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| What Nashville's Talking About |
|  | Protestors gather to push back against redistricting the state. (Marie Cecile Anderson / City Cast Nashville) |
| 🪧 Protests Against Proposed Congressional Map | Hundreds of people have been protesting at the Tennessee State Capitol this week, objecting to Republican state lawmakers’ attempts at redistricting Tennessee’s congressional map. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell joined the protesters, saying, “I’m worried that this special session will even further weaken representation and make it even likelier that we have congressional representation that is actively adverse to the interests of Nashvillians.” [Nashville Scene] | - Yesterday at the Capitol, Republicans unveiled their new congressional map, as Tennessee Highway Patrol officers cleared protestors from hearing rooms. Witnesses including former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams also spoke against the redistricting. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the new map this morning. [Nashville Scene]
| | 📱 Potential End to FBI Investigation | The U.S. Department of Justice has returned District 5 Rep. Andy Ogles’ phone and destroyed any materials taken from it, signaling the end of a nearly 2-year FBI investigation. The government had launched the investigation into Ogles’ campaign finances after his primary win in 2024. [Tennessee Lookout] | - Ogles is up for reelection this year, and while national Democrats see District 5 as a potential seat to flip, if Tennessee’s congressional district map is redrawn, it would significantly change which areas are included in the district. [Tennessee Lookout]
| | | 🎢 Your Guide to Dollywood | Dolly Parton shared this week that she’s canceling her planned Vegas residency after dealing with health issues that left her feeling, in her words, “swimmy headed." (Don’t worry — she says she’s improving every day.) So let’s celebrate Dolly the best way we know how: With a trip to Dollywood! On today’s podcast, stand-up comedian and Dolly enthusiast Lydia Popovich maps out the perfect visit, from can’t-miss rides to must-see shows, and what makes this place feel so magical. [🎧 City Cast Nashville] | | 🏗️ Music City Loop’s First Residential Agreement | The Boring Company and developer Tony Giarratana have entered into an agreement to build a Tesla tunnel station exclusively for residents of the developer’s Church Street apartment complexes and condos. The parking garage of Giarratana’s Prime tower will house the station. It’s Boring’s first residential agreement for the Music City Loop. [🔐 Nashville Business Journal] | |
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| The Local Documentary Asking Tough Questions About Gun Violence |
|  | “Louder Than Guns” airs at The Belcourt on May 11. (Courtesy of Abramorama) |
| The documentary “Louder Than Guns” was created in the aftermath of The Covenant School shooting to make space for important conversations on gun control, and what it looks like to move forward with compassion. On May 11, The Belcourt Theatre is holding a special screening of the film, with a 60-minute version airing that same evening on Nashville PBS. I spoke with two of the documentary’s creators, Ketch Secor from Old Crow Medicine Show and NPR Morning Edition host David Greene, to learn more. | | Why was making this documentary important to y’all? | David: “I have built a career in journalism on the belief that listening — truly listening, with an open and curious mind — can bring change. That kind of listening sounds easy. And yet we rarely do it, especially in today’s society. Our documentary is meant to show, by example, that this rare experience — sitting down with people who share a passion, like music, or people who happen to be your neighbors — can be so meaningful. The experience may help drag you out of your echo chambers, open your mind to new ideas, and put you in a mindset where you can collaborate with fellow humans to solve problems — even some of the most polarizing and intractable ones of our day, like gun violence.” | | Does one conversation from the film in particular stand out to you now? | David: “There were so many powerful conversations. One that stands out to me was an exchange at a Nashville restaurant. Tennessee Rep. Shaundelle Brooks, whose son was killed in a 2018 shooting at a Waffle House outside Nashville, sat across the table from Bill Robeson, a gun owner who learned to shoot when he was five years old. Bill argued passionately that we should all feel safer because we have gun owners there to protect us. Shaundelle shared that after her son’s murder, ‘people would come up to me and say I wanna take their guns — I don’t wanna take your guns, I want to be safe.’ She added, ‘not all gun owners are irresponsible.’ | | “I was struck by the nuance and rawness of this exchange, and the entire conversation that night in Nashville. This just never happens in society today. And it must.” | | What do you hope people leave with after watching this film? | Ketch: “I hope that our viewers will consider sitting down with somebody they think they’ll probably disagree with on the topic of gun violence, gun reform, the Second Amendment, etc., and just talk about it. Sometimes it feels like this problem is too colossal for us to solve, and yet it’s people sharing ideas and working together that will solve not only this seemingly insurmountable issue but many many more.” | | |
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