Two dead in Antioch High shooting
Two students are dead and two are injured following a shooting at Antioch High School on Jan. 22.
Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed that 17-year-old Solomon Henderson fired multiple shots in the school’s cafeteria at 11:09 a.m. 16-year-old Josselin
Corea Escalante was killed and another male student was wounded when a bullet grazed his arm. Another student fell in the cafeteria and injured his face. The shooter then shot himself in the head and died.
Caiden Taylor, a senior at Antioch High School, was in a lunch line in the cafeteria when he heard five shots in quick succession. He told reporter Hamilton Matthew Masters, who was on the scene the afternoon of Jan. 22, that he dropped to the floor and didn’t look back up.
“I just ran out from the cafeteria through the exit … and I just went to my vehicle and just left,” Taylor said. “I heard it, I heard everything.”
Taylor’s mother Stephanie Honeywell —
who was waiting to be reunited with Taylor’s brother, another Antioch student — was among the roughly 200 parents waiting at the reunification site at Ascension Saint Thomas Medical Partners Antioch.
Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville), who represents the area where the shooting took place, released a statement.
“My heart is broken over the devastating shooting at Antioch High School today,” said Oliver. “As a mother and a representative of this community, I grieve with the families,
students, and staff who are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. My heart goes out to the victims who were shot, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence. No child should ever feel unsafe in their school, and no family should face the anguish of such a senseless loss.”
Ibtihal Cheko, a Nashville student involved with gun reform advocacy group Students Demand Action and one of the The News sister publication the Nashville Scene’s 2023 Nashvillians of the Year,
Relatives of Antioch High School shooting victim Josselin Corea Escalante advocate for gun reform at the Tennessee General Assembly Jan. 27. PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Scenes following a shooting at Antioch High School, Jan. 22, 2025
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Scenes following a shooting at Antioch High School, Jan. 22, 2025
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
also shared a statement.
“No matter how desensitized America has become to school shootings, there’s nothing normal or okay about students being shot for going to class,” said Cheko, a volunteer leader from Hume Fogg High School with the Students Demand Action Tennessee chapter. “Our hearts are absolutely broken for everyone impacted by this tragedy. It doesn’t have to be this way. Tennessee lawmakers have played enough politics; it’s time to step up and address gun violence so we can go to school without getting shot.”
On March 27, 2023, seven people were killed in a shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Green Hills. MNPD officers killed the shooter and were recently honored with a Medal of Valor by President Joe Biden for how they responded to the situation. Parents of some of the students created nonprofit organizations aimed at protecting children from gun violence. In August 2023, Gov. Bill Lee called a special session related to gun legislation in response to the Covenant Shooting, during which few provisions were passed.
ANTIOCH COMMUNITY MOURNS
Nearly eight hours after the shooting, Nashville community members gathered to mourn at Hamilton United Methodist Church. Senior pastor Quentin Dickerson and pastor of Arabic ministries Mamdouh Ramzy welcomed around 80 mourners, including several AHS students, teachers, elected officials, gun reform activists and other community members, leading them in prayer in both English and Arabic.
Some two-and-a-half miles away, blue police lights bathed the entrances to AHS, its parking lot still filled with crime scene investigators throughout the night.
Several Metro councilmembers — including District 8 Councilmember Deonté
Harrell, who represents Antioch — spoke, with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell telling the crowd, “I’m tired of vigils, and yet I’m comforted to be in this space with you all tonight.”
“It’s especially difficult because our schools are supposed to be temples of learning — never mausoleums,” O’Connell said. “Today, as a city, as a community, I will say that it’s difficult to reckon once again with the devastation of gun violence in one of our school communities.”
Current AHS teacher Aaron Rodriguez, a 2006 graduate who returned to teach at the school six years ago, spoke of his love of the Antioch community.
“When I moved back to Nashville, I couldn’t think of any other school that I wanted to teach at because day in and day out, what I love to see is your children’s faces as they get to make those memories that I got to make, and make those friends that I made who are still my best friends to this day,” Rodriguez said. “And the memory I never want for them is what I saw on their faces today, where this community, this space where they get to grow and find out who they are, becomes a tragedy.
“To parents out there, I want you to know that your children are brave and they did everything right, and we’re looking out for them. I implore all of you to think about all the ways that you can help us, so that we can help them make these schools the places where they look forward to going.”
SHOOTING PUSHES METRO SCHOOLS TO ADOPT NEW SECURITY MEASURES
Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Adrienne Battle addressed a tense press corps just 24 hours after the shooting.
