October 5, 2023

Looking Forward: Southwest Nashville council members on the years ahead

BY NICOLE S. PRAINO

Mayor O’Connell, new council members hold inauguration at Public Square Park

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

Though Mayor Freddie O’Connell and many members of the new Metro Council had already been sworn in, they took their oaths again Saturday, this time as part of a public celebration at Public Square Park.

O’Connell used the public gathering to show off city services, with Metro’s library, police, arts, transit and other departments set up around the park distributing information about their offerings. Hundreds

of attendees — including several of O’Connell’s former opponents and newly former Metro councilmembers with a load off — watched the new mayor and Vice Mayor Angie Henderson welcome the new four-year term with remarks. (Matt Wiltshire, who finished third in the general mayoral election, said he was going to Midtown bar Losers after the event.)

While Henderson pledged that the Metro Council would be an independent check on the mayor’s office, she acknowledged that she and the mayor share a goal of improving the city’s transit, cycling and pedestrian networks. Both highlighted the issue in speeches.

“Mayor O’Connell and I have a similar vision for a better-connected Nashville,” Henderson said.

O’Connell added that he wants to build “the transit system the city has needed for a long time” and alluded to a possible voter referendum to raise money for the effort.

Both O’Connell and Henderson also addressed ongoing tension between the city and state government as several Metro lawsuits challenging new state laws continue. The new mayor said he would

The first Metro Council meeting since the election was Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. There are multiple new and returning councilmembers in The News’ southwest Nashville coverage area, so we sat down with each of them to talk about the issues they want to address during their term. Looking Forward will be an ongoing series of topics addressed by each member we were able to speak with ahead of the first council meeting.

Much of the southwest Nashville representation looks familiar. Tom Cash was reelected in District 18; Thom Druffel was reelected in District 23; and Sheri Weiner has returned to District 22. But there are actually just as many new faces to the area. Brenda Gadd (D24), Jeff Preptit (D25) and Sandy Ewing (D34) were elected to their districts for the first time. Old or new, that did not seem to matter as the same few topics dominated the conversation with each member: infrastructure, transportation, development, and the budget.

Ahead of the first council meeting, the new members all said they were just trying to learn everything they could and keep communication with constituents ongoing.

“I’m making sure that I am being responsive to the people of the district and being able to really assess those needs when they are expressed to me,” Preptit said. “Just familarizing myself with all the people who are staffing our local agencies, being able to make sure I know exactly who I need to make those referrals to within the specific agencies to get things done.”

“I’m looking forward to getting down to the actual business of the council,” Ewing said. “I’ve been pretty immersed in constituent services anyway. I feel like this is the final puzzle piece and I’m really looking forward to learning how it all

Metro councilmembers at Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s inauguration

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Mayor O’Connell with his family at the inauguration PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Inauguration

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

fight for “gun safety, adequate school funding, access to accurate history and other things the state is making every effort to control.”

O’Connell was officially sworn in earlier in the week in a private ceremony and jumped into the work of taking over from former Mayor John Cooper, whom he thanked for a smooth transition. O’Connell has named several key staff members, including chief of staff Marjorie PomeroyWallace (who ran his campaign) and chief development officer Bob Mendes, a former councilmember who will be responsible for

Metro’s role in development on the East Bank and around the city. The mayor gave updates on the status of several Cooper administration aides, some of whom will remain on staff but many of whom are moving on, on Friday.

Next up for O’Connell and the new Metro Council is the first Metro Council of the new term, scheduled for Tuesday.

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

Appeals court sides with state on gender-affirming care ban

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the states of Tennessee and Kentucky on Thursday when it overturned preliminary injunctions pausing implementation of bans on gender-affirming care like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors in those states.

The ruling affirmed an earlier decision that allowed the laws to go into effect, and the case will continue in the trial courts with the law in place. Some legal observers expect the issue to go before the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming years, as multiple federal circuits are considering cases originating in the states that in recent years have pushed to block such therapies for minors.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the ruling “a big win for democracy.”

“Decisions that are not clearly resolved by the Constitution should be resolved by the people through their elected representatives,” he added. “I am so proud of our team who stood against the overwhelming resources arrayed against Tennesseans in this case.”

After joining right-wing media figures at an anti-trans rally in Nashville in October 2022, prominent Tennessee Republican lawmakers pledged to pass legislation in 2023 banning treatments for minors. The law passed by the Tennessee legislature also banned gender-affirming surgical procedures, rare in Tennessee, but a trial court order halting implementation of the law applied only to the ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapies.

Though the law allowed for a nine-month unwinding process that would have allowed transgender youth to continue to receive treatment, the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center preemptively ceased operations in June.

The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU of Tennessee, a local family, a Tennessee doctor and others. The U.S. Department of Justice has also sought to stop the law.

“This is a devastating result for transgender youth and their families in Tennessee and across the region,” Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP said in a joint statement. “The disastrous impact of Tennessee’s law and all others like it has already been felt in thousands of homes and communities.

“Denying transgender youth equality before the law and needlessly withholding the necessary medical care their families and their doctors know is right for them has caused and will continue to cause serious harm. We are assessing our next steps and will take further action in defense of our

clients and the constitutional rights of transgender people in Tennessee and across the country.”

The three-judge panel was split in its ruling. “Tennessee’s and Kentucky’s laws tell minors and their parents that the minors cannot undergo medical care because of the accidents of their births and their failure to conform to how society believes boys and girls should look and live,” wrote Judge Helene White in her dissent from the majority. “The laws further deprive the parents — those whom we otherwise recognize as best suited to further their minor children’s interests — of their right to make medical decisions affecting their children in conjunction with their children and medical practitioners.”

The majority, Judges Jeffrey Sutton and Amul Thapar, wrote that courts should defer to legislatures on the matter.

“This is a relatively new diagnosis with ever-shifting approaches to care over the last decade or two,” they said. “Under these circumstances, it is difficult for anyone to be sure about predicting the long-term consequences of abandoning age limits of any sort for these treatments. That is precisely the kind of situation in which lifetenured judges construing a difficult-toamend Constitution should be humble and careful about announcing new substantive due process or equal protection rights that limit accountable elected officials from sorting out these medical, social, and policy challenges.”

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

Former mayoral candidate Matt Wiltshire

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND Local students at the inauguration ceremony

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Nashville artist Morgxn performs at the inauguration

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Vice Mayor Angie Henderson speaks at Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s inauguration

PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND

Protesters at an October 2022 antitrans rally in Nashville.

