May 2, 2024

Tennessee legislature passes bill to arm teachers

BY NICOLLE S. PRAINO

Legislators are leaving the state Capitol Thursday after the 113th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned for the final time in 2024.

The beginning of the session was marked by discussions regarding Gov. Bill Lee’s plan for school vouchers, called the Education Freedom Scholarship Program in

the budget. Ultimately the governor took a major loss, with legislators in the House and Senate — both controlled by Lee’s fellow Republicans — unable to

KELSEY BEYELER

A bill that will allow certain public school staff members to carry firearms is heading to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk.

On Tuesday, the House passed HB1202 while several gun safety advocates looked on from the gallery. While the spectators remained quiet after warnings from House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), they erupted after the bill passed, chanting phrases including “blood on your hands.” The gallery was cleared and protests continued outside the House chamber.

The Senate passed the bill earlier this month amid a similar scene. Students and parents have protested the bill as it moved between chambers.

The legislation will allow school staff who have completed certain requirements to carry concealed handguns on school grounds (though parents would not necessarily be able to know which staff members are armed). Requirements include annual training on school policing, a background check and certification from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

House Democrats opposed the bill and unsuccessfully attempted to introduce several amendments addressing liability, how guns in schools should be stored and which counties can opt in. Democrats pointed to potential problems that could arise as a result of the legislation.

“How is law enforcement going to feel safe going into a school knowing there are guns?” said Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville). “It’s going to delay responses. It is going to put law enforcement in danger. How are we going to know who is the

Protesters stage a ‘die-in’ inside of the state Capitol on April 23.

Protesters unveil a banner that reads ‘This is not over see you at the polls’ during the final day of the 2024 legislative session. PHOTOS BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

District 61 state Rep. candidtate Claire Jones yells at state Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) following a House vote passing a bill allowing teachers to carry guns.

A protester holds a Pride flag on Feb. 26.

Legislature wraps

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

agree on several key parts of the legislation. Neither chamber’s version ever made it out of committee.

In a press conference after the end of session, Republicans touted their criminal justice reforms and the passing of Lee’s franchise tax cut as the highlight of the session.

But during the final days of the session, members of both the House and Senate had to meet in a conference committee to resolve their differences over the franchise tax legislation. After much back and forth, they were able to come to an agreement — though it wasn’t exactly what the governor pitched. Businesses will be able to request a refund for the previous three years if they had previously submitted taxes based on the property provision. But there will be some transparency as business’s names will be released in categories based on how much they received.

The session’s four short months — which felt much longer to some observers — were marked by ongoing tension, as protesters and advocates were a frequent presence at

the Capitol. The Republican supermajority also continued to wield its power over Democrats. As the session drew to a close this week, Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) was called to order three times, meaning under House rules he was not allowed to speak for the rest of the day and the next. Republicans called for the three Rule 19 votes because he recorded video from the floor, which is against House policy. This was despite the fact that, as noted by Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville), Rep. Jerome Moon (R-Maryville) was also recording. No action was taken against Moon.

Gun safety advocates were removed from the House gallery late in the session for erupting into chants after lawmakers passed a bill that would allow some teachers to carry guns in schools. Protesters were also removed from the Senate chamber during a prior session on the same bill. Lawmakers passed a recognition of the one-year anniversary of the Covenant School shooting, but several pieces of gun control legislation offered by Democrats stalled in committee, never making their way to floor votes. During discussion this week of a bill aiming to criminalize “abortion trafficking” — which ultimately passed — Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) called the legislation’s sponsor Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) “smug” and was called to order.

In March, Behn partnered with Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) on a bill that would have moved sexual harassment proceedings within the legislature to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. While it had bipartisan sponsors, the bill didn’t even get the chance to be heard in a committee — colleagues reportedly told Warner that was partly because Behn was a co-sponsor.

Also this week, several bills sponsored by Democrats were rolled to the end of the day’s calendar, prompting Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) to speak up.

“I rise because I’m starting to see an alarming pattern here developing on the House floor,” Clemmons said. “I will ask for this pattern of conduct to stop.”

There was also some strain for the Nashville legislative delegation during the session — not just because of their status as members of the Democratic superminority. The city’s representation started the session

Legislature arms teachers

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

assailant and who is the teacher with a gun?”

In defense of the bill, Republicans noted that, in order for school staff to carry weapons, they would need permission from their director of schools, principal and law enforcement chief. House sponsor Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) also pointed to the fact that a similar law passed in 2016 that allows schools in distressed counties to have handgun policies. This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

in an uphill battle against state control after several bills passed last session that would have preempted Metro’s authority — on the airport and sports boards and even the number of Metro Council seats. Metro largely won out in court against the state legislation.

This year, the General Assembly took a stance against Tennessee State University, passing a bill to vacate the historically Black university’s board. Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville), a TSU graduate, and other Democrats attempted to find a middle ground by suggesting amendments to vacate only some of the board’s eight seats. However, none was considered and Republicans moved the bill along. Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation the same day it passed, appointing a new board as Love and others noted TSU’s historic underfunding.

A bill to create an authority over

Nashville’s East Bank development was held up after Republicans sent it back to committee, though it ultimately passed the House on the final day of session, having passed the Senate earlier in the week. Originally, Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) sponsored the legislation in the Senate, but she removed herself due to “rumors about the controlling party’s intent.”

“Whether it’s political exclusion or hurt feelings or both, I don’t know what the truth is, but I know my integrity is not worth these political theatrics and power plays — especially for legislation that lacks input from the residents I represent in the Senate,” Oliver said at the time, adding that she felt she had not been included on discussions about the language from the beginning.

Democratic leaders from the state Senate and House of Representatives

a press conference on April 25, 2024, at the conclusion of this year’s legislative

State Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and state Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville) at an immigration rally on March 20, 2024.

PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds leaves a committee meeting in the Cordell Hull State Office Building in March 2024.

PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

speak at

session

PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Arts Commission appoints interim executive director

Paulette Coleman named to position as status of Director Daniel Singh remains up in the air

BY CONNOR DARYANI, NASHVILLE BANNER

This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and The News. The Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization focused on civic news. Visit nashvillebanner.com for more information.

The Metro Arts Commission voted Thursday to offer Paulette Colman the role of interim executive director.

The move came during a specially called meeting to discuss the search for an interim director and the employment of Metro Arts Director Daniel Singh, who has been out on FMLA leave since Feb. 23 following a tumultuous grant distribution process over the past year. During a meeting on April 18, Singh was placed on paid administrative leave

On Thursday, multiple arts commissioners expressed Singh’s ultimate termination as a foregone conclusion, citing reports of poor leadership and an irreparable relationship with staff. Meanwhile, some advocates in the arts community have painted the move to fire Singh as a rejection of equity, with one Metro Arts staffer on Thursday speaking up to call Singh a “scapegoat.”

“I just wanted to clarify there’s been a lot of comments, one of them being that the relationship with Director Singh and staff is irreparable,” said Jesse Ross, the public art project coordinator at Metro Arts. “And I just want to say that it is irresponsible to say that. That does not represent my view and maybe [those of] many others.” Ross argued that Singh led the Metro Arts team through good equity work up until July, when the Metro Arts Commission voted on a grants funding scenario deemed the most equitable of the options provided. Following this vote, Metro Legal advised the commission to rescind the vote, citing concerns over its constitutionality. This move —and a subsequent revote in August on a formula that was considered

Arts Commission appoints

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

equitable — kicked off a spree of chaos that has yet to resolve.

“After July and after a huge conflict of interest and calls to the top … chaos ensued, and the harm started happening,” Ross said. “The threats, this and that, all these things and a lot of the new staff that has come on I feel for them. They did not get to experience Director Singh before, and if they had, I personally believe that they [would] have a different view.”

During the April 18 meeting, multiple Metro Arts staffers asked the commission to quickly find an interim, saying they were “hanging on by a thread,” and that they had been in a leadership vacuum since long before Singh went on leave. One person in attendance on Thursday testified that Singh has caused harm that is inexcusable.

“Please tell the truth,” said community activist and artist Simone Boyd during public comment. “And do not be afraid. If you all do not tell the truth, Director Singh will rewrite the narrative that this city was not committed to equity. So we need you to tell the truth about why Director Singh needs to go.”

The Tennessee Arts Commission bypassed Metro Arts for this year’s Arts Build Communities grants, and Boyd said this loss of grant funding along with a loss of funding for murals was caused by Singh’s ineptitude.

“If we don’t tell the truth, he will write the narrative he will be on to do his DEI work in the next city and harm more staff and more people,” said Boyd.

Outside of clarifying its motion from last week to make Singh’s paid administrative leave concurrent with his FMLA leave, the commission did not take any action on his employment. Despite this, throughout over an hour of discussion, it was made clear that multiple commissioners are ready to move on from Singh.