“ Historically our schools have been safe spaces,” Battle told reporters. “ I have worked
and learned in the very schools that we’re referring to. Over the last several months and years, we’ve seen a heightened sense around the safety and security in our schools, both with external and internal threats. We are continuing to research and study the most evolving technologies that will help us enhance the safety security measures within our school. There’s not anything that’s off the table for us.”
Battle shared the podium with Mayor O’Connell, whose two children attend Nashville public schools. Both Battle and O’Connell were visibly shaken.
The questions from local and national media focused on school security measures — specifically Omnilert, the visual gun detection system adopted by MNPS in 2023 for $1 million. The system is one of many new lucrative products sold to schools desperate to defend against the looming threat of a shooting. Others point to the state’s lax gun laws, a teen mental health crisis and social media’s role in online radicalization as problem areas when it comes to preventing more mass killings.
On Monday, MNPS announced that Antioch High School would pilot a new product: the Evolv weapon detection system.
Evolv is the same security screening system people walk through at Nissan Stadium. It functions like a next-generation metal detector. Students walk through shoulderheight posts that scan belongings; if flagged, they get a more invasive secondary screening.
“This pilot program demonstrates our unwavering commitment to safety and security,” said Battle in an accompanying statement. “Antioch High will serve as a critical testing ground for this advanced technology, allowing us to assess its effectiveness as we explore funding opportunities to expand its use across more schools.”
Later that day, students attended a rally and protest at the Tennessee State Capitol.
“The Antioch shooter, there was a whole thing with it being connected to a possible shooting at Hillsboro,” Sparrow Stone, a student at Hillsboro High School, told the Scene. “I had to sit in my classes fearing someone would come and shoot up my school.”
Stone wants to see more restrictions on guns, including mental health screenings.
“I’m scared, and I want things to change, and I want kids to stop dying,” said Stone.
Educators, school districts and school safety organizations have resisted
MNPD Chief John Drake speaks following a shooting at Antioch High School.
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Mayor Freddie O’Connell speaks following a shooting at Antioch High School.
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Scenes following a shooting at Antioch High School, Jan. 22, 2025
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Students assemble outside the Tennessee State Capitol to call for gun reform on Jan. 27 following a shooting at Antioch High School the previous week.
PHOTO: HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
visible and imposing security measures like metal detectors, which they say create a hostile school environment. When schools physically resemble spaces such as border checkpoints or prisons, students can internalize such measures as evidence that going to school puts them in danger. Critics also bash technology like Omnilert, metal detection or the shatterproof windows installed in MNPS facilities, as reactive and imperfect forms of defense.
Annual school shootings more than doubled between the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary and the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School outside Miami in 2018. Then they nearly tripled in 2023, when a gun was fired or pointed at a person on school property — or a bullet struck school property — a record 349 times, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. America earns the tragic distinction of leading the world in mass shootings.
A fund launched by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee — the Nashville School Violence Support and Healing Fund — is raising money for AHS families and students. This week, AHS reopened to students on Tuesday and built-in “grief counseling, mental
health supports, restorative practices and community-building activities” through the end of the week.
Law enforcement believes that Henderson, the 17-year-old gunman at AHS, had interacted with the 15-year-old perpetrator of a Dec. 17 school shooting in Madison, Wis. Henderson’s online activity and personal writings credit far-right media figures, including Candace Owens, for his antisemitic and white supremacist views. Owens is Black, as was Henderson. Law enforcement has given little information about Henderson’s firearm amid the ongoing investigation into the shooting. Nashville police arrested six students, including two as young as 12 and one who threatened “Antioch part two” when his backpack was screened, for school violence threats in the days following the shooting.
In addition to new security measures, Battle has repeatedly emphasized the safety of strong relationships between teachers and students.
“ This is a nightmare for us,” she said as she stood alongside the mayor. “This reinforces how important it is for us to know our students, build relationships and foster trust. Our students need us.”
Trump’s early actions put Tennessee officials in spotlight Pardons, immigration policy and state representation in new government efficiency department
HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS
Tennessee’s federal elected officials have largely responded to President Donald Trump’s inauguration and executive actions with enthusiastic support.
On Jan. 20, Trump announced the pardoning, commutation of sentences and dismissing of cases of the more than 1,500 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. But on that subject, Sen. Marsha Blackburn had no response to reporters’ questions in the halls of Congress.
