande Galette French Butter Cookies. and came from Costco. They’re apparently stocked seasonally and not this year at all.

So I decided to recreate them. They hail from Brittany in northern France, where butter is locally made and widely used.

Using a good European or local butter is best. We had a pound of Amish butter we picked up at the Produce Place, but any supermarket butter will work fine.

Just make sure it’s salted. These cookies are crisper than Irish shortbread (such as Walkers) and are brushed with a beaten egg yolk, giving them a nice yellow shine.

Bon Apettite.

6 Alternative to a thigh 10 Cousin of a picnic,

informally 13 Horn or whistle, at

times 14 Home of Bach Ma

Temple 15 Nickname for

Missouri’s secondlargest city, with “the” 16 Was worth another

mention 18 Cancel 19 Start of a simple

selection process 20 Eartha who sang “I

Want to Be Evil” PUZZLE BY JARED GOUDSMIT

21 Cool place in a hot

place 23 Janet’s “not-a-robot”

61 Sanctuary like

Yellowstone 65 Public relations focus

26 Travel discount

66 Needing direction

33 Breath freshener

51 Leader of Argos?

29 International

67 Prohibit

34 Good ___ (kind soul)

52 Harshly criticize,

intelligence organization?

68 Bring up

37 ___ Klein, author

saying 35 Apple ___ 36 Said no ... or,

interpreted differently, a hint to entering the answers to 16-, 26-, 46and 61-Across

cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with a fork creating a plaid pattern. Brush with egg yolk. Bake 12 minutes. Makes 36 cookies.

Follow Edible Nashville on instagram @ediblenashtn and their website ediblenashville.com.

To subscribe to the magazine that comes out 6x/year, go to ediblenashville.com.

50 Mundane

25 Speaking naturally

31 It’s money, in a

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 2. Combine butter and sugar. Beat 1 minute. Add egg yolks and vanilla.

Beat well or until dough starts to come together. Gather the dough with your hands and place on a floured surface.

Roll out to 1/4-inch and cut with 2-inch

49 Not many

64 “What a revelation!”

offshore work site

1/2 cup sugar 13 tablespoons (7 ounces) salted butter 3 egg yolks +1 for brushing 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

Nintendo avatar

boyfriend on “The Good Place”

69 Trunk

30 With 40-Across,

INGREDIENTS

29 Customizable

DOWN 1 Broccoli ___ 2 It’s vera soothing!

3 Rural shindig 4 Edy’s competitor 5 Mischievous

tyke 6 Power unit 7 Still able to win 8 Lead-in to stick or

starter

40 See 30-Across

9 Escort of a sort

41 “Light” of a

10 Apathetic

light bulb moment 43 Get-up-and-go 44 Surrounded by 46 Not inflammatory?

50 Musical instrument

also called a chacchac 53 TV’s Ted Lasso, e.g.

54 “___ que sí!”

(Spanish “Of course!”)

of “Why We’re Polarized”

employment, derisively

informally 55 “Without delay!”

56 Epic

38 “Curses upon thee!”

58 Part of Y.S.L.

39 Raw material for

59 Resting place?

some analysts 42 Yonder 45 Subject of a

62 Québécois confidant 63 ___ fly (R.B.I.-

earning play)

centuries-old theatrical superstition 47 Having legendary

status 48 “You matter to me”

ANSWER TO PUZZLE

12 Dungeons & Dragons

mission 14 Sort of poem not

usually pluralized by adding an -s 17 Scraped (out) 22 Letters that are

fittingly part of “f_mily _ _i_” 24 Bring up 25 Finish one’s taxes

57 Eton students,

26 Ward (off)

traditionally

powered locomotive

11 Trap from all sides

55 Fake

60 .png alternative

32 1800s steam-

27 Tours de force 28 “___ but a scratch”

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.

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18

THE NEWS

SOCIAL

Ballet Ball Patron Party

BY BRENDA BATEY

PHOTOS BY BRENDA BATEY

Vanessa Falk hosted the Ballet Ball Patron Party at her home, while Lee Ann Ingram generously underwrote all the costs of the event.

The Ballet Ball is set for Saturday, March 2 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Nick Mullikin, artistic director and CEO of Nashville Ballet, welcomed the guests, and the three co-chairs of the ball, Evelyn Cate Galletti, Bob Deal, and Jason Bradshaw, also spoke and thanked everyone for their support.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Ballet Ball, which began as the Masked Ball, chaired by Clare Armistead and Elizabeth Nichols.