“My recommendation is we all know where this is going,” Commissioner John Nefflen said. “And I think we need to just go ahead and make the decision that we’re going to terminate him.”

At least one other commissioner, Tim Jester, shared that sentiment. During the April 18 meeting, Jester made a failed motion to terminate Singh and repeatedly has called other options “kicking the can down the road.” Commissioner Dawana Wade expressed that she didn’t understand the point of putting Singh on administrative leave if they were going to terminate him regardless. But others were not so ready to pull the trigger.

“I am uncomfortable making a decision about someone’s livelihood without hearing from them,” said Commission Chair Leah Love. “That’s just me. And I still may come down to the same decision. But procedurally I would just like to give someone that opportunity to do that.”

Metro Legal and outside counsel

specializing in FMLA cases both advised that Singh could not respond to the complaints and reports about him while on FMLA because that would be considered work. This is the third Metro Arts Commission meeting during which Singh’s employment has been discussed but substantive action has not been taken due to some commissioners wanting to hear from him.

In the meantime, the commission has moved forward with appointing an interim director. The commission had three options on Thursday: Mary Beth Harding, James Threalkill and Coleman. But as it turns out, one of the candidates did not even know she was a candidate.

“Unbeknownst to me, I am a third-choice candidate,” Harding told the Banner.

Harding is the executive director of the Community Education Commission. Without her knowledge, one of her former commission members emailed Arts Commissioners saying they thought Harding would be a strong candidate for the interim position. That person was unaware that Harding’s name would automatically be put in the hat, and Harding made one thing very clear to the Banner:

“I don’t want that job,” Harding said.

Most of Thursday’s conversation centered around Threalkill and Coleman, who clearly did know they were candidates. The commission ultimately chose Coleman, citing her past as chair of the Arts Commission who was instrumental in creating the Thrive program, which provides grants to independent artists. But the vote did not come without some parliamentary chaos.

Following a motion from Commissioner Beverly Watts to offer Coleman the job, four commissioners voted in favor of the motion, three commissioners voted against and two abstained. Love asked Metro Legal for clarification on what that meant due to the abstentions and they said the motion had failed.

The conversation continued on how to proceed, with commissioners who voted no or abstained suggesting that a more in-depth vetting process be conducted with the three candidates. But 10 minutes later, Metro Legal’s Macy Amos returned to the podium to clarify that the motion had, in fact, passed because of the two abstentions.

Metro HR will proceed with contacting Coleman to offer her the job. It is unclear how long she will hold that position due to the uncertainties surrounding Singh’s employment.

The next commission meeting is scheduled for May 16.

Pride flag ban dies in Senate, likely to be reintroduced next year

Brentwood

Republican

Gino

Bulso’s bill was included in the Tennessee Equality Project’s ‘2024 Slate of Hate’

BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

A bill aiming to ban Pride flags from public schools died on the Senate floor on Tuesday — but its prime sponsor, Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood), vowed to bring the legislation back to the Capitol in 2025.

House Bill 1605 passed in the House in February, but the Senate version earned just 13 ayes votes — four short of the 17 needed in order to pass. Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) sponsored the legislation in the upper chamber.

Bulso tells The News he found the bill’s defeat “disappointing,” adding, “I’m confident that we’ll be able to get it through next year.”

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), who voted against the bill, tells WKRN’s Chris O’Brien he’s “tired of giving money to the ACLU,” referencing a slew of lawsuits the state has faced after passing other antiLGBTQ legislation.

Bulso says if the bill were to pass, it would indeed likely be challenged in court, but that “the challenge will be unsuccessful.” He also told reporters Wednesday that the

legislation is “entirely Constitutional” and that Pride flags in schools are being used to “indoctrinate kids” and not present for any historical value.

Students, parents and educators have argued that the presence of Pride flags in schools communicates to vulnerable students that there are accepting and supportive teachers and staff who provide safe spaces for LGBTQ students.

Representatives of the Tennessee Equality Project, who earlier this year included the bill in its “2024 Slate of Hate,” have been advocating against the legislation, staging demonstrations at the Capitol.

“The Senate vote is a great result for the Bill of Rights and for the people of Tennessee who never really embraced these flag restrictions,” TEP says in a statement. “Advocates throughout the state worked hard for weeks against the bill. Their hard work paid off. We will continue to be watchful for the remainder of the session with renewed energy.”

Gino Bulso plays “Meet Baby Olivia” video during Franklin town hall on April 5. PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Birth control lessons omitted from sex education in Tennessee

BY HANNAH HERNER

A bill that would require an addition to the state’s “family life” curriculum in public schools has been sent to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. It requires students to watch a threeminute video and suggests one made by the anti-abortion group Live Action called “Baby Olivia.” The animated clip contains some inaccuracies about the timeline of the fetal development process.

Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood), who sponsored the bill, called it one of the most important pieces of legislation of the session, while the admission of what many advocates call anti-abortion propaganda into schools sparked outrage.

But Tennessee’s family life curriculum is far from comprehensive. A review of the materials used by Metro Nashville Public Schools done by The News sister publication the Nashville Scene showed education about aspects of birth control and emergency contraception exist, but are cut out.

According to the latest CDC data, Tennessee has the seventh-highest teen birth rate in the country.

Family life curriculum is required at some point in a student’s high school career. The Tennessee State Board of Education and the Tennessee Department of Education establish the academic standards in accordance with state law, while local education agencies (in this case, MNPS) adopt the curriculum — tasked with taking into account community values. Tennessee law was changed last year to require parents to opt in to the family life lessons; previously, they were required to opt out.

To comply with Tennessee law, the curriculum must be abstinence-based. The law states that curriculum must “emphatically promote only sexual risk avoidance through abstinence, regardless of a student’s current or prior sexual experience.” It does require medically accurate information, and must also include information about adoption, the challenges of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, as well as detection, intervention and prevention of child sexual abuse and human trafficking and preventing dating violence.

Within the criteria, Nashville students have education on all of the state requirements, along with the classic diagrams of penises and vaginas; there’s even a bit of discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation. But what is perhaps most notable about the curriculum at MNPS is what is cut out. Red text on the lesson plan states several commands, including: “Omit emergency contraception page of birth control fact sheet.”

Students review a series of birth control

by a health care provider. It urges that professional counseling and a trip to the doctor are beneficial, and notes: “The most important thing to remember about birth control is that it needs to be used correctly and consistently to work!”

Another omitted slide titled “Personal Questions” asks students to consider: “How easy will this method be for me to get? How easy will this method be to use? Does this method fit with my personal or family’s values?” A slide that asks students to write down all the benefits of abstinence they can think of in one minute, on the other hand, remains.

State law does not specifically ban teaching about contraception, but does ban it being distributed on school property. So it’s unclear why students cannot learn about emergency contraception or complete activities analyzing their birth control choices.

The state board of education punted the Scene’s question about why the slides are omitted to the local education agency (MNPS). MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted says the teacher who developed the scope and sequence of the curriculum has retired. But it is reviewed and updated each year also to comply with state laws.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

Summer is calling. It says book your trip already.

Bills pass limiting minors from seeking abortion, trans care out of state

Behn

called out of order as House Democrats see amendments

‘trafficking’

BY HANNAH HERNER

legislation shot down

In the majority of cases, Tennesseans cannot receive an abortion in the state. In all cases, minors cannot receive genderaffirming care (that was banned last year).

This year, Republican legislators sought to put restrictions on minors who would travel out of state for such procedures by making it illegal for adults who are not their parents to take them. Two bills that passed the House this week and are on the way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for signing use the term “trafficking” in a new light.

Under SB1971/HB1895, a person can be charged with a class-A misdemeanor, which could result in a nearly one-year prison sentence, if she or he “recruits, harbors or transports” a minor who is not her or his child to obtain an abortion. It does allow minors to travel out of state with parents or with parental permission.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a similar law in Idaho from being enforced while a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality is underway, asserting

that the law violates the First Amendment right of free expression and the Fourth Amendment right to travel between states.

A slate of Democrats during the House floor session on Tuesday attempted to add amendments to the bill, which were ultimately voted down. Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) sought to protect discussions about having access to out-of-state abortion resources “so long as that person is not forcing the minor to obtain an abortion against their will.”

Under that amendment, Behn also sought to protect conversations between patients and managers of abortion funds. When the bill passed the Senate in April, Behn led a demonstration with local abortion fund Abortion Care Tennessee, during which she shared information about out-of-state access. It is unclear if sharing such information will be limited under the soon-to-be law. Behn added two more amendments to make a point, calling it the “Tennessee forcing babies to have babies act,” and requiring

the state to provide basic needs including access to contraception, housing, healthy food, child care, and universal basic income. She ultimately was deemed out of order for disparaging Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville).

