January 25, 2024

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JANUARY 25, 2024 | VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 3

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Mayor signs first executive orders of new term O’Connell largely renews existing policy, highlights safe streets and new health council

BY ELI MOTYCKA

BMPD Lt. Mack Mangrum demonstrates how to use the StarChase handheld GPS launcher

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Belle Meade Police using GPS tracking darts to reduce dangers of police pursuits

BY MATT MASTERS

The Belle Meade Police Department has rolled out a new crime fighting device which aims to use GPS tracking devices to monitor fleeing suspects without having to engage in often dangerous vehicle pursuits.

In July 2023, the Belle Meade City Commission approved the $73,516 purchase of eight StarChase Guardian-VX

vehicle-mounted GPS launchers and one Guardian-HX handheld GPS launcher, both of which deploy foam darts that stick to fleeing vehicles.

The funding was made possible through a state Violent Crime Intervention Funding grant.

The purchase includes a 12-month

subscription for the devices and data management through StarChase, which utilizes Google Maps information and allows law enforcement to track the movement of the activated darts.

BMPD outfitted eight of their 16 patrol vehicles with the systems, which allow two darts to be loaded into the >> PAGE 2

Mayor Freddie O’Connell signed 44 executive orders Friday, most of which continued existing policy from predecessors Megan Barry, David Briley and John Cooper.

The batch addressed far-ranging topics like secondary employment for police officers and officially designating Juneteenth as a city holiday. In a press release, O’Connell chose to highlight two in particular: an updated Green and Complete Streets policy and the establishment of the Nashville Health and Well-Being Leadership Council.

Executive orders come directly from the mayor’s office and allow the mayor an avenue for policy and administrative action. Their legal powers are poorly defined in the Metro Charter, with the exception of orders in states of civil emergency.

O’Connell’s main move Friday continued dozens of orders that have accumulated over previous administrations and were facing expiration dates. Executive Order 30, for example, regulates reporting between Metro and federal immigration authorities and came from a 2019 task force recommendation to John Cooper.

Mayor Karl Dean first filed a complete streets order in 2009. O’Connell’s update includes explicit support for bicycle, pedestrian and mass transit infrastructure.

His emphasis reflects an administration-wide push to support transit options beyond cars.

At the recommendation of his own transition committee, O’Connell is expected to pitch his countywide transit plan to voters in >> PAGE 2 the coming weeks to set up a

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THE NEWS

Belle Meade police CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

launching device. The launching devices include rifled barrels and are mounted to the patrol vehicle’s front grill.

The devices use a metal and foam canister about the size of a small soup can which has an adhesive tip that is heated to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the dart to stick to a vehicle’s bumper.

“This gives the officer another option,” BMPD public information officer Lt. Mack Mangrum told The News. “They can dart the

vehicle and they don’t have to chase the car, they don’t have to feel the obligation to try to keep up with the vehicle.”

According to reporting done by the Associated Press in 2023, the Police Executive Research Forum, a national think tank on policing standards, called on law enforcement agencies to avoid police pursuits due to the danger to the public which results in hundreds of deaths in the United States annually.

The Virginia-based company has distributed their products to law enforcement and security agencies around the world, and they boast that their vehicle units have had more than 10,000 “successful tags deployed” in what they report is an “85% apprehension rate” over 10 years.

According to StarChase, the handheld launcher has an effective range of 10-40 feet, and the vehicle system can be remote-fired with a key fob.

Each dart has an individual number and tracking information, and deployed darts can be returned and repurposed by the manufacturer.

Following the overall training program administered by StarChase, BMPD can now uninstall and reinstall the devices onto other police vehicles and train their officers on the devices in-house.

Mayor signs

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

StarChase GPS tracking dart is stuck to a vehicle’s bumper.

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Mayor Freddie O’Connell PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF MAYOR FREDDIE O’CONNEL

referendum vote on the plan in November.

“A complete street network is the backbone of a more livable and resilient city,” said O’Connell in a press release. “Simply put, our streets should feel safe, comfortable, and convenient for all Nashvillians — pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and drivers.

Complete streets provide opportunities to build Nashville’s multimodal network and ensure that it is aligned with our land use policies, zoning recommendations, and urban design principles.”

The Nashville Health and Well-Being Leadership Council will bring together between 10 and 21 members to evaluate social and economic determinants of mental and physical health in Davidson County. The new council comes months after Dr. Stephanie Kang left the city’s Bureau of Health Equity, which was later folded into the Health Department’s human resources department.

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

A BMPD cruiser uses the StarChase vehicle-mounted GPS launcher to deploy a GPS tracking dart at a suspect vehicle, allowing police to track a suspect’s movement instead of taking part in a dangerous pursuit. PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

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JANUARY 25, 2024

Nashville returns to normal schedule following last week’s winter storm

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BY LOGAN BUTTS AND STEPHEN ELLIOTT Middle Tennessee mosty returned to its normal routine on Tuesday following last week’s winter storm that saw several inches of snow accumulate in the area.

Metro Nashville Public Schools were closed five consecutive days from Tuesday, Jan. 16 through Monday Jan. 22 in addition to having Monday, Jan. 15 off for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Many area private schools and schools in surrounding counties were closed for a similar amount of days. MNPS has now used five of the six allotted snow days that are built into its yearly calendar.

Temperatures dropped into single digits early last Wednesday morning and did so again over the weekend, prompting officials to announce one final school closure on Monday due to unsafe conditions on school bus routes.

On Monday, temperatures are rose well above freezing, with highs in the 60s expected for later this week. MNPS officials announced that schools would reopen on Tuesday.

The Tennessee General Assembly met again on Monday after a full week off due to the weather. The Metro Council will held a meeting Tuesday, which was also delayed a week.

Davidson County circuit, chancery and criminal courts opened on Monday, while general sessions court operated a limited docket before opening fully later in the week.

Metro Water Services began collecting trash and recycling again this week, with regular pickup delayed for one day until Tuesday.

The Tennessee Valley Authority registered its highest weekend demand in history on Sunday with temperatures hovering around zero. The demand was the second-highest ever recorded by the TVA, following the record set earlier in the week on Wednesday.

Power providers urged residents across the region to conserve energy to avoid blackouts, which was largely successful.

Nashville Public Library branches opened on Monday at noon after several days of closures.

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4

THE NEWS

Lee’s push for a statewide voucher system

BY KELSEY BEYELER

Gov. Bill Lee

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Those tuned into Tennessee education have been embroiled in debate since Gov. Bill Lee announced his plan to push a statewide school voucher system in November.

As outlined in Lee’s announcement, the

Education Freedom Scholarship Act would award 20,000 students with public money to use toward private education. Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, 10,000 “scholarships” will be reserved for students

who are already eligible for vouchers, those with disabilities and those who are at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The rest will be available to all other students. The program would then lead to total universal eligibility in following years.

The state already has a similar program that gives education savings accounts to more than 2,400 students at or below an income threshold in Davidson, Shelby and Hamilton counties. Families can put these ESAs toward private-school-related costs.

The controversial legislation was passed in the state House by just one vote in 2019, but was tied up in court until 2022. Though the program was successfully expanded to include Hamilton County, an attempt to expand it to Knox County failed in the state Senate during last year’s legislative session.

Considering the ESA program’s short run and rocky start, it will be interesting to watch how Republicans react to a statewide voucher push — and whose positions have changed since 2019. House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) voted against ESAs in 2019, but has shown support for Lee’s statewide voucher program. Sexton told the Tennessee Lookout’s Sam Stockard that he views the ESA program and the the Education Freedom Scholarship Act differently because they would receive funding from different sources.

A statewide school voucher system has

been widely criticized by urban and rural public education leaders alike. Proponents of expanded vouchers see it as an opportunity for more families to seek alternatives to traditional public schools. Critics argue that, in many cases, the proposed $7,075 per student is not enough to cover most private schools’ tuition and that vouchers drain much-needed funding from the public school system. (The Education Law Center ranks Tennessee 44th in per-pupil funding.)

Critics also decry the fact that vouchers enable public money to fund religious education, that private schools aren’t held to as many accountability standards as public schools, and that they can turn students away. Research about the effectiveness of vouchers varies — a November Tennessean article revealed high parent satisfaction rates for Tennessee’s ESA program, even as participating students performed worse than their public school peers on state tests.

“I think that the state should have waited at least, and been able to prove that [the ESA program] has been effective,” says JC Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee. “Now you’re getting into political season … where it’s gonna be a highly contentious area, and I think that nobody can predict what will happen.”