Several Tennesseans were arrested, charged and convicted for their roles in the attack, including former Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputy in training, Ronald Colton “Colt” McAbee, who was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for taking part in the assaulting of several police officers.
Several high-profile leaders of the attack were released from prison just hours after Trump took office. It’s unclear if McAbee, who has been incarcerated at Federal Medical Center Rochester, in Minnesota, has been released, as on Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons listed McAbee’s release date as “unknown.”
Tennessee’s lone federally elected Democrat, District 9 Rep. Steve Cohen, condemned Trump’s pardons in a Jan. 20 statement.
“Making heroes out of traitors and violent individuals undermines our democracy and makes a mockery of our justice system,” he said in the statement which also spoke out against the president’s first day executive actions.
“Within minutes of being sworn in, Donald Trump reaffirmed the depth of his disdain for the rule of law and his uncontrollable authoritarian impulses,” Cohen said. “He is using imaginary emergencies to invoke extraordinary powers to ignore the law and circumvent the people’s representatives in Congress.”
TENNESSEE LEADERS READY FOR IMMIGRATION POLICY
Blackburn and the state’s other representatives have praised Trump’s immediate and ongoing immigration crackdown.
On Jan. 21, Sen. Marsha Blackburn announced that she would be sponsoring the Preventing Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act in the Senate, a bill that passed the House last week.
The bill would allow the U.S. to deem undocumented people as “inadmissible” to the country if they are convicted of “acts constituting the essential >> PAGE 4
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elements of stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, a sex offense, conspiracy to commit a sex offense, a violation of certain protection orders, or domestic violence (including physical or sexual abuse or a pattern of coercive behavior when it occurs within certain close relationships).”
It would also expand the list of sex crimes and domestic violence crimes convictions that could serve as a basis for deportation.
In March 2024, Blackburn introduced the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act and the Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act both of which she reintroduced last week.
If passed, the Make the MPP Mandatory Act would reinstate “Remain in Mexico” policies. The CLEAR Act would empower states to “investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or transfer to Federal custody aliens in the United States (including the transportation of such aliens across State lines to detention centers), for the purposes of assisting in the enforcement of the immigration laws of the United States in the course of carrying out routine duties.”
The bill would allow state and local law enforcement agencies to be reimbursed by the federal government for the costs of immigration enforcement. It would also cut federal law enforcement funding for “sanctuary cities,” and see the creation of around 20 new immigration detention facilities.
In January 2024, Blackburn introduced
the Creating Obstructions Necessary To Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly Act (CONTAINER Act), which she is brining back this year. It would allow border states to create temporary structures on federal land to act as makeshift border barriers.
During the Jan. 3 convening of the 119th U.S. Congress, District 7 Rep. Mark Green was given his assignment to continue serving as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. In a Jan. 20 statement, he commended Trump’s hardline stance on immigration.
“Today’s executive orders signify a restoration of American sovereignty at our borders,” Green said in the statement.
“With this strong foundation, the House Committee on Homeland Security will hit the ground running to work with the Trump administration and other Committees of jurisdiction to fulfill our commitments to public safety and the security of the homeland.”
Tennessee’s District 5 Rep. Andy Ogles was newly added to the committee Green leads and in a Jan. 16 statement said it was “unacceptable that every state has become a border state.”
“From combating human trafficking to keeping dangerous drugs from entering our communities, we have much work to do,” Ogles said.
Soon after Ogles was elected in 2022, he came under scrutiny for his past claims of working in law enforcement and that he has been “involved in the fight against
human trafficking” even though records seem to prove there may be more nuance to that claim.
Following Trump’s inauguration, he announced a flurry of executive actions, including an attempt to end birthright citizenship, something that has already been met with a lawsuit from attorneys generals in more than two dozen states, and the designation of drug cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.
In 2023, Sen. Bill Hagerty led a border security roundtable discussion in Nashville with former Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and now-Trump administration “Border Czar” Tom Homan and local law enforcement officials, including Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch.
That meeting saw Homan advocate for direct intervention from U.S. federal law enforcement officials and U.S. military special forces to combat cartels in Mexico, but when speaking with reporters, Hagerty and Rausch failed to directly address the potential impact on Americans on American soil if cartels are targeted further by U.S. law enforcement or in a military conflict.
On Jan. 22, Gov. Bill Lee announced his administration’s five-point immigration agenda which will be taken up as part of the upcoming Tennessee legislature’s special session.
STATE OFFICIAL APPOINTED TO NEW DEPARTMENT
On Jan. 21, the state’s District 2 Rep.