“This bill is a direct attack on me, on my family, on my friends, on my network, that supports Tennesseans who are pregnant and vulnerable and minors that need access to care to go across state lines and receive the necessary care,” she said.

Then she directed a comment at Zachary, the sponsor of the bill.

“Is this a joke? Is this funny to you? Seriously. It’s not funny. Every time you’ve presented this bill you’ve been smug. And I don’t appreciate it.”

Zachary apologized and said House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) asked if he wanted a drink of water out of a container he already drank out of, and that is why he laughed.

For the second time this year, Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) sought to add exceptions in cases of rape and incest involving minors under 13 years old, pointing out that parents are not always trusted adults and can be perpetrators of abuse. Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) tried to add exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies, the subject of legislation that was promised but not brought by Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) earlier this session. Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville) sought to clarify that abortions do not include the use of contraceptives and fertility treatment. Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) sought to create an exception for survivors of rape and incest.

to

Zachary said the bill is about parental rights, and is concerned for the pregnant child as well as the “child that is in utero.”

Publicly anti-abortion, Zachary asserted that since Roe v. Wade was overturned and, consequently, Tennessee’s ban on abortion went into effect, “17,000 babies have been saved”

On Wednesday, Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville) brought a bill to the House floor that uses the same terminology as the abortion trafficking bill, providing a path for parents to bring civil action against anyone who “recruits, harbors or transports” a minor out of state for gender-affirming health care.

Richey echoed Zachary’s sentiments on parental rights while Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) asked, “Isn’t kidnapping already a crime?”

“This idea that someone is kidnapping folks’ children for them to get the care that they need if they are transgender or queer is insane and it is not happening,” Pearson said. “I think these penalties send a signal against people who are LGBTQ+.”

Behn took a different approach on Wednesday, asking if Richey considered himself a constitutionalist (he said he “loves the Constitution”), and pointing out that the law could be considered counter to the Fourth Amendment protecting interstate commerce. She predicts the legislation will be challenged in court, like the abortion trafficking law in Idaho last year.

“Aren’t you all tired of giving money to the ACLU with all of these lawsuits?” she asked.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

State Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) speaks against HB2310 on the House floor on April 24.

PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

TikTok users voice concern with app’s future in limbo

New federal legislation requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell a majority stake of the platform or shut it down in the U.S.

BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

With the future of TikTok up in the air, some Tennesseans are voicing concerns about the state of their small businesses and social media influence.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan foreign aid bill that provides $95 billion in military aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. The bill also includes a provision that requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell a majority stake of the platform to an American company by January 2025 or be banned in the United States, citing national security concerns.

ByteDance has threatened to sue the federal government, and Al Jazeera reports that the company would rather see the platform end U.S. service than sell TikTok. Tennessee’s senior U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has been a vocal critic of TikTok and the company’s plans to open a Nashville office. Even so, she and fellow Sen. Bill Hagerty voted against the bill, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate before Biden signed it into law. On Wednesday, when asked by The News to address the concerns from small businesses related to a potential ban or forced sale of the app, Blackburn avoided directly addressing the concerns of business owners. She instead redirected to privacy and national security concerns related to “the Chinese Communist Party” and American users’ data being “held in Beijing.”

Around 170 million Americans use the free video-sharing app, including Brentwood podcaster Jennifer Vickery Smith. Smith’s Got It From My Momma podcast launched in fall 2022 and has featured interviews with the mothers of entertainers and other celebrities, including country musician Kelsea Ballerini and Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Smith posts interview clips on social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook in hopes of leading viewers to her full podcast interviews. She began using TikTok to promote her podcast in spring 2023.

“TikTok is one of the easiest ways to grow a social media presence,” Smith told the The News. “Being someone who hosts a podcast talking to moms, I just didn’t really think that was my audience, but the more I looked into it, I realized, ‘Wow, so many people are on TikTok, and that is the way that a lot of people discover new things.’ It’s not just for the silly dances and lip-synching.”

“I was very shocked at how quickly we started seeing growth on TikTok, as

opposed to the other platforms,” Smith said. As of this writing, her podcast has just over 3,000 followers on Instagram and 19,000 on TikTok.

Smith says she would be “disappointed” to see TikTok shut down, not only since it’s been a boost to her business, but also as a creative platform that’s connected her to people, especially young people.

For other online creators like Katie Wolf — a book editor and book coach who recently moved from Nashville to South Carolina — TikTok is an even bigger piece of their business. Wolf started using TikTok during the pandemic, posting videos about the writing process. At the time, she was working as a freelance editor. Wolf has since taken her editing and coaching job full time, and she credits the app for bringing in about 80 percent of her business traffic.

“I got my first client from TikTok probably two months after I started making videos there, and that was a huge part of what led to me being able to quit my day job and take this business full time,” Wolf said.

“If TikTok hadn’t come around, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to go full time, and I honestly don’t know if I ever would have,” she said. “It gave me that confidence to be able to take that leap and transition into doing this full time, and I definitely would not have had that without Tiktok.”

Now that the app’s future is in limbo, some creators are questioning and adapting their growth strategies. Some say they’re diversifying their presence on other social media platforms and email lists, and encouraging their audiences to connect with them in ways beyond TikTok.

“I’ve even had the sense myself, even the last few days of, ‘Should I even be creating content on TikTok?’” Wolf said. “‘Should I even bother focusing my efforts on a platform where I’m not sure if it’s going to be around this time next year?’”

Some creators like Wolf, who says she contacted her senators in South Carolina, have also expressed frustration over what the federal government is and isn’t prioritizing.

“I think I’m honestly still kind of wrestling with it,” Wolf said. “Thinking about if TikTok does get banned, I think I’m gonna have to do a bit of soul-searching and think about what my priorities should be, how I’ll go about them and what the future of my business looks like.”

INVITATION TO BID

CITY OF BELLE MEADE STREET RESURFACING IMPROVEMENTS

The City of Belle Meade will accept sealed bids for the 2024 street resurfacing improvements project for various locations. Please contact Nathan McVay, Public Works Director at 615-297-6041 or nmcvay@citybellemeade.org for questions or information.

Bids will be received at Belle Meade City Hall, 4705 Harding Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37205 until 9:00 AM, CST, on Friday, May 10, 2024, at which time said bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Specifications and plans will be available at Belle Meade City Hall by Thursday, April 25, 2024 or online at https://citybellemeade.org/finance/. The City reserves the right to waive informalities and to reject any and all bids.

City of Belle Meade Jennifer Moody, City Manager (615) 297-6041

OPINION

Lee and company fumble the voucher ball on the

1-yard line

BY BILL FREEMAN

“Dead in the water.” “Chances look increasingly grim.” “Less than optimistic.” “On the ropes.” “Stuck in neutral — if not dead.” “Defeat.”

The local news reports that contain the above quotes about Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program have all focused on one thing: the fate of the school voucher program that has been the capstone of Lee’s governmental platform. The Tennessean, the Nashville Scene, Tennessee Lookout and WPLN News are the authors of the above quotes, but they all point to the same issue:

Lee has been unable to get this ball across the finish line.

What struck me most about this issue was not that the school voucher program was stuck in neutral. It was the fact that our second-term GOP governor, with his GOP supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly, our two GOP U.S. senators, a GOP-led congressional delegation and the entire fleet of far-right super PACs have been unable to get Lee’s pet legislation passed. It should have been a slam-dunk in such a scenario. What does it say about

TICKED OFF!

MORE CONVENIENT LOCATION

Why when I pay so much in TAXES to Metro can’t there be a convenient location on the west side of Nashville for us to renew Tn. Driver’s Licensees? The first time I had to go to Antioch and the last was an AWFUL EXPERIENCE and I vowed NEVER to go back. As I planned to go to Franklin this

time it was closed for renovations.

Just because the 2nd Mall built in Antioch failed, the idea was I’d go shopping there and drop some of my money, no way. My having to travel from Green Hills did not please me. So this time I went to Dickson, this is ridiculous! Who makes these decisions? Just like the Bus Stop Waiting

our governor that he was unable to get this legislation through both chambers during his second term in office? He has been championing the belief that siphoning public tax dollars away from public schools would benefit our schools ever since he first started on the campaign trail, but it has become quite clear that the general public and our elected officials are wary of this issue — preferring instead to endlessly debate without calling for a vote or even moving the legislation out of committee before the session came to an end last week.

Simply put, Lee backed the wrong horse in this race. With so many other necessary and challenging issues to address at the state level, why would Lee prioritize such a highly controversial, unproven and risky policy initiative like school vouchers? It doesn’t make sense. Why not work to improve existing public schools, adolescent mental health or community programs to support families and parents struggling to make ends meet? Does a family whose income is 500 percent higher than the income of a family at the federal poverty level honestly need $7,000 so their children can get a coupon for private school? That is what the legislation under debate had been offering.