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

Mitigating airport traffic

BY ELI MOTYCKA Nothing unites Old Nashville more than complaining about traffic. They say you could get anywhere in the city in 12 minutes a decade ago; five years ago, it was anywhere in 15 minutes. Anecdotal congestion metrics are a perfect proxy for people who want to point out the practical pains of Nashville’s population boom. Traffic is easy to point to — universally frustrating and clearly caused by too many people vying for too little space, a problem of planning and infrastructure as well as rapid growth.

If bad traffic is a symbol for an overcrowded city, routine backups from the airport onto I-40 are the city’s symbol for bad traffic. Highly visible congestion (including eyewitness accounts of anxious drop-offs rolling luggage on the side of the interstate) has put an exclamation point on Nashville’s worst drawback: We’re too popular for our own good, and locals pay for it. State lawmakers thrust the Metro Nashville Airport Authority into the spotlight last year with a bid to vacate and reconstitute its board. (In November, the courts ruled Tennessee’s effort unconstitutional, restoring power

to Nashville’s mayor-appointed MNAA.) The airport is in the middle of a billiondollar overhaul to accommodate expanding national and international service and an ever-increasing number of travelers.

The traffic remains a sore spot. In December, Mayor Freddie O’Connell brought in BNA CEO Doug Kreulen to explain the airport’s backup reduction plans. Kreulen told reporters that BNA has a 17-point strategy to “mitigate roadway congestion,” including measures like free garage access for stays less than 30 minutes and moving rideshare pickup. Most of the changes — like garage access and an additional ingress lane from the highway to the terminal — enable BNA to pack more cars on its property, theoretically taking them off the highway. Actually increasing throughput rests on the difficult problem of expanding access points to the terminal, allowing more passengers to get in and out faster.

Kreulen also pointed to the 22 buses that run through the airport every day. In order to take cars off the road, it’s necessary to actually take cars off the road. “The garage,

BNA traffic

PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

the fifth floor, has been stiffened to the tune of $5 million to receive two inboundoutbound light rail trains,” Kreulen said. “As we head to a new initiative, we’re waiting for that, so that we can plan the other future structures to leave a path for that to arrive and depart.”

Watch for O’Connell’s expected transportation plan to start with airport

traffic. It has the need, infrastructure and buy-in, and would be a very public win for O’Connell on a signature issue and a proof of concept for bus rapid transit or direct light rail — two possible paths for taking cars off the interstate.

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

5

JANUARY 25, 2024

Burst water pipe causes estimated 8-week closure at Bellevue Branch Library STAFF REPORTS

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A burst water pipe has damaged and closed the Nashville Public Library’s Bellevue Branch for eight weeks.

According to a Jan. 8 Nashville Public Library system announcement, the unspecified water damage could see the library closed until early March.

“Metro General Services is working quickly to restore and reopen the Bellevue Branch Library as soon as possible,” a news

release reads.

“We’re committed to providing you with the best customer service possible while repairs take place at [the] Bellevue branch.”

Patrons can return checked out items at any other NPL location, and items that were already on hold for pickup at Bellevue have been transferred to the Green Hills Branch Library, located at 3701 Benham Ave.

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6

THE NEWS

The clock is ticking on Nashville General Hospital’s move

BY HANNAH HERNER

Nashville General Hospital

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Dr. Joseph Webb, CEO of Nashville General Hospital, told Scene sister publication the Nashville Post back in March that he’d wanted to get started on a new site

for the city’s safety-net hospital before then.

With new Metro Hospital Authority Board Chair Frank Stevenson now in place and a new mayoral administration well underway,

perhaps 2024 is the year we’ll see big moves from the hospital, whose lease on Meharry Medical College’s campus is set to expire in 2027. The clock is ticking more and more loudly to pick a site and begin construction.

But there are a few things standing in the way. The Nashville General Hospital administration wants the city to donate a plot of land and serve as the guarantor.

Additionally, the hospital is looking for an investor to help get the building off the ground, Webb told the Post in September 2022. An investor has yet to be named, and a plot of land has yet to be donated. Nashville General spokesperson Cathy Poole says the hospital will work to secure funding after the land is identified and acquired.

In February of last year, the hospital released renderings that included a separate tower dedicated to behavioral health. The renderings also featured a shorter, more spread-out design than the hospital’s current compact 11-floor setup. The new site could include housing to further diversify funding streams, Webb added at the time. The hospital originally eyed a MetroCenter plot

home to soccer fields managed by the Metro Department of Parks and Recreation for its new locale, but has since said they are not limited to that site.

Meharry Medical College has pushed back against the move as well. When Nashville General announced new site plans in 2022, longtime partner Meharry bristled at the notion, but the two entities have since seemingly mended their relationship, with Webb later promising teaching opportunities at the new location.

Despite the hospital planning for years to move locations, communications with the mayor’s office and Metro Parks have stalled.

Poole says there is a meeting scheduled for mid-January. Says mayor’s office spokesperson Alex Apple: “A meeting with Dr. Webb is on the list of the many department head briefing meetings that we are in the process of scheduling. We anticipate that meeting soon.”

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

Deepening investment in affordable housing

BY NICOLLE S. PRAINO The worst of the housing market has been left behind in 2023, according to Greater Nashville Realtors president Kevin Wilson.

“When the [Federal Reserve] gave a nod to the idea that perhaps they might lower interest rates, not once but up to three times in 2024, that has opened up a lot of buyer confidence,” says Wilson. “But it’s also loosened up the lending environment, where just based on that anticipation of lower interest rates from the Fed has given us lower interest rates now for buyers.”

He references a recent National Association of Realtors study that named Nashville as the No. 7 metro area in the country for pent-up buyer demand. The metric is based on the amount of current residents who are getting ready to buy as the market shifts, not to mention the continued growth of the whole region, with people moving to areas along Gallatin, Charlotte and Murfreesboro pikes. Wilson stresses that potential transit-oriented developments could be key in those areas.

“This is such a huge opportunity for the city to make smart growth choices and be able to provide those units that we continue to talk about that is such a need for our city right now — to have attainable and affordable housing,” Wilson says.

If you ask just about any development stakeholder, the hundreds of acres along the Cumberland River known as the East Bank have the most opportunity for affordable

housing in Nashville’s history. A report from Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s growth-focused transition committee noted that “locating a diversity of affordable housing in the East Bank should continue to be a priority.” But the group didn’t focus on the potential of that area alone.

“The O’Connell Administration should accelerate efforts to do the same for other underutilized land and buildings throughout the city,” the report states. “Specifically, it should support and advance ongoing efforts to identify Metro-owned property that would be suitable for affordable housing.”

O’Connell’s deputy communications director Alex Apple says the mayor’s office is waiting on a “unified strategy” from the Metro Planning Department’s new Housing Division, which is focused on accelerating affordable housing. He also says the administration is in progress on recommendations from the Affordable Housing Task Force report and touts the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency’s work to redevelop Cayce Place in East Nashville.

“Progress requires a public-private effort, and Metro can take a lead role,” Apple says on behalf of the mayor’s office. “Metro government and housing developers are responding to this challenge by creating and retaining affordable housing. We’ve continued to build new tools like a mixed-income payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) model.”

Eugene Spencer, director of MDHA’s Resident Services Department PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

Apple highlights the Barnes Housing Trust Fund portfolio, which now has more than $100 million and has created almost 4,500 units with nonprofit partners.

Nonprofit affordable housing developer Urban Housing Solutions has created 935 of those units.

“The recipe for success for us really requires partnerships, and it’s mostly public-sector partnership and sponsorship for deeper affordability,” says Brent Elrod, managing director of planning and development for Urban Housing Solutions.

“Increasingly, that public-sector support is necessary even just for basic feasibility, just because the costs are so high now and

competition is fierce.”

Elrod says more for-profit developers are considering how affordable housing can be a part of their business model, and larger companies that develop workforce housing have started to move into the area.

At the same time, he says more of the local philanthropic community has begun to put resources toward nonprofits doing affordable housing development.

“I think I’m feeling more optimistic about how the end of 2024 will look for our capacity as a community to be able to finance affordable housing,” Elrod says.

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

7

JANUARY 25, 2024

House Democrats call on education commissioner to resign

BY KELSEY BEYELER

Rep. Mark White and education commissioner Lizzette Reynolds, Nov. 28, 2023 PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) and Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators Chairman Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville) on Monday called for a new state education commissioner, saying current commissioner Lizzette Reynolds is not qualified for the

position under Tennessee state law.

Reynolds was appointed in May, replacing former commissioner Penny Schwinn.

Since officially starting in July, Reynolds has helped shepherd a controversial public school accountability system and is expected to help Gov. Bill Lee expand the private

school voucher system statewide. Earlier this month, she gave her first presentation to the Senate Education Committee, receiving criticism over the Tennessee Department of Education’s handling of the state’s thirdgrade retention law.

