Linda Martell — the too-long-overlooked, first Black woman to reach the country charts in the early 1970s — reemerged on Cowboy Carter to drop some wisdom on us this year: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Yes, they are.”
Tennessee is set to resume executions, now using a single drug for lethal injection
Tennessee will soon resume executions, after an Associated Press investigation led the state to pause all lethal injections and redesign its protocol. The Tennessee Department of Corrections will use a single-drug protocol. It will rely on pentobarbital, a sedative that is notoriously difficult for governments to source.
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
Recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press has found that from the time a Tennessee woman gets pregnant, she faces greater obstacles to a healthy pregnancy, a healthy child and a financially stable family life than the average American mom.
NashVillager Podcast holiday edition: Inside and outside the statehouse
What makes our lawmakers tick?
How Tennessee’s juvenile justice laws impacted kids in 2024
This year started off with a battle in the state legislature. And kids caught up in the justice system are the ones who have dealt with the consequences.
5 stories from WPLN that held powerful institutions accountable in 2024
“A light shining into all dark places” — this is one way to describe the work of investigative journalism, and it’s familiar enough to feel like a cliché. But it’s also fitting for good reason.
NashVillager Podcast holiday edition: Nashville’s changing seasons
Can we still appreciate the simple things around us?
Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them
The rivalry between the U.S. and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player. Lawmakers in Washington are seeking to ban new sales of Chinese-made drones, and Tennessee is among states with bans in place.
NashVillager Podcast holiday edition: Familial faith
What would you do to ensure your parents make it to heaven?
Abortion opponents shift focus to pills with lawsuits, proposed laws and possible federal action
The battles over abortion in the U.S. are increasingly focusing on the pills that are now the most common way pregnancies are ended. There’s a lawsuit aimed at rolling back federal approval for one of the drugs and states are considering laws to make them harder to obtain for abortion.