What has happened to Lee’s plans to fight Tennessee’s opioid epidemic? What is the latest legislation to support rural Tennesseans? What happened to criminal justice reform? What about gun safety measures? Increase in availability and economic infrastructure to encourage trade schools and technical and vocational programs? We’ve heard precious little about these policy initiatives. It seems the noise of school vouchers has grown so loud that it has silenced progress on anything else.

Out of all the news stories and opinion pieces on school vouchers that have been published in recent days, I think The Tennessean’s David Plazas said it well in a

recent editorial: “Admit it: Tennessee Senate and House are at odds on school vouchers. It’s time to move on. If the Republican super majority in the Tennessee General Assembly cannot agree on the governor’s signature legislation, that spells trouble.” It certainly did spell trouble. Clearly it spells trouble for the fate of school vouchers. But does it also spell trouble for Lee’s future attempts to push through far-right partisan legislation? Let’s hope so.

Bill Freeman

Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and The News.

Area in Green Hills was built for all the spoiled kids waiting for a City Bus, this town Govt is so far behind what the citizens need it’s pathetic.

The comments in the Ticked Off column do not reflect the views of FW Publishing.

LOGAN BUTTS ASSOCIATE EDITOR

HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS NEWS REPORTER AND PHOTOJOURNALIST

NICOLLE S. PRAINO STAFF REPORTER

LISA BOLD PRODUCTION MANAGER

CHELON HASTY SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER

Gov. Bill Lee PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Legislators agree on conference committee report for franchise tax bill

BY NICOLLE S. PRAINO

The House and Senate have come to an agreement on their differences in the franchise tax legislation. There will be some transparency about what businesses are seeking refunds from the change to the franchise tax legislation.

House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) began the meeting Thursday morning by saying the House had agreed to concede to the Senate for a three-year period for businesses to be able to request a refund. In exchange, the Senate agreed to a transparency provision.

Gov. Bill Lee’s push to change the franchise tax law would remove the property tax portion of the law, which currently states businesses pay based on the greater of either their net worth or their property owned in the state. Businesses that paid on the property tax provision in the past three years would be eligible for the refund. The general assembly approved $1.5 billion in the budget for potential refunds. That’s because, Republicans say, it’s the right thing to do and it’s the business’ own money going back.

“We are not taking money from individual Tennessee taxpayers,” said Sen. Bo Watson (R-Hixson), chair of the Senate Finance Committee. “We are taking the money that these companies have paid into our tax system — which we believe to be an overpayment based on our review of the law — and are returning that money to them, as we should.”

The transparency part of the conference committee’s decision states that the names of businesses that requested refunds would be released in May 2025. The exact amount they receive will not be given but, instead, they will be placed in a category ranging from $0 to $750, $750 to $10,000, and $10,000 and up — as well as a category for pending refunds.

Democrats contend this will not yield

true transparency and have repeatedly called the refunds hand-outs. Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) said the categories were “laughable.” The minority party noted most of the $1.5 billion in the budget will likely go to larger companies for which refunds may end up in either the pending or the $10,000 and up categories, providing no real transparency regarding how much each company received.

“I refute any assertion that creating that pending category is a way for a business to avoid being disclosed,” Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said.

Lamberth stressed the move to reveal taxpayer information is unprecedented: “For this one instance, for this one moment in time, we are allowing that information to be out there.”

According to records from the Tennessee Department of Revenue first reported by The Tennessean, 86 businesses filed refund claims alleging a legal issue with the current law. And 24 of those paid on the property measure of the tax. The total amount for which the 24 would be eligible to receive is $15 million. The department determined 100,000 taxpayers would be eligible for the refund. However, the department also said 53 percent of the refund dollars would go to only about 19,000 companies that are located out of state.

“The majority of the dollars are going out of state,” Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) said. “We’re not giving any transparency about where those dollars are really going.”

The conference committee report passed a Senate vote 25-6, along party lines. Later in the House, the conference committee report passed by a vote of 68-20-8. Representatives who were present and did not vote were: Jody Barrett, Michele Carringer, Scott Cepicky, John Crawford, Johnny Garrett, Ronnie Glynn, Michael Hale and Justin Lafferty.

Public Notice City of Forest Hills Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget Revision & Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget

The City of Forest Hills, Tennessee, hereby provides certain financial information for the Fiscal Year 20222023 budget in accordance with the requirements of Tennessee Code Annotated Title 6, Chapter 56, Section 206. There will be a public hearing concerning the budget at City Hall on May 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM during the regularly scheduled meeting. City Hall is located at 6300 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN. All citizens are welcome to participate. The budget and all supporting data are public record and are available for public inspection by anyone on the City Website: www.cityofforesthills.com or at City Hall located at 6300 Hillsboro Pike. Questions, comments, and concerns should be directed to 615-372-8677. General Fund Revenues

Actual

Proposed

House Majority Leader William Lamberth PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

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State Republican, Democratic delegations set for national conventions Insiders, rookies and VIPs prepare trips to Chicago and Milwaukee for Biden, Trump nominations

BY ELI MOTYCKA

Tennessee’s Democratic and Republican delegations are now set ahead of national conventions this summer, where each party is expected to formally nominate presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Democrats locked in final personnel at an April 27 executive committee meeting. Republican delegates appeared on March’s Super Tuesday ballot and were approved by state leadership earlier this month.

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Davidson County Democrats include Mayor Freddie O’Connell, state Reps. Vincent Dixie and Harold Love (both of Nashville) and Metro Nashville Public Schools board member Freda Player. Saturday’s slate had previously been submitted to, and approved by, the Biden presidential campaign, making the party vote almost entirely procedural. Republican delegates include state Reps. Ron Gant (of Piperton) and Clay Doggett (of Pulaski), perennial candidate Michelle Foreman and Chad Blackburn, son of U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Party officials, donors and operatives help fill out the rest of both rosters, which distill the state’s political profile into a snapshot of a few dozen people. Each grouping often features outgoing standbys, like former Tennessee Democratic Party chair and fundraiser Chip Forrester, as well as young partisan enthusiasts, like Tennessee Young Republican Chair Stevie Giorno. Each party follows its own bureaucratic process to select and approve delegates. A major difference is Republicans’ decision to put names directly to voters on the primary ballot. Democrats decide most delegates via county-by-county caucusing. The nextbiggest category, at-large delegates, flows from national campaigns, who receive names from the state party, vet each candidate and return a preferred slate for state party approval. At the conventions — Milwaukee in July for Republicans, Chicago in August for Democrats — chosen members pack into arenas with delegates from every state to cast official nominating ballots that seal party nominees. Each party binds delegates to candidates before the convention, leaving little room for surprises. No major party has seen a contested convention, in which no candidate receives a clear majority, since Democrats advanced Hubert Humphrey at a bitter and violent 1968 meeting in Chicago. Several categories of delegates compose the Democrats’ 70-person team. The party assigns a delegate count to each congressional district proportional to that district’s share of

BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

the statewide Democratic vote — summing 41 total, chosen via an enumerated county selection process. Add in 14 at-large delegates drawn from party hopefuls and vetted by the Biden campaign, eight more “pledged party leader and elected official” (PLEO) delegates, and seven “automatic delegates,” who include party leadership and national figures like Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis. O’Connell joins the delegation as a PLEO alongside Memphis mayor Paul Young and Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. Additional guidelines encourage identity representation.

“There are goals for Black participation, Hispanic participation, AAPI participation, LGBTQ people, and youth, and the delegation must be balanced between men and women, within one person,” says Forrester, who was elected Saturday as an at-large member. “Once you come out of the district level, you have to look at the slots that you have to fill to ensure you meet the goals of our plan so that we’re seated as a delegation in Chicago.”

Forrester frequently coordinates fundraisers in Nashville for national Democrats and was recently tapped as a regional co-chair on Biden’s campaign fundraising committee. The delegate selection process, he says, includes lots of back-andforth between Biden’s political director Alana Mounce and the TNDP that offers a view into campaign priorities.

Former President Donal Trump speaking in Nashville in February 2024.

PHOTO

State Republican, Democratic delegations

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

“The campaign has certain objectives — one that was really obvious was a strong labor perspective,” says Forrester, who plans to step back from politics after November.

“Having Vonda McDaniel as an at-large delegate is a strong and obvious way to show that. They also want a strong showing of younger people. I had talked to Alana, the delegate tracker, months ago. It’s my last hurrah, and I’m on the Biden financial

committee, so they included me.”

Republicans endured a brief kerfuffle over party bona fides before advancing their own slate of candidates, which includes 19-year-old Belmont student Mya Conrad. She secured a spot in Milwaukee with 206,596 votes on the Super Tuesday ballot, enough to best Republican giants like U.S. Rep. John Rose and longtime conservative operative Rick Williams. She says she was inspired to get into

politics by her father, a retired Navy SEAL, and supports former President Donald Trump because of his positions on immigration, foreign policy and economic policy.

