🏫 Is Vandy better than Harvard?

🏫 Vandy’s Gaining on Harvard

Vanderbilt is no longer just the Harvard of the South — now it’s gaining on the actual Harvard. On today’s podcast, we’re sitting down with journalist Claire Suddath to talk about her viral New York Magazine article that explores how Vandy went from a good Southern school to competing with the Ivies, and how Nashville fueled its transformation. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🧑‍⚖️ Human Rights Settlements Plummet

It’s been one year since the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee State Legislature disbanded the state’s Human Rights Commission and replaced it with half the number of employees in the Attorney General’s office. Since the Civil Rights era, the Human Rights Commission had overseen discrimination complaints against employers and housing providers. Following the AG office takeover, the number of opened cases and settlements has plummeted. [Nashville Banner]

🏨 Boring Secures More Music City Loop Stations

The Boring Company is partnering with the JW Marriott Nashville hotel located in SoBro on a station that will allow hotel guests access to the Music City Loop. Boring has also received approvals from both the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to move forward with tunneling. [Nashville Scene]

• ICYMI: Boring’s Music City Loop will connect downtown Nashville to the airport and West End through a series of underground tunnels to be used exclusively by human-driven Tesla rideshares. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🤠 OG Honky-Tonk Coming to New Nissan Stadium

Robert’s Western World is joining The Bluebird Cafe in opening its first satellite location in Nashville’s new Nissan Stadium, slated for completion in Feb. 2027. In a release, Chelsea Lipocky, Titans head of stadium, revenue, and strategy, says, “It has always been our goal to use this stadium to represent the very best of our city and state. There is no better way to do that than by highlighting and honoring local businesses, especially one with as much history as Robert’s.” [Nashville Scene]

• Stories from Robert’s Western World [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

Exciting news: We’ve hired Rachel Iacovone as our new City Cast Nashville host! Rachel previously served as a host, editor, and director at Nashville Public Radio before joining Connecticut Public to report on the Puerto Rican diaspora, where she won a 2026 award from the Public Media Journalists Association. We’re absolutely thrilled to have her return to Nashville to join our team! And never fear, the wonderful Marie Cecile Anderson isn’t leaving the team; she’s returning to her role as creative producer.

Why did you want to return to Nashville?

“I missed Music City more than I cared to admit — to others or myself — for a while. There are the predictable things like live music and great food, but ultimately, I really missed the culture we experience day-to-day living here. The seven degrees of separation are two at most in this city, and I love being able to get together a group last-minute on a weeknight and discover that two unrelated friends actually work at the same campus or hospital or coffee shop. I hadn’t experienced that interconnectivity before or since coming to Nashville, and I won’t ever take it for granted again!”

What Nashville restaurant did you miss most while you were in Connecticut?

“Despite what my Beli account will tell you (which lists Noko, Locust, and Peninsula at the top of my Nashville restaurants), it was Big Al’s Deli I thought about and missed the most. It’s our best-kept secret from the tourists, though every time I’m there lately, I do see a couple sneaking in with expressions like they know they’re getting away with something. The good news is chef-owner Alphonso Anderson will treat them as kindly as he does when he greets me with a question about how my mom is doing each time. (They’ve met twice.) You can’t order wrong at the cozy converted home: The breakfast biscuit sandwiches are killer, but so is the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, and shrimp and grits, and…”