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Nashville-area celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with variety of events

BY LOGAN BUTTS

The show is free and will take place from 6-7:30 p.m.

Williamson, Inc. and the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are joining forces to host a pair of business-focused events in October.

Hispanic Heritage Month may be down to its final 10 days, but there are still a number of events on tap throughout Nashville and Williamson County to celebrate.

The Nashville Public Library is closing out its series of Story Time Friends honoring Hispanic heritage with an appearance from MNPD officer and Madison Precinct community coordinator Luis Lopez. Lopez will be reading at the Madison branch on Oct. 6 from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

On Oct. 7, the Inglewood branch will be hosting Global Movement Fun! from 10:30-11:30 a.m. The event will feature music, dances, and games celebrating Hispanic heritage.

The Madison branch will host the Hispanic Heritage Festival on Oct. 13 from 5-8 p.m. The celebration will include hot chocolate courtesy of Garden Fresh Food Market, food trucks, games, activities, information on local community services, library card sign-ups, a performance from Glencliff High School’s Folklorico team, and an outdoor movie.

Tejano artist Veronique Medrano will be performing at the First on Oct. 12 as part of the museum’s Music in the Cafe series.

The chamber’s monthly First Friday: Your Small Business Toolkit event for small businesses will be held on Oct. 6 from 7-9 a.m. at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center in Franklin. The event will begin with with networking and a complimentary breakfast, followed by a panel discussion with Hispanic-owned small businesses.

On Oct. 10, the monthly WillCo Connected! Business Mixer will take place from 4-6 p.m. at Happenchance Social Lounge in Nolensville. Both events are free, but registration is required.

The Nashville Predators are celebrating the local Hispanic community with two events in October. On Oct. 5, the team is partnering with the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce (TLACC) to host Hispanic Heritage Night at Bridgestone Arena.

A Plaza Party will take place at 5 p.m before the Predators host the Carolina Hurricanes for a preseason game at 7 p.m. The party will feature a DJ, food trucks, face painting, mechanical bull, a drumline performance by Nashville SC’s Latin American support group La Brigada de Oro, plus local vendors from the Hispanic community.

The team will also host Hispanic Heritage Family Day on Oct. 14 from 1-3 p.m. at the Ford Ice Center Antioch. The event will include free ice skating, complimentary concessions, giveaway items from local businesses and a visit from GNASH. The event is limited to the first 200 RSVPs.

Hispanic Heritage Month festivities

PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT MUSIC CITY

Looking Forward

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

works and getting into it.”

Gadd added that she started thinking about her previous work and what her impact could be now as a councilmember.

“I’ve spent time in the Nashville community being an advocate for areas that hopefully advance women and youth and areas of our community that need more justice-oriented work,” Gadd said. “When I first started thinking about ‘how do you really localize this in a district space?’ I started with issues of thinking about, you know, Metro Council has the ability to pass a budget, and through this budget can become a moral document of how we want to see lives improved.”

Members who were reelected said they have work they still want to continue into these next four years.

“How do we change people’s lives in a positive way? And if we do it right, and there’s some cities that are starting to do it right, we can make a huge difference,” Druffel said. “I’m sort of excited every time I think about it now. It takes a lot of work to get there. But my gosh, the return on investment of the improved social conditions is night and day for not only lives but communities.”

“Development is always a need and a concern,” Cash said. “But making sure that we manage that responsibly, we need more housing in Nashville for sure. But, we also need transit and better roads and other kinds of infrastructure, so making sure that those things are moving forward together.”

Weiner has been serving the city in various capacities since she was last a district

Allie Phillips, woman at center of abortion fight, running for state House

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

already stopped beating and an emergency abortion was necessary.

Phillips told the story on TikTok, where it went viral, drawing hundreds of thousands of likes and followers. Later this year, Phillips joined with women challenging abortion bans in Tennessee and other states as a plaintiff in a lawsuit led by the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Phillips told the Post that while her biggest issue in the campaign is reproductive health care, she is also planning to run in support of public education funding, “keeping guns out of schools,” LGBTQ rights including gender-affirming care, access to health care and infrastructure improvements, especially to help ClarksvilleNashville commuters.

councilmember in 2019. Now, she returns to the district level and knows that their issues are similar to the ones the city as a whole faces.

“We’ve got issues of needing walkability, connecting all the nodes in Bellevue so that it’s more cohesive, looking for more walkable, bikeable opportunities, sidewalks certainly. Transit is at the top of the list and I think I’m not unlike 99 percent of the folks that are going back in that now’s the time. We can’t wait any longer. Stop kicking the can down the road,” Weiner said.

“At the end of the day we have to sit and talk with each other instead of at each other. We need more community-wide and council-wide and city-wide conversation. We need to find connectivity. We need to find common ground through civility, and if we don’t, then

at stake.”

O’Connell names first mayoral staffers

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT, ELI MOTYCKA

One day after he was sworn in as Nashville’s next mayor, Freddie O’Connell announced his first round of staff appointments.

Wally Dietz, who was Metro legal director under former Mayor John Cooper, will remain in the position. He is tasked with overseeing the city’s various legal changes of new state laws. Kelly Flannery will reportedly not stay on as finance director.

Marjorie Pomeroy-Wallace, who managed O’Connell’s campaign, will be the mayor’s chief of staff. Kristin Wilson is continuing in her role as chief of operations and performance.

Bob Mendes, until recently a two-term at-large Metro councilmember, has been named chief development officer, a new title. He was most recently an attorney at Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison and is expected to play a significant role in ongoing development of the East Bank.

like the city’s development of the East Bank and negotiations around the Global Mall in Antioch, to Mendes and Wilcox.

Fabian Bedne will seek other opportunities after wrapping up this year’s participatory budgeting process, O’Connell told reporters. Formerly a Metro councilmember, Bedne worked in various roles in the Cooper administration. Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood and legislative director Mike Jameson are both out, a decision they made pre-transition, according to O’Connell. Jameson was Cooper’s primary council liaison. Ginger Hausser, tasked with state and federal relations under Cooper, is “probably not staying,” according to O’Connell. It’s unlikely that Tom Jurkovich, who headed board and commission nominations for Cooper, will remain in that role, says the new mayor.

Allie Phillips, a Clarksville woman whose story of pregnancy loss under Tennessee’s abortion ban drew national attention, is running for the state House.

Phillips on Monday announced her candidacy as a Democrat for House District 75, represented by Republican freshman Rep. Jeff Burkhart.

