🎡 Your guide to local fairs

🗳️ Fighting for the Right To Vote

Election Day is Thursday, but over 400,000 Tennesseans can’t vote due to a felony conviction. On today’s podcast, local Nashvillian and community organizer Larry Turnley joins us to share his own journey from a life sentence to having his record expunged. Plus, he talks about what investments our city needs to make to give our younger generation a chance at success. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🌊 Delayed Safety Fencing Along the Cumberland

More than two years after college student Riley Strain was found dead in the Cumberland River, promised safety fencing along the riverfront still isn’t in place. The Nashville Fire Department says while vegetation has been cleared, underground electrical lines, conduits, fiber optics, and cameras still need to be installed before the fence goes up. Temporary fencing is in place in the meantime. [WKRN]

🏛️ Local Plantations Grapple With Their History

As Nashville-area historical sites reckon with their history of enslavement through tours and plaques, not a single one has a Black historian on staff. Brigette Jones, who used to work at Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery, says between low pay and wine tours, she understands why Black historians would avoid working at these sites. However, Jones says it’s vital for white people in this business to be able to tell other white people about slavery’s harm with empathy: “Don’t just be a white historian trying to tell Black people about Black people — go tell other white people about Black people.” [Nashville Scene]

• We spoke with Jones after Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery altered the “Journey to Jubilee” tour she created. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

☢️ Will TN Become a Nuclear Powerhouse?

Tennessee is one of five states under consideration for a federal partnership to boost nuclear energy use. If approved, an industrial zone near Oak Ridge would be created, allowing the support of a “full nuclear fuel lifecycle.” Nashville Democrat Sen. Heidi Campbell has sent a letter to Gov. Bill Lee asking him to allow the Tennessee General Assembly to review and comment on any potential nuclear deals before they’re finalized. [Tennessee Lookout]