24/7/365

A big feature of Mayor O’Connell’s transit plan is the expansion of service hours to 24/7/365 when staffing and resources allow it. What kind of effect do you think this will have on the city? One thing you can probably say with certainty is that the raw ridership will increase as the hours expand. 

As we’ve mentioned before, a large portion of the transit plan’s funding is set to come from the Federal Transit Administration Capital Improvement Grants program. CIG funds are disbursed based on a number of factors, ridership among them.

A quick and easy hack for a city like Nashville to increase ridership on a very unpopular bus system is to expand the hours. This was the rationale behind the sales tax surcharge as well. Dedicated funding is necessary to secure federal grant funds, as O’Connell consistently broadcast during the campaign.

Reconfiguring the bus system to produce numbers to maximize access to federal grant funds aside, what kind of effect do you think 24/7 bus service will have on the quality of life in the city?

I live over by the Charlotte/White Bridge intersection. Charlotte (Route 50) is one of the most trafficked bus routes in town. Under the new transit plan, it’s set to receive continuous, around-the-clock service. Recently, a new 24-hour 7-Eleven opened on White Bridge, right in front of a bus stop for Route 3, which is also set to operate 24/7.

Diagonal from all this by I-40, there’s a Waffle House that remains open 24/7. But since Covid, it only accepts pick-up orders in the early morning hours to stave off late-night brawls and vagrants. Tucked back away from the main thoroughfares are some apartment complexes thick with dysfunction that sometimes pours out into the street.

At first, the 7-Eleven was a welcome addition to the area (great drink selection). But the longer it’s been there, the more haywire it seems to get. If you go there during working hours, it often resembles a crack den.

There’s a police precinct right around the corner, but that doesn’t seem to have done much to ward off the miasma of vagrancy that collects in the woods, backlots, and gas stations in the area. It’s hard to see how, in the absence of stronger law enforcement, introducing 24/7 bus service has anything but a negative effect on the area. DAVIS HUNT

🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.

💸 Metro To Audit Property Assessor’s Office Councilmember Courtney Johnston threatened to clear the room during last Thursday’s Special Called Metro Audit Committee meeting when fur started to fly during discussions regarding a request to audit the Davidson County Property Assessor's Office. It turns out that Councilmember Emily Benedict’s efforts to get answers about recent reappraisals ruffled some feathers.

“It’s been brought to my attention that Ms. Wilhoite [Nashville’s Assessor of Property] believes this is politically motivated, as she believes I plan to run against her for assessor,” said Benedict. “That's unequivocally false, and frankly, it's offensive.”

Wilhoite didn’t deny it. Instead, she insisted that Benedict directly told her that she was considering running for Assessor of Property in the future. The wheels started to come off when Benedict and Wilhoite began bickering in front of the committee. Johnston quickly shut it down, and the members proceeded to review Benedict’s audit request.

Ultimately, the committee voted to add an audit of the Davidson County Property Assessor's Office to the 2025 audit plan. 

💵 Parents Demand Answers About $6.5M Settlement Members of the parent-led education advocacy group, Nashville PROPEL, are demanding accountability from Metro Nashville Public Schools regarding the $6.5 million legal settlement involving Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle. You may recall that the Metro Nashville Public Schools board approved the historically high $6.5 million payout three weeks ago with no discussion whatsoever. The lawsuit alleges that Battle retaliated against five former administrators by stripping them of their positions.

“On July 22, 2025, the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board approved a $6.5 million settlement behind closed doors--with no public comment, no explanation, and no transparency,”  reads a release published by the group. “For families who believe in accountability and honesty in public education, this moment demands outrage and action.”

💰 SNAPPING Back To Better Nutrition On Friday, Governor Bill Lee announced plans to join the growing number of states changing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to promote healthier eating habits among low-income families.

The new SNAP waivers will exclude compensation for processed foods and sugary drinks in favor of healthier, prepared foods like rotisserie chicken. Lee expressed his enthusiasm about participating in efforts alongside the Trump Administration to Make America Healthy Again and enhance the quality of life in communities across Tennessee.

DEVELOPMENT

• New Germantown apartment development listed for sale (NBJ)
• Local homebuilder sells nearly 2,500 area lots (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🪕 Kyle Tuttle's Bluegrass Mondays @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info

🎸 The Struts @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 8p, $49.30, Info
+ celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Everybody Wants

🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info

🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).