Good morning, Nashville! It’s Friday, November 13.
☁️ Cloudy today. High: 50, Low: 31. High temps rebound to 60 around the middle of next week.
📍 New in Nashville’s Neighborhoods: a pilot project to protect pedestrians on Broadway, inside the new Nissan Stadium, a candy scam warning, fallout from the display of a Confederate flag, a new bagel shop, and your chance to own a piece of a well-known Nashville restaurant.
📰 Also in today’s newsletter: ending Nashville’s rape kit backlog and Dolly Parton’s final vocals (plus what a poll says about renaming the airport after her).
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Downtown (and nearby)
Protecting pedestrians on Broadway: NDOT said last year they can stop 60,000 pounds moving at 50 miles per hour — just watch this video. Installation of retractable bollards starts next Thursday “at the east side of the Broadway and Rep. John Lewis Way intersection,” the Nashville Downtown Partnership said. Construction, which includes a temporary closure of this section of Broadway, is expected to run through December 4. The pilot program will start with nine bollards “spaced evenly between the existing north and south curbline.” I first heard discussion of this pilot program after 14 people died when a terrorist drove into a New Year’s crowd in New Orleans in 2025. And since then, an 87-year-old man killed a pedestrian and injured three others after driving into them on Broadway. Police said he hit the car’s accelerator for an “unknown reason,” and he told investigators he had no memory of what happened. The driver was charged with four misdemeanors.
24/5 construction: Road work on Shelby Avenue at South Second Street will move to 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, starting on Monday, NDOT said. Crews are working to finish a “critical utility installation project.” South 2nd Street will be closed to all traffic except construction vehicles. On Korean Veterans Boulevard/Shelby Avenue, there will be two outbound lanes and one inbound lane. More details here.
Inside the new Nissan Stadium: Titans reporter Jim Wyatt shared this video of what the inside of the new stadium looks like. Titans staff expect to start moving into the stadium in January. More: how the stadium will use Amazon’s Just Walk Out Technology.
West Nashville
Candy scam: Police have noticed “an uptick in fraud reports where scammers are loitering in parking lots of high-volume shopping areas and telling victims they are selling candy to raise money,” according to a note shared by Metro Council member Sheri Weiner. How it works: the scammer convinces a victim to tap their debit or credit card to donate and “quickly changes the amount to be paid.” Here’s a WKRN report on a victim who lost $1,000.
Wedgewood-Houston
Confederate flag fallout: After a race car at the Fairgrounds Speedway showed a Confederate flag last Friday, the NAACP questioned why the car was allowed to race, Axios reported. Axios also got a copy of the NAACP’s letter to the Fairgrounds’ executive director and a response from the car’s owner. I reported yesterday that the race track’s leadership said it was implementing changes to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Christmas Village: It opens today at the Nashville Fairgrounds. The Christmas Village has more than 250 unique merchants selling “home decor, handcrafted pottery, stylish clothing for both children and adults, beautiful jewelry, and scrumptious holiday food items,” the event’s website says. “Proceeds benefit local philanthropies,” which you can read more about here. The event runs through Sunday. Tickets are $17 including fees. More details about hours and how to buy tickets at this link.
South Nashville
Glow Wild: The Nashville Zoo’s new holiday light show called Glow Wild begins today. It replaces Zoolumination, which the zoo had to cancel because visa applications for Chinese artisans traveling to the United States were denied. I reported in September that the Nashville Zoo is not alone with issues getting artists into the country. Glow Wild features “glowing wildlife, festive displays, and an 85-foot-tall synchronized Christmas tree,” the zoo says. It runs through January 3rd. Ticket information and more at this link.
East Nashville
“Restaurant treasures”: After Margot Cafe & Bar’s closure earlier this year, it’s selling 25 years “of restaurant treasures” tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. “From plates, glassware, silverware, artwork, and kitchen smallwares to merchandise, free umbrellas, and more, there’s a little bit of everything,” the restaurant said on Instagram. “Whether you’re a restaurateur, looking for a unique Christmas gift, or simply feeling nostalgic, come by, say hi, and take something home.” You can pay with cash or Venmo. More details here.
New location: Work should begin soon on Black Dynasty’s new location at 1010 Gallatin Avenue, the former Pelican & Pig location. Black Dynasty just received its building permit. It posted to Instagram late last month that it was hiring for some back-of-house positions. The restaurant is currently operating out of Citizen Kitchen East. You can see the current menu here on the online ordering page.
Near Belle Meade
New restaurant: Harvey’s Bagels is now open in Belle Meade at 100 Kenner Avenue. It’s also planning locations in Green Hills (3304 Hillsboro Pike), Nashville Yards (26 Platform Way South), Berry Hill (2526 8th Avenue South), Nippers Corner (15882 Old Hickory Boulevard), West End (2814 West End Avenue), and several other locations around Middle Tennessee. Here’s a link to the menu.
Donelson
New Starbucks: Work should start soon on a new Starbucks on the former bank property at 2725 Old Lebanon Pike. The coffee shop just got its building permit to finish out its space, including a drive-thru. Metro Council member Jeff Gregg said in September that Hattie B’s Chicken also plans to open on the property by early spring.
Vacant land to new homes: Developers plan to build 11 new homes on vacant land at 901 Allen Road. The property is about four acres. I haven’t seen any filings that show what the homes will look like, but I’ll keep watching for any updates on that and the project’s timeline.
Joelton
Coca-Cola Caravan: After yesterday’s stop in Hermitage, the next stop is Tony’s Foodland at 5529 Clarksville Pike from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This post gives you some hints of what you can expect. And this link gives more details about additional stops over the next few days, including Bridgestone Arena, Tanger Outlets in Antioch, the Nashville Zoo, and Nissan Stadium.
📰 A few more stories I’m following…
Ending the backlog: “The backlog of sexual assault kits in Nashville is on track to be effectively cleared by the end of the year,” the Nashville Banner reported. Reports of rape are up about 1% compared to last year, according to police data released this week. It’s the only crime category to increase in Nashville this year. Most categories are down double-digit percentages.
More national rankings: I don’t think these two trends will be welcome news for anyone hoping to sell their home. The Nashville metropolitan area has 159.5% more sellers than buyers, according to Redfin. That’s the nations second biggest surplus, behind only Miami. Redfin also reported the Nashville area’s 4.4% drop in its median home sales price over the past month compared to last year ranked #3 in the country. Redfin calls Nashville one of “the biggest buyer’s markets in the U.S.”
Dolly Parton’s final vocals: They’re part of “Torn,” a new U2 song released today. Parton recorded her duet with Bono in June, People reported. Parton wrote to Bono, “I love the song, and I think it could be something really special.” You can read her full letter here. One more note on Dolly: 78% of Tennessee’s registered voters support renaming Nashville International Airport in honor of Dolly Parton, according to a new poll from the conservative-leaning Beacon Center.
🍽️ Restaurant inspections
There are no inspections to report today due to government offices being closed on Veterans Day. I expect to have inspections again on Monday.
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. I’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. —Ryan