“In 2016, I was 12, sitting in front of the TV watching Fox News, being inspired by all of Trump’s ideas,” says Conrad, secretary of the Tennessee College Republicans. “I would just sit there — my parents didn’t tell me what to think — watching him do the

debates before anyone knew he was going to win. It was a very cool moment when he ended up winning in 2016. That’s when I was bitten by the political bug.”

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Scene.

Local school districts say ‘no’ to arming teachers after new law signed by governor

BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

School districts across Tennessee are responding to a new law that allows public school teachers to carry guns, with Williamson County Schools, Franklin Special School District and Metro Nashville Public Schools saying “no” to arming teachers.

The controversial law was signed by Gov. Bill Lee on Friday after weeks of protests from students, educators and parents at the state Capitol. On Saturday, dozens of protesters marched to the Governor’s Mansion.

“We have concluded that teachers and staff carrying handguns will not improve school safety on WCS campuses, so I will not authorize teachers or staff being armed at WCS schools,” WCS Superintendent Jason Golden said in a statement.

“The sheriff’s school resource officers (SROs) who are assigned to every WCS school are trained professionals and are a vital part of our comprehensive school safety plans.”

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Hughes issued his own statement in which he said that he respects Golden’s position and pledged to continue to prioritize school safety.

“Fortunately, in Williamson County, we are blessed to have a school resource officer in every public school,” Hughes said. “As sheriff, the safety of our teachers and students is paramount, and their safety will continue to be my priority. I will uphold the law as it is written, and I will continue to work collaboratively [with] our school superintendents and principals to this regard.”

FSSD Director of Schools David Snowden also signaled his opposition to the law.

“The school board and I do not see any scenario where this initiative would enhance our already robust safety and security measures,” Snowden said in a statement. “Additionally, we believe the risks associated with this legislation outweigh any perceived benefit for our schools.”

MNPS told The News sister publication Nashville Scene that they have “no intention” of changing their school safety policy in regard to the law.

“We have a strong relationship with the Metro Nashville Police Department and agree that it is safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement officers to carry weapons on campus,” an MNPS spokesperson said.

In 2022, The News, then known as the Williamson Home Page, was given exclusive access to an active shooter training scenario inside Nolensville High School.

As part of that story, we interviewed Williamson County Schools director of safety and security Michael Fletcher. When asked about the idea of potentially arming teachers, Fletcher said it would be “an inherently complex issue that would take an immense amount of time, money, training and policy to bring that to a place in which it was even remotely safe to do.”

“I think it’s easy to say, and it’s very difficult to do,” Fletcher said, adding then that he believed that such an action, following any legislation, should be a “community decision.”

Retiring District 65 state Rep. Sam Whitson (R-Franklin) was one of the few Republicans to vote against the bill, telling The News that he understood the support for the legislation in some rural communities that, unlike public schools in Williamson County, may not be able to consistently or completely fund SROs, adding that he thinks the law will see limited implementation across the state.

“I think there’s a lot of guardrails in it, but my real concern is if there’s a budget crunch, we may see schools dropping the SROs to save money and encouraging teachers to be armed,” Whitson said. “I vote for my district, and my district, I felt, had serious concerns about [the bill]. 90 percent of the emails and calls we got asked us to vote against it.”

Some right-wing organizations like the Williamson County chapter of Mom’s For Liberty and Tennessee Stands have expressed disappointment in the district’s positions on the law.

While the law will have no immediate change or impact in Williamson, Davidson

or numerous other Tennessee counties, that could one day change as the makeup of school boards evolve, especially since school board elections are now partisan.

“Alas, elections are forthcoming,” Tennessee Stands said in a statement. “It would be beneficial to hear a position statement from candidates running for school board on this issue. For those concerned about this issue and desiring a different outcome, the school board has the power to make a change. The superintendent works for them.”

WCS District 5 board member Jennifer Aprea, who is running for reelection this year as an independent, told The News that she is “relieved” that Williamson County will continue to rely on SROs and not move to arm teachers.

Aprea, who was not speaking on behalf of the entire school board, said that she is concerned that some future school board candidates could work to oust Golden, who she described as being “level-headed, calm

and logical,” which could pave the way for one day allowing armed teachers in WCS.

“It concerns me to think that our public schools could become like a political battleground,” Aprea said.

For some Williamson County community members, the schools have been just that, from debates and threats over Covid policies to attempts to ban Pride flags and lawsuits over “obscene” books.

Aprea said that she received more than 100 emails last week from constituents who said that they did not want to see armed teachers.

“It was compelling to see the number of parents that we don’t typically hear from writing in to say, please opt-out, this isn’t what’s best for our kids,” Aprea said, adding that she only received two emails from constituents in favor of the new law.

“I think it’s pretty clear just watching how things went down in this [legislative] session that parents aren’t really in favor of this type of legislation.”

Protesters chant in the state Capitol on April 23, 2024.

PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Nashville Fire welcomes new accelerant-detection K-9s

BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

Nashville Fire Department accelerant-detection K-9 Herman and his handler fire investigator John Torzilli (foreground) and fellow K-9 Shanti and fire investigator Miguel Garcia take part in a training demonstration at the Metro Fire Training Academy on April 17, 2024. PHOTO BY HAMILTON MATTHEW MASTERS

The Nashville Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office recently welcomed two new accelerant-detection K-9s to their ranks.

Shanti, a 1-year-old Goldador, and Herman, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador, and their respective handlers, fire investigator Miguel Garcia and fire investigator John Torzilli, completed a four-week, 200-hour training program with Maine Specialty Dogs at the New Hampshire State Fire Academy.

Torzilli joined NFD in 2019 and has previous experience as a handler for cadaver dogs for a federal agency.

The self-described “animal lover (especially dogs)” told The News that handlers and their K-9 partners are constantly training and working to get to know each other, with the K-9s certified to locate up to 60 different ignitable liquids.

“With us being here in Nashville, for our training aids, we try to grab what products are here, because that’s what we’re going to

SPORTS

do our investigation on if there’s a fire here. So we go to Home Depot, we go to some of the construction sites — these blocks, they came from a construction site,” Torzilli said, motioning to a row of cinder blocks set up for a training demonstration.

“So we know the materials here, so they should aid them when it comes to an actual investigation.”

NFD has been using dogs in fire investigations for several years. Funding for the dogs was made possible through the State Farm Arson Dog Program.

The program began in 1993 and has funded the purchase and training of more than 435 K-9 and handler teams across the United States and Canada.

Mid-state’s best track and field athletes compete at Great Eight Invite

BY LOGAN BUTTS

The top track and field athletes from Middle Tennessee gathered at the annual Great Eight Invitational at Franklin Road Academy on Thursday night.

The top eight competitors across each TSSAA-sanctioned track and field event, regardless of classification, are invited to compete against each other at the yearly event.

Winners from Davidson and Williamson County can be viewed below. To see the full results, visit tn.milesplit.com/meets/610246great-eight-invitational-2024/results.

BOYS 100 METER DASH

Kolbe Harmon, Brentwood Academy, 10.69 seconds

BOYS 200 METER DASH

Ryan Jones, Father Ryan, 21.20 seconds

BOYS 400 METER DASH

Ryan Jones, Father Ryan, 48.07 seconds

BOYS 800 METER RUN

Ryder Ortner, Father Ryan, 1:53.72

BOYS 1600 METER RUN

Carter Johnson, Brentwood Academy, 4:13.28

BOYS 3200 METER RUN

Callahan Fielder, Brentwood, 9:23.21

BOYS 110 METER HURDLES

Cameron High, Brentwood, 14.42

BOYS 4X100 METER RELAY

Franklin Road Academy ‘A’ 41.32

1) Frankfather, Griffin

2) Richardson, Kayden

3) Brown, Boyd 4) Wilson, Jonathan

BOYS 4X400 METER RELAY

Brentwood ‘A’ 3:16.44

1) Allain, Hudson

2) White, Jackson

3) High, Cameron

4) Bonner, Sam

BOYS HIGH JUMP

Donovan Starr, Ravenwood 6-04.00

BOYS POLE VAULT

Jack Perry, Montgomery Bell Academy, 16-00.00

BOYS LONG JUMP

Sterling Weldon, Nolensville, 23-03.00

BOYS TRIPLE JUMP

Sterling Weldon, Nolensville, 47-04.00

BOYS SHOT PUT

Mekaih Collins, Father Ryan, 53-08.00

GIRLS 100 METER DASH

Kymora-Lee Williams, Overton, 11.90

GIRLS 200 METER DASH

Alima Kassim, USN, 24.52

GIRLS 400 METER DASH

Chyna Harris-Rucker, Pearl Cohn 56.08

GIRLS 800 METER RUN

Claire Stegall, Nolensville, 2:05.51

GIRLS 1600 METER RUN

Claire Stegall, Nolensville, 4:35.36

GIRLS 100 METER HURDLES

Sarah Reynolds, Harpeth Hall, 14.69

GIRLS 300 METER HURDLES

Abby Miller, Brentwood, 43.32

GIRLS 4X400 METER RELAY

1 Brentwood High School ‘A’ 3:57.43 1) Miller, Abby 2) Yount, Sophie 3) Banovac, Lia 4) Haws, Rachel

GIRLS HIGH JUMP

Daisy Oatsvall, Brentwood, 5-04.00

GIRLS LONG JUMP

Caroline Perri, Father Ryan, 19-02.25

GIRLS SHOT PUT

Carolyn McRee, Maplewood, 40-05.00

GIRLS DISCUS THROW LaNaya Roberts, MLK, 126-06

Titans take linemen with first two selections

Three local alums taken in top 70 picks

BY JOHN GLENNON AND LOGAN BUTTS

The Titans addressed their most glaring need in a big way on Thursday, selecting Alabama tackle JC Latham with the seventh overall pick of the NFL Draft’s first round.

