🛣️ Nashville’s “Mad Max” roads

🗳️ Early Voting Stats

As of July 20, almost 123,000 Tennesseans have cast their ballot in the Aug. 6 State and Federal Primary Election, including nearly 9,000 in Davidson County. While this is an increase over 2022's early turnout, it’s still only 1.9% of registered voters in Nashville. The primary election determines Democratic and Republican candidates for governor, congressional representatives, and state representatives. [Tennessee Secretary of State; Tennessee Lookout; X]

• Voting details: Early voting ends on Aug. 1, with Election Day on Aug. 6. Here’s the Davidson County ballot and early voting locations, including three new places. You can find what’s on your specific ballot here. [Davidson County Votes; Anthropic]
• Our guides: Here’s our written guide and election discussion with the Tennessee Lookout. [City Cast Nashville]
• Governor drama: NewsChannel 5 Investigates has obtained records that gubernatorial candidate U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s office provided to the Senate Ethics Committee. In the records, staffers allege they were encouraged to break the law. [NewsChannel 5]
• Congressional chaos: With Tennessee’s newly redrawn congressional map, five congressional districts now include or border Davidson County, leaving candidates scrambling and voters confused. Make sure to check your congressional district before voting. [Nashville Scene; Tennessee General Assembly]

🎭 Nashville’s Keeping It Weird

Did you know Nashville has a thriving experimental theater scene? With the Kindling Arts Festival kicking off tomorrow, co-artistic director Daniel Jones and Emma Supica, creator and director of “East Nashville Facebook Page: The Musical,” join the podcast to talk about the city’s independent artists, the challenges of finding affordable performance spaces, and why audiences are embracing bold, unconventional shows. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🛣️ TDOT Seeks Feedback on Downtown Nashville Interstate Loop

As part of a Planning and Environmental Linkages study, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is seeking public feedback on potential improvements to Interstates 24, 40, 65, and 440 surrounding downtown Nashville. A spokesperson says this study is the first step in a lengthy process toward making these interstates safer. [NewsChannel 5]

• Drivers can provide feedback through an online survey until Aug. 11. [Nashville Inner Loop PEL Study]

🐶 Nonprofit Looks to the Future

As the Nashville Humane Association celebrates its 80th anniversary, the animal shelter is facing declining adoption rates and lengthier medical stays. Founded in 1946, NHA has changed a lot over the years, from an initial focus on protecting horses and children to a thriving pet center that provides mobile spay-and-neuter clinics and adopts out thousands of beloved pets every year. In the future, the nonprofit hopes to expand into a second building. [🔐 The Tennessean]

• Find out more about pet adoptions, donations, and volunteer opportunities at NHA. And listen to our interview about how NHA serves Nashville. [Nashville Humane Association; 🎧 City Cast Nashville]
• We’re very proud of our City Cast Nashville doggos, Wally and Lottie, who were adopted from NHA! [Instagram]

🚨 The Nashville Man Arrested for Being Homeless

When two people were arrested on June 28 for living in South Inglewood Park, they became some of the first unhoused people in the U.S. to be charged with a felony for camping on public property. Joseph Lamont Williams, who grew up in East Nashville, was one of those people. Although the felony charges were dropped, Williams served nine days in prison and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Tennessee is the only state in the country to make sleeping on public property a felony. [NPR]

• Homelessness is increasing in Nashville, bucking national trends. Local advocates worry Metro’s Office of Homeless Services isn’t doing enough to help. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]