Banner & Company

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott and intern Anna Blubaugh sit down to discuss — what else? — data centers. Anna and Stephen talk about what they saw and heard at this week’s Metro Council meeting, where hundreds of Nashvillians weighed in on legislation about the controversial facilities. Anna shares what she learned from conversations with people getting engaged in local politics...

Shane Caldwell got his start on public access television as "kind of a goof," after watching a comedy show and thinking he and his fellow bartender friends could do much better. What they came up with, The Sylvan Brothers, became an underground sensation. That led to a local sketch comedy show called Cuts that aired right after Saturday Night Live. The first musical guest? Vince Gill. The child of...

Former first lady Jill Biden's new book View From the East Wing looks back at her time in the White House and her relationship with former President Joe Biden — including the infamous debate night where, she says, she thought her husband was having a stroke. Dr. Biden discussed her book with the Banner's Demetria Kalodimos in front of a live audience at Vanderbilt University's Langford Auditorium...

Even if everyone can't agree on what "affordable housing" means, one thing is for sure: Nashville needs more of it. Matt Wiltshire has been working on this problem for years (it was a big part of his campaign for mayor) and while he may not have all the answers, he has been part of one innovative solution: investing in housing that's affordable now and keeping it that way. The $30 million Pathway...

Few Tennesseans have had the cultural impact of Alex Haley, whose landmark 1976 book and subsequent television mini-series Roots: The Saga of an American Family captivated readers and viewers like few other works before or since. Even so, Roots was recently banned by a Knoxville school district (a decision that was subsequently reversed) despite being an official state book. In Revisiting Roots: H...

reporters Steven Hale and Sarah Grace Taylor sit down to discuss data centers. Sarah Grace talks about her reporting on the data center planned for the Fisk University campus, which preceded the massive backlash to one planned next to the Nashville Zoo. They discuss the health and environmental concerns around data centers as well as why this issue has attracted much attention. Steven also asks ab...

A historical marker commemorating the storied dance club Warehouse 28 was unveiled two years ago this month. The Warehouse began as a gay disco but was an inclusive environment that served as a refuge and hangout for Nashville's LGBTQ community starting in 1978 until its doors closed for good in 1995. It was also the place where Nashville CARES got its start, working to fight the AIDS epidemic. Ma...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott sit down to discuss Tuesday night's marathon Metro Council meeting. Stephen talks about the three-and-a-half-hour public hearing on the budget, some late night drama between councilmembers and difficulty leaving the courthouse parking garage after midnight. Steven fills him in on the story of a rescued kinkajou. Produced by Andrea Tudhope Learn more...

When Margot McCormack bought the former gas station that eventually became her restaurant, East Nashville was not considered a culinary destination. More pressingly, there was a gaping hole in the roof. With a lot of elbow grease, Margot set to work building out the space for her concept: a new menu daily, in tune with the seasons, —combining classic cooking techniques, fresh local ingredients and...

As a musician, Freddy Angelico plays many instruments well, but his first love is still his go-to: the guitar. You can hear him play on albums by Lola Kirke and Adeem the Artist. He's backed up the likes of Mickey Guyton and Brandy Clark. He also writes and performs his own music, and writes a column for Premier Guitar magazine. In short, he's living the dream that started when he got his first re...

Banner reporter Steven Hale sits down with editor Steve Cavendish to talk about a day that will go down in history in Tennessee. The day the state intended to execute Tony Carruthers — a Memphis man sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of three people in 1994 — but failed to do so. A doctor contracted by TDOC spent more than an hour trying to insert a secondary IV to administer pentoba...

Every morning at breakfast, Ruth and Lloyd Shular hold hands and, as Lloyd puts it, "associate" — that is, talk about their plans for the day. It's a ritual they've kept going for three quarters of a century: On May 6 they celebrated their 75th anniversary. (They had originally planned to get married in June, but Lloyd was drafted to serve in Korea.) The happy couple have outlived all of their bri...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Mikeie Honda Reiland sit down to discuss the ongoing litigation over Tennessee's abortion ban. Mikeie shares the stories of women and providers he talked to and the details of the recent legal developments that have delayed a trial in the case. Produced by Andrea Tudhope Subscribe to Banner & Company on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon or iHeart Radio. Lear...