Pointing to professional experience listed on Reynolds’ LinkedIn account and information from the state website, Clemmons said Reynolds does not appear to have experience as a school administrator and is therefore unqualified to do her job as required by Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-3-802.

The statute states that “the commissioner shall be a person of literary and scientific attainments and of skill and experience in school administration. The commissioner shall also be qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority.”

“Commissioner Reynolds is legally unqualified and she must resign,” said Rep. Clemmons. “She fails to meet the clear statutory requirements. … Any attempt by Gov. Bill Lee or his administration to argue otherwise is an embarrassing reflection of the rampant incompetence that plagues his entire administration.”

Clemmons and McKenzie, who were joined by Rep. Ronnie Glynn (D-Clarksville) on Monday, called on Gov. Lee to find a new

commissioner if Reynolds doesn’t resign.

The governor’s press secretary Elizabeth Johnson told The Tennessee Journal that Reynolds is qualified for the job and is currently enrolled in an education program through UT Martin. McKenzie acknowledged it as “a last-ditch effort to get your qualification — it just doesn’t cut the mustard.”

Reynolds has a decades-long career in education policy. She most recently served as the vice president of policy at the Florida-based ExcelinEd, a privatizationoriented nonprofit founded by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Reynolds has also worked for the Texas Education Agency in several capacities, including as chief deputy commissioner. She was also deputy legislative director for then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. During Bush’s presidency, Reynolds worked as a special assistant in the office of legislation and congressional affairs for U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and as regional representative for U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

Representatives from the TDOE and the governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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

The coming development of Nashville’s East Bank

BY ELI MOTYCKA

Much has been promised, debated, discussed and legislated about 338 precious acres just across the Cumberland River from downtown. Expect the East Bank to continue as the city’s fishbowl in 2024, but with actual construction.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell — who, as a district councilmember last year, opposed the deal to finance a new Tennessee Titans stadium on the East Bank — will have to execute the plan negotiated by his predecessor, including rolling out hundreds of millions in infrastructure costs for the utilities, parks, street grids and bridges required to transform today’s industrial wasteland into a functional neighborhood.

In August, the Titans announced a combination of major builders — billiondollar outfits Turner and AECOM Hunt as well as local firms I.C.F. and Polk — to lead construction on their $2.1 billion stadium.

Weeks later, $1.2 billion cleared the bond market in six packages (four backed by the city and two by the state), shedding some light on the pricey legwork that will play out over the next few years to coordinate in and around a new stadium district. In September, the outgoing John Cooper administration selected The Fallon Company to develop the

Nashville’s East Bank

PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

city’s 30-acre East Bank slice. The Bostonbased real estate group brought on local Trael Webb, formerly of Ryman Hospitality and Metro’s property division, in early 2022. Webb is expected to be the company’s Nashville point man. Last month, Metro started accepting pitches from engineering firms for its backbone boulevard.

Shovels will hit the ground very soon.

Then more shovels and more workers and more firms. This year, the area around Nissan Stadium will enter a construction cocoon, hoping to emerge in time for the Titans’ first 2027 home game. Until then,

it will be a literal money pit, alternatively argued as an epic boondoggle by economists and an ambitious bet on Nashville’s future by boosters. Early in his administration, O’Connell brought on former Councilmember At-Large Bob Mendes to steer his office’s East Bank efforts alongside Cooper holdover Sam Wilcox.

East Bank material has become fulltime work for the city’s planning staff.

The sheer scale of the project presents lots of chances for expensive mistakes, grift, unforeseen obstacles and political debacles.

Initial Cooper selling points, like a bevy

of affordable housing units and a cultural center anchored by TPAC, are closer to TBD than QED. The Titans have become a losing franchise preparing to dump their most popular player, running back Derrick Henry. New York private equity billionaire Carl Icahn still seems content holding onto his land housing an expansive scrapyard, SA Recycling (formerly PSC Metals) — a substantial piece of the East Bank puzzle that might be worth its acreage in gold.

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

8

THE NEWS

OPINION

National Association of Realtors forecasts robust growth in 2024, with Nashville among top markets

BY BILL FREEMAN

Bill Freeman Having spent most of my business career in real estate, I see the recent insights provided by the National Association of Realtors regarding the 2024 housing market forecast as carrying significant weight. In a Dec. 13 news brief, NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun paints a promising picture for our city. As recently reported by the Scene, NAR places Nashville seventh among the top markets with the most pent-up housing demand. This positions us alongside cities such as Austin, Texas; Dallas-Fort Worth; and Washington, D.C., enhancing Nashville’s appeal and creating an environment conducive to current and potential homebuyers.

Yun states, “Metro markets in Southern states will likely outperform others due to faster job increases, while markets in the Midwest will experience gains from being in the most affordable region.” And according to development firm CA South, “In Middle Tennessee alone, the tech industry is now valued at more than $8 billion and is a big

reason why Nashville is growing so fast.”

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, roughly 98 people moved to Nashville per day in 2022 alone. So Yun may very well be on target with his predictions when it comes to the growth in the housing market — at least here in Middle Tennessee.

As reported by The Tennessean: “Nashville commands the top spot as the nation’s all-around best market to invest in for the third consecutive year, according to a leading real estate industry report released in November by Urban Land Institute and [PricewaterhouseCoopers]. The report, ‘Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2024,’ highlights the diversity and strength of the Nashville region’s business environment.

Nashville is the first city to be named a top market for three years in a row in the report’s 45-year history … The ranking reflects stability across Middle Tennessee’s industry sectors, and in downtown Nashville’s continued ability to lure massive crowds. Suburban growth is also a strong

point continuing to fuel high population and job growth.”

Add this to the fact that Yun’s forecast predicts around 4.71 million existing homes will be sold nationally in 2024, and it shows that our city, despite the pandemic years, is still being fortified. Given the steady national median home prices, which are expected to experience only a 0.9 percent increase, some could find compelling reasons to explore real estate opportunities in Nashville or to simply contemplate purchasing a home here if they are considering a relocation.

For current homeowners in the Nashville community who really aren’t investors per se, these predictions still provide good news: The anticipated stability in median home prices signifies a favorable environment. It offers assurance that real estate investments — like our homes — are poised to hold their value, if not experience incremental growth.

Some who are considering selling may also feel more confident about their decision, as the market appears conducive to attracting potential buyers.

If we want to add a cherry to the top of this sundae, we can do so by looking at the broader economic context: Yun forecasts U.S. gross domestic product growth of 1.5 percent, steering clear of a recession.

Obviously avoiding a recession is what we all want! Further, if you’ve been watching the Dow (DJIA), you’ll note that Jan. 19 saw a 52-week high. Stock market performance can affect real estate. As Ibuyer.com notes, “The stock market and real estate are more closely intertwined than most people realize. … You will want to have a close eye on the stock market if you plan on buying or selling any property.” An increased value of stock assets provides investors more funds to seek out other assets such as real estate.

To that end, Yun foresees “1.48 million housing starts in 2024, including 1.04 million single-family and 440,000 multifamily.” That means we’ll potentially see continued construction activity and an overall expansion in the real estate industry.

“In addition,” says Yun, “housing inventory is expected to rise by around 30 percent as more sellers begin to list after delaying selling over the past two years. The selected top 10 U.S. markets will experience faster recovery in home sales.”

NAR’s predictions for 2024 indicate a favorable environment for real estate investors in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

The expected surge in home sales, stability in home prices and positive economic indicators are all good for our city and its growth. That goes for those who live here

as well as those who want to live here. As predictions go, I hope Yun is on target.

At worst, due to the numerous positives detailed, it’s likely we’ll see some definitive impact in the real estate industry. For sure, we’ll continue to enjoy Nashville’s growth and allure as others realize what we as residents have always known: There’s no place better to make a home than Nashville.

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.

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9

JANUARY 25, 2024

Coalition announces Greater Nashville Music Census

BY STEPHEN TRAGESER

More than a year of pandemic lockdown is a fading memory amid the Nashville’s bustling live-music scene, hampered as it’s been during the past week by wintry weather. However, longstanding systemic issues in our live-music ecosystem — from the difficulty of sustaining indie venues in our real-estate market to problems with professional musicians being able to access unemployment benefits and beyond — were thrown into sharp relief during the shutdown, and there haven’t been solutions for any of those yet.

If all goes according to plan, there will be a report within a couple of months from PennPraxis’ Nashville Independent Venues Study, regarding roles that Metro can play in keeping our independent venue network healthy. A coalition of area organizations is working to launch an additional study to provide further data and recommendations via the Music Census program from Sound Music Cities, a consultancy firm focused on music communities and public policy.

According to a release, the group supporting the program includes the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Belmont University, Music Venue Alliance Nashville, the Broadway Entertainment Association and the Nashville Musicians Association (aka American Federation of Musicians union Local 257).