In Latham, the Titans selected a player who should provide a huge boost to what was a shaky offensive line last season. Tennessee gave up 64 sacks in 2023, the fifth-most in the NFL.

Titans GM Ran Carthon said the 6-6, 342-pound Latham, who played right tackle at Alabama, will move to left tackle for the Titans. He’ll line up next to last year’s firstround draft pick, guard Peter Skoronski.

Latham played 1,753 snaps over three seasons at right tackle for the Crimson Tide, 135 at right guard and zero at left tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He last played left tackle in high school.

“There’s a precedent [for prospects moving from right to left tackle],” Titans coach Brian Callahan said. “Guys have played right and played left and made the switch. It’s not super uncommon. It’s happened before. So you’ve got a comfort level with the player and the athlete and what he’s capable of.

“If he doesn’t feel comfortable there or doesn’t look right, look natural, move him back to right. Like I said the other day, you need tackles, period. So it doesn’t really affect us one way or the other which tackle he plays. He’s just a really strong, powerful, big, athletic human. There’s not a lot of guys that look like him on Earth. We like that.”

Latham was ranked the No. 3 tackle prospect by The Athletic (and 13th-best prospect overall) and the No. 5 tackle prospect by Pro Football Focus (18th-best overall).

The scouting report on Latham is that he’s a tremendous athlete, especially for his size. He is extremely strong, has quick

feet and is a good mover in the run game. Latham isn’t considered quite as skilled a pass protector at this stage of his career, but the big man will soon be getting guidance from offensive line coach Bill Callahan, one of the best in the business.

Over three seasons at Alabama, Latham allowed two sacks, six quarterback hits and 22 quarterback hurries in 1,016 passblocking snaps, per PFF. In 2023, Latham allowed two sacks, three quarterback hits and nine hurries in 443 pass-blocking snaps.

The Titans selected Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat with the 38th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday evening.

The pick came just six spots into round two, which was earlier than most experts pegged Sweat to be selected in their pre-draft projections. The Athletic had Sweat ranked as the 129th overall prospect and the 10thrated defensive tackle, while Pro Football Focus listed Sweat 122nd overall and eighth among interior defenders.

But the pick, based on Sweat’s talent, is not considered a reach by most experts. The 6-foot4, 366-pound Sweat compiled 45 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, four passes defensed, and a blocked kick while fighting through constant double-teams. He also caught a touchdown in Texas’ Big 12 championship game win over Oklahoma State.

The impressive campaign earned Sweat unanimous All-American and All-Big 12 honors and led to him being named the 2023 Outland Trophy winner and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Sweat dropped down a number of draft boards for a pair of non-production reasons: concerns over his playing weight and complications stemming from a DWI arrest earlier this month.

On April 7, Sweat was arrested at 4:41

a.m. in Travis County, Texas, for driving while intoxicated, which is a Class B misdemeanor charge. Austin police were called to the site of a crash between an SUV and a sedan, and Sweat was the driver of the SUV. He was later released from jail after posting bond.

Titans general manager Ran Carthon said the organization asked Sweat and his family some “tough questions” about the incident in the pre-draft interview process.

The Titans wrapped up their 2024 NFL Draft class with five selections Saturday, opting to bolster the defensive side of the ball with four of those picks.

Tennessee began the day by taking North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray in the fourth round, followed by Louisville cornerback Jarvis Brownlee in the fifth round, Tulane wide receiver Jah’Quan Jackson in the sixth round and both Miami linebacker James Williams and Michigan edge rusher Jaylen Harrell in the seventh round.

A Nashville-area high school alum was taken in each of the first three rounds of the draft, with two being former teammates at Ravenwood. Graham Barton was selected in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 26. A second-team All-American this past season at Duke, Barton will most likely be Tampa’s starting center as a rookie.

Fresh off of a national championship at Michigan, 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy winner and former Ravenwood linebacker Junior Colson was selected in the third round at pick 69 by the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are now coached by Jim Harbaugh, Colson’s coach at Michigan, who left for the NFL in the offseason. Colson was one of a draft-high 13 Wolverines who were selected.

Sandwiched in between the two former

Raptors was Cane Ridge alum Adonai Mitchell, who was taken in the second round at pick 52 by the Indianapolis Colts. Mitchell won back-to-back national championships at Georgia in 2021 and 2022 before finishing his career last season at Texas, which also made the four-team College Football Playoff.

In addition, Mitchell’s former teammate at Georgia, Lebanon alum Zion Logue, was drafted in the sixth round at pick 197 by the Atlanta Falcons.

It was a light NFL Draft for the college football programs at local universities. After having five players selected in the top 77 picks in 2023, just three Tennessee Vols were selected this year, with all coming on day three.

Running back Jaylen Wright was the first off the board, landing with the Miami Dolphins at pick 120 in the fourth round. Cannon-armed quarterback Joe Milton was one of two Vols taken in the sixth round, going to the New England Patriots at pick 193. Cornerback Kamal Hadden was then selected at pick 211 by the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. No Vanderbilt Commodores were selected for the third year in a row, but star punter Matthew Hayball did sign an undrafted free agent contract. The AllAmerican and Ray Guy award finalist is joining the New Orleans Saints.

Former Vanderbilt running back Ray Davis, who spent his final season at Kentucky, was scooped up by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round at pick 128. No players from Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State or Austin Peay have landed UDFA deals as of now, but several are in the mix for training camp invites.

Ravenwood alum Graham Barton PHOTO COURTESY OF DUKE ATHLETICS

JC Latham PHOTO COURTESY COLLEGE PRESS BOX

Demolition planned for former Hickory Hollow Mall site Anchor buildings will stay, but rest of former Global Mall to be torn down; master plan for site expected by late summer

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT, NASHVILLE BANNER

This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and The News. The Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization focused on civic news. Visit nashvillebanner.com for more information.

Metro is planning its first significant work at the Global Mall at the Crossings since purchasing it for $44 million.

The city has decided to demolish the mall — leaving the four anchor buildings standing — partly due to water damage, Metro Chief Development Officer Bob

Mendes told the Banner.

When then-Mayor John Cooper announced plans to buy the mall and lease part of it to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the main structure of the facility could have been used to house the medical offices. But VUMC ultimately backed out — in part because of negotiations over the roof — and plans for the site since then have not included use of the main structure, Mendes said.

“Every version of a master plan or vision for the mall involves the interior being

gone, and it is in poor condition right now,” Mendes said. “The four anchor buildings are completely fine, but the interior portion has water intrusion that is significant and appears to be deteriorating. … Since the interior needs to come down at some point anyway, we’re going ahead and looking at what the pricing and timing would be to demolish the interior.”

Mendes opposed the acquisition when he was a member of the Metro Council, in part because he said the deal was “loaded with unknown cost.” Now, some of those costs are becoming apparent. Around $4.5 million secured in a past capital spending plan should be more than enough to pay for the demolition, Mendes said, and the administration is planning to increase the Global Mall line item on the capital improvements budget from $40 million to $75 million. (Funding for projects in the CIB must be allocated separately, so including the line item does not mean the city will spend that money on the mall next year.)

A master plan for the mall site is currently being developed, and Mendes said it should be presented to the Planning Commission by the end of the summer.

Metro Councilmember Joy Styles, whose District 32 includes the mall, told the Banner this week that she is fine with the demolition because it’s “what we were going to do anyway.”

She said she supports the general framework unveiled in August, including child care, housing for artists, park space and other amenities. Earlier this month, she told

WKRN she was “utterly livid” at the prospect of moving a public health clinic to the property. Speaking with the Banner in March, she shut down any discussion of affordable housing at the Metro-owned property.