Early this year, Phillips learned during a routine anatomy scan that the daughter she had already named Miley Rose would not survive outside the womb. Phillips and her husband Bryan, after discussions with their doctor, determined that termination was the best way to avoid further risk for the mother. Due to the newly enacted ban in Tennessee, Phillips flew to New York City where doctors informed her that the baby’s heart had

She added that though she has paid attention to politics in the past, before the past year she did not consider running for office. Phillips runs an in-home day care and has worked in retail, food service and for an auto auction company.

“This is something new for me,” she said. “Given my story and the outreach I’ve had with it, it seemed like a no-brainer to take this and open new doors. I can scream online all day but in order to make a change I need to actually be in a position to make that change.”

Burkhart’s unopposed 2022 election to the District 75 seat was the first since postcensus redistricting shrunk the district and brought it closer to Clarksville. Phillips said the new-look district “is a winnable seat but not an easily winnable seat.”

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

Katy Varney, a veteran of various political campaigns, has been appointed interim communications director. She recently retired as a partner at MP&F Strategic Communications. Alex Apple, who led communications for the campaign, will be deputy communications director and press secretary.

Kathy Floyd-Buggs, director of neighborhoods, and Bonita Dobbins, administrative assistant, are also remaining in the mayor’s office.

O’Connell also confirmed several staff updates Friday morning, capping a busy first week for the city’s new mayor.

Kendra Abkowitz stays on as sustainability chief, a role she’s held since 2021. Ben Eagles, a key Cooper adviser, is likely out, while Wilcox stays on to work on special projects alongside Mendes. On Thursday, O’Connell told the Scene that he will delegate several ongoing projects,

The mayor’s office also implied it would lose LaTanya Channel, Cooper’s director of economic growth and small business development, though O’Connell did not confirm her future directly.

“You probably heard me talk about the Office of Opportunity model,” O’Connell said in response to a question about Channel. “I’m expecting we will build that from scratch.”

The transition leaves O’Connell with several major open positions and at least two major departments to stand up: the Office of Housing and Homelessness and an Office of Opportunity, O’Connell’s answer to economic development.

This story is comprised from stories first published by our sister publications Nashville Post and Nashville Scene.

Allie Phillips

the future of our kids and grandkids is

District 24 councilmember Brenda Gadd

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Nashville SC clinches fourth straight playoff berth

BY JOHN GLENNON

It was not Nashville SC’s most inspired effort, but Saturday’s 0-0 draw with the Seattle Sounders FC did produce a significant benefit:

The outcome, combined with some other Major League Soccer results over the weekend, meant Nashville clinched a playoff berth for the fourth time in as many years as an MLS club. Only three other teams in the league — the Chicago Fire FC, Houston Dynamo FC and the Sounders — have reached the postseason through all first four years of their existence.

Nashville (12-9-9) sits in seventh place in the 15-team Eastern Conference, with the top nine teams assured of a playoff berth. The Boys in Gold have 45 points, trailing sixth-place Atlanta United FC by four points. The top four seeds are guaranteed home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The draw against Seattle extended Nashville’s unbeaten streak to five games — two wins, three draws — and marked the third time in five contests the team had posted a clean sheet.

But Nashville, even with a starting lineup that featured reigning MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar along with midfielder Randall Leal and forwards Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg, rarely threatened Seattle’s goal. Nashville managed just five shots and put only one on goal. The best opportunity occurred when Surridge pushed a shot just past the post from inside the penalty box. The Boys in Gold posted an expected goal total of 0.27.

Seattle had 13 shots, three on goal and an expected goal total of 0.57.

“When I said in the pregame that this was going to be a tight one, I didn’t expect it to be quite as frustrating as the evening was,” Nashville coach Gary Smith said. “Two very, very sound defensive teams from our point of view. Not enough creativity and a fall below the standards, in terms of quality at home.

“The frustrations will be that I certainly that I felt as though Seattle certainly looked like they were vulnerable. And it was from the touchline a possible three points in the making.”

Nashville has four games remaining in the regular season, three of which will be played against teams above them in the conference. The Boys in Gold return to the pitch Wednesday at Geodis Park when they host Orlando City SC. As of press time, this match had not yet happened.

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

‘The American Buffalo’ spotlights the near extinction, resurgence of national mammal

The Franklin Theatre hosted 45-minute preview, panel discussion for the new Ken Burns documentary

BY MATT MASTERS

The Franklin Theatre held a sold-out preview of Ken Burns’ new documentary The American Buffalo on Sept. 25, featuring a panel discussion of the near extinction and the resurgence of America’s national mammal.

Burns was not present for the event but did speak to attendees in a prerecorded video message prior to the film, whose subject he called “a quintessentially American story.”

Event was hosted by Tracy Frist and sponsored by the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County and Nashville Public Television, with proceeds benefiting The Better Angels Society, the Heritage

Foundation, and NPT.

A panel discussion followed the 45-minute preview screening featuring the film’s writer Dayton Duncan, Southeastern Grasslands Institute Executive Director Dr. Dwayne Estes, NPT President and CEO Becky Magura and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Jon Meacham, with former Senator Bill Frist moderating the discussion.

Part of that storied history of the country’s national mammal also includes the settling of Nashville by Europeans and the original Native American inhabitants of the region, including French-Canadian settler Timothy Demonbreun who is known as the “first citizen” of Nashville, and the

Two former Nashville judges die

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

“Judge Richard Dinkins was an outstanding jurist and a credit to Tennessee,” Judge Melissa Blackburn wrote on Facebook. “I will miss working with him, particularly on projects that reflected his passion for making the practice of law accessible and exciting for young people.”

Added Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Johnson: “This great man was a gentle and affectionate friend who graciously shared his deep knowledge, experience and wisdom with everyone who sought guidance.”

Dinkins decided not to seek another term on the Court of Appeals last year. He was first appointed to the post in 2008 by thenGov. Phil Bredesen. Previously he served on the Davidson County Chancery Court and practiced law, including with Avon Williams Jr.

Former Judge William “Bill” Griffin IV died on Sept. 22 at the age of 81, according to an obituary.

buffalo trails that stretched down to what is now Franklin.

“It’s [Buffalo] as natural to Middle Tennessee as anything, as hot chicken to country music,” Estes said. “The city of Nashville wouldn’t be where it is today if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was earlier known by the name of ‘French Lick,’ on account of the large bison meadow that was about where the [Tennessee] State Museum is today in the Bicentennial Mall State Park.”

“Little did they know that settling beside the licks, that they were dooming the buffalo

of this region, because within a decade the buffalo moved out or they were killed.”