They aim to launch the Greater Nashville Music Census by the end of February, collecting data in the Nashville Metro area as well as 13 surrounding counties.

“As prices have soared in Nashville in recent years, many within our music industry have migrated to surrounding counties where the cost of living may remain more affordable,” CMFT vice president of communications Kelly Walberg says in the release. “Most still proudly consider themselves a part of the robust Nashville music industry, so we feel it paramount

that the geographic region truly reflects the current landscape.”

“Music is often described as the heartbeat of Nashville and serves as a vital attraction for economic development here,” adds Eric Holt, an assistant professor at Belmont and co-founder of concert promoter Lovenoise.

“But the growth being fueled by our amazing music scene, is also causing so many within the industry to be left behind. Our hope is to give each and every one of them a voice in this census.”

The details that Sound Music Cities gathers can be compared to and contrasted with data collected in more than 20 other cities that have participated in Music Census studies. The information will be available to the public, and is intended to be used in advocating for legislative solutions to the issues.

“The beauty of the Music Census is the truly collaborative nature of it,” MVAN president and former longtime Exit/In operator Chris Cobb notes in the release.

“Between other cities, between other studies, and between community organizations here in Middle Tennessee. We believe it’s going to be a perfect complement to the data being collected by the current (Metro commissioned) venues study, as well as the previous Arts & Business Council’s Creative Economy Survey.”

An open meeting will be held in early February to set a timeline for the census, including a launch date. The frequently asked questions section on the Greater Nashville Music Census website notes that participants can expect the results to be presented in three reports — a summary, a deep-dive into data and a diversity, equity and inclusion report — sometime in early summer.

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

BellePac’s ‘Music City Winter’ set for Jan. 27

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Want to get something off your chest?

Have a point of view that may resonate with others?

Let us know in our opinion pages: Letter to the Editor | Ticked Off! | Opinion

STAFF REPORTS

The Bellevue Performing Arts Center (BellePac) will host its winter recital “Music City Winter” on Saturday, Jan. 27 and an open house in February.

According to a news release, “Music City Winter” will take place at 1 p.m. at Father Ryan Theater, and takes “inspiration from Nashville landmarks, musicians and our city’s special culture, melding those with the beauty and intricacies of dance.”

Tickets are available online at bellepac. ticketleap.com/music-city-winter/dates/

Jan-27-2024_at_0100PM. On Saturday, Feb. 10, BellePac — which offers dance, music, and acting workshops and more — will host an open house event from 1-4 p.m. which will include a full schedule of free classes, teacher meet-andgreets and one-day-only registration deals.

BellePac is currently located at 8101 TN100 in Nashville. More information can be found online at bellepac.com or by calling 615-662-8553.

To submit, email :

info@thenewstn.com or tickedoff@thenewstn.com

10

THE NEWS

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Kirkland’s names CEO STAFF REPORTS

Amy Sullivan

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Home décor and furnishings retailer Kirkland’s Inc., headquartered in Brentwood, has found its new CEO. The company named Amy Sullivan to the position on Friday. She has been president and chief operating officer since last year and with the company for more than a decade.

The appointment is effective Feb. 4, and Sullivan succeeds interim CEO Ann Joyce. Joyce took over from CEO Woody Woodward upon his retirement in May. “Amy is an invaluable leader within our organization, and over the past nine months she has been instrumental in returning the Company to a positive trajectory, including improved 2023 holiday season sales, that we hope to build off of in 2024,” said R. Wilson Orr, chair of Kirkland’s Home. “Since transitioning to an executive leadership role, Amy has been integral to the execution of our repositioning strategy. And we believe, as CEO, she is poised to return Kirkland’s Home to profitable growth over the long-term.”

Prior to joining Kirkland’s, Sullivan held positions at Express, Land’s End, Kohl’s and JCPenney.

The company operates 338 stores in 35 states, according to a release.

Green Hills senior care center plans $20M addition

BY HANNAH HERNER Green Hills senior care center Abe’s Garden will undertake a $20 million expansion to its residential memory care services.

Abe’s Garden filed a permit with the Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety on Tuesday. The addition will be located on the same 0.56-acre site with an address of 115 Woodmont Blvd. that Abe’s Garden acquired in 2008 for $12.6 million.

The permit describes a 33,894-squarefoot addition including 20 memory support studio units and office space. Ben Metz at ESa will serve as architect with R.C. Matthews as contractor.

According to Abe’s Garden’s 2022 annual report, the company brought in $19.3 million in revenue and had $10.9 million in expenses. It houses 164 residents.

In addition to residential memory care, Abe’s Garden offers independent and assisted living for seniors, as well as at-home care services. In 2022, the organization rebranded to include its independent and assisted living communities onsite, formerly known as Park Manor, under the Abe’s Garden name.

Abe’s Garden opened in 2015 and is named for Abram Shmerling, who was

diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1995 and died in 2006. He is the father of Nashville real estate investor Michael Shmerling, who serves as Abe’s Garden board chair, while Abe Shmerling’s daughter Judy Shmerling Given serves as senior director for campus development for the organization.

Shmerling Given told the Post the 20 new units will help accommodate some of those in the organization’s day program waiting for services. The second floor of the addition will include common areas, a chapel and a theater.

Abe’s Garden is also in the process of converting some of its independent living apartments to provide more assisted living units, reflecting more demand for those services, she said. The organization is set to open memory support day services at The Club at Cool Springs in February.

“It’s going to be a wonderful addition,” Shmerling Given said. “We’ve gotten great feedback on the programming that we’re offering.”

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

Long-planned Bellevue-area project altered again

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS Plans for a mixed-use project eyed for a Bellevue-area site since 2018 has been altered a second time, with the proposed development now to include 173 townhomes.

With a working name of Harmon West Nashville, the project’s townhomes would sit on about 30 acres with addresses of 616, 618 and 620 Old Hickory Blvd. and 7315 Sonya Drive and just to the south of Interstate 40.

According to a Metro document, Charlotte-based Crescent Communities will undertake the development. The company, which seemingly has yet to acquire the site, undertook residential project Novel Harpeth Heights nearby at the former Sam’s Club property.

Crescent officials could not be reached for comment.

Southfield Properties, AM Investors No. 2 LLC and Norwood Manor LLC own the site. Southfield Properties acquired its three parcels, which front Old Hickory Boulevard, in July 2016 for $1.2 million. AM Investors

No. 2 and Norwood Manor bought their property at the same time for $3.6 million.

Originally, and according to a previous Metro document, the development was to have included 250 residential units, a hotel (the number of rooms is not specified on the document) and 18,000 square feet of commercial space.

Afterward, and as the Post reported in April 2019, the development was altered, and proposed to offer 94 residential units, a 170-room hotel and 18,000 square feet of commercial space.

Nashville-based Barge Design Solutions is handling land planning and rezoning efforts related to Harmon West Nashville.

The Metro Planning Department staff will consider a final plan approval request to allow for the project, and no Metro Planning Commission vote will be needed, according to the document.

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

Lipscomb finalizes latest in series of campus-area home buys

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS Lipscomb University has once again acquired a residential property located near its campus — though the seller was not a partnership with which the school has undertaken multiple similar deals.

According to a Davidson County Register of Deeds document, Lipscomb paid about $697,900 for the residence, which offers an address of 1105 Caldwell Lane.

The seller was the Campbell Family Community Property Trust, which is affiliated with the Joel and Joy Campbell Family Foundation. That charity supports Christian agencies, churches and arts, and has provided two grants to Lipscomb, according to online nonprofit consultant Here-4-You Consulting. Joy Campbell, according to a social media page, has worked as an adjunct instructor at Lipscomb.

With the transaction, Lipscomb now owns five of the six properties located on the south side of Caldwell Avenue between Dorris Avenue on the east and Granny White Pike on the west, Metro records show.

Previously, Lipscomb acquired properties located nearby at 1110B, 1133 and 1135 Morrow Ave. and, adjacently, five properties

at 4000 to 4020 Granny White Pike — spanning Morrow (one street south of Caldwell) on the north to Maplehurst Avenue to the south.

The Caldwell deal with the Campbells follows a November deal 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 multiple 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 multiple 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.

11

JANUARY 25, 2024

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Dunkin’ drive-thru planned for Zanies-area site

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS

A Dunkin’ drive-thru building and business is planned for a Woodland-inWaverly site located across from Zanies, with the property owned by a family that also owns a nearby site slated for a Starbucks.

According to a permit application, a new building will replace the existing structure, which offers an address of 2100 Eighth Ave. S. and that last accommodated a Subway sandwich shop.

The permit notes the future building will offer drive-thru only service and does not list an estimated construction cost.