Tim Burchett announced in a social media post on X, that he’d been selected to serve on the Trump administration’s newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will be “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”
The agency will be headed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who leads both SpaceX and Tesla, and who spent more than $200 million during the 2024 election backing Trump and other Republican candidates.
During Monday’s inaugural celebrations, Musk spoke from behind a podium bearing the presidential seal and energetically saluted the crowd with an outstretched arm, an act that sparked some public outrage for its obvious allusion to the Nazi salute. Musk has not out-right denied the gesture was such but has clearly shown his objection with the comparison by sharing posts of Democrats with their own arms outstretched saying the media has not accused them of such a gesture.
The Anti-Defamation League said it was an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.” However, the salute was met with support and celebration online from far-right figures and social media accounts.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Williamson Scene.
Commodores’ second court-storming win a big resume builder
Picked 16th and last in the preseason SEC poll, the new-look Vanderbilt men’s basketball team is looking more and more like an NCAA Tournament team.
The latest evidence came Saturday in the form of a second straight home court-storming upset over a top-10 team, as Vanderbilt took down No. 9 Kentucky 74-69 in front of a sold-out crowd at Memorial Gymnasium.
The victory cost the school $500,000, as it marked the third time this school year a Vandy crowd had stormed a home playing site. It happened following the Commodores’ football win over No. 1 Alabama and the school’s basketball victory over No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 18. The fine is paid to the opposing school.
But there’s something to be said for a fan base that’s so excited about victory that it can’t stay in its seats.
“At one point, I want it to be where
we’re not surprised and we don’t feel like the underdog in these games,” Vandy first-year coach Mark Byington said.
“We’re going into them [in the future] knowing our program is good and we expect to win. We’re not there yet, so let the fans enjoy it. We got to start a GoFundMe page or something to pay fines. We’ll figure it out.
“But at the same time, I’m happy for them. I told our guys, `Let’s make a memory for all those people cheering for Vanderbilt today.’ They made a great memory.”
With the victory, the Commodores (16-4, 4-3) matched their conference win total of 2023-24 with 11 SEC games still remaining.
Vandy is tied for fifth in the conference along with Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The Commodores’ two top-10 upsets were sandwiched around a road loss to No. 4 Alabama last Tuesday.
“We knew coming in that
Commodores
this was a must win,” said Vandy guard Jason Edwards, who contributed a team-high 18 points and added four assists.
“People ranked us 16th in the conference and we knew that’s not who we are, and we knew that games like this is what puts the world on notice,” Edwards added. “We already beat a top 10. We knew we dropped the Alabama game … But we knew we weren’t going to let that game snowball into this game.”
Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is still nearly two months away, but Vanderbilt is in the process of putting together an impressive resume.
The ‘Dores are now 3-3 in Quad 1 games, 2-1 in Quad 2 games and a combined 11-0 in Quad 3 and Quad 4 contests.
Vandy sits at No. 44 in the latest KenPom rankings, No. 37 in the latest NCAA Net rankings.
“They count ‘em all at the end,” Byington said. “So, Quad 1 win, I know the NCAA looks at that. You go into every game and just say, `Let’s go 1-0 and win the next one and let them do their job and the committee [make their picks].’”
Vanderbilt played a near-perfect first half against the Wildcats (14-5, 3-3), hitting seven three-point shots to take a 41-27 lead at the break.
But Kentucky stormed back in the
second half, scoring 31 of the first 41 points collectively to take a 58-51 lead on an Amari Willis layup with 8:39 left in the contest.
Vandy weathered the storm, however, and took the lead for good when Tyler Nickel’s three-point basket put the ‘Dores ahead 71-69 with 1:50 remaining. A Devin McGlockton basket and an Edwards free throw helped Vandy finish the contest with a 6-0 run.
McGlockton finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds, while Nickel had 11 points and four rebounds and Jaylen Carey totaled 10 points and six rebounds.
When the final buzzer sounded — highlighting the latest example of Memorial Magic — the celebration began, with VU students streaming onto the court despite Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee pleading for them to stay in their seats.
“It’s awesome,” Nickel said with a laugh.
“I’ve actually never been a part of a school when they stormed the court, so it’s pretty cool for me. I know Ms. Lee is kind of getting tired of it now [with] all the money we got to send out for storming the court. But the atmosphere ... it’s a crazy adrenaline rush.”
