Explore what locals want to know in the best of Citizen Nashville

This Is Nashville is officially a “Champion of Curiosity.”

This week, Hearken awarded the show the Land & Expand Editorial Award for its Citizen Nashville episodes. Hearken is the tool that the show uses to collect listener questions and feedback. Every year, Hearken recognizes newsrooms around the nation that “improve their communities by asking better questions.”

WPLN’s Curious Nashville was also honored, and the story about Tennessee’s unique pronunciations received kudos too!

None of this would have been possible without the listeners. So a huge thank you to all of the listeners who take the time to share their questions and stories for Citizen Nashville episodes.

To celebrate the honor, here are five must-listen Citizen Nashville episodes:

Citizen Nashville: The challenges of navigating Middle Tennessee with a disability — and what can be done to make it more accessible

Rose Gilbert WPLN News

Quinn Howard stands in front of a busy intersection near his apartment.

The goal of Citizen Nashville is to address listener concerns, but also shine a light on communities that have traditionally been overlooked by the media. So, for this very first episode of Citizen Nashville, producer Rose Gilbert reached out to disabled Middle Tennesseans to get their perspective on what the region can improve. One common theme was infrastructure and how very few streets are designed to accommodate anyone with limited vision or who uses a wheelchair.

How MNPS is addressing teacher concerns this year

Courtesy Metro Nashville Public Schools via Facebook

Fewer teachers are finishing programs in Tennessee than five years ago, and an education group says many are preparing to leave the profession.

Public school teachers have to deal with more than just a classroom full of students. Even before the school year started in August, teachers were facing staffing shortages, low wages, the threat of a school shooting and book bans. This Is Nashville took the questions and concerns submitted by local public school teachers to MNPS leadership to get answers.

This Is Nashville’s guide to the $2.9 billion Metro budget

A Metro Council budget hearing isn’t exactly the most thrilling thing to watch, but it’s important to know where your local taxes are going. Councilmember Burkley Allen and Nashville Scene columnist Nicole Williams helped explain how Metro would spend taxpayer funds and how councilmembers decide what makes the budget.

Navigating birth control in Tennessee’s post-Roe world

Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Unsplash

While birth control remains fully available in Tennessee, the process of selecting and obtaining contraception can be difficult to navigate.

After the reversal of Roe v. Wade, listeners wanted to know if the ruling would impact access to birth control in Tennessee, and what contraceptives would be available to them with or without health insurance. Medical and legal experts joined the show to clarify the Supreme Court ruling and answer birth control questions.

Living with long COVID in Middle Tennessee

Blake Farmer WPLN News

People who were severely ill with COVID-19 are more likely to have long COVID or develop health problems, according to the CDC.

Long COVID can be debilitating, but it’s poorly understood. After a call-out for Middle Tennesseans living with the condition, This Is Nashville found two community members — Barbara VanMeter-Nivens and Suzanne Martin — who wanted to share what long COVID is like for them.