This Is Nashville

Tennessee is peeling back the rights of transgender people for the third year in a row. This session, the state legislature passed a ban on drag shows and gender-affirming health care for minors. The bills are now headed to Gov. Bill Lee, who indicated he'll sign them. Many trans people and the families of trans kids have left Tennessee in recent years because of these anti-LGBT laws. But, many ot...

In 2013, The New York Times dubbed Nashville the "It City.” Over the past 10 years, that moniker has become synonymous with Nashville's explosive growth and the influx of new money and new people into the city. It's also become a fixture in conversations about who has benefitted from Nashville's expansion and who it has left behind. Today, on the one year anniversary of the very first episode of T...

When Nashville SC brought Major League Soccer to Nashville, it set out to build a team around a star player — Hany Mukhtar. The 27-year-old has had an impressive career already including two prestigious awards in the last year: the Golden Boot, for being the league’s top scorer, and Most Valuable Player in MLS. In this episode, we get to know Hany. We ask him about his discovering his love for the...

The Metro Council will soon vote on a $2.2 billion plan to build a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans . In December, the Council voted to approve the term sheet, which includes $500 million in state funds that can only be used toward a new enclosed stadium. Additional funding would come in the form of football-related revenue, a 1% hotel tax in Davidson County and money collected from the stadiu...

What do you think of when you hear the word “library”? Maybe it’s stack of books and a librarian peeking through the stacks, reminding you be quiet. But, what about poetry slams, free seeds and even yoga classes? Today’s episode is all about public libraries! We’ll hear from representatives from the Nashville Public Library about about some of the incredible and even unconventional resources it of...

More than 60% of Tennessee third graders could be at risk of being held back this year. That’s because, under a state law that passed in 2021, students who score less than proficient on the English language arts portion of the state’s big standardized test may not advance to fourth grade. In previous years, only a little over one third of Tennessee’s third graders scored “proficient” or above on t...

Original broadcast date: May 9, 2022. Whether it’s superheroes like The Avengers or slice-of-life cartoons in The New Yorker , comics capture our imaginations like no other art form. A few small panels can take us to another galaxy or show us life from someone else’s point of view. Comics and graphic novels are not just for kids! They are the perfect vehicle for anyone who wants to explore a new w...

It's becoming increasingly clear that electric vehicles are the future of transportation, and that future is closer than ever. Tennessee is becoming a hub for electric vehicle production . That includes the vehicles themselves, like the ones Nissan and General Motors have been building in their Middle Tennessee plants for years. Volkswagen is doing the same in Chattanooga, and Ford is in the proce...

The past few years have not been easy for Nashville’s WeGo bus network. But behind the scenes, the agency has been trying to make progress on improvements that riders have been requesting for many years. On today’s show, we start by looking back over the bus system’s recent history. In 2018,  voters rejected a sprawling mass transit proposal . In 2019, budget cuts  led WeGo to eliminate some route...

Nashville is home to a small, but mighty, roller derby community, which has both an adult women’s league and a junior league. Teams suit up with quad skates, pads, mouth guards and helmets and compete with each other in this full contact sport on wheels. What makes this sport unique is its culture. Whereas most sports require uniformity, individuality is encouraged in roller derby. Skaters choose...

Bikers are a well-known American icon. But from the slang they use to the clubhouses they frequent, there’s still a definite air of mystery around them and motorcycle culture in general. Today, we’re diving into the history and culture of several Tennessee clubs with the people who know them best, from members and motorcycle gear experts. Guests:   Dixie Belle,  owner of motorcycle equipment and w...

This year’s General Assembly is well underway. Sen. Charlane Oliver of Nashville and Rep. Justin J. Pearson of Memphis are two of Tennessee’s younger lawmakers, both with backgrounds in activism. Now, they are in office representing two of Tennessee’s largest cities and are tasked with creating change within the system. In today’s episode, we’ll talk to these lawmakers about their approach to poli...

