📺 Why are students watching gun safety videos?

🧑‍⚖️ More Lawsuits Challenge Congressional Maps

A federal judge has denied an emergency request to temporarily block Tennessee’s newly redrawn congressional maps and canceled an initial hearing for the case scheduled for May 20. However, three other legal challenges to the redistricting have requested a restraining order against the new congressional maps. State attorneys requested that two of these cases be combined, and a judge has agreed, explaining that treating the cases separately would duplicate judicial resources. [Tennessee Lookout]

• A fourth legal challenge: NAACP and the League of Women Voters filed a challenge on Thursday, arguing that the redrawn congressional maps intentionally discriminate against Black voters in Memphis. [Tennessee Lookout]
• Catch up: This follows a swift special session to redraw our congressional maps after the Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
• Nashville’s congressional candidates: Nashville is now split between Districts 4, 6, and 7. Here’s a list of everyone who filed to run in Tennessee’s newly drawn congressional districts. Early voting begins July 17, and you have until July 7 to register to vote. We’ll have a guide to the election in the coming weeks. [Tennessee Secretary of State; Nashville.gov]

🏙️ Give It Up to the Kids

On today’s podcast, four local middle schoolers from the Civic Design Center’s “Design Your Neighborhood” podcasting program tell us how they would plan our city differently if they were in charge. From transportation to affordable housing, these students have big ideas on how Nashville can be better. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🔫 MNPS Students Watch Gun Safety Videos

This month, Metro Nashville Public Schools have begun showing students mandatory gun safety videos provided by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. A state law from last year’s legislative session mandated that all K-12 public school students watch gun safety videos in the 2025-2026 school year. The videos are divided into three age categories, and must be watched before school ends on May 21. [🔐 The Tennessean]

• Watch all three of the gun safety videos here. [MNPS]

🏗️ Fisk Plans Data Center

Fisk University recently announced plans for a billion-dollar renovation that includes a new academic center, event space, and a 70,000-square-foot data center. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that the community feels really good about what we’re doing in terms of noise mitigation, water consumption, and energy usage,” said the CEO of the construction company working on the project, referring to the data center. [WPLN]

• Nashville is home to about a third of the state’s data centers. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

👮 Judge Rules Against Private Security Firm

After losing an appeal, a judge increased the fine imposed on private security firm Solaren Risk Management to $118,000 and suspended its license for 30 days. Nashville Downtown Partnership formerly employed Solaren, and the company dressed security guards in police uniforms with badges to work in downtown Nashville, which, according to the judge’s ruling, violated state law. [Nashville Banner]

• Nashville Downtown Partnership has terminated its agreement with Solaren and switched to a different security company that potentially has ties to the library garage fire. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]