Listen A subcommittee has approved new rules for deciding what historical markers and statues should be displayed at the state Capitol. But it isn’t clear that they’ll lead to the removal of a controversial bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
New Rules Don’t Clarify Whether Forrest’s Bust Will Stay In Tennessee Capitol
Nashville’s Endangered Historic Buildings Named To Annual List
Listen A heightened sense of urgency accompanied today’s announcement of the “Nashville Nine” list of endangered historic properties. Just one day before the non-profit Historic Nashville Inc. revealed its list, a marquee building identified on last year’s list — the Trail West building on Lower Broadway — was abruptly torn down by its owners.
Same-Sex Marriage Supporters Plan To Take Campaign Outside Tennessee Capitol
Listen Supporters of same-sex marriage are gearing up for another battle with state lawmakers, but they’re planning on taking this fight far from the state Capitol. The focal point is a proposal, House Bill 1412, called the Tennessee Natural Marriage Protection Act. It says the state will recognize marriages only between a man and a […]
50 Years Before Rosa Parks, A Bold Nashville Streetcar Protest Defied Segregation
Listen Say the words “Jim Crow” and “protest” and you probably think of the 1950s and 60s, when lawsuits, boycotts and sit-ins began to chip away at discriminatory rules. But across the nation, the fight against segregation laws actually began as soon as they went into effect. 110 years ago this month, Nashville’s black community […]
How Is Free Community College Affecting Enrollment At Four-Year Universities?
Listen The number of Tennesseans enrolling in community college immediately after high school jumped 14 percent this fall, according to the state. That’s due in large part to the first year of Tennessee Promise, which made community college free for graduating high schoolers. But on the other side of the higher education equation is four-year […]
Tennessee Prison Investigation Decried As A ‘Sham’ Following Site Visits
Listen The results of an investigation into Tennessee’s prison conditions won’t be released for a month or so. But those who asked for the outside audit already say it’s a “sham.”
Nashville Temple Rescues Planned Parenthood Fundraiser After Two Venues Back Out
Listen The oldest and largest Jewish congregation in Nashville has opened its synagogue to Planned Parenthood for its annual Middle Tennessee fundraiser. The women’s health non-profit — known in part as a provider of abortions — has struggled this year to find a willing host.
Dean’s Defeated Projects Linger Among Challenges For Next Mayor
Listen As Nashville Mayor Karl Dean exits office on Friday he makes no qualms about wanting resurrection for three big-ticket projects that went down to defeat near the end of his term.
Cumberland Plateau’s Rare White Fringeless Orchid Up For Federal Protection
Listen The Cumberland Plateau is home to a rare orchid that has become so scarce it’s now up for federal protection. The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed putting the white fringeless orchid on the Endangered Species list under a “threatened” status.
Just You Wait, Metro Arts Says. Towering ‘Stix’ Sculpture Will Impress
Listen Nashville’s most expensive — and tallest — public art piece begins to rise Monday next to the Music City Center. While the project brought criticism on the Metro Arts Commission, officials say they’re now about to be vindicated.
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