City Cast Nashville
🧑🎓 What did the state fail at now?
December 17, 2025 · 💌 Margaret Kingsbury
Happy Wednesday! In the Tennessee Lookout, former BookManBookWoman owner Saralee Terry Woods says, “All I want for Christmas is a safe place to walk and state-of-the-art mass transit.” What’s on your Nashville-themed wish list? Fill in the blank, and email me your response to share!
“All I want for Christmas is _________________.”
What's CITY Talking About
🗑️ Tips for Managing Holiday Trash
What should we do with all our holiday waste? On today’s City Cast Nashville podcast, two team members from Nashville’s Department of Waste Services help us understand what can and cannot be recycled, where to take stuff that doesn’t go in the trash, and ways to manage our junk year-round. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
🏫 School Communities Band Together
Last week’s reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity near an East Nashville elementary school have been a wake-up call to locals as they grapple with how to show up for their immigrant neighbors. There have been no attempts at immigration enforcement at Metro Nashville Public Schools. [Nashville Banner]
✅ Music City Loop’s Environmental Assessment
The Boring Company has released a 149-page environmental assessment of the Music City Loop. The assessment didn’t find any significant impacts, though construction might contribute to noise pollution. Endangered wildlife would likely be safe due to the tunnel’s depth, according to the assessment. [WKRN]
- Similar tunnels in Las Vegas have been riddled with environmental violations. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
♿ Tennessee Receives an ‘Incomplete’
The Tennessee Disability Coalition gave the state an “incomplete” grade on its annual report for its failure to make significant strides in housing, access to care, and education for people with disabilities. The coalition says Tennessee needs to be more active in providing resources for our disabled community. [Nashville Banner]
- Listen to our conversation with disability rights advocate Robby Barbieri about the state of disability access in Nashville. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
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What To Do
Wednesday, Dec. 17
- 🧷 Diaper Bank Sorting and Packaging Volunteer | Nashville Diaper Connection | 9 & 11 a.m.
- 🎄 Okra Ornaments | Bells Bend Outdoor Center | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- 📕 Holiday Story Time and Carol Sing-Along | Goodlettsville Library Branch | 10:30-11:30 a.m.
- 🩸 American Red Cross Blood Drive | Hermitage Library Branch | 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
- 🍭 Candied Land (through Jan. 18) | Play Playground | Noon-Midnight
- 🐉 Zoolumination (through Feb. 8) | Nashville Zoo | 5-9 p.m.
- 🎁 The Ornaments Perform “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (through Dec. 22) | Eastside Bowl | 6 p.m.
- 🖌️ The Little Brush | Honeytree Meadery | 6 p.m.
- 🎰 Lotería — Mexican Bingo | Plaza Mariachi | 6-9 p.m.
- 🏒 Predators vs. Hurricanes | Bridgestone Arena | 7 p.m.
- 🎶 PVRIS | Marathon Music Works | 8 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 18
- ❄️ Winter Songs and Stories | Warner Park Nature Center | 1-2:30 p.m.
- 🥫 Food Distribution Volunteer | Dream Streets North | 1:15-2:30 p.m.
- 🎁 Gift Wrapping Party | North Library Branch | 4-5:30 p.m.
- 🪗 Music in the Café: Jeff Taylor | Frist’s Café Cheeserie | 6-7:30 p.m.
- 🎥 Winter Movie Nights: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” | TailGate Brewery HQ | 7 p.m.
- 💃 Free Salsa Night! | Plaza Mariachi | 7 p.m.-Midnight
- 🎄 Christmas with C.S. Lewis (through Dec. 21) | TPAC | 7:30 p.m.
- 🎵 Kip Moore | Ryman Auditorium | 8 p.m.
- 🐸 Kindling's Very Special Holiday Special: “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (through Dec. 20) | Darkhorse Theatre | 8 p.m.
- 🎶 Hovvdy | Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge | 8:30 p.m.
Poll results are in: 68% of you think the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway should be turned into affordable housing and green spaces, and 32% think it should be home to more car racing. This is a story that’s likely to stick around in the new year; I’ll keep you posted!
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