A family trust owns the property, with a related entity having paid $210,000 for it in 1989, Metro records note. The family included the late Edward Clive Anderson, who operated his sinceclosed Anderson Clive Realty & Auction business from a building located on the same side of the street and with an address of 2010 Eighth Ave. S. Nashville’s Development Management Group, which focuses on real estate development and construction management services, is participating in the Dunkin’ project, the permit notes.

The future building will offer about 1,110 square feet.

Officials with the project could not be reached for comment.

It is unclear if the future Dunkin’ building, like the current structure on the site, will be oriented in a suburban manner (set back from the street with

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surface parking in front). Nashville’s urban zoning overlay requires new construction within the UZO (with this site being an example) to position buildings at the sidewalk in an urban orientation.

Nashville is home to multiple Dunkin’ locations, with some (including those in Hillsboro Village, downtown and Midtown, for example) offering no drive-thru service. Many of the locations offer both in-store and drive-thru service.

It is unclear if the future Dunkin’ will be Davidson County’s only locale with a drive-thru-only option. A Dunkin’ to focus on drive-thru service has been planned for East Nashville since mid2022, and construction of the building is nearing completion.

Also known as Dunkin’ Donuts, the international quick-service restaurant chain was founded in 1948 and is based in Canton, Mass. It is best recognized for its coffee and donuts.

The Anderson family also owns a property located at 2015 Eighth Ave.

S. and planned for the Starbucks. That effort will require the demolition of a one-story commercial building last home to 8th Ave Antique Mall. The family trust paid $350,000 for the Waverly-Belmont neighborhood property in 2002, Metro records note.

Anderson, who died in 2019 at age 81, was a charter member and hall of fame inductee of the Tennessee Auctioneers Association, according to his obituary in The Tennessean.

Zanies opened in 1983 and helps anchor a commercial node known for local businesses such as 8th & Roast, Love Peace & Pho and Gruhn Guitars, among others.

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

12

THE NEWS

SPORTS

TSWA announces more All-State honorees for fall sports STAFF REPORTS

Class 6A

Division II-AA

QB – Braden Graham, Riverdale, Sr.

D: Helen Ghertner, Harpeth Hall, Jr.

RB – Daune Morris, Oakland, Jr.*

MF: Breahn Fisher, Ensworth School, Jr.

WR – Brock Montgomery, Riverdale, Sr.

MF/F: Quinn Erim, Harpeth Hall, Jr.

WR – Ben Hubbard, Ravenwood, Jr.

F: Katie Shea Collins, Pope John Paul II, Sr.

OL – Duce Hewitt, Oakland, Sr.

Division II-A

K – Daniel Echeverria, Mt. Juliet, Jr.

GK: Ellie Karner, Grace Christian-Franklin, Sr.

DL – Atticus Fiorita, Mt. Juliet, Jr. DL – Kam Frierson, Rockvale, Sr. Ravenwood goalkeeper Lexi Grundler PHOTO BY JOSEPH SUMMERS

Last week, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced its All-State selections for the 2023 season for girls soccer, Class 4A-6A football, boys and girls cross country, and boys and girls golf.

Below you will find the Nashville-area honorees.

LB – Korey Smith, Oakland, Sr. LB – Max Orefice, Brentwood, Sr. DB – Quentin Groves, Siegel, Sr. DB – Nigel Maynard, Stewarts Creek, Sr. P – Andrew Bingham, Independence, Jr. *-Mr. Football Finalist GIRLS’ SOCCER Class AAA

D: Lola Padula, Battle Ground Academy, So.

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY Class A-AA Wyatt Boling, Martin Luther King, So. Ty Brown, Central Magnet, Jr. Vinny Peck, Central Magnet, Sr. Class AAA Miles Ramer, Ravenwood, Sr. Asher Oates, Independence, So. Division II-A Ty Withrow, Columbia Academy, So.

BOYS’ GOLF Class AA

Gabriel Karkau, Columbia Academy, So.

Will Pinson, Franklin, Jr.

Josh Lofton, Columbia Academy, Jr.

Jackson Herrington, Dickson County, Sr.

Division II-AA

Division II-A

Luke Thompson, Brentwood Academy, Sr.

Leo Froio, Battle Ground Academy, So.

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY Class A-AA

Miguel De Gracia, Franklin Road Academy, So.

Sydney Tackett, Liberty Creek, Jr.

FOOTBALL Class 4A

GK: Lexi Grundler, Ravenwood, Sr.

QB – Keshawn Tarleton, Pearl-Cohn, Sr.*

MF: Aireona Duenez, Oakland, Sr.

Walker Webb, Franklin Road Academy, Fr.

DL – Dawson Carson, White House, Jr.

F: Leah Krugh, Oakland, Jr.

Division II-AA

Claire Stegall, Nolensville, Jr.

LB – Zeion-Lafredrick Simpson, Pearl-Cohn, Sr.

F: Maddie Padelski, Nolensville, Sr.

Blades Brown, Brentwood Academy, So.

Jaynie Halterman, Independence, Sr.

Class AA

Will Jackson, Montgomery Bell Academy, Sr.

Leila Hailey, Rockvale, So.

DB – Joshua Sims, Pearl-Cohn, Jr. Class 5A RB – Kayden McCoy, Columbia Central, Sr. RB – Dominic Reed, Centennial, Sr.* WR – Kaiki Baker, Hillsboro, Sr. OL – Jacob Rathbone, Page, So. OL – Hayden Collett, Nolensville, Sr. DL – Jhrevious Hall, Columbia Central, Jr. LB – Eric Hazzard, Page, Jr.* DB – Jordan Lee, Beech, Sr.

GK: Linden Perry, Station Camp, Jr.

GIRLS’ GOLF

Brynn Balturshot, Station Camp, So. Class AAA

Division II-A

D: Maddie Morris, Station Camp, Jr.

Class AA

Janie Reames, Columbia Academy, Fr.

MF: Silvia Shirey, Hume-Fogg, Jr.

Brooke Bennett, Page, So.

Presley Miller, Columbia Academy, Jr.

MF: Elle Lassiter, Station Camp, Jr.

Division II-A

Division II-AA

F: Ayden Wood, Station Camp, Jr.

Caroline Pardue, Providence Christian, Sr.

Lydia Brunner, Father Ryan, Fr.

Class A

Jackie Henderson, Battle Ground Academy, Jr.

Maggie Slattery, Father Ryan, So.

GK: Addie Taylor, Liberty Creek, Sr. D: Bella Henderson, Merrol Hyde, Sr. MF: Addy Lee, Liberty Creek, So. F: Emma Johnson, Liberty Creek, Sr.

Division II-AA Alexandra Crews, Ensworth School, Sr. Savannah Cherry, Ensworth School, Sr.

Lily Bowen, Harpeth Hall, Jr.

13

JANUARY 25, 2024

SPORTS

Titans on way to making Brian Callahan team’s new head coach

BY JOHN GLENNON

The Titans were well on their way to finalizing a deal with Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as the team’s new head coach on Monday night.

Multiple national outlets, including the NFL Network, reported Monday that Callahan will be the man to replace Mike Vrabel, who was fired earlier this month after six seasons.

Callahan did an initial, virtual interview with the Titans on Jan. 12. That was one of 10 initial interviews the Titans did with potential candidates.

He did a second interview with the Titans on Monday, and it went so well that Tennessee wasn’t about to let him go anywhere else. Callahan had second interviews scheduled with Carolina on

Tuesday and Atlanta on Wednesday.

The Titans themselves had reportedly scheduled Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for a second interview on Wednesday, but that won’t be happening.

The Titans, in accordance with the NFL’s Rooney Rule guideline, needed to do two in-person interviews with minority candidates before hiring a new head coach.

They satisfied that by doing an in-person interview with former Stanford coach David Shaw on Sunday and an in-person interview with Carolina offensive coordinator Thomas Brown — his second interview — on Monday.

The 39-year-old Callahan spent the last five years as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator, helping quickly shape

quarterback Joe Burrow — the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft — into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Callahan is not the Bengals’ play-caller, but he did help guide Cincinnati into the AFC Championship in 2021 and 2022. The Bengals finished top-10 in points and passing yards in both 2021 and 2022.

Cincinnati finished 22nd in overall offense in 2023, 16th in points per game at 21.5. But Burrow only played in 10 of 17 games, and he wasn’t at full strength in several of those contests.

Callahan, who is the son of former NFL head coach Bill Callahan (now Cleveland’s offensive line coach), earned praise for his work this year with back-up quarterback Jake Browning. A former undrafted free

agent, Browning had never played an NFL game before this season. But because of Joe Burrow’s injury, Browning played in nine games and started seven, throwing for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns, while posting a quarterback rating of 98.4.