Amy Joyner serves as honorary chair for 2024.

Joyner asked those in the crowd who chaired the fundraiser in past years to raise their hands, and everyone was impressed at how many past chairs were on hand and still supporting the ballet.

Flavor Catering provided the specialty cocktails “Cherry Blossom” and “The Jade Slipper” for the party, along with passed hors d’oeuvres on trays.

Since its founding in 1986, Nashville Ballet has become the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee and it presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by world-renowned choreographers, as well as original ballets.

The organization also offers dance classes for all ages.

Supporters of the event included: Vicki and Rick Horne, Roberta and Clay Beach, Amy and George Cate, Allison and Ian Cotton, Kathy and Martin Davis, Donna and Jeff Eskind, Cordia and Tom Harrington, Russell Bates, Ben Scott, Anissa Nelson-Carlisle, Charlie Carlise, Sylvia and Doug Bradbury, Madalyn Bradley, Kayla Walker, Gail Danner, Emily and Lee Noel, Marian Ott, Joelle and Brant Phillips, Sarah and Rick Reisner, Rachel Robinson, Steve Mitchell, Kimberly Hewell, Trey Smith, Cathy Sullivan, Hunter McDonald, Debi and Bill Tate, Brooke and Joshua Trusley, Tracy and William Wade, Elizabeth Waller, Eleanor Warriner, and Dallas and Fleming Wilt.

Meera Ballal and Seenu Reddy

Laurie Eskind and Julie Galbierz

Host Vanessa Falk, and Bob and Susan Falk

Nashville Ballet Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin, and Brooke and Josh Trusley

Ballet Ball Co-chair Jason Bradshaw, Linda and Jere Ervin, and Co-chair Evelyn Galletti

Milton White and Julie Schneider

Sandra Lipman and Ashley Henry

19

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

SOCIAL

Owen and Amy Joyner, Ballet Ball honorary chair

Heather Thorne and Nancy Cheadle

Morel Enoch Harvey, holding toy poodle Madelyn, and Ballet Ball Co-chair Bob Deal

Sharon Sandahl and Mary Morgan Ketchel

Jim Munro and Larry Lipman

Marci and Stephen Houff

Jim and Bonney Todd, Tyler Moody, and Emily Humphreys

Florals by Sharon Sandahl and Bob Deal

Allen DeCuyper, Glenda Hatfield, Carolyne Hadden, and Steve Sirls

Curt Thorne and Norm Scarborough

20

THE NEWS

SOCIAL

TPAC Partnership Luncheon PHOTOS BY DANIEL MEIGS

Tennessee Performing Arts Center celebrated Middle Tennessee’s business community and their support of the arts at the annual TPAC Partnership Luncheon.

Hosted on the stage of Andrew Jackson Hall, the 2024 event was emceed by Spotlight Awards Alumnus Josh Jordan, who recently made his Broadway National

Tour debut in Jesus Christ Superstar. After an opening number performed by Jordan himself, the lively event featured remarks from TPAC President and CEO Jennifer Turner, and a special bilingual performance

by Wright Middle School and the cast of Aladdin, Jr. as part of TPAC’s Disney Musicals in Schools initiative.

Josh Jordan

Michael Carte and Brooks Rutledge

Adam Geist, Adam Sansiveri, and Cybele Raver

Danielle Pyle, Elizabeth Goodwin, and Don Hardin

Jessika Hickman, Chris Jones, and Cliff Kimmerling

April Posey, Brian Manning, and Colby Gallahar

Kathleen Fuchs, Cybele Raver, TPAC President and CEO Jennifer Turner, Suzanne Iler, and Tracy Kane

Wright Middle School and the cast of Aladdin, Jr. perform at the TPACPartnership Luncheon

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$10 $30

• Early entry to beat the crowd • Complimentary mimosa • Tote bag full of gifts from our sponsors

DON’T FORGET TO CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET! Bring your new and gently used men’s and women’s clothing items to donate. By donating, you’ll be entered to win a prize from Artisan Custom Closets!

BENEFITTING

PARTICIPATING BOUTIQUES

VIP Admission

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Any Old Iron | BANDED | CT Grace, A Boutique | e.Allen | Elle Gray | Fab’rik Franklin | Finnleys | Flash & Trash & a Little Bit of Sass | Franklin Road Apparel | Hollie Ray Boutique | Pauli’s Place Boutique | Rad Rags Boutique | Revv | SVM Boutique | SWAT Truck Boutique | The Nash Collection | The Willing Crab | VESEO