The film includes interviews with leading Native American scholars, land experts and Tribal Nation members and explores the complex history of the buffalo and the people who lived in harmony with the animal, those who nearly wiped them out, and the unlikely allies who joined to save the buffalo.

The full two-part, four-hour long film The American Buffalo will premiere on PBS Oct. 16 and 17.

Reese Witherspoon releases second book in ‘Busy Betty’ series

BY LOGAN BUTTS

Hills-based Parnassus Books.

In Busy Betty & the Circus Surprise, “Betty wants to throw a circus-themed birthday party for her mom. Everything is going perfectly until she realizes she has the wrong date! Surely the day is ruined now, right? (Think again!).”

The Busy Betty series is not the first foray into books for Witherspoon. The Oscar-winning actress released her autobiography Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits in 2018. Witherspoon also runs a popular book club that gives out monthly recommendations.

Richard Dinkins

PHOTO COURTESY OF TNCOURTS.GOV

Two former Nashville judges have died in recent days.

Richard Dinkins, a former Davidson County chancellor and judge on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, died Sunday at the age of 71.

He served 12 years as juvenile court judge in Nashville and practiced law in the city after graduating from Montgomery Bell Academy and Vanderbilt University.

Former Judge Seth Norman, touted as “the father of the state’s recovery court system,” also died last month.

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

Almost exactly one year after the release of the New York Times bestselling picture book Busy Betty, Nashville native and actress Reese Witherspoon is releasing the follow-up: Busy Betty & the Circus Surprise. The second book in the series was released on Oct. 3 and can be purchased from Green

Witherspoon — who grew up in Nashville, attended Harpeth Hall High School, and currently lives in Belle Meade — won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2006 for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the successful Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. She was also nominated in 2015 for her performance as Cheryl Strayed in the adaptation of Strayed’s memoir Wild.

Former Sen. Bill Frist (L) moderates a panel on the 2023 Ken Burns film “American Buffalo” at the Franklin Theatre on Feb. 25 with Dayton Duncan, Nashville Public Television President and CEO Becky Magura, Dr. Dwayne Estes and Jon Meacham.

PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS

Legislative leaders press ahead on rejecting federal education funds

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Senate Speaker Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) are continuing to discuss the possibility of Tennessee rejecting billions of dollars in federal education funding.

Sexton and McNally on Monday announced the formation of a working group including members from both chambers tasked with studying the issue.

“Any time the federal government sends money, there are always strings attached to those dollars, and there is always a possibility that it opens the state up to other regulations or restrictions,” Sexton said in a release. “This working group will help provide a clearer picture of how much autonomy Tennessee truly has in educating our students.”

Rep. Debra Moody (R-Covington) and Sen. Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) will lead the study group. Other members include Reps. Ronnie Glynn (D-Clarksville), Timothy Hill (R-Blountville), John Reagan (R-Oak Ridge) and William Slater (R-Gallatin) and Sens. Raumesh Akbar (D-Memphis), Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) and Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro).

“Federal education funding is a strategic investment in the future of our state and

nation,” Akbari said Monday. “The harsh consequences of rejecting this $1.8 billion in funding cannot be overstated. Through this committee, I will advocate that Tennessee keep accepting these necessary funds. After all, our

tax dollars should be used to support Tennessee students, not students in other states.”

The state receives nearly $2 billion annually from the federal government for K-12 education. Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican,

has expressed openness to the idea of forgoing the funds, which no state has done. This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

MNPS students PHOTO BY OFFICE OF GOV. BILL LEE

President Jimmy Carter’s long-lasting accomplishments have been beneficial for all

BY BILL FREEMAN

I was reflecting on the accomplishments of former President Jimmy Carter recently, as I saw the news of his attendance at last month’s Plains, Ga., Peanut Festival with his wife Rosalynn. He is the oldest living former president and a stalwart man of faith and practicality, and so I thought I

would take the opportunity to review his accomplishments in office and honor his principles and the humanitarian work he has undertaken in the decades since.

President Carter was a rare breed of politician at the time he was elected — a Southern evangelical man of faith with progressive Democratic political ideals. Since his time in office, he has risen to be a global humanitarian with a reach that has benefited millions around the world.

His personal faith guided his decisions and his daily living, but he was careful to emphasize the importance of separating church and state. He was adamant about the danger of tying political ideals to personal faith. During his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize lecture, he quoted a teacher from his small elementary school in rural Georgia. He said his beloved teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, taught him this principle: “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”

America was undergoing rapid change and challenging economic times during Carter’s administration in the late ’70s and early ’80s. That era was marked by energy and economic woes. In many ways, the years of Carter’s administration bear similarities to today and our current challenges — the necessity of adopting alternative energy

sources and our efforts to stabilize and grow the economy.

While President Carter faced domestic challenges greater than most of America’s post-war presidents, it’s the humanitarian work undertaken during office and significantly expanded after his presidency that is most impressive.

The Carter Center, which is President Carter’s greatest professional legacy, has operated since he and his wife Rosalynn first founded it in 1982 — wasting no time in beginning their humanitarian efforts after his years in office ended. The center’s mission is simple yet profound: “Wage peace, fight disease, build hope.”

The Carters and The Carter Center have worked diligently to fulfill that mission. They have worked to eliminate the devastating Guinea worm disease, making it “likely to be the first human disease since smallpox to be eradicated.” Their efforts to support democracy and fair elections are unheralded: They’ve supported 114 elections in 39 countries in the past four decades. These are just two items that The Carter Center can list among its many accomplishments. President and Mrs. Carter have devoted their lives to improving living conditions and bringing hope to the downtrodden.

I’d like to leave you with these profound

words from our longest-living and longestmarried former president. They sum up his personal mission as a man, a husband, a father and a public servant: “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. … My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”

Those are truly words to live by. If we all could try just a little harder to be like President Carter, the world would undoubtedly be a better place.

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.

President Jimmy Carter PHOTO BY LBJ LIBRARY

President Jimmy Carter PHOTO BY NATIONAL ARCHIVES NEXTGEN CATALOG

TICKED OFF!

DRESS FOR SUCCESS RESPONSE

Regarding Sen. Fetterman’s casual attire, did no one chide Cancun Cruz for his track suit appearance on the floor?

It truly looks to me that Sen Fetterman is doing his job much better than the choked off tie wearing, suit clad representatives of our government currently in office. Clothes do not make the man, the man makes his own way. What difference does it make whose label is in the inside of the suit coat. I’m sure those stuff shirts would really enjoy loosening the tie and get to breathe for a change. Just do your damn job and quit fretting the small stuff. You go, Sen. Fetterman.