This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at the You Might Be Right Podcast, the chart-topping politics/government podcast produced by the University of Tennessee’s Baker School of Public Policy & Public Affairs. Recently featured on NPR, and hosted by former Tennessee Governors Phil Bredesen (D) and Bill Haslam (R), You Might Be Right tackles timely policy conversations with worl...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Sarah Grace Taylor sit down to discuss the state legislature's special session and rapid redrawing of Tennessee's congressional maps. They talk about what led to the whirlwind week, how the new maps divide and dilute Memphis' Black population and the legal questions surrounding the legislature's actions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

"That's not how your movie is supposed to end," Audrey Shulman remembers a director telling her. It was surprising to hear, since the movie was based on her own life. But in the end, it was the right choice. The movie in question, Sitting in Bars With Cake (which includes a cameo by Bette Midler) helped launch Audrey's screenwriting career. After a few years in Los Angeles — including the chapter...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott sit down to talk about the 2026 State of Metro. They discuss the speeches they've attended in the past with memorable musical guests before getting into the details of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s speech. Among them: affordability, transit, the East Bank and He’s Running. Produced by Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Michael Shane Neal knew from an early age he wanted to be an artist. But there were no artists in his family, so he wasn't sure how he'd turn that into a career. After taking classes in the basement of a dormitory at Lipscomb University, he had a chance meeting with someone who knew the famed portrait artist Raymond Kinstler. And after a trip to New York, a mentorship was born. Shane credits Kinst...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Sarah Grace Taylor sit down to discuss the state legislative session, which came to a whirlwind end on Thursday night. Sarah Grace talks about some of the main themes of the session, including state intervention in local governments, immigration, and anti-LGBTQ+ policies. They also discuss proposals related to artificial intelligence, prediction markets and their a...

In his new book, writer Jordan Ritter Conn delves into the lives of four men, from very different backgrounds, living in disparate parts of the country. All of them are reckoning, in their own ways, with how their lives — and their sense of self-worth — have been shaped by ideas around masculinity. American Men, published April 21, is a deeply reported, empathetic look at male identity, warts and...

Adam Dread didn't mean to become an attorney. For a time, he tried his hand at stand-up comedy, touring the country one club at a time. But he studied law, he says, to become a better politician — understanding laws in order to write them. That's what he did for a time as a Metro Councilmember. He also spent time on the radio and shot a reality show that involved wearing judge's robes. All that to...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott sit down to talk about Tuesday's Metro Council meeting. Stephen explains the council's debates about nominees to boards and commissions, a proposed water bill credit and the East Bank. Steven asks him about why he loves the Mamma Mia franchise and they discuss the role shadows play in local politics. Steven also shares his favorite tweet of all time...

Back in his hometown after stints in New York and Los Angeles, Morgxn has a new album, Heartland, and will be performing at Freely Fest — a celebration of the First Amendment featuring The Killers, Janelle Monae and more — on April 8. He's honored to use his music to stand up for free speech. It's something he deeply believes in, as his regular presence at the state legislature goes to show. A thi...

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Eden Turner sit down to talk about Eden's reporting on the Cottages at Drakes Creek, Nashville's first publicly funded housing co-op. They discuss what makes a housing cooperative unique as a response to the affordable housing crisis and the tight community that has formed as Drakes Creek tries to establish one. Eden also talks about her latest story on Vanderbilt...

Robert Churchwell Sr. made history when he joined the original Nashville Banner as the city's first African American reporter. The paper's owner at the time, James Stahlman, opposed integration, but Churchwell made a name for himself anyway — even if he didn't have a desk in the newsroom at first. Last week, a historical marker commemorating his accomplishments was unveiled outside the North Nashv...