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
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City of Forest Hills Board of Commissioners
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
February 20th, 2025 – 5:00 p.m. City Hall
The Board of Commissioners for the City of Forest Hills will hold a Public Hearing on February 20th at 5:00 p.m. at the City Hall, 6300 Hillsboro Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. The purpose of the Public Hearing will be to consider amendments and additions to the city’s Stormwater Ordinance, Stormwater Management Plan, and Standard Drainage Specifications (Appendix F). These changes are being updated to improve and comply with the new NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) general permit requirements for discharges from MS4s (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems). Copies of the revisions are available for review at the City Hall during regular business hours. Copies are also available from the city’s website at www.cityofforesthills.com.
For further information, contact Mark Hill / City Manager at (615) 372-8677 or mark.hill@cityofforesthills.com.
Five free and cheap family things to do in Middle Tennessee
AMANDA HAGGARD
This week there are several items with a cost, but all of them showcase people in the arts with a focus on youth. In Williamson County, Studio Tenn will show Crimes of the Heart, which is meant for those older than 13 in your family, and then there’s the perfect all-ages show at Academy Park where The Rising Stars will perform Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. The Nashville Children’s Theater has a show perfect for kids in grades 3-8 with Elijah Rock! A Jubilee Battle, and kids over 8 and the entire family might enjoy a night at The Parthenon to listen to a string quartet. And then an absolutely free event happening at Plaza Mariachi is for the whole family — Go there to see your favorite villainous characters on Feb. 1.
As part of our series on free cheap things to do with the family, here is our weekly roundup of places to spend time together over the next week:
VILLAIN KIDS PARTY
Plaza Mariachi’s parties for kids are extremely fun, and on the first Saturday in February, the center will have a villain kids party theme. Beginning at noon, the family can come enjoy activities alongside their favorite (or least favorite) villains. Plaza Mariachi will begin with a story time with Rachel Rodriguez, arts and crafts at 1 p.m., a mad science show at 2:15 p.m. and a dance party to end things at 3 p.m. There will also be someone on deck with balloon animals, and some of the best food in town is for sale in the food court.
“ELIJAH ROCK! A JUBILEE BATTLE” AT NASHVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE
Nashville Children’s Theatre is hosting Elijah Rock! A Jubilee Battle beginning Feb. 1 and running through Feb. 16. The story follows middle school history champion
Elijah Rock, who winds up competing against a band of spirits who call themselves the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The show is recommended for grades 3–8, and costs $37.50 for adults and $27.50 for youth.
CANDLELIGHT: FEATURING VIVALDI’S ‘FOUR SEASONS’
The Listeso String Quartet is slated to perform Vivaldi classics and more under the glow of candlelight at The Parthenon on Jan. 31 at 6:45 p.m. The performance starts at 7 p.m. and is for children 8 years and older. Tickets are pricey at $33 per person, but the more than hourlong show will be worth it.
‘CRIMES OF THE HEART’ BY STUDIO TENN
Studio Tenn will show Crimes of the Heart, which follows three eccentric sisters from a small Southern town shaken by scandal. The show runs Jan. 30 through Feb. 9 on the Turner Theater stage in Franklin, and tickets begin at $41. This production contains mild language, alcohol use, smoking, implied domestic violence and references to suicide. It’s recommended for your family members above the age of 13.
DISNEY’S ‘ALICE IN WONDERLAND’ BY RISING
STARS AND IMAGE SURGICAL ARTS
The Rising Stars youth cast at the Williamson County Performing Arts Center will perform Disney’s Alice in Wonderland at Academy Park in Franklin. The show costs $15 and there are shows on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2. The show on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. is a sensory/ family-friendly performance designed to create a more comfortable experience for those with sensitivity to sensory input and/or young children and their families.
Bridgestone Americas to close La Vergne plant
Move will result in approximately 700 employees being laid off
STAFF REPORTS
Bridgestone Americas officials have announced the company will close its La Vergne plant, a move that will result in the laying off of about 700 hourly and salaried employees.
According to a release, the ceasing of operations will be effective July 31.
The decision to close what Bridgestone calls its Tennessee Truck and Bus Radial Tire Plant will come as Bridgestone also implements plant capacity and workforce reductions at its Des Moines, Iowa
agriculture tire plant, as well as workforce reductions in the company’s U.S. corporate, sales and operations.
Additionally, the company is reducing its workforce and production capacity at its facilities and business operations in Argentina and Brazil.
Bridgestone, which merged with Firestone in 1988, also operates tire plants in Warren County, Tenn., and Aiken County, S.C., which were established in the 1990s and 2010s, respectively.
