Investing in local news strengthens civic trust and empowers communities. Today marks the start of our year-end campaign. The Banner is on a mission to raise $45,000 by Dec. 15. If you support local news in Nashville, become a member today: nashville-public-media.fundjournalism.org/donate/?camp...

Tennessee voucher schools don’t have to follow the same standards as public schools. The result is a lack of transparency and a patchwork of testing and curriculum heavily influenced by Christianity. ✏️: Lillian Avedian & @sarahgracetaylor.bsky.social

The investigation outlined in a recent federal indictment adds more to the picture of a thriving drug trade at CoreCivic’s Trousdale prison. ✏️: @iamstevenhale.bsky.social

NEW from the Banner: Now officially pardoned, Cade Cothren says he may return to 'public service.' nashvillebanner.com/2025/11/08/p...

ICYMI: Local institution Plaza Mariachi, which declared bankruptcy, has a buyer. A local investor has agreed to purchase the property for $13.45 million. ✏️: @mikeiereiland.bsky.social

In response to the lapse in SNAP benefits, WeGo scheduled more events for recipients to sign up for the Journey Pass. But the amount of people in need of free bus fare was overwhelming. ✏️: @ejturner02.bsky.social

President Donald Trump promised full pardons to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren for their criminal convictions in a 2020 kickback scandal that rocked the state legislature. ✏️: @sarahgracetaylor.bsky.social

Local institution Plaza Mariachi, which declared bankruptcy, has a buyer. A local investor has agreed to purchase the property for $13.45 million. nashvillebanner.com/2025/11/06/p...

Citations for trash, debris or inoperable cars on your property can lead to $50 fines a day until you’re in compliance. For elderly, cost-burdened homeowners in Nashville, this can be make or break. A new private-public-nonprofit partnership seeks to remediate code violations for these homeowners.

Nashville officials celebrated the one-year anniversary of 2024’s transit referendum win with a ribbon cutting on Murfreesboro Road. The event came as advocates continue to push for a temporary bus fare freeze. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

Dozens of residents showed up to Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting, many of them to speak during a public hearing for a proposed zoning update. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

A Banner analysis of 1,700 pages of incident reports from the May ICE sting shows that the Tennessee Highway Patrol rarely documented traffic stops. Of the 607 total reports, only approximately 14% provided a reason for the initial traffic stop.

One main focus of Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting will be public hearings for proposed changes to the zoning code initiated by the Metro Planning Department. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

A small group aiming to recall West Nashville Metro Councilmember Rollin Horton on Monday pivoted and said they would instead file an ethics complaint. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

On Monday in Chancery Court, the state and attorneys for Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris debated a temporary injunction against National Guard deployment in Memphis. Chancellor Pat Moskal said she would issue a written ruling soon. ✏️: @mikeiereiland.bsky.social

Metro Nashville Public Schools and the mayor’s office have announced the launch of a districtwide review of school start and end times. Most Nashville public high schools begin at 7:05 a.m. — one of the earliest start times in the country. ✏️: Lillian Avedian

This week on BANNER & COMPANY: @genuinehumandk.bsky.social sits down with @ywcanashville.bsky.social president and CEO Sharon K. Roberson to talk about community, service and meeting the moment.

Some Nashville residents are trying to fill the gap themselves. On Facebook and elsewhere, community members are working to connect SNAP recipients in need of support with others able to offer it. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

The Eighteenth Avenue Family Enrichment Center has been a staple of North Nashville in one form or another for nearly 100 years. That kind of staying power is significant in a neighborhood that’s been through so much change, and it’s not by happenstance: generations of neighbors kept it going.

ICE has taken 365 allegedly undocumented immigrants into custody from Nashville jails since President Donald Trump was sworn in, including some arrested for minor offenses. ✏️: @iamstevenhale.bsky.social

Signs urging pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers before crossing a street have provoked a backlash. Roadway safety advocates see them as emblematic of Metro’s impulse to place the burden of staying alive on pedestrians and cyclists rather than drivers. ✏️: @iamstevenhale.bsky.social

The MNPS Board determined in its annual evaluation that Dr. Adrienne Battle met district goals for student performance. That evaluation did not include discussion of the $6.5 million settlement reached in a suit against the superintendent this year. ✏️: Lillian Avedian

In Woodbine, a small group of volunteers rides bikes throughout the neighborhood, distributing food and Narcan, fighting huge problems. Woodbine doesn’t have a major grocery store, and after recent deaths, the neighborhood’s unhoused community fear for their lives. ✏️: @mikeiereiland.bsky.social

The Metro Board of Ethical Conduct on Monday unanimously dismissed allegations that Metro Councilmember Joy Kimbrough had improperly demanded a payment in exchange for a rezoning. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

📢 We’re thrilled to announce $3.5M in grants to three organizations joining our portfolio: @cardinalnews.org, @civilbeat.bsky.social and @nashvillebanner.bsky.social! This funding will help these newsrooms grow sustainably and better serve their communities with trusted #localnews. Learn more:

Some news: We received a $1.2M grant [email protected] to expand our statehouse & local coverage — including new beats in health, housing & environment to deepen civic engagement in Middle TN. The funding boosts our revenue team for a stronger, sustainable newsroom primed for growth.