“I don’t want to hear about what the whole city wants for my district,” Styles said in March. “I want to know what my community wants for our district.”

But the O’Connell administration views the project differently.

“Hopefully there’s agreement that, after the city has invested $45 million so far on a 70-acre mall, it’s clearly an asset for the city,” Mendes said this week. “It will need to work for the southeast part of the county, but it’s clearly an asset for the whole county.”

Mayor Freddie O’Connell picked the property’s library and community center as the site of his transit referendum announcement last week, and a WeGo transit hub will also one day help anchor the property. The goal, Mendes said, is for “private development partners to pay for as much of [the infrastructure costs] as possible, like we’ve done on the East Bank, but we need the CIB to reflect a more realistic value of the infrastructure needs at the mall.”

Styles responded that she is “looking forward to holding the administration accountable to the community plan that has already been presented and figuring out if there are additional needs and wants that can be supported.”

Lipscomb to offer initiative related to film, TV industry STAFF REPORTS

Lipscomb University announced Monday a certificate program focused on the entertainment industry — and targeting students interested in careers in film and television.

According to a release, the Entertainment, Design & Creative Enterprise Stackable Graduate Certificates Program is the first of its kind in Tennessee and one of the few in the nation. The program will be administered via the Lipscomb University George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts, led by dean Mike Fernandez. Classes begin in August.

The release notes the program offers a “selection of specialized credentials” that help professionals build their artistic repertoire and grow their industry network through

certificates in screenwriting, television writing, animation foundations and 2D advanced animation.

In addition, the certificate programs allow students to gain expertise in components that are less robust than a full master’s degree but nonetheless can provide a pathway to a full graduate degree if desired. Courses are offered in an online format, making the program fully accessible regardless of student location. Courses blend video content and assignments with a synchronous course that meets online each week for three hours, allowing for feedback from professors and additional instruction.

The program will offer students opportunities to engage with industry leaders through guest lectures, workshops, travel

study and networking events, with each certificate presented so as to be completed in as few as nine months. Future certificate programs planned will include arts industry business, music, fashion and design.

Students may complete one certificate at a time in a specific area of interest then combine certificates for a custom Master of Fine Arts degree in entertainment, design and creative enterprise.

Lipscomb Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts faculty members include, among others, former Disney animator Tony Bancroft and Mike Nawrocki, the co-creator (with Phil Vischer) of CGI-animated children’s series and franchise VeggieTales (for which Nawrocki provides the voice of Larry the Cucumber).

“The program’s online format, coupled with travel courses, ensures that students can benefit from a flexible learning environment while still having opportunities for collaboration and networking with professionals in the industry,” Melissa Forte, associate professor and chair of the Lipscomb University Department of Cinematic Arts, said in the release.

The Tennessee Entertainment Commission reports that the entertainment sector contributes $6.2 billion to the Tennessee economy. The state ranks No. 1 in the nation for total workforce size related specifically to the music industry. This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

The former Global Mall and Hickory Hollow Mall PHOTO BY MARTIN B. CHERRY

Oracle to eventually make Nashville its global HQ Austin company’s chair says move to be partly driven by Music City’s health care sector

BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS

Oracle Corp. is eyeing Nashville as its next international headquarters.

Nashville Business Journal reports

Oracle Chairman and co-founder Larry Ellison noted during a local health care

industry meeting the Austin-based computer technology giant eventually wants to make Music City — already with a major Eastern U.S. presence for Oracle — its main home.

Details about the move — a date, what

will become of the Austin campus, how the effort might accelerate Oracle’s developing its River North raw land, etc. — are unclear.

Ellison co-founded Oracle in 1977, with the company having been headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., until it relocated to Austin in 2020.

In 2022, Oracle acquired health care technology company Cerner Corp. for $28.3 billion, with the purchase providing some context, NBJ reports, regarding why Ellison and the company eventually envision Nashville as the global headquarters.

Ellison’s disclosure at the meeting comes after Oracle in December 2022 paid $23 million for a segment of the River North property planned for the local campus. The acquisition (the company’s most recent) of that 1.6-acre property came about 18 months after Oracle paid more than $253 million in 13 separate transactions for the bulk of the River North property needed for what was then to have been be a regional campus (and, eventually, an international HQ). The 2021 transaction seemingly was the largest real estate deal in Davidson County history at the time.

Also in 2021, the State Funding Board approved a $63 million grant for Oracle, with the funds to counter some of the construction and land purchase expenses the company will incur while undertaking its future River North campus on the Cumberland River’s East Bank.

Oracle currently leases space in the Radius office building in Capitol View as a preliminary move until it establishes the River North presence.

Oracle seeks to create about 8,500 local jobs by 2031 via the $1.35 billion development of the approximately 70 acres it owns at River North.

Oracle was home to about 722 Nashville employees at 2023’s end, NBJ reports citing state records.

Online source companiesmarketcap. com ranks Oracle as the world’s 29th largest public company, with a market capitalization of about $315.15 billion.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.

Rendering of Oracle’s Nashville campus PHOTO COURTESY OF MRP REALTY

Tennessee Strawberry Tart

BY EDIBLE NASHVILLE

This is our favorite thing to do when we have a basket of fresh strawberries. You can use store-bought pie pastry, but this is the time to make it from scratch. You can also make it gluten free by using the gluten

ACROSS

1 Classic Camaro

free flour. Toss in other fresh berries such as raspberries, blackberries or blueberries, along with some sliced almonds. And by all means, get the good ice cream!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or Wheat and Almond Blend by White Lily)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, divided

1. Place butter, flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar in a food processor and pulse until mixture is just blended.

2. Add water and pulse until a dough ball forms. Flatten, wrap in plastic, and chill 30 minutes. Roll into a 15-inch rough circle. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Combine berries, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup turbinado sugar and toss to coat.

4 tablespoons ice water

2 cups rinsed, hulled, and halved small strawberries

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Pile strawberry filling in the middle of the circle and gently fold the edges up over the filling, leaving the center open. Sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake tart for about 40-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Be sure to line pan with parchment, foil or wax paper, as strawberry juice may leak out of the tart.

Follow Edible Nashville on instagram @ediblenashtn and their website ediblenashville.com.

To subscribe to the magazine that comes out 6x/year, go to ediblenashville.com.

5 Unit equivalent to eight quar ts

9 *Closefitting

13 *Wiggler in a child’s mouth

14 “It seems to me …,” to a texter

15 ___ de gallo

16 Like someone in pointe shoes, perhaps

17 A bit green

19 With 36-Across, mnemonic device for turning 54-Across … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues

21 T that comes before a Y

22 Pioneering I.S.P

23 Imitation

27 Snare

30 Hot temper

31 Release following the GameCube

32 Happy as a clam

35 *”Don’t go anywhere!”

36 See 19-Across

39 *Like some paper and tea

41 Prevented from being published

42 Asian honorific

43 Honest ___

45 Place for some “me time”

49 “Blue” river of waltz

51 Knot

53 Stick used for breaking

54 Toolbox tools

58 Base jumper, e.g.

61 Characteristic sound of Yoko Ono?

62 Arab bigwig

63 Fork part

64 *Rhyming par tner of “Good night”

65 *Naval threats, according to an old saying

66 Rosebud in “Citizen Kane,” e.g.

67 Some 4x4s DOWN

1 ___ Islands (home to Corfu)

2 Hooch

3 “But then again …,” to a texter

4 Baker of jazz

5 Bean in refried beans

6 Contents of some folders

7 Pound, as a drink

8 Devoid of pork and shellfish, say

9 Neuters

10 Footballer’s uniform

11 Without it, that’s neat

12 Act like a bobblehead

13 Rich cake

18 Oh, to be in France!

20 Talk the ear off

24 Like some league games

25 Recyclable material

26 Veer quickly

28 Surf turf?

29 ET who once appeared on “Enter tainment Tonight”

30 “American ___”

33 Small fr y

34 Name found when reading between the lines?

35 Lamarr of old film

36 Reclined

37 Less green, maybe

38 ___ green

39 T imothy Leary’s study

40 New ___ (hat brand)

43 F irst four of a noted series

44 Soft caps

46 End of an act, maybe

47 Rids (of)

48 “Once a wolf, always a wolf” coiner

50 Program operators

51 It might be used while boxing

52 Did zippo

55 “Don’t be ___” (former Google motto)

56 “Casablanca” role

57 V, in electronics

58 Where Joe was bidin’ time?: Abbr

59 Chum, in Champagne

60 “Grip it and ___ it!” (golfer’s mantra)

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.