“Decisions like this are not easy because of the impact it has on our [colleagues] and their families, and at the same time we are optimizing our business footprint for the future,” Scott Damon, chief executive officer, Bridgestone West and group president, Bridgestone Americas.
“We are confident that this decision will strengthen our core business, enabling us to operate more efficiently.”
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Post.
The Antioch School Shooting
BOB FREEMAN
On Jan. 22, Antioch High School in Nashville experienced a devastating tragedy that has deeply shaken our community. A 17-year-old student, Solomon Henderson, opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante and taking his own life. Two others were injured, and as a community we are left with the painful question: What will it take to stop this?
My heart is with the students, families, and educators affected by this horrific act of gun violence. Mayor Freddie O’Connell noted, “As a city, as a community, it is impossibly difficult to be here once again dealing with the devastation of gun violence.” He is right – it’s very difficult. His comment reflects how all of us feel. This violence is not isolated but part of a larger crisis. And while we pray for the injured and for all affected by this unfathomable tragedy,
thoughts and prayers alone are not enough. As a legislator, my fellow lawmakers and I must offer more than moments of reflection. We need meaningful action to address the root causes of gun violence, particularly the easy access to firearms in Tennessee.
The USA Today reported, “This recent shooting comes just before the two-year mark of the Covenant School shooting on March 27, 2023, when a shooter killed three 9-year-old students and three staff members.” Mental illness was involved.
In 2023, Tennessee’s gun death rate spiked by 45%, far outpacing the national average of 33%. Over 1,400 people died from gun violence in Tennessee last year—an average of one death every six hours. These are not just statistics. These are real people, with real families and friends who care about them.
Despite the fact that our state has laws in
THE TRUE LEADER OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE!
Senator Marsha Blackbur N Governo R Bill Lee
Senator A ndy Ogles
place to prevent tragedies like this, they are still not enough. On the day of the Antioch High School shooting, two school resource officers were present on campus, but this did not prevent the violence. School security measures also include AI software that can detect weapons, but in this case, the shooter was too far away from them.
This is not a critique of our dedicated school officers or of the security measures we are working avidly to implement and keep in place. But we must acknowledge that no amount of security can fully protect students in an environment where firearms are too easily accessible. We cannot continue to invest in security alone while ignoring the deeper issues. The real problem is that guns are far too easy to obtain, even by minors and those with dangerous intentions.
The rise in gun violence is also tied to the mental health crisis in our country. Not everyone who has access to a weapon is fit to use it. Responsible gun ownership means ensuring that those who are emotionally or mentally unstable cannot obtain deadly weapons. This is especially true for children and teens, who are particularly vulnerable. We must act to prevent them from gaining access to firearms.
Let me be clear: I am not against responsible gun ownership. I own guns myself and I enjoy hunting. The right to bear arms is enshrined in our Constitution, and I support the rights of thosewho engage in hunting or sport shooting in a responsible manner. But this right should never come at the expense of our children’s safety.
We need common-sense gun laws that allow responsible gun owners to keep their rights, while preventing dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms. This is a fine line to walk but it is one we must find if we are to protect our most vulnerable— our children. It is about ensuring that schools remain places of learning, not fear. As a lawmaker, I am deeply committed to
The comments in the Ticked Off column do not reflect the views of FW Publishing.
addressing this crisis. If we fail to act, it will not just be our children who suffer—it will be the soul of our state.
If you would like to donate, a fund has been established by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to aid victims and their families.
Bob Freeman
Bob Freeman is a Nashville native and a Democratic member of the Tennessee General Assembly, representing the 56th District. Bob is also the president of Freeman Webb Company in Nashville, which is the parent company of The News. He has been active in real estate investment and development since 2000. Freeman Webb Company is a full-service real estate investment and management firm that specializes in the acquisition, management and rehabilitation of multi-family residential and commercial properties.
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Bad Idea, Strategic Hospitality among Beard semifinalists
D. PATRICK RODGERS
Renowned culinary arts nonprofit the James Beard Foundation announced on Jan. 22 the semifinalists for its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards, and five Nashville chefs were among those long-listed.
Once again earning a place among the Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalists are Benjamin Goldberg, Max Goldberg and Josh Habiger of Strategic Hospitality. The Nashville-based restaurant group behind award-winning spots Locust, Kisser and Bastion (the latter of which is owned by Chef Habiger) has made the semifinalist list in this category before, including as recently as 2020.