Started by a wife and husband team, Maemax Market is a Filipino restaurant and grocery store in Madison that draws customers from hundreds of miles away. It’s become an important community hub — with hopes to become even more. ✏️: @steveharuch.bsky.social

Steve Norris had never set foot inside a prison when he became commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction in 1985. Three months into the job, inmates rioted at multiple facilities. This week on Banner & Co., he talks to @genuinehumandk.bsky.social about that time, privatization and more.

How do you know if you’re talking to an ICE agent, a police officer or a security guard? What are your rights during that interaction? Here is a guide to help you sort it out. ✏️: @iamstevenhale.bsky.social

A year later, embattled Congressman Andy Ogles and the FBI await a ruling from Magistrate Alistair Newbern on search warrants. Newbern last acted on the case in January 2025 and is scheduled to retire at the start of the new year. ✏️: @mikeiereiland.bsky.social

Low-income Nashvillians have struggled with stable access to transportation. The new Journey Pass might change that. ✏️: @ejturner02.bsky.social

As I noted in this morning's Banner newsletter, If Nashville's current homicide rate holds through the final two months of the year, it would be the lowest rate since 2014 and the third lowest in the history of the Metropolitan government (1963). Subscribe: nashvillebanner.com/newsletters/

At a short Metro Council meeting on Tuesday night, the body advanced legislation that would explicitly permit holiday decorations at Nashville homes, hand over management of Ascend Amphitheater to the company behind the Grand Ole Opry and move the city toward a 308-acre expansion of Beaman Park.

Editor Steve Cavendish says there’s a word for candidates who won’t answer questions about what they would do if elected to office: cowards. ✏️: @scavendish.bsky.social

Today we found that GoFundMe had set up a page for Nashville Public Media/Nashville Banner. We didn't authorize it. Neither did the 1M other nonprofits that GoFundMe set up pages for. abc7news.com/post/gofundm...

The Metro Council will consider a River North rezoning and a potential 308-acre expansion of Beaman Park at its meeting on Tuesday. Here’s our rundown of the agenda: ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

Wright Middle School’s mariachi ensemble plays shows all over Nashville. On Thursday, they’ll open for Jason Isbell at the Ryman. Along the way, they’ve learned to play with pride from Maikel Rodriguez, who wants them to embrace their talent. ✏️: @mikeiereiland.bsky.social

Nashville’s second No Kings protest drew thousands of residents, united in their anger at the Trump administration and its platform. ✏️: @ejturner02.bsky.social

One year after the Achievement School District’s term ended in Nashville, the Tennessee Charter School Commission has voted to reassign two Memphis schools to the local district, effectively marking the end of the state-run turnaround district. ✏️: Lillian Avedian

Since opening a little over a year ago in Antioch, TashTea has become a key part of Nashville’s Kurdish story. At this family-run operation, guests can enjoy a traditional Kurdish breakfast and the “joy of cooking and being together.” ✏️: Lillian Avedian

Five people have been nominated to fill a vacancy on the Davidson County General Sessions Court. The Metro Council is set to pick someone to fill the position next month. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

Charlie Hatcher, longtime Tennessee commissioner of agriculture, is planning to challenge U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in the 2026 Republican primary, GOP sources told the Banner. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

In North Nashville, a longstanding lack of grocery stores, soaring grocery prices and a changing city leave many without reliable access to food. As the city seeks solutions, some warn food insecurity is getting worse. ✏️: @sarahgracetaylor.bsky.social

The Davidson County Election Commission voted Monday to name John Richardson the next elections administrator for Nashville. Until last week he was an active member of the TNGOP Executive Committee, a partisan position that gave pause to some commissioners. ✏️: @stelliott.bsky.social

With a new stadium on the way and Mike Vrabel arriving this weekend, the Tennessee Titans decided they have seen enough of Brian Callahan.

Reported in our daily morning newsletter, The Flyer, by @scavendish.bsky.social. Get Nashville news straight to your inbox each morning by signing up here: nashvillebanner.com/newsletters/

A female wrestler at Ravenwood High School has filed a Title IX lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education. The lawsuit alleges inadequate coaching, practice space and training. ✏️: @mikeiereiland.bsky.social

Mayor Freddie O'Connell announces $104M in transit-related funding, including 17 new sidewalk projects in 10 neighborhoods and 115 new smart signals. ✏️: @scavendish.bsky.social

When Bob Bernstein announced that Fido, the beloved Hillsboro Village coffee shop, would be closing, he was surprised by the response — including his own. This week on BANNER & COMPANY, he talks with @genuinehumandk.bsky.social about the decision and the changing landscape of Nashville.

Metro Council deferred zoning district ordinances and a Historic Landmark Overlay District on the Belle Meade Theatre property. A resolution condemning the U.S. and Israel’s actions in Gaza dominated public comment.