In January the Tennessee Department of Health announced that the state will no longer accept funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for HIV prevention, testing and treatment. Around 20,000 Tennesseans are living with HIV, and the  CDC estimates that 14% of Tennesseans with HIV  are unaware of their status. The funding will run out at the end of May, and there is no set plan of...

At 12:40 p.m. on February 13, 1960, Black college students sat down at lunch counters in downtown Nashville and asked to be served. They sat in silent protest against the segregation at the city’s lunch counters, but were met with with racial slurs and abuse. John Lewis, who would go on to become an icon of the civil rights movement and later a U.S. representative, was arrested for the first time...

Nashville is famous for its hot chicken, but what about its hot sauce. In just the past five years, several local companies have popped up, each with their own blend of flavors and heat. In this episode, we’re talking with several local hot sauce makers and small business owners about the rise of local hot sauce production. Host Khalil Ekulona also puts his taste buds to the test. But first, we’re...

The Fairgrounds Speedway is a Nashville institution. It’s held car races and horse races since 1904, and still had horse racing up until 1957 when they paved the track. It held NASCAR races up until 1984, when disputes between city government and track management put an end to it. But it has continued to be a local and regional spot for car racing. In 2011, Nashville voters passed a referendum tha...

In July 2021, pandemic-era eviction protections ended in Nashville. Since then, state and federal sources of rent assistance have dried up, and this December eviction filings in Nashville were  70% higher than they were before the pandemic. To understand what happens when a person is evicted and how it impacts their ability to find housing, we’re talking to community members with firsthand experie...

The death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by Memphis police officers, has once again sparked  discussion about police violence  and public safety. Just days after Memphis officials  released video  of police pulling over and assaulting Nichols, Metro Nashville police officers  shot and killed a 48-year-old Black man on Buchanan Street in North Nashville . Activists are seeking change. Lawmakers ar...

Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands made history on Sunday by becoming the first college marching band to win, not one, but two Grammys. AOB won the Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album for their album “The Urban Hymnal” and the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for their collaboration with J. Ivy on “The Poet Who Sat by the Door.” In this episode, we check in with Nashville Public Radio’s...

For a long time, Nashvillians have known that there are certain times of day when they could get away with parking downtown without feeding the meter. But this month, the Nashville Department of Transportation is moving to 24/7 parking enforcement. This is the first in a series of upcoming changes, including switching out meters for QR codes and kiosks. How will these changes be implemented? And w...

The issues at the Tennessee Department of Children's Services are well documented. Over the last year there have been reports of staffing shortages, overwhelmed case workers, kids sleeping in state offices and abuse allegations . But, at one time, Tennessee's DCS was considered a model for other states on how to serve vulnerable children and their families. So, how did DCS end up in its current co...

What happens when a developer proposes a plan for a new high rise or shopping center? How much input do residential or commercial neighbors have? And what obligation do developers have to the community? In December, AJ Capital Partners released its plans to build high rises at Belle Meade Plaza in West Nashville.  The proposed redevelopment  includes space for condos, apartments, a hotel and retai...

Memphis holds the title of "Home of the Blues," but Nashville also has a rich history in this genre. B.B. King’s first single was released on a Nashville record label, and blues clubs once lined Jefferson Stree t. That history serves as a foundation, and if you know where to look, there is a thriving blues scene in Music City today — even if it’s not as centralized or as well-known as it is in oth...

Nashville is known for music production, namely in country music, but it is also the hub for the Contemporary Christian Music industry. What does the Christian music industry look like these days, as praise and worship music has become a dominant trend? And how did Nashville become the place where CCM is made? But first, we hear from WKNO reporter Katie Riordan on the latest from Memphis, followin...

We know Dry January is almost over, but a lot of us have made lifestyle changes. So today, we’re talking about what’s out there for those of us who aren’t drinking and those of us who are drinking less. But first, WPLN afternoon host Marianna Bacallao joins us to discuss recently-proposed anti-trans legislation. Guests: Marianna Bacallao,  WPLN afternoon host Abra Myles,  artist and dancer Anne,  ...