Prior to his five years in Cincinnati, Callahan worked as Detroit’s quarterbacks coach in 2016-2017, and as Oakland’s quarterbacks coach in 2018.

That resume held particular significance for the Titans, who are hoping Will Levis — the team’s rookie starter for most of last season — will be the team’s quarterback of the future.

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

Vanderbilt quarterback room swells with another transfer Diego Pavia was the Conference USA player of the year in 2023 at New Mexico State

BY JOHN GLENNON

A Vanderbilt quarterback situation that appeared bleak a couple of months ago looks much more promising now.

The Commodores got more good news at the position Wednesday, when former New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia announced on social media he would be transferring to Vanderbilt.

Pavia was the Conference USA player of the year as a senior in 2023, when he accounted for 3,898 yards of offense, throwing for 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns, while adding 925 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on the ground. One of Pavia’s most memorable performances came in the Aggies’ 31-10 upset at Auburn, when the Albuquerque, N.M., native threw for 201 yards and three touchdown passes.

The On3 recruiting site lists the 6-0, 200-pound Pavia as a three-star transfer, and his 89.0 ranking is tied for first among incoming Vanderbilt transfers — along with offensive lineman Steven Losoya (Mississippi State, Overton HS) and safety Randon Fontenette (TCU).

The 6-0, 200-pound Pavia is the latest New Mexico State addition to the Commodores program, joining another former Aggies quarterback Blaze Berlowitz, who played one game as a redshirt freshman last season. In addition, Vanderbilt’s coaching staff will feature several members of the 2023 New Mexico state coaching staff — including Tim Beck (offensive coordinator),

Vanderbilt football

PHOTO BY VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Jerry Kill (chief consultant to the head coach and senior offensive adviser), Melvin Rice (safeties coach) and Garrett Altman (offensive analyst).

Previously this offseason, Vanderbilt announced the transfer of Utah quarterback Nate Johnson, who played in eight games for the Utes last season. He started three, running 59 times for 235 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 39-of-72

passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

The quarterback room will also feature Drew Dickey, a former four-star high-school recruit who has made one appearance for Vanderbilt in two seasons.

Two incoming freshmen, Whit Muschamp of the Baylor School and Jeremy St.-Hilaire of McCallie School, round out the quarterback crew.

It’s a much more encouraging look

than in late November, after all three quarterbacks who played for Vandy last season — AJ Swann, Ken Seals and Walter Taylor — entered the transfer portal. Swann wound up at LSU, Seals at TCU and Taylor at Colorado.

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

14

THE NEWS

SPORTS

5-star Brentwood Academy QB George MacIntyre commits to Tennessee

BY LOGAN BUTTS

George MacIntyre

PHOTO BY DAVID RUSSELL

Although he has one more year of of high school football left, 5-star Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre has decided on his future college destination.

The highly sought-after recruit announced on Monday that he would be committing to Tennessee. The junior chose home-state Vols over a top-10 list that included Alabama, Auburn, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and UCLA. According to 247Sports Composite rankings, MacIntyre is currently the 15th ranked player overall in the Class of 2025, the third-best quarterback, and the top-rated player in the state.

MacIntyre passed for 3,229 yards and 25 touchdowns with 12 interceptionsto earn all-state honors last season despite a disappointing BA campaign. The Eagles finished 2-10 and lost in the second round of the Division II-AAA state playoffs,

prompting head coach Jacob Gill to resign after just one season at the helm. BA hired veteran mid-state coach Paul Wade as its new head coach in December.

MacIntyre himself is part of a coaching family. His grandfather, also named George Macintyre, coached for nearly 40 years across all levels of football. He was the head coach at UT-Martin from 1975-77 and at Vanderbilt from 1979-1985, compiling a 2552-1 record with the Commodores.

The younger George’s father, Mike MacIntyre, is currently the head coach at Florida International, his third FBS headcoaching stint following stops at Colorado and San Jose State.

The Vols are expected to start fellow 5-star prospect Nico Iamaleava under center next season following Joe Milton’s season as the signal caller. If everything works out as planned, MacIntyre could be the planned successor to Iamaleava for Tennessee.

Nashville SC heads south seeking quick chemistry

BY JOHN GLENNON

In the warmth and sunshine of West Palm Beach, Fla., Nashville SC will spend the next couple of weeks working on new chemistry for the February start to the 2024 season.

The Boys in Gold will need to find it quickly, not only for the start of MLS play, but also for the beginning of Concacaf Champions Cup competition.

There have been some significant departures and additions from the 2023 squad, which finished 13-11-10, good for seventh in MLS’ Eastern Conference.

Nashville made the playoffs for a fourth straight year but was bounced in the first round, and the team is looking for an offensive boost after scoring just 39 goals in 34 games in 2023.

The biggest departure? Midfielder Dax McCarty, 36, who was a former captain and original member of Nashville’s club. He played in 105 games for Nashville and made 87 starts, but is now in Atlanta after the Boys in Gold chose not to re-sign him.

Nashville also parted ways with midfielder Fafa Picault, 32, who scored five goals in league play last season.

“We’ve lost some players in the offseason that have been incredibly good for us,” Nashville SC coach Gary Smith said Sunday.

“In Dax’s case, we don’t know the team without him … Our first captain. I would class him as a close individual, close player that I worked with, and he gave so much to me and the team. Always tough to lose.”

But Nashville added some intriguing players via trade as well.

The biggest new name is forward Tyler Boyd, whose seven goals were tied for first on the L.A. Galaxy last season. The 29-year-old Boyd has significant international experience, as he played nine seasons in Europe before making his MLS debut in 2023.

“The hope is that looking at the qualities Tyler has, he’s not just a dynamic wide player who’s capable of scoring and creating goals, which—by the way, on its own, a nice quality to have — but he is a good footballer,” Smith said. “He’s got a good appreciation of the game. We bring him into our group in a period in his life and career, I think we get him at his best … prime of his career. I think we’re finding a player here that possesses all the qualities that we need and needed to add to complement our group.”

Boyd joins a Nashville team that features 2022 MLS most valuable player Hany Mukhtar, a midfielder, as well as other threats like forward Sam Surridge (signed during the 2023 season) and midfielder Randall Leal.

“In Tyler, I do think we have an individual who certainly possesses all the abilities and qualities that not only complements Hany, [but] I’d like to think complements Sam and Randall, and some of those guys that have got real bright footballing brains,” Smith said. “I would say it’s some of the most dynamic players that we’re going to see in MLS. How do we get

the best out of them this year?”

Nashville will also be expecting much from two new midfielders acquired via trade, 23-year-old Dru Yearwood (from the New York Red Bulls) and 25-year-old McKinze Gaines (from Charlotte FC).

The 5-8, 150-pound Yearwood spent the last four seasons with the Red Bulls, starting in 55 of the 86 games he played and totaling three goals and three assists.

“In Dru I think we see an individual who has all of the athletic qualities we’ll probably need to add to the group at this point,” Smith said. “A young player, still growing, still developing, out of a Red Bull group that’s ultra-competitive. But I do think [it’s] an opportunity at this point in his career to try and just mold that type of personality into something that’s going to suit us a little bit better.”

Nashville hopes to find the proper combinations and chemistry in a hurry.

As a result of reaching the Leagues Cup Final in 2023, Nashville qualified for this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup. That competition begins with away and home matches against Moca FC of the Dominican Republic on Feb. 22 and 28, sandwiched around Nashville’s MLS opener Feb. 25 against the Red Bulls.

“The length of preseason has been squeezed as well because of where that first game is pitched and our travel for that game,” Smith said. “So it’s down to me to make sure we get through what I believe

Tyler Boyd PHOTO COURTESY OF NASHVILLE SC

the necessities — whether that’s physically, technically, tactically of being ready for that game.

“The earlier stages of preseason will be all about the build into a new season, what that looks like for the whole team, the roles and prioritizing certain areas of the group. Getting two or three new players up to speed with our group, making sure that those guys are ready for a challenging season. Full stop. I think that part of it is going to be the most difficult.”

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

15

JANUARY 25, 2024

Orchids in the Mansion, Winter Concert Series on tap at Cheekwood STAFF REPORTS

Orchids

PHOTO COURTESY OF

CHEEKWOOD GARDENS

For the sixth consecutive year, orchids are set to take over the Mansion Loggia at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens.

Starting Feb. 10 and continuing through March 10, guests can view the annual orchid displays. Tickets can be purchased at cheekwood.org/calendar-events/orchids-atcheekwood/#tickets According to a news release, this year’s design “takes an artistic perspective on the epiphytes’ natural growth habit.”

Epiphytes, such as orchids, are a plant that grows on another plant. They are found on

trees or other substrate.

This year’s showcase will also feature a new display in the Botanic Hall atrium.

