Double Shot, Extra Foam
☕️ Metro Council rundown: Frothing baristas and shots at the state · Supervisors plead guilty to dumping sewage in Nashville's wastewater system · State to pick up the tab for voter notifications · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Metro Council rundown, and the coffee is hot... Former waste treatment facility supervisors plead guilty to illegally dumping sewage into Nashville’s wastewater system... State to reimburse cost of notifying voters living in new congressional districts... And much more!
New TN U.S. Congressional District lookup Use your address to find your new district here.
The Undoing of the West Join us tomorrow, May 21st, for a discussion with Vauban Books and writer Nathan Pinkoski for a discussion about French writer Jean Raspail's novel The Camp of Saints. (Buy Ticket)
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Council pulls double shots: Frothing baristas, state maps, and scripture.
From Megan Podsiedlik
After Pro Tempore Delishia Porterfield opened with her recurring reminder that “no one is illegal on stolen land that was built by stolen labor” and a visit from Doug the Pug, fomenting Starbucks baristas set the stage for last night’s Metro Council meeting.
“Starbucks doesn't want to actually meet their workers,” said a local Starbucks employee during last night’s announcement period. “They want Nashville's culture, they want our labor, they want our growth, our tourism, and our tax breaks. And while executives pose for cameras, baristas are being pushed harder than ever before; workers are dealing with impossible drive-thru times, severe understaffing, increasingly complicated drink builds, and now disciplinary threats over not writing one word on a cup.”
Yesterday, twenty council members signed onto a letter delivered by Councilmember Sean Parker to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol requesting the company “finalize a fair union contract” before settling down in Nashville.
“We are proud to foster a pro-business climate in our city and state,” reads the document. “At the same time, we must be clear that being pro-business or lower-cost than other locations is not an invitation to take advantage of our residents, pay unlivable wages, or interfere with workers’ legal right to organize.”
Guests of Councilmember Ginny Welsch continued to stir things up by using the invocation, a time usually set aside for prayer, for something a bit more unconventional.
“Many have observed that we in the South have inherited from our centuries of slavery a culture that punishes whoever acknowledges harm, usually far more harshly than those who inflict it,” said one speaker. “We have not overcome that inheritance yet, but we're working on it.”
“For the God who listens, thank you for hearing us,” said another guest. “I've seen you weep when skyscrapers and cameras and weapons and police budgets and business districts and Super Bowls and wealth accumulation are considered the pinnacles of human achievement.”
Vice Mayor Angie Henderson poured on the drama when reminding the body that the invocation does not have to be a religious prayer.
“And even though it has most frequently been a Christian prayer in this chamber, it does also bear reminding, after the events on the National Mall on Sunday and as our country celebrates its 250th year, that we are not, and we've never been a 'Christian nation,'” said Henderson. “Though many people in state and federal leadership and the social media managers that support them are trying to make people believe that to be true.”
The council proceeded and took a few shots at the state. Though members denounced a new law that strips Metro of its majority appointment power over the Airport Authority—calling it a “hostile takeover”—with no discussion, they did discuss the new congressional map before denouncing it as well.
“These maps were not drawn to reflect the people; they were drawn to control the people,” said Councilmember Zulfat Suara. “They were drawn because the protections that once prevented racial gerrymandering have been stripped away by the very court entrusted to uphold them.”
The council also passed a resolution asking NES to reassess its new tree-trimming practices but decided to defer the resolution denouncing the performance and leadership of the Electric Power Board once again.
What Horrors We Wrought In 1973, French writer Jean Raspail published one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. His novel, The Camp of Saints, has been consistently censored throughout its history.
Vauban Books recently published a new translation of the French story, accompanied by a lucid introduction by writer Nathan Pinkoski. Join us as we discuss the legacy of this controversial novel and what it says about the West.
This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.
BLURBS
🚨 Crime Blotter Beat Walked around the new Nashville Yards development yesterday. It’s very nice and clean. Construction is ongoing, but you can easily look past it. Round the corner. Black homeless guy, yelling and waving arms about 50 yards ahead on sidewalk. Two women walking in front of me. Man turns around, pulls down his pants and whips out his wanker. Everyone just keeps walking. Crazy what we tolerate.
In other Crime Blotter Beat news, MNPD detectives identified two 17-year-olds who broke into First Horizon Park and stole 13 baseball gloves. A Nashville Juvenile Court magistrate this morning denied an MNPD detective’s request for arrest orders, reasoning that the felony crimes for which they are being charged are property in nature. Instead, Nashville Juvenile Court is issuing petitions for delinquency which provide a future court date. DAVIS HUNT
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)
HEADLINES
- 🌊 Nashville sewer violations lead to federal Clean Water Act convictions. Two supervisors at a facility that illegally dumped sewage into Nashville’s wastewater system have pleaded guilty to federal charges. The case stems from long-running infrastructure failures and reporting issues that drew scrutiny from regulators and environmental advocates. (WPLN)
- 🗺 State to reimburse cost of notifying voters living in new congressional districts. Tennessee will reimburse local election offices for the cost of notifying voters affected by the state’s new congressional district boundaries following redistricting changes. Election officials say the funding will help cover mailers and outreach efforts aimed at preventing confusion before upcoming elections. (TNJ)
- 🏞 Brentwood neighbors built their own arboretum on city land — now officials are deciding its future. Residents in a Brentwood neighborhood spent years planting and maintaining an unofficial arboretum on city-owned land, turning the area into a community green space with walking trails and labeled trees. City officials are now weighing whether to preserve the project, formalize it through an agreement, or remove parts of it because it was developed without approval. (NewsChannel 5)
- 📹 Peer cities embrace surveillance tech that Nashville rejected. Cities across the South and Midwest are increasingly adopting license plate readers and integrated surveillance networks to help investigate crimes and track stolen vehicles, while Nashville leaders have repeatedly rejected or limited the systems over privacy concerns. (Tennessean)
DEVELOPMENT
- Midtown office building hits the market (NBJ)
- Miami fast-casual Mexican restaurant set for The District (Post)
- Imo’s Pizza eyes early 2027 Nashville opening (Post)
- Music Row building listed for $1.9M (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
🎻 The Brightness of Light with Renée Fleming @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $60+, Info
🎸 Chicago @ Grand Ole Opry House, 7p, $73+, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.