The only Music City outpost to earn a spot amid the Best New Restaurant nominees is East Nashville’s Bad Idea. Opened in late 2023 by owner Alex Burch, Bad Idea features chef Colby Ravaging’s Lao cuisine and a carefully curated wine list from Burch, who in the past has helped the wine programs for spots including Bastion and Henrietta Red.
Meanwhile, three local chefs have been named semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southeast category, which covers Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee.
Julio Hernández of Maíz de la Vida, who landed in 2023’s Emerging Chef of the Year semifinalists is on this year’s Best Chef: Southeast list, just a few months after moving into his brick-and-mortar. Joining Hernández in the category are Peninsula’s Jake Howell and first-time semifinalist Dung “Junior” Vo of beloved East Side restaurant Noko.
The James Beard Foundation will announce its nominees April 2, with a winners’ ceremony slated for June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
This article was first published via our sister publication the Nashville Scene.
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Julio Hernandez of Maiz de la Vida
PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND
Sunday Roast Chicken with Citrus
BY EDIBLE NASHVILLE
We love this bright chicken recipe from contributor, Teresa Blackburn. Serve pieces of chicken with some of the pan juices and
roasted citrus, a crusty baguette for soppin’ and a simple arugula salad.
INGREDIENTS
1 (3-5 pound) chicken
4 mandarins, oranges, or clementines
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup lemon fresh juice
Fresh thyme sprigs
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Cut citrus into halves & chunks. Slice one lemon thinly.
2. Place the chicken in the roasting pan. Using your fingers gently loosen the skin over the breast of the chicken, and place lemon slices and thyme sprigs under the skin.
3. Stuff the inside of the chicken with the shallots, a few sprigs of thyme & chunks of citrus. Tie the legs together using
kitchen twine. Rub the outside of the skin with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme leaves.
4. Place all the citrus pieces around the chicken along with the garlic, shallot and thyme sprigs. Pour the orange juice & lemon juice into the pan. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thicken part of the breast reads 165 degrees. Baste the chicken every so often with the pan juices.
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1 Franken and Sharpton
4 Like many college dorms
8 Wood-shaping tool
12 State school near the Allegheny River, familiarly
14 Chump
15 Kuwaiti leader
16 Destination for the Taj Express
17 Upper atmosphere
18 Atmosphere in the room
19 Bud
20 Ding-dongs
22 “___ anges dans nos campagnes” (French carol)
23 Star t of an encrypted web address
25 More, on a music score
26 What some fear A.I. might become
28 Format for an English final, maybe
30 Instr uction from a taxi driver
31 ___ Blanc
32 Best in a hot dog competition
33 Outfits
37 Actress Rooney of 2015’s “Carol”
39 Sailor’s “Stop!”
40 Large waterfalls
45 Unidentified person, in slang
46 Ox’s stablemate in a traditional Nativity scene
47 Skate par k jump
48 OLED alternative
59 Whence the gingerbread man
60 Funny Arnaz
61 Votes for
62 Pairs of jolly bells? DOWN
1 Navajo neighbors
2 What might be str ung from the item hidden in this puzzle
3 Walks with confidence
4 Prepare, as a watermelon
5 Holiday carol … or a literal hint to what can be drawn by connecting nine letters when this puzzle is finished
6 Just manage, as a win
7 Mend, as a stocking
8 Cleric’s title: Abbr.
9 “Have you star ted without me?”
49 Insect with a single ear found on its chest
52 Watch over
53 Hungarian violinist Leopold
55 Base boss, informally
56 “Ever y cloud ___ silver lining”
57 Animated clownfish
58 Name derived from the Greek for “peace”
10 Region near the Nor th Pole
11 What might be set under the item hidden in this puzzle
13 Florida city or bay
14 School yr. part
21 Arizona’s ___ National Park
24 Red nose during winter time, maybe?
27 Like fresh paint
29 Go-___
32 Singer Rita
33 What might be draped from the item hidden in this puzzle
34 One seeking refuge from a dangerous situation
35 Some two-seaters
36 Euro competitor, for short
38 Handle things?
40 Tweety Bird, e.g.
41 Even if, casually
42 Rend
43 What might be hung from the item hidden in this puzzle
44 Civics, for example
50 Where most of the wor ld’s rice and tea is grown
51 Word repeated in the lyric “Do you ___ what I ___?”
54 King of France
ANSWER TO PUZZLE
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/ crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.
Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.