The Cheekwood Winter Concert Series will also return later this month with a trio performances at Massey Auditorium inside Botanic Hall. All shows will begin at 7 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at cheekwood.org/events/.

On Jan. 27, the Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra will perform. Blair, the director of jazz studies at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, will lead the collection of saxophones, trumpets, trombones and a dynamic rhythm section.

On Feb. 10, the Crescent City Hoodoo All-Stars will take the stage. Led by local jazz mainstay Chris Walters, will perform the sounds of New Orleans, with classic jazz, blues, and soul tunes from neighborhoods such as the French Quarter, Mid City and Uptown.

Finally, on Feb. 24, the Music City Latin Orchestra will close out the series. The 13-piece orchestra, led by Grammy Awardwinning multi-instrumentalist Giovanni Rodriguez, will perform Cuban and Latin American music. For the sixth consecutive year, orchids are set to take over the Mansion Loggia at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens.

Gorgeous orchids abound in the loggia of the Cheekwood Mansion.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHEEKWOOD GARDENS 2023

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16

THE NEWS

Skylar’s Shakshuka

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

BY EDIBLE NASHVILLE

Eggs are topped with feta and nestled in a garlicky, cumin-scented tomato sauce in this classic Middle Eastern dish. It comes together quickly from pantry items,

eggs, canned tomatoes and whatever cheese you have on hand. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?

NO. 1220

ACROSS 1 Quartet that reunited

in 2022 to “perform” as holograms 5 Hell’s Half ___

(Wyoming landmark) 9 Chromosomes come

in them 14 Croc, for one 15 Big name in bubbly 16 Condition linked with

grinding teeth 17 District on the

western coast of Hawaii 18 Craisin brand 20 Female scholars 22 Lead-in to zone 23 Smallish batteries 24 Author Patchett 27 Components of

Mars’s Viking and Pathfinder 30 Intrinsic makeup

INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 28 ounces whole plum tomatoes salt and pepper 6 large eggs 5 ounces feta, crumbled cilantro 1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices and cook a little over 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes.

2. Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Cover and simmer 5 minutes for runnier yolks, or up to 9 minutes for well-done eggs.

1 “Oh, no!”

French for “cloth”

2 Explode

TV 36 Gooey addition to a

charcuterie board 37 Where turn signals

are found 41 Delicacies for which

Aveiro, Portugal, is known 42 “Surely you don’t

mean me!?”

43 Speechless

expression 44 Showstoppers?

45 Bach composition 48 Scratch, say 49 It might be cocked or

bent 50 N.B.A.’s Westbrook, to

fans 52 Grammy

winners for “Jump (for My Love)” (1984) 59 “Apologies for

bothering you …”

60 Massage deeply

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.

DOWN

33 Fabric whose name is 35 Hirsute cousin of old

3. Sprinkle with feta and cilantro and serve with hot sauce.

PUZZLE BY BRAD WIEGMANN

62 Mosquito, by nature 63 Chip in 64 Ski lift 65 Dutch settlers of

South Africa 66 & 67 One of two pen

names punnily hinted at by 20-, 37- and 52-Across (can you find the other one?)

3 Pro ___ 4 Best effort 5 Egyptian sun god 6 Result of some

spinning 7 Danger for a mariner 8 Abbreviated

abbreviation 9 They might be

served carbonara or puttanesca 10 Datebook data: Abbr.

11 About, on a memo 12 Vanguard’s opposite 13 “Survey ___ …”

(“Family Feud” catchphrase) 19 Almost adjoining 21 Swiss mathematician

40 “He is richest who

is content with the ___”: Socrates 45 Supplies, as a soiree 46 Stiff bristle,

botanically 47 Elephant or warthog,

56 In one’s right mind 57 ___ Stark, Lord

Eddard’s eldest on “Game of Thrones” 58 Unit of meat or

marble 61 Fish hatchlings

e.g.

49 Put in 51 Company with

Counting Sheep commercials 52 Last name in soft

drinks 53 Reds state 54 “Not hungry yet, but

thanks anyway” 55 Word with

“Revolutionary” or “Tobacco,” in book titles

ANSWER TO PUZZLE

who introduced functional notation 24 Totally confused 25 Prominent 26 Physicist Bohr 28 You can count on it 29 Abbreviated

abbreviation 30 Amateur pediatrician,

informally 31 Strong, silent type?

32 Norse pantheon 34 Paul for whom a

guitar is named 36 Backside 38 Turkish inn 39 Prefix with apology or

denial

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/ crosswords ($39.95 a year).

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17

JANUARY 25, 2024

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Join us for worship on Sunday morning or watch the broadcast at 10:30 am on WUXP MYTV30 9:15am Children/Youth classes

Need Prayer?

10:30am Sun. morning worship

If you are in need of prayer, Call 888-388-2683

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The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will have prayer partners available to talk with you 24/7.

18

THE NEWS

Walk a Mile: Woodland-in-Waverly

BY J.R. LIND

Once a month, former Nashville Scene reporter and resident historian J.R. Lind picked an area in the city to examine while accompanied by a photographer. With his column Walk a Mile, he walked a onemile stretch of that area, exploring the neighborhood’s history and character, its developments, its current homes and businesses, and what makes it a unique part of Nashville.

This story originally ran on June 18, 2020.

The Route: From Roycroft and Wedgewood, east to Ridley and then right. Right again on Benton and then left on Grantland. Right on Bradford and then right on Eighth and north to the start.

The crest of Roycroft Place is only about 30 feet higher than its intersection with Eighth Avenue, but it makes those 30 feet in less than 300 feet of road.

But it’s a surprisingly temperate June morning. The remnants of Cristobal — the tropical storm that ravaged the Gulf Coast and then pummeled parts of the interior (The Remnants of Cristobal would also be a great name for a magical-realist novel) — are shuffling through Ontario, and a cold front brought a northerly wind and blessedly dry air to Middle Tennessee. A climb of a 10 percent grade isn’t so terrible in such conditions, with an unthreatening and unblemished sky above.

Roycroft Place

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Unencumbered by clouds, though, the sunlight is relentless, particularly as the first part of the journey is nearly due east, straight down the day arc as the calendar nears the solstice.

But serendipitously, nature finds its balance. Roycroft, a sort of gateway to the Woodland-in-Waverly neighborhood, is lined with luxuriant trees, the canopy extending right up to the sidewalk. There is an abundance of walnut trees, their leaves — like the remiges of a bird — fluttering at branches’ ends, the nuts themselves green and pendulant this time of year. It is easy to get enchanted by the flora, but behind the verdant screen lurk equally enchanting manmade beauties.

Roycroft Place works well as a microcosm of its entire neighborhood. There is a mix of architectural styles popular in the first few decades of the 20th century. There are the gables and pediments of the weddingcake-evoking Queen Anne style. There are the more capital-R Romantic and Italianate details of the more traditional Victorian styles. There are the four-squares more commonly associated with the Belmont-area neighborhoods a few ticks west. On Roycroft in particular there are several Craftsman-style bungalows; indeed, the street itself is named for the Roycrofters, a community of artisans influential in the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century.

And then there are the homes built in what Nashvillians of the time called Turn of the Century. A bit on the nose, perhaps, but essentially it features the interiors of a Queen Anne style with exteriors influenced by the then-popular Colonial Revival, with their columned Federal fronts and Georgian brick.

In short, Roycroft and its neighborhood harkens to the fashionable styles of the fashionable set in fin de siècle Nashville.

Though it would hardly meet the definition today — seeing as how it’s just two miles from downtown as the crow flies — Woodland-in-Waverly was one of the city’s first suburbs, specifically a streetcar suburb served first by mule-drawn trolleys and later by electrified ones. One such line ran along Eighth Avenue South, and this proximity to easy transit drew the well-heeled out of their townhomes into the tree-lined streets and broad yards of the neighborhood.

The neighborhood’s name — a mouthful and a bit confusing, given that it’s nowhere near Waverly, the county seat of Humphreys County — has a convoluted history. The land was the site of the farm of A.W. Putnam, best known these days for the still-essential resource A History of Middle Tennessee. He named his farm Waverly Place in homage to Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels. Interestingly, both Putnam and Steven Pavatt, the stagecoach inn operator who named the city in Humphreys County,

made the same spelling error.

In the early 1890s, a land syndicate — members of which lent their names to many of the streets — began developing the subdivision. As neighborhoods do, it ebbed and flowed as suburbs became, well, more suburban. The construction of Interstate 65, which barges in to the east, brought the demolition of many historic homes. In an era before preservationism, many others were torn down to be replaced with the ranch-style houses that were more popular in the 1950s and ’60s. Woodland-in-Waverly got its National Register of Historic Places designation in 1980, in recognition of its status as a largely intact streetcar suburb.