PUZZLE BY RICH KATZ

SERVICE & MAINTENANCE

WOODMONT BAPTIST CHURCH

Renewed’s Songs, Sips & Stories

BY BRENDA BATEY

PHOTOS BY BRENDA BATEY

Renewed’s 6th annual fundraising event, “Noted: Songs, Sips & Stories,” was held at Loveless Barn, and included a reception, dinner, a program of speakers, and a performance by some of Nashville’s talented singer-songwriters.

Renewed provides eating disorders support, including free professional and confidential referrals for anyone affected by an eating disorder, educational training for healthcare professionals, and a supportive community for those on the journey to wellness.

This year’s event featured guest speaker Caroline Cook, a writer and teacher who recently wrote and published a book, “Hungry: Celebrating Life After Overcoming an Eating Disorder.”

During the cocktail hour, everyone enjoyed passed appetizers, including blackberry bruschetta and balsamic drizzled fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and herbs. Dinner began with Strawberry Fields Salad, and the entrée was cornbread pecan stuffed fried chicken breast with onion cream

sauce, roasted garlic smashed skin potatoes, sauteed green beans, and Loveless’ renowned biscuits and homemade preserves.

Dessert was a cheesecake and brownie duo.

Everything was washed down with unsweet tea and sweet peach cobbler tea.

The performers were Caroline Dare, CJ Field, Autumn McEntire, and Chancie Neal.

Guests included: Susanne Arnett, Megan Barbee, Carissa Bartnick, Greg Bauman, Lisa Beckner, Bella Bottini, Leigh Ellen Bruce, Katherine and Chris Fowler, Kathy Gaston, Stephanie Gerber, Melissa Giovanni, Jessie Gladden, Kate Goodin, Staci Buford, Jenn Burnell, Laurel Card, Kayla Carson, Vanessa Walker, Robby Walton, Debbie Watts, Renata Wilson, Hannah Wise, Jim Sauter, Tom Scales, Brent Seebohm, Alisha Smith, Jeremy Sosnick, and Anna Stone.

For more information about Renewed, call 615-831-9838, email info@renewedsupport.org, or visit renewedsupport.org.

Caroline Cook, Tracey Levine, Sally Rose, and Lauren Sauter

Maria Sanin and Emilee Kuczera

Sammi Hise, Kiersen Hoffacker, and Becky Mehr

Suzan Jackson and Katy McEntire

Kayla Carson and Jenn Burnell

Sam Hamby, Summer Willingham, and Susanna Quasem

Jim Olin, Rachel Suarez, and Ovidio Bermudez

Alicia and Jimmie Covington

SOCIAL

Andrew and Lauren King, and Sarah and Ryan Torti

Hannah Wise and Debbie Watts

Melisa Giovanni, Rosie Nebel, Amber Lucchino, Megan Barbee, and Julie Mason

Julia Langner, Staci Buford, and Kathryn and Patrick Van Buren

Chris and Katherine Fowler, and Lauren and Andrew King

Mark and Dana Mappes

Caroline and Jared Shermer

Masha Sardari, Dana Sitor, Lauren Jackson, and Megan Chase

CASA Event at Kendra Scott

BY BRENDA BATEY

PHOTOS BY BRENDA BATEY

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) benefitted from an event held at Kendra Scott Nashville Hill Center, where guests shopped for some of the lovely jewelry with twenty percent of the purchases donated to the charity.

The function was part of several recent events to support CASA, including the Red Shoe Party and a gathering at The Fifth Avenue Club.

Guests enjoyed wine and croissants while they perused the store, and a beautiful floral arrangement of pink and red roses with white lilies decorated the premises.

CASA staff and volunteers speak for abused and neglected children in an overburdened child welfare system to help them find safe and permanent homes.

The organization’s mission is to train and support volunteers to advocate for children who have come to the attention of the Davidson County Juvenile Court.

Since 1984, CASA trained volunteer advocates speak exclusively for each child to give them the opportunity to thrive.

Studies show when CASA is involved, children are more likely to stay out of the welfare system, be successful academically in school, and remain in a stable and caring home.

Supporters include: Lisa Doyle, Cori Creed, Arie Nettles, Spencer Cummings, Nathan and Jennifer Weinberg, Brooke Ackerly, Brett Burrell, Seth and Kelsey Granada, Dontal Johnson, Shane Lantigua, Angie Lawless, Kim Looney, Jeremy Oliver, Steve Owen, Judith Presley, Tanaka Vercher, Milton White, Suzanne Harrison, Amy and Mark Montoney, Meg Rush, Trudy and Whit Clark, Lulu Elam, Ellen and Michael Levit, and Jane Andrews.

For more information, call 615-4252383, email casa@casanashville.org, or visit casanashville.org.

Sharon Sandahl, Frances Sandahl, and Ashley Henry, CASA Red Shoe event chairman

Patsy Harvey and Kathryn Moore

Kennedy Walling and Cassie Hyers

Craig and Liza Fulcher, and Kat Morris

Sierra Williams, Tori Ross, Morgan Barron, and Abby Uithoven

Five free and cheap family things to do in Middle Tennessee

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

This week is your reminder that Mother’s Day is coming up. A couple of these events offer the chance to pick something up for mom ahead of time — get something before event that includes resources for families with challenges. Go find that perfect gift at the Magnolia Market in Hendersonville. Celebrate the bond between mom and child

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:

FAMILY JAM SESSION

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum invites families to jam on the first Saturday of each month from 9:30-10:15 a.m.. The experience is designed for children 5 years old and younger and it encourages child development through moving, singing and listening. The session is lead by museum educators and Mr. Steve, the Music Man, who has been making music for kids for 20 years. The event is included in museum admission and is free to members.

FREE FAMILY SPRING FESTIVAL & RESOURCE FAIR

On May 4, the Regional Intervention Program at the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is hosting a free family festival. This spring daylong event will include games, free snacks and educational materials for families with

Magnolia Market on the first Saturday in May in Hendersonville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market includes accessories, baby essentials, beauty products, clothing, health products, home decor and more. There’ll be plenty of choices to pick from for Mother’s day, graduation or some new summer items.

MOM & ME

This Mother’s Day celebration is for moms and their children. At the Cool Springs Galleria on May 4 beginning at noon, the event includes small bites from California Pizza Kitchen, a friendship bracelet station, a braid and curl bar, a mini makeover station, kid’s DJ, games, face painting, balloons, a magician, photobooth and more.

CINCO DE MAYO FESTIVAL

Plaza Mariachi will celebrate with a Cinco de Mayo Festival on May 5 with live music, mariachis, folkloric dancers and more than 20 food vendors. The festival will be happening both inside and out with specialty margaritas along with all the normal magic

Plaza Mariachi PHOTO BY DANIEL MEIGS

THE GREEN HILLS APARTMENTS

is no longer just for retired teachers. All seniors 62 and older may apply with no fee. Efficiencies start at $500 which includes utilities.

One bedroom & studio apartments available starting at $625 per month. Must be 62 and older and live independently.

One bedroom & studio apartments available starting at $650 per month. Must be 62 and older and live independently.

615-297-7536

greenhillsapts@comcast.net

Care giver

I am super personal assistantHousehold / pet management, driver, security, business / legal consulting, problem solver. $50 / hr. Stellar References. (615) 292-7615

Cemetery lots

two Cemetery lots for sale at Woodlawn Cemetery near Chapel. Lots in area sell for $8,000. Will reduce each for $6,400 and will pay the transfer fee, $465. Please call Jody (615) 707-3254

in the Classifieds!

Silly Cat & Friends

as they use their imaginations for rhyming

Books Available From Most Online Booksellers

Crown Cleaning: Windows, Pressure Washing & more.

Small Job Specialist FIREPLACE REPAIR

“For those who want it right the first time!”

W.J. miller (615) 890-0533

Buy American

elderly Care Home imProvement

Laverne (615) 569-2829

upon

Ms. Batey (615) 578-8664

Care

Prayer

ON SALE

NOW 6-9 PM ONEC1TY FRIDAY, MAY 10

Grab your tickets and enjoy 12 margarita samples from the city’s best marg makers! Sip and shake the night away while DJs rock the park and you enjoy food trucks, salsa dancing, photo booth fun and more!

VIP TICKETS AVAILABLE

Upgrade to VIP tickets to receive all the benefits of general admission tickets PLUS:

VIP prices increase April 29!

• Expedited entry with dedicated VIP check-in line

• Access to the VIP lounge with additional seating, fans and free water

• Complimentary light bites from Pancho & Lefty’s Cantina

• Additional premium tastings from Don Julio Tequila

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

Calle Taco | Las Palmas | Chuy’s Barrel Proof | Holston House

Hotel Fraye | Mojo’s Tacos

Flamingo Cocktail Club | Condado

Laura’s Cocina | Makeshift

Taco Bamba | Ruby Sunshine

Pancho & Lefty’s Cantina | & MORE

NEVER DRINK ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!

ENJOY FOOD TRUCK FARE FROM: