Listen Nashville is ready to pursue light rail train service. That was the big reveal in the “State of Metro” speech by Mayor Megan Barry. “I am very happy to announce that today the work begins to create light rail service on the Gallatin Pike corridor,” she said to applause near the end of her […]
Nashville Mayor Calls For Big Spending To Get Started On Light Rail, Forecasts ‘Headaches’ To Come
Governor Haslam Calls For $55M More For Tennessee Roads, $50M For State Library
Listen Governor Bill Haslam is calling for spending $55 million more next year to jumpstart road construction — as well as millions more for mental health, disability service providers and a new Library & Archives building — as part of a supplemental spending plan released Tuesday morning. The budget measure is one of the last […]
Murfreesboro’s Central Magnet Leaps To Become Tennessee’s Top High School
Listen The title of top high school in Tennessee has moved to Murfreesboro for the first time. Central Magnet jumped to number one in the closely watched U.S. News and World Report rankings.
Tennessee Veterans Groups Start To Flex Political Muscles, Starting With Larger Property Tax Cuts
Listen The governor’s hallmark legislation this year — increasing the gas tax — included a late addition: a provision that cuts property taxes for veterans who are fully disabled. The change comes as veterans are mobilizing more in Tennessee politics.
Belmont Opens Gallery Of Rare Vintage Guitars From A Reclusive Collector
Listen Steven Kern Shaw died unceremoniously in hospice care in August 2015 at age 72. You will not find an obituary. Yet what this guitar and mandolin collector amassed in his life is astounding.
Movers & Thinkers: How A Star Wars Superfan Explains His Obsession
Having a singular interest in something particularly nerdy can be isolating. But Chris Lee, who lives in Nashville and has loved the Star Wars franchise ever since he saw A New Hope in 1977, has found a community of people around the country who share his passion. He talked to WPLN’s Emily Siner during a […]
Businessman Bill Lee Aims To Be First Novice In 40 Years To Win Tennessee Governor’s Office
Listen Williamson County businessman Bill Lee officially announced Monday that he’s entering the race for governor, hoping to become the first person in 40 years to take the position without ever having held elected office. Lee kicked off his campaign on Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall. The chairman of Lee Company, a Middle Tennessee facilities management and […]
Nashville Mayor Resists Demand For A Civilian-Led Police Oversight Board
Listen Following the February shooting of a man at the hands of a Metro Police officer, demands are mounting to create a civilian review board. It would oversee and arbitrate complaints leveled against the Nashville police. A coalition of grassroots activists is beginning to draft a plan, and council members are weighing their support. But […]
Touring Tennessee, Corker Continues Lonely Mission To Raise Retirement Age
Touring Tennessee during the congressional recess, Senator Bob Corker has revived a rather lonely mission — to raise the retirement age and stabilize Social Security. The two-term Republican says he believes he can find support, if people will hear him out.
With A Phased-In Gas Tax, Lawmakers Hope Tennesseans Won’t Feel A Sudden Sting
Listen Tennessee drivers will soon be paying a little more for a fill-up, if the legislature increases the gas tax, as expected. But lawmakers are also taking steps that they hope will keep Tennesseans from being shocked at the pump. Tennessee hasn’t raised its gas tax in a generation, and the goal of state lawmakers […]
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