WHY BILL? WHY?

I am disappointed in Bill Freeman’s embarrassingly sycophantic “love letter” to Gloria Johnson published in the September 28 paper. I expect better from him.

IT’S A MATTER OF FACT NOT OPINION

I am ticked off at what seems to be a growing trend for many people to not (not want to) know the difference between truth and fiction.

Last Monday at Costco I remarked outloud in the freezer section that there were no Blueberries available only to have a man counter that they are on the back row.

I indicated that those were Raspberries to which Mr. NEWSMAX cap insisted they were Blueberries having me suggest he review the label. He did, determined they were Raspberries, and then walked off clearly annoyed the truth did not align with his beliefs, with an attitude like I was the bad guy in this exchange. What’s next - people debate that Rabbits are Squirrels or the Pope is not Catholic?

What’s scary is these people vote!

NOISE

Monday was an awesome day the Sun was shinning, not too hot. Then the Noise makers showed up to ruin the day with the leaf blowers. Is it really neccesary to have such high power LOUD noise makers ruining the day? Same with the uneducated operators parking their oversize large (I am a man broken muffler) trucks all over the street and roads. Ever hear of a driveway? Sometimes there is opposite side of the street parking (facing the wrong way of course) making for an obstacle course. Side bar when did stopping at stop signs become optional? Same with the speed limit, people slow down. Mom’s and Dad’s your kids are watching you drive.

The comments in the Ticked Off column do not reflect the views of FW Publishing.

Ex-Belle Meade Theater building to be replaced

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS

The bulk of the West Nashville building known best as the former home of the Belle Meade Theater is slated to be demolished and replaced with a six-story mixed-use building to be anchored by a Kroger grocery store and offer 236 residential units.

According to a document submitted to the Metro Planning Department, a joint venture involving Chicago-based Bradford Allen and Southeastern Development of Augusta, Ga., will undertake the project and own the future building.

Opened in the 1940s, the building offers an address of 4301 Harding Pike.

The future building will offer 74 studio residential units, 118 one-bedroom units

and 44 two-bedroom units. It will offer 594 parking spaces.

The developers will go before the Metro Planning Commission on Nov. 9 to request a rezoning to allow for the project.

The document notes Tysons, Va.-based DCS Designs will serve as architect. Nashville’s Ragan Smith Associates will be the landscape architect and civil engineer. The local office of KCI Technologies will undertake traffic studies. Ridgefield Properties, led by Marc Stengel, owns the building, which sits adjacent to apartment building The Marquee at Belle Meade.

Stengel told the Post the historic building’s art deco-esque facade, marquee and sign tower will remain, with his company to continue its ground

lease with the development team.

The current building offers a handful of retail tenants, anchored by a FedEx Office, whose spaces front Harding Pike. The bulk of the structure last accommodated a Harris Teeter grocery store, which closed in 2015. Kroger owns Harris Teeter.

Stengel’s great-grandfather Tony Sudekum was founder and principal of Crescent Amusement Company, which developed the site with the former theater building. Sudekum was also well known in Nashville as a civic leader and philanthropist.

Stengel’s father Kermit Stengel Jr. and local developer Tony Giarratana redeveloped the site with the former Harris-Teeter grocery

store building and the Marquee Apartments structure (which also houses a Regions Bank branch). Knnown as Belle Meade Towne Center, the complex opened in 2009, with Gresham Smith having served as architect.

In addition, Giarratana developed an adjacent site that offers Belle Meade Court Condominiums.

The Belle Meade Kroger located nearby at 4560 Harding Pike will eventually close to make way for a mixed-use project by AJ Capital. This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Belmont establishes center for nursing innovation

BY HANNAH HERNER

Belmont University announced Thursday that it established a center for nursing innovation as part of its existing college of nursing. Billed as the first of its kind in Tennessee, The Inman College of Nursing Center for Nursing Innovation will focus on updating curriculum, philanthropy, research and outreach, according to a press release.

Health care consultant and Vanderbilt School of Nursing professor Debbie Gregory and Martha Buckner, a Belmont professor of nursing, will serve as interim co-directors of the center.

“Adding Belmont to the list of Nursing Innovation Centers is a perfect fit, particularly given Nashville’s status as the

nation’s health care capital, the many health disciplines on Belmont’s campus and the University’s strategic priorities focused on human flourishing for all,” said Dr. Julie Honey, interim dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing. “Many excellent opportunities for students, faculty, staff and our community will develop through this

initiative.”

Belmont is slated to open a medical school and anticipates welcoming students in 2024, pending accreditation.

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 we’ve got another big push to get outside. It is fall festival season, so 80 percent of the events we’ve highlighted this week take you to a festival.

You can check out Nashville’s diverse communities and culture at Celebrate Nashville Cultural, spend some time petting pups and getting warm and fuzzies at the DOGgone Good OLD Time fest, head over to a pumpkin-theme shindig in Wilson County or find something fun for the whole family at Nashville’s Oktoberfest. And if

you’re looking for some more quiet to do, head over to Warner Park Nature Center to search the sky for migratory birds.

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:

THE CELEBRATE NASHVILLE CULTURAL FESTIVAL

The Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival brings together Nashville’s various

and diverse communities for a vibrant festival full of “what makes Nashville a great place to live.” The festival is free and provides a chance for people to engage in an intercultural dialogue through a Nashville festival experience. The day will include dance, music, food, activities for children and teens, a marketplace and more, all at Centennial Park.

6TH ANNUAL A DOGGONE GOOD OLD TIME

The nonprofit Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary is hosting A DOGgone Good OLD Time festival to honor and fundraise for their four-legged pals. The festival includes vendors, live music, food trucks and appearances from Old Friends from the sanctuary. There’ll also be a costume contest, parade and silent auction to benefit the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary’s good work. Admission is free, but the dogs would appreciate a donation.

PROVIDENCE PUMPKIN BASH

The Providence Pumpkin Bash in Mt. Juliet on Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. will be a morning of fall family fun to help kick off the annual pumpkin celebrations. This event will have

music, games, face painting and free ice cream while supplies last.

THE NASHVILLE OKTOBERFEST

The Nashville Oktoberfest is the second largest Oktoberfest in the United States. The event, which is hosted at the Bicentennial Mall, has been around since 1980 in Nashville, and is a three-day festival from Oct. 5-8. The fest will have music, food, vendors, activities for the whole family and a large spectrum of beer for the parents. Don’t miss the Dachshund Derby.