ACROSS
PUZZLE BY JACOB MCDERMOTT
SERVICE & MAINTENANCE
WOODMONT BAPTIST CHURCH
Cabling Innovations hosts Putts for Pitts
PHOTOS: CABLING INNOVATIONS
Cabling Innovations hosted its first annual putt-putt golf tournament in honor of late co-founder, Brian Pitts. The fundraising event benefiting the American Heart Association was hosted at PuttShack Nashville. More than 150 people participated in the inaugural event.
Brian was a devoted husband to his wife Megan (Ivey) and a loving father to their three children: Cooper, Cameron, and Carolina. As a co-owner of Cabling Innovations, which he started with Megan in 2014, Brian played a vital role in building a successful business known for its strong team and commitment to excellence.
Brian’s passion for helping others and his exceptional business development skills made a lasting impact in the community.
Megan aims to honor Brian’s legacy through this tournament using this tragedy to raise awareness about heart disease and its prevention.
Grant Sadler, Kyle Pauley, Austin Walker, and Jared Bowers
Laurel Harrison, Brooke Young, and Aubree Ringler Garrison
Alexa Barnett, Molly Abel, Sydney Ernstes, and Summer Weaver
Melanie Tigrett, Ashely Harrison, Jonathan Hayes, and Cameron Pitts
Chris Pangallo, Garr Schwartz, and Craig Cook
Steve Galreath, Tyra Harris, Brandon Mason, and Doug Ryan
Rob Erickson, Easton Erickson, and Natalie Erickson
Chris Weinman and Kaitlyn Jones
Molly Abel Dan Filippi, Cole Croker, and Rick Zahner
Cassie Jackman, Danielle Kohnen, Tyler Murray, and Scott Gibson Tyler Murray and Megan Ivey
CLASSIFIED
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Unfurnished 2 and one half bathrooms. 2 master bedrooms. Washer and dryer. Dining room. Large driveway. Just renovated. New floors. New carpet.
per month
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA – COUNTY OF GEORGETOWN – IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT – CASE NO. 2024-DR-22-212 – Allyson Wells Haggard, - Plaintiff, - vs. – Steven Tyler Haggard,Defendant. – SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT – TO THE DEFENDANT ABOVE NAMED -YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and notified that an action has been filed against you in this court. Within thirty (30) days of the day you receive this Summons, you must respond in writing to this Complaint by filing an Answer with this court. You must also serve a copy of your Answer to this Complaint upon the Plaintiff or the Plaintiffʼs Attorney at the address shown below. If you fail to answer the Complaint, judgment by default could be rendered against you for the relief requested in the Complaint. -- NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above-entitled action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Georgetown County on July 2, 2024. By Amy K. Raffaldt, Esq. The Law Office of Amy K. Raffaldt, Esq., 1341 44th Avenue North, Suite 205, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, 843.839.2900 Telephone, 843.839.2913 Fax, Amy@raffaldtlawfirm.com.
Auction
12:00 Noon, February 28, 2025
Located at Elm Hill Marina 3361 Bell Road Nashville, TN 37214
The following list of boats will be set for auction:
1. 1972 Gibson TN 7792 ZV
Hull ID: N/A Slip: G-32
2. 1987 Catalina Sailboat OH 0387 YV
Hull ID: N/A Slip: H-60
3. 1985 Catalina Sailboat GA 0552 XD
Hull ID: N/A Slip: H-56
4. 1978 Trojan TN 6585 DE
Hull ID: TRJ081950378 Slip: G-38
5. 1972 Sailboat TN 8576 DK
Hull ID: N/A Slip: H-127
6. 2017 Sun Tracker TN 0018 KR
Hull ID: N/A Slip: K-74
7. 2015 Crest TN 9716 EH
Hull ID: CSM01446D515 Slip: L-79
8. 1989 Donzi TN 7850 EB
Hull ID: DMRRD496A989 Slip: C-17
9. 1974 Nauta-Line Craft
TN 3958 AW
Hull ID: N/A Slip: F-61
10. 1981 Glastron Sailboat TN 3449 AK
Hull ID: CEC23488M79E Slip: H-61
11. 1972 Sailboat TN 8365 DR
Hull ID: ERY27217M74A Slip: H-119
12. Sailboat TN 9546 BF
Hull ID: HUNB02091783 Slip: J-1
13. 1993 Stardust TN 2512 DF
Hull ID: N/A Slip: J-29
www.sos-seniors.com (615) 767-2273
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