City Cast Nashville
📲 Is an ICE call center coming to Nashville?
November 7, 2025 · 💌 Margaret Kingsbury
TGIF! There might be some severe weather this afternoon and evening, so keep an eye on the radar.
And I’ve got another restaurant to add to my list of food aid in Nashville: Both Cledis locations will provide free bagged lunches for kids. Just ask for the “Cledis Cares” bag 🫶 Yesterday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully pay out SNAP benefits, but it’s unclear how and when those funds will arrive.
What's CITY Talking About
📲 Will ICE Establish a Call Center in Nashville?
On today’s City Cast Nashville podcast, Nashville Banner Editor-in-Chief Steve Cavendish joins us to discuss Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plans to establish a call center in Nashville to track unaccompanied migrant children. Plus, more news from the week. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
✈️ BNA Updates
- After meeting with local air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid the government shutdown, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he plans to bring more controllers to Nashville to address our shortage, but it will take time. [NewsChannel 5]
- The Federal Aviation Administration is cutting 10% of flights at 40 airports due to the shutdown, but BNA is not on the list. [PBS]
- BNA banned five rideshare drivers after they led a protest for better working conditions. The ban raises concerns about airport surveillance. [ 🔐 The Tennessean]
🚌 ‘Queue Jump’ Bus Lane Launches
Mayor O’Connell is celebrating the first anniversary of his Choose How You Move transit plan by launching a “queue jump” lane for buses to bypass backlogged traffic at the intersection of Murfreesboro Road and Edge O’ Lake Drive. [Nashville Banner]
- WeGo recently started a free bus pass program with funds from the transit referendum, but its rollout has caused confusion. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
💸 Plaza Mariachi To Sell for $13.45 Million
Plaza Mariachi and its accompanying shops are being sold to HC Plaza LLC, which has a principal office owned by the CEO of Sprout Social. It’s unclear what HC Plaza’s plans are for the beloved cultural hub. Plaza Mariachi filed for bankruptcy last year, and its owner was found guilty of bank fraud in August. [Nashville Banner]
Nashville Mini Crossword
Do y’all like crosswords? This week, City Cast Nashville host Marie Cecile Anderson and I discussed the Old Nashville businesses we miss most. So I decided to put together this mini crossword puzzle about some of the places we talked about. Let me know if you get it right!
Furball Friday
Meet Boba Fett! Boba doesn’t do well around other kitties — understandable for a bounty hunter — but he enjoys being prince of his kingdom, and his human subjects love him so much!
I’d love to share your pet pics in a future newsletter!
What To Do
Friday, Nov. 7
- 🧑🎄 A Country Christmas (through Jan. 3) | Gaylord Opryland
- 🇺🇸 Living History with the 10th Illinois | Fort Negley | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Free
- 📚 Fall Book Sale | Edgehill Library Branch | 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
- 💉 Middle Tennessee Tattoo Expo | Nashville Fairgrounds | 2-10 p.m.
- ✏️ Kids' Poetry Writing Workshop | Parnassus Books | 4-5 p.m.
- 🎄 Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration | Tanger Outlets | 5-8 p.m. | Free
- 🏐 Vanderbilt Volleyball vs. Tennessee | Memorial Gym | 7 p.m.
- 👻 Spooky: A Halloween Eve Cabaret Fundraiser | The Barbershop Theater | 7-8:30 p.m.
- 🍸 Ice Cream Cocktail Mixology Class | Tipsy Scoop | 7-8:30 p.m.
- 🎸 Bryan Adams | Bridgestone Arena | 7:30 p.m.
- 🦃 ThanksKilling: The Musical (through Nov. 22) | Street Theatre Company | 7:30 p.m.
- 🎶 Ella Langley | Ryman Auditorium | 8 p.m.
- 🎤 Booker T. Jones | Riverside Revival | 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 8
- 🚶 Walk to End Alzheimer's | First Horizon Park | 8 a.m.
- 🏃 Turkey Trails | Veterans Park | 9 a.m.
- 🍁 Fall Color Hikes | Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary | 9:30 a.m.
- 🐅 Celebrate Reading Days | Nashville Zoo | 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
- 🧶 Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fall Market | oneC1TY | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- 👹 Nashville Poke’ Fest | Nashville Fairgrounds | 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
- 🛍️ Nashville Holiday Market | Nashville Fairgrounds | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
- 💃 80s vs. 90s Drag Brunch | The Lab at Zanies | Noon
- 🗡️ True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show | Franklin Marriott Cool Springs | 6-9 p.m.
- 🩷 Pink Goes Good With Green Fundraiser | Turner Theater | 7 p.m.
- 😆 George Janko | TPAC | 7 p.m.
- 🤠 Riders in the Sky: Celebrating 48 Years of Cowboy Music | Harken Hall | 7 p.m.
- 🎵 Watchhouse | Ryman Auditorium | 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 9
- 🐅 Celebrate Reading Days | Nashville Zoo | 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
- 👹 Nashville Poke’ Fest | Nashville Fairgrounds | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
- 🧶 Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fall Market | oneC1TY | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- 🤱 Childcare for Single Moms Group | Dream Streets | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Volunteer
- 🛍️ Nashville Holiday Market | Nashville Fairgrounds | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
- 💉 Middle Tennessee Tattoo Expo | Nashville Fairgrounds | 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
- 🧩 Puzzle Showdown | Green Hills Library Branch | 2-4 p.m. | Free
- 😋 Taste of Bellevue | Bellevue Ford Ice Center | 4-7 p.m.
- 🎵 Taylor Tomlinson | Opry House | 7 p.m.
- 🎶 The Sofia Goodman Trio | Nashville Jazz Workshop | 7:30 p.m.
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