FAMILY BIRD WALK AT WARNER PARK NATURE CENTER

Warner Park Nature Center is inviting folks to come search the campus, fields and hills for migratory birds. Edwin Warner Park’s mix of native fields and hilled forests make it a great spot to look for migratory birds, and now is typically the time of year birds make their way south toward wintering grounds. This one may be for the older members of your family, unless you’ve got particularly quiet little ones.

Oktoberfest PHOTO BY AERIAL INNOVATIONS

Edible Nashville’s Smoky Vegetable Chili

BY EDIBLE NASHVILLE

This vegetable chili from Edible Nashville chef, Skylar Bush, is full of in-season fall peppers, garlic and robust seasonings. It contains chipotle pepper in adobo sauce that comes in a can for a smoky rich taste. Kidney beans and lentils

stand in for meat and give it a great texture, but you can use any type of canned beans. Top abundantly with avocado, cheese, lime, and sour cream for a healthy vibrant chili great for get-togethers.

ACROSS

1 Once ___ a time,

5 not so ___ ago,

9 ___ was a gir l named Ava.

14 Ava’s ___ joy was

15 her prized ___.

16 She had ___ her skill in band,

17 despite sitting next to the noisy ____,

19 which were an ___ distraction.

20 One day, after school, Ava called a ___.

21 It hadn’t come ___ as she muttered,

22 “___, I guess. At least the week’s over.”

23 She was ___ with her music,

25 and school was hardly an ___.

26 Just then, Dana, a bandmate Ava was crushing on, walked up lugging a ___.

29 As Ava ___ nearby, gathering her courage,

31 Dana bent down to ___ the heavy instr ument.

34 Ava ___ at Dana.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon grapeseed or vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored and diced

1 green bell pepper, cored and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add onions, chipotle, and bell peppers. Cook on medium-high for about 6 minutes or until onions are softened. Add garlic and spices, salt and pepper and cook one minute or until fragrant.

2. Add red wine and lime, deglazing the

pinch powdered cayenne pepper sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

splash of red wine

zest of 1 lime

3–4 cups good, flavorful vegetable stock

2 (14.5-oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 (15-oz) cans red kidney beans, drained

1 cup uncooked brown lentils, rinsed avocados, sour cream, cheese, jalapenos, lime, and cilantro for serving

pot by scraping brown bits on bottom. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender. Serve with avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapenos, lime, and cilantro.

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.

36 “Would it be a stretch to say I dig your ___ T-shirt?,” Ava asked.

38 Dana’s reaction was the start of an ___ for Ava.

39 Wheezing laughter like an ___ in an old tire and deep blushing

41 were ___ that Dana was smitten, too.

43 “That was a ___ joke!,” Dana sputtered.

44 “I got the shir t from ___; glad you like it.”

46 Ava mustered every ___ in her brain

47 and felt her heart ___ as she blurted,

49 “I’d love to hang out some time, no ___!”

51 Dana grinned. “Then meditating together in corpse pose ___ an option!”

52 Ava wrinkled her ___ and laughed.

54 After that spar k, the pair bonded in large ___.

56 Dana learned that Ava loved chocolate ___ cookies,

57 and Ava learned Dana loved “Much ___ About Nothing.”

58 Though Dana wanted to visit T imbuktu in

61 and Ava preferred Accra in ___,

62 the pair still felt the ____ of their connection.

65 One night, after watching “___ Python,”

66 bingeing subtitled dramas from ___, and

67 listening to Nat King ___,

68 Ava and Dana shared their first kiss over cream ___.

69 And, of course, ___ lived

70 happily ___ after DOWN

1 Trojans’ sch.

2 Straw vote, e.g.

3 Skin cream brand

4 Round, squishy toy

5 Actor Chaney

6 Followed

7 With distinction

8 Daring deed

9 Contraction before “be great”

10 Obergefell v. ___, Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage

11 Conclude miserably

12 Shipwreck site

13 Reds great Roush

18 F igure skater Midori

24 Like buses and bicycles

25 Cur tain trims, e.g.

26 Bygone Russian r ulers

27 Inuit skin boat

28 It’s a sure thing

30 Dawn goddess

32 Synthetic fabric

33 Never existed

35 Wide shoe spec

37 Just a number, it’s said

40 Alabama governor Ivey

42 Bother

45 Language from which we get bupkis and shtick

48 Star ting place

50 Knuckle-headed gesture?

53 Neuters

55 911 responder

56 When repeated, a toy train

57 Hamlet’s interrogative after “How now!”

59 Pope after Benedict IV

60 Bali, for one

61 M.L.B. execs

63 Stuff in a loft

64 T itle for “Game of Thrones” knights

ANSWER TO PUZZLE

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

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.

6-8 SERVING(S)

PUZZLE BY ALEX EATON-SALNERS

Red Cross Tiffany Circle Luncheon

BY BRENDA BATEY

PHOTOS BY BRENDA BATEY

The American Red Cross Tiffany Circle Luncheon was hosted at Belle Meade Country Club by Barbara Bovender, a founding member of the Nashville Area and Tennessee Region Tiffany Circles.

Bovender, a Tiffany Circle Torchbearer, welcomed the 90 guests, who enjoyed the delicious meal, which offered a watermelon, arugula and feta salad, creamed chicken crepes, asparagus, broiled tomatoes, and warm apple fruit crisp with vanilla ice cream.

After lunch, Tiffany Circle Torchbearer Betsy Wills introduced speaker Bonnie McElveen Hunter, chairman of the Red Cross Board, co-founder of Tiffany Circle, and former U. S. ambassador to the Republic of Finland.

Hunter began her talk by telling the guests how lucky Nashville is to have Bovender and Wills working with the Red Cross on behalf of its citizens.

Hunter discussed the history of the Red Cross, which is dedicated to assisting victims of disaster and providing programs and services that help the community prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

The Tiffany Circle is a group of women leaders who advance the American Red Cross mission through a focused investment of time, talent and treasure by engaging women

locally, nationally and internationally. Each member contributes a minimum of $10,000 annually and Hunter announced that the Nashville Chapter of the Tiffany Circle has raised one million dollars this year.

Since its formation in 2006, the Tiffany Circle has raised more than $200 million to support vital services such as:

• Feeding and sheltering more than 45,000 disaster-affected families.

• Providing financial assistance to more than 48,000 families affected by home fires.

