Notable quotables for the week with a focus on Nashville infrastructure, plus a look at American identity from artist Houston Kendrick.

Nashville Metro Council is looking into traffic controls amid a surge in pedestrian deaths. Twenty-one people have been killed by drivers so far this year.

Data centers are driving up demand for electricity. Utilities will have to meet that demand, which means building out more power generation. So far, the discourse has focused widely on how to pay for that, be that upping everyone’s electric bills or charging data centers special rates. But there is also a question over what kinds of power generation utilities like the Tennessee Valley Authority should employ — old-fashioned fossil-fueled sites, renewables like solar and wind, or nuclear.

Speaking of nuclear, Gov. Bill Lee is pursuing a Department of Energy partnership that could bring nuclear waste facilities to the state. It could bring $50 billion in investment, but the risks are roiling elected officials.

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A Japanese nuclear company is betting on Tennessee as a hub for fusion power.

Kyoto Fusioneering is moving its U.S. headquarters to partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in building a facility where fusion companies can test a component of their plant designs.

“We came to East Tennessee to build a physical anchor for an allied fusion supply chain,” said Bibake Uppal, president of Kyoto Fusioneering America.

People have been trying to recreate controlled fusion on Earth for almost a century. It doesn’t produce waste like fission, which powers the nuclear plants of today. Scientists reached a milestone in 2022 when Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produced a nuclear fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain.

To achieve fusion, researchers use isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium and tritium. Tritium is rare, but people can produce it by wrapping a shell containing lithium around a fusion reaction.

That shell is called a breeding blanket, and that’s where Kyoto Fusioneering comes in. The company is building a particle accelerator with ORNL that will allow researchers to test prototype blankets.

The facility may be critical to the future of fusion.

Tap link in bio for more from environmental reporter Caroline Eggers.

Images: Kyoto Fusioneering and ORNL, NASA, U.S. Dept. of Energy

WPLN’s one-hour radio special, The Debt: What Tennessee Owes Its HBCUs” just won a National Association of Black Journalists “Salute to Excellence” award.

Camellia Burris, who co-produced the podcast with Emily Siner, accepted the award in person last weekend at the NABJ convention in Atlanta.

The Debt was a collaboration with The Tennessee Lookout, with support from the Pulitzer Center and the Education Writers Association.

More at link in bio.

Notable quotables for the week came from a handful of feel-good stories, like a look into highland cows’ arrival on the Tennessee State Fair scene and a preview of local indie pop duo Hovvdy’s new record.

But there were also some difficult stories this week.

WPLN criminal justice reporter Paige Pfleger and her reporting partner, ProPublica’s Aliyya Swaby, released their latest investigation into Tennessee’s juvenile justice system. It looked into systematic approaches to obscuring abuse in the facilities.

Tennessee carried out the fourth execution under its latest lethal injection protocol. Anthony Darrell Hines was put to death for the 1985 killing of Catherine Jean Jenkins. There were widespread concerns this execution would face the same obstacles as the attempted execution in May, when the state’s prison staff failed to establish IV access for the lethal drugs. However, Hines was pronounced dead within 20 minutes of the drugs being administered.

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Tennessee college scholarships are at risk.

Lottery proceeds fund these scholarships, but lottery revenue declined by 22% between fiscal years 2022 and 2025, according to a report by ThinkTennessee.

The analysis shows that scholarship spending exceeded lottery proceeds for the first time in 2025. This created a gap typically covered by sports wagering revenue. However, a new law now directs sports wagering revenue to the state’s school voucher program.

Researchers suggest that Tennessee take note of how other states are bringing in more revenue. One example is through lottery modernization — such as Tennessee retailers accepting debit cards.

Tap link in bio for more for more from education reporter Camellia Burris.

Photos: Unsplash, ThinkTennessee

Notable quotables for the week for stories that include Tennessee’s primary results, the death penalty, and the ongoing discourse and action around the proposed data center near the zoo.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn held a solid lead in the governor’s race, even before she officially announced her candidacy. Polls showed her opponent, U.S. Rep. John Rose, gaining on her for a while, but ultimately she took the vote. Other tight races included the one for the 5th Congressional District, where former agriculture commissioner unseated incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles.

Tennessee is set to execute Anthony “Darrell” Hines next week, amid ongoing concerns about the state’s lethal injection program. Gov. Bill Lee reiterated his support for the Department of Correction and again announced he will not heed calls for a death penalty moratorium.

The Metro Council signed off on Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s plan to use eminent domain to block a controversial data center project near the zoo. With that permission, the city can begin working to prove to a court there’s a necessary public use for the land. Some members, like Courtney Johnston, are concerned about the price tag.

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How well did President Trump’s candidates perform in Tennessee’s GOP primary? The results are in... and they are mixed.

Trump-endorsed Sen. Brent Taylor won the Republican ticket in the 9th Congressional District. But in the 5th, his choice of incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles lost to Gov. Bill Lee’s pick, former state ag commissioner Charlie Hatcher.

Trump opted not to make any endorsement in the gubernatorial race, where U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeated U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts. She will face Democrat Jerri Green in November.

Swipe for complete results, which you can also find at WPLN.org.