Five years later, it was designated a Historic Zoning District by Metro Nashville.

Now there is a sense of deep care to the neighborhood. Front yards abound with a variety of gardens. In one, wildflowers — including, appropriately, Queen Anne’s lace — stretch toward the sun that peeks through the arboreal canopy. In another, a squash plant has sent a shoot under the picket fence and into the sidewalk. Yards are wellmaintained and porches neat, but not in a Parade of Homes sort of way. They still look lived-in and worked-in rather than staged.

Roycroft abuts Ridley shortly after the crest of its formidable hill. It’s obvious that Roycroft continued to the east before I-65 existed; its remnants form a sort of communal back driveway for a pair of homes, the curb still extant. Stairs from the sidewalk rise to a flattened lot that clearly once held a house but now hosts a wooden playset. At the corner of Benton and Ridley are two of the grander homes in Woodland-in-Waverly. On the left, a 6,800-square-foot, 13-room behemoth with a stately porte-cochere and wellmanicured lawn dating from 1920. On the right, a three-story 4,100-square-footer built in 1910. Its yard is a little more funky than its neighbor across the way, with its two dog statues (the hyper-realist one on the front stairs is lifelike enough to force a second or third look), one of those ubiquitous catfish sculptures that served as Nashville’s first public art outreach a few decades ago, and a sculpture of a small tree that surely has some significance to the home’s owner. The asymmetrical porch is classic Queen Anne, as is the broad roof topped with a metallic finial.

Benton Avenue is believed to be named for Thomas Hart Benton (the senator, not the Regionalist painter whose last major work hangs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum). For 15 years, Benton lived in Middle Tennessee, on a farm near what is now Leiper’s Fork. His family called the place Hillsboro after their North Carolina hometown, still reflected

JANUARY 25, 2024

in the name of Hillsboro Road. Among other things, Benton was Andrew Jackson’s aide-de-camp during the War of 1812, but the future president sent him away from the front lines to instead represent him in Washington, D.C. Angry at being denied the chance for battlefield glory, Benton got in a brawl with Old Hickory.

The future senator must have been a tough son-of-a-gun, because the fight left Jackson wounded. In any case, Benton realized after the war he’d have a hard time rising to glory in Tennessee in the long shadow of Jackson, so he moved to Missouri. Benton never lived on the street, but Tennessee Gov. Albert Roberts did. Roberts served just one term as the state’s chief executive, due in large part to his support for women’s suffrage. (He called the famous special session that led to the ultimate ratification of the 19th Amendment.)

Timothy Demonbreun never lived on Benton either, but the house that faces the street’s intersection with Grantland bears his name nonetheless. Now a bed-and-breakfast, the 22-room house was built in 1902 by the Robinson family and named Robincroft.

Richard Demonbreun, a local attorney and one of the innumerable local descendents of the famously fecund French-Canadian pioneer, bought the house in 1995 and named it for his great-great-great-greatgrandfather. France’s Le Tricolore and the three gold fleur-de-lis on a blue background that served as New France’s flag (though not at the time of Demonbreun, it should be noted) fly outside the home.

South on Grantland, the architectural variety continues. A Queen Anne’s curvilinear porch all but beckons you to follow the road where trees erupt from the artificial bounds of backyards and property lines and loom and dip on the sidewalk.

Such variety abounds that it’s almost as if

8th Avenue Antique Mall

Publix under construction

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Grantland is a glorious arboretum free and open to anyone with the desire to walk it.

The houses on Grantland have a little more panache than their statelier neighbors up the road, particularly in their paint jobs with bold primary and secondary colors, toned down so as to not be garish but not far enough to be truly pastel. Delicate accents on pillars and posts come in contrasting color choices. Even the clapboard houses likely built after the neighborhood’s peak ooze a simple elegance dusted by the fairydust of whimsical personalities.

A home just on the other side of Grantland’s intersection with Prentice, for example, is painted purple with light blue-gray accents, and the front stairs are decorated with an all-encompassing mosaic featuring depictions of a sea monster and a

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

19

sugar skull. Even a passing dachshund — one of the silliest-looking dogs — walks with dignified insouciance.

Alas, this walk through a reimagined past comes to an abrupt end at Bradford with a towering wall of a New Nashville apartment building, nothing but right angles and beige. At Eighth and Bradford is the newest outpost of Hattie B’s, once the home of the much-loved but short-lived fast-casual seafood shack The Hook. Across the street, yet another Publix is under construction.

There are, a bit concerningly, no sidewalks to speak of on the east side of Eighth here, though industrious perambulators have worn a distinct if dusty trail under the streetlights, which mimic the iconic lights of Paris’ Metro.

The Smiling Elephant, a homey Thai

restaurant, even gets into the architectural mishmash game, with Southeast Asian details on its eaves. And across the street, we can complete our architectural bingo board with the sorta-Tudor stylings at a now-vacant office building.

Behind an imposing wrought-iron fence up the road is the blindingly white Gruhn Guitars building (once, coincidentally, home of the Nashville Scene).

The antique stores for which this stretch of Eighth is at least locally known begin to pop up, from the more traditional Dealer’s Choice Antiques & Auction to the more off-center Classic Modern and Pre to Post Modern, the former fronted by an ersatz cannon made from old wagon wheels and a creosote-covered utility pole. The number of faux-oranges on display at the store is alarming for any fans of The Godfather, but they don’t seem to bother the line of caffeine addicts outside 8th and Roast. Zanies promises upcoming shows, and Douglas Corner says it’s coming back soon (despite last month’s announcement that it would close permanently). Though local businesses are certainly in the majority here, there are plenty of reminders of the nearby interstate exit — gas stations, fast-food restaurants and, this being Nashville, a Dollar General.

But the free spirit of the neighborhood shines anyway: the signpost at a Subway hosts a collection of oddball birdhouses and, for some reason, a plastic frog. A scattering of homes rises up from the street as we close the mile-long circle, the steep stone stairs lifting from the sidewalk hinting that the sharp climb of Raycroft is nigh.

Beyond the reservoir, the unrelenting sunlight glistens off the silver towers of downtown, conveniently close. But not too close — just as Woodland-in-Waverly has liked it for a century.

20

THE NEWS

Five free and cheap family things to do in middle Tennessee

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

WINTER SENSORY WALK Shelby Bottoms Nature Center & Greenway invites the whole family to the park to enjoy a winter exploration. Guides will take folks on a short walk through on a storybook trail, focusing on the sights, smells and touch of winter. In theory, you may be sick of winter senses at this point, but at least it’ll be a bit warmer out at this point.

COCOA HIKE Head over to Clarksville for a guided hike through Rotary Park as the sun goes down.

A park guide will point out the seasonal plants and animals along the way. After the hike, they’ll serve hot cocoa. Lanterns will be available after dark. You must register ahead of time with the Nature Center.

FAMILY FUN NIGHT AT SMYRNA OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CENTER Family Fun Night at the Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center will include chats about space, time travel and magic. The center promises to show “the wonders of the science fiction genre through an interstellar voyage involving games, crafts and self-guided activities all themed around the wonderful world of science fiction.”

Turnip Green Creative Reuse

THIRD COAST KIDS PLAYSHOP

PHOTO BY DANIEL MEIGS

If you were cooped up last week, you’re probably feeling the near-pandemic level panic of being stuck at the house for more than a week of bad weather. This week there are chances to move your bodies outside on a Cocoa Hike in Clarksville or on a Winter Sensory Walk in East Nashville. And if the brain is due for some exercise, there’s a chance or two to get creative at a kids class at Turnip Green Creative Reuse or at an improv comedy workshop for kids at Third Coast

Comedy. Whether you choose inside or out, you’ll be glad you got out of the house.

As part of our series on free and cheap things to do with the family, here is our weekly roundup of places to spend time together over the next week: TURNIP GREEN CREATIVE REUSE KIDS CLASS Turnip Green Creative Reuse is hosting a Kids Class at 10 a.m. on Jan. 27, which

they call the “perfect opportunity for your little ones to unleash their imagination and have a blast.” TGCR instructors will guide kids through various hands-on activities, encouraging them to repurpose and transform everyday materials into unique works of art. They will do everything from painting and crafting to building and sculpting; kids will have a chance to explore creative endeavors in a fun and supportive environment.

At Third Coast Comedy, they’re inviting kids aged 4-8 for a special hour of improv games and exercises led by improvisers with a passion for early childhood development.

You may wonder whether you should encourage your little joker, but this is a great space for families to come and play and laugh together. Tickets are for children only, grown ups get in for free. Register ahead of time and email trainingcenter@ thirdcoastcomedyclub.com if you have any specific questions about the playshop.

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JANUARY 25, 2024

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JANUARY 25, 2024

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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