• Purchasing four bloodmobiles, helping as many as 348,000 patients in need of lifesaving blood.

• Delivering 500,000 comfort kits for military members.

• Providing 20 million children around the world with lifesaving measles vaccinations.

Nashville Tiffany Circle Chair Maxine Majors gave closing remarks and thanked all the attendees for their support of Red Cross.

Tiffany Circle members include: Woo Caroland, Collie Daily, Trisha Elcan, Jennifer Frist, Julie Frist, Noel Geer, Amy Grant, Lee Ann Ingram, Martha Ingram, Denice Johnson, Libby Menefee, Ellen More, Robin Patton, Jamie Rechter, Carol Rochford, Lisa Small, Sara Jo Walker, and Barby White.

Beth Groves, Dee Dixon, and Cheryl Sullivan

Jennifer Capps and Tonya Roth Denise Cummins and Laurie Seabury

Tami Sims, Patricia Miller, Kari Johnston, Anne Russell, and Doris Dunn

Kim Leeper, Brooke Trusley, Melissa Tomlin, and Erica Collins

Mary Franklin, Sharon Hudson, Stephanie Darimont, and Terry Keltner

Janice LaGasse, Jane MacLeod, and Lisa Manning

Tricia McDowell, Leora Allen, and Tracy Wade

Joel Sullivan, Barbara Bovender, and Bonnie McElveen Hunter

Malinda Williams and Anne Rygiel Keri McInnis and Leisa Gill

Sheila Shields, Nancy Peterson Hearn, Karen Morgan, and Katherine Crosthwaite

Carolyn Taylor, Meera Ballal, Katie Crumbo, and Melissa Mahanes

Marian Ott and Divya Shroff

Maxine Majors and Betsy Wills

Pam State and Heather Pierce

Dorothy Scarlett, Tara Scarlett, and Mary Burd

Jeanne Curtis, Erin Zuber, and Brenda Black

Janet Kurtz and Janet Bentz

A Tennessee Waltz

BY BRENDA BATEY PHOTOS BY BRENDA BATEY

The 30th annual A Tennessee Waltz was held at the State Capitol, where local and state lawmakers and additional fans of the Tennessee State Museum came together for the black-tie affair.

Nicole and Bo Watson served as chairs of the event and co-chairs were Cheryl McKissack Daniel and Austin Barlow Pennington.

After dinner remarks were made by the museum Director Ashley Howell and Deputy Governor Butch Eley. And the chairs of the lovely event offered a Champagne toast.

Ming Wang performed on a Chinese Ehru with Carlos Enrique on classical guitar. The Pat Patrick Legacy Band played during cocktails and after the dinner for dancing.

To the great delight of the crowd, Ray Stevens and his A-Team Band performed “The Tennessee Waltz,” as well as several of his huge hit songs including: “Everything is Beautiful,” “The Streak,” and “Mississippi Squirrel.”

The tablecloths were royal blue with gold napkins and the centerpieces, which held blue hydrangeas and gold and pink roses, were created by Jim Knestrick.

Suzette Catering and Events provided a huge charcuterie and fromage display, offering cured meats and cheeses, bread and crackers, fruit, and much more.

The meal began with a prawn with a Clamato cocktail and was followed by a salad

of grilled Romaine, Georgia peaches, and black berry vinaigrette.

The delicious dual entree featured grilled strip steak and ocean trout and dessert was Bourbon caramel and pecan cheesecake

Committee members included: Jenny and Randall Boyd, Belton and Jerry Caldwell, Martha and Mark Ezell, Anne and Michael Keeney, Lana and Robert Martino, Amy and Michael Walden, Debbie and David Watson, and Emily and James Weaver.

Silent auction committee co-chairs were Jonathan Turner and Milton White.

Addition committee members included: Spencer Bowers, Charlie Clark, Deborah Danker, Jenny Jackson, Nikki Peal, Nancy Russell, and Teresa White.

Supporters of the Ladies committee included: Trudy Byrd, Ellen More, Ann Price, Dawn White, Amanda Lister, Mary Frances Rudy, Iris Rudder, Martha Ingram, Susan James, Carlana Harwell, Gail Danner, Bonne Crigger, Deby Pitts, and Martha Crossman.

Among the members of the Gentlemen’s Committee were: Michael Atnip, Tim Carroll, Will Cheek, III, Aubrey Harwell, Jim Crossman, Paul Ney, Steve Sirls, Allen DeCuyper, Chase Cole, Adam Lister, Kem Hinton, Keith Pitts, John Coleman, Damon Hininger, and Samuel Daniel.

Chairs Nicole and Bo Watson Keith McCarthy and Keeling Baird

Casey and Kevin Mahoney, and Mick and Ann McGauran

Sheila Boyington, Nicole Barranco, Helen Mathisen, and Chris Glover

Pamela Lewis, Brandon Burdette, Michael Marks, and Alan and Bonny Shuptrine

Victoria Robinson, Claude and Cathy Pressnell, and Zach Roberts

Karen Moore and Ray Stevens, who was the headline performer.

Sheila and Dane Boyington, Daisy Maurya-Ballard, and Mathew Ballard

Alec and Hannah Richardson, and Elizabeth Johnson

Janet Kurtz, Victoria Hirschberg, and Bill Rawls

Alice Rolli, Marty Luffman, and Lee Curtis

Mary Katherine and Will Smith

Courtney Kaufman and Spencer Bowers

Jenny and Blake Howard Renee and Grant Evitts

Jason Walt Whitman, Allyson Lynch, and Brittany and Jesse Collins

Lacy Blair and Melanie Bull

Richard and Teresa White Ann Marie Anderson and Rebecca Mullins

Mike and Janessa Zimmerman

Headline Homes: August 2023

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

In August, the top 10 most expensive homes sold in the area sold largely in Nashville, with Williamson County representing just four of the top homes this month. Mike Duffer, a single man and the CEO of Safe Step Walk In Tub, appears to have paid cash for a high-dollar home in Green Hills. And down in Arrington, a massive bit of acreage and a mid-sized home just minutes from Arrington Vineyards, sold to an LLC.

Below are August’s top 10 home sales in Nashville and the surrounding counties, ranked by sale price.

