🏘️ Mayor questions housing at Fairgrounds

🎵 Could Surveillance Impact Our Music Industry?

The resolution granting $15M to the Nashville Downtown Partnership for surveillance tools (among other things) was deferred again by Metro Council on Tuesday. WNXP’s morning host Celia Gregory joins today’s City Cast Nashville podcast to share how the proposed surveillance could impact members of our city’s music community. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

• Check out WNXP’s favorite Nashville albums of 2025! [WNXP]

🏘️ Churches Invest in Affordable Housing

Community development corporation Elevate North Nashville launched on Wednesday. The organization, founded by the House of God church, aims to fund more affordable housing in North Nashville, with an initial investment in two duplexes. The group also plans to build a community grocery store and childcare center. [Nashville Banner]

• More local faith-based groups are launching affordable housing programs, like Trinity Community Commons. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🏎️ Mayor Weighs In on Fairgrounds Proposal

Mayor Freddie O'Connell says turning the Fairgrounds Speedway into affordable housing isn’t a priority for him. “We've got 526 square miles to use for potential housing,” he explained, “and only 100 acres of fairgrounds.” Instead, he continues to weigh the possibilities of bringing NASCAR races back to Nashville. [Axios Nashville]

• A coalition has filed a charter amendment requesting a voter referendum to transform the speedway into affordable housing. [📰 Hey Nashville]

🏫 An Analysis of TSU’s Debt

The Tennessee Lookout and WPLN released a collaborative series this week exploring how a historic court case saved Tennessee State University and reshaped higher education, TSU’s underfunding, and what comes next for the university. [Tennessee Lookout]

• In our interview with Rep. Harold Love, Jr. earlier this year, he unpacked the university’s financial controversies. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

This week, we chatted about Nashville’s best OG bars on the City Cast Nashville podcast. One of the bars mentioned is also Tennessee’s oldest continuously operating bar. Do you know what bar it is? Test yourself to find out!

What’s Nashville’s oldest bar?

Meet Max! Max loves hiking in the woods, and smiles for treats after. I, too, will smile for treats after a hike 😋 Max and I would be good hiking buddies, though we likely need a third wheel to supply treats.

Want to see your pet featured in a future newsletter? Email me pictures, and tell me a little about them! And if you have any holiday pics, I’ll feature them next week!