👀 The local company facing hundreds of lawsuits

🎡 Our State Fair Is the Best State Fair

The Tennessee State Fair starts tomorrow, Aug. 14th! On today’s City Cast Nashville podcast, we’re chatting with the fair’s president about the truly astounding number of food vendors, exhibits, competitions, and entertainment options available this year. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

• A history of the fair [📰 Hey Nashville]

🧑‍⚖️ Hundreds of Lawsuits Against Local Prison Corp.

About 100 lawsuits and legal complaints against Brentwood-based CoreCivic, the nation’s largest private prison operator, have been filed this year alone. Many of the lawsuits cite civil rights violations and a failure to keep inmates safe. Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence. [Nashville Scene]

• CoreCivic continues to grow financially despite these complaints. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🏛️ Mayor Navigates Second Year Amid State Clashes

While Mayor O’Connell’s second year in office has been marked by rocky relationships with state and federal leaders, he remains focused on running a “customer-focused government” that addresses the needs of Nashvillians, from repairing potholes to addressing housing costs. [The Tennessean]

📰 More Domestic Violence Reforms Needed

A new progress report asserts that while Nashville has improved services for victims of domestic violence, more needs to be done to hold offenders accountable. The application of firearms dispossession has been too inconsistent, and bonds have decreased when previous reports recommended increasing them. [WPLN]

Every week, I’m sharing local favorite spots and organizations from our City Cast Nashville Neighbors. It’s a special membership perk, so sign up if you’d like to share a shoutout!

😻 Dahron J. shouts out The Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a nonprofit that “advocates for LGBTQIA+ folks across Tennessee through legislative advocacy at the state and local levels. Critically, it also provides education and training to help people feel equipped to advocate for themselves and their communities.”