1. Old Natchez Trace, Franklin 37069

Buyer:

2441 Old Natchez Trace Revocable Trust

Sale price: $8.35 million

Seller: Williams James & Patti Rev Trust

Seller’s agent: Mike Jones, Jones Properties

Buyer’s agent: Kristee Dickson, PARKS

The main four-bedroom home on this property measures in at a little less than 6,000 square feet, but what it lacks in indoor space, it more than makes up for in acreage. The nearly 25 acres are gated and private, cordoned off by a stacked stone wall on historic Old Natchez Trace. This is only the second owner of this custom home, which was built in 1994. The home’s three-car garage includes a living quarters above. Outside there’s a stacked stone pool with a fully apportioned pool house as well as a three-stall horse barn, tack room, hay loft and covered wash stall.

2. Woodmont Blvd., Nashville 37215

Buyer: Michael Duffer

Sale price: $7,025,000

Seller: Duke & Duke, LLC

Seller’s agents: Rita Starling Puryear and Trudy Byrd, Fridrich & Clark Realty

Buyer’s agents: Lisa Peebles and Richard Courtney, Fridrich & Clark Realty

The No. 2 home for August is the flipside of No. 1: It’s a massive 10,000 square feet on just more than two acres. Mike Duffer, CEO at Safe Step Walk In Tub, paid in cash for this $7,025,000, six-bedroom, sevenand-a-half-bath private estate in Green Hills. The home was custom designed by architect Mitch Barnett. The second floor operates as a full apartment with its own kitchen and a private entrance. The lower level includes a wine cellar, stone fireplace, kitchen, workout room with steam shower and media room. And there are elevators to each floor. The pool house includes a full kitchen, full bath and guest quarters, and the tennis courts on the property include proper lighting for night play.

3. Bresslyn Road, Nashville 37205

Buyers: David and April DeBoer

Sale price: $6.7 million

Seller: Landon Development Group LLC

Seller’s agents: Franklin Pargh and Lana Pargh, Compass RE

Buyers’ agent: Fran Wolfe, Compass RE Physician David DeBoer and wife, April, purchased this home, which was designed by MK Studio and built by Landon Development. In West Meade, it includes 9,435 square feet of living space. The primary suite features custom coffered wood beam ceilings. It also has six bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, a three-car garage, porte-cochere and an outdoor fireplace. Also outside is a pool with a “tanning ledge” and spa and an outdoor kitchen.

4. Hill Place Drive, Nashville 37205

Buyers: Jonathan & Jenifer Helm

Sale price: $6.1 million

Sellers: Robert P. Debastiani, Katherine A.

Johnson and Gerald G. Patterson

Sellers’ agents: Lacey Newman and Jonathan Heard, Compass RE

Buyers’ agent: Missy Rodriguez Brower, Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty

This West Meade home is in the Hill Place neighborhood. The 8,000-squarefoot abode was recently fully renovated to feature “an opulent abundance of windows in addition to tall palatial ceilings flooding the home with natural light.” The kitchen includes two islands, a full bar, butler’s pantry and several new luxury finishes. Outside, there’s a “baja shelf” on the saltwater pool as well as a sports court and turf yard.

5. Sneed Road, Nashville 37215

Buyer: Sneed & Sneed Trust

Sale price: $5.8 million

Seller: Focus Builders LLC

Seller’s agent: Lindsay Argo, The Focus Group of TN, LLC

Buyer’s agent: Barbara Moutenot, PARKS

In Green Hills, this custom new build “offers a perfect blend of contemporary elegance and timeless charm, creating a truly unparalleled living experience.” In five bedrooms and six and three quarter bathrooms, the home features “a harmonious blend of slate, copper and stucco, exuding sophistication and quality craftsmanship.” It was purchased under the Sneed & Sneed Trust for $5.8 million.

6. Natchez Road, Franklin 37069

Buyer: Red Apple at Nashville LLC

Sale price: $4,463,250

Seller: Linsey Lewis Hasenbank

Seller’s agent: Kristee Dickson, PARKS

Buyer’s agent: Matt Herriman, PARKS

A drive down historic Old Natchez Trace leads you to eight “meticulously maintained” acres. This old white farmhouse is minutes from Leipers Fork and downtown Franklin and is 5,500 square feet inside with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. The acreage includes a fenced pasture, raised bed kitchen garden, a five-stall barn, a creekfed pond with a fountain and five separate covered porches.

7. Shys Hill Road, Nashville 37215

Buyer: Rose Fischer

Sale price: $4.25 million

Seller: The Ernst Group

Seller’s agents: Chad Hornick, RE/MAX Choice Properties, and Samantha Dover, simpli HOME

Buyer’s agent: Erin Krueger, Compass Tennessee, LLC

Rose Fischer purchased this home from The Ernst Group. It features an open layout with lots of natural light throughout the 7,100 square feet. It also has a Headline Homes favorite: space for a pool.

8. Edenwilde Drive, Brentwood 37027

Buyer: Amy E. Fincher Rev Trust

Sale price: $4,126,227

Seller: Mike Ford Custom Builders

Seller’s agent: Mary A. Kocina, Fridrich & Clark Realty

Buyer’s agent: Scott Knabe, Compass RE

This 7,300-square-foot Brentwood abode was built by prolific local custom builder Mike Ford Custom Builders. The cul-de-sac rooted lot backs up to the woods, and the build focused on drawing the indoor and outdoor together with a 500-square-foot covered back porch. The home includes five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, two half baths and two owner suites on the main level along with the kitchen and great room. An elevator will take new owners to additional bedrooms, a bonus room and exercise room. The main level also features a tucked-away study and formal dining area.

9. Murfreesboro Road, Arrington 37014

Buyer: Arrington Galleria LLC

Sale price: $4.1 million

Seller: Rose Mae Bennett Family Trust

Seller’s agents: Pam Klos and Mallory Waterman, Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty Buyer’s agent: Karim Shaik, Benchmark Realty, LLC

Arrington Galleria LLC, which is owned and operated by Venkatesham Ganjipally, purchased this massive bit of acreage and home for just more than $4 million. A 1970s partially furnished home came with the 41.27 acres, which also has a horse pond, large pond, three-car detached garage and four-car carport. It is less than a five minute drive to Arrington Vineyards.

10. Greeley Drive, Nashville 37205

Buyers: Jamie Duncan and JP Duncan III

Sale price: $4 million

Seller: Build Nashville Db2 LLC

Seller’s and buyers’ agent: Christie Bradley, The Wilson Group Real Estate Services

This custom 5,329-square-foot home was purchased by the owner of the company who built the home: Jamie Duncan of Build Nashville Db2 LLC picked up her company’s build for $4 million. It includes five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, three half bathrooms and comes with a pool.

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

Bresslyn Road

PHOTO BY ANGELINA CASTILLO

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