Everything But The Squeal

From Warren Steury

Beyond the boot-wearing, Broadway-stomping bachelorettes and guitar-picking songwriters defined Nashville, the city’s heritage found itself anchored in something often overlooked, but not yet forgotten.

They’re in your breakfast, your BBQ, and quite possibly your barn. They’re short, fat, and kind of hairy, and from the very beginning, Tennessee’s culture has been inseparably tied to them. I’m talking about hogs!

Nashville hog lore goes way back to the pre-Cumberland Gap pioneers of North Carolina and Appalachia. Heroes like James Robertson, the founder of Nashville, drove their herds across the Appalachian Mountains in search of opportunity and new land to settle.

​Welcome to America in 2026. You're sitting at the End of History. Nothing will ever happen again.

​The steady march toward the impossible vision of a borderless world governed by rooms full of perfectly rational leaders incapable of committing evil in thought word or deed continues apace.

​Will anything–can anything happen–that shakes us from our stupor? Is "Nothing Ever Happens" the law of the land? What should happen that hasn't happened?

​Join us Thursday, February 19th as we sit down with Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, to discuss whether anything will ever happen again and more. (Buy Ticket)

This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer and free for paying, Bard-level subscribers.

Who bankrolls your councilmember? We analyzed every donation to every council member to show you whether they're funded by their constituents or someone else. Higher grades go to those who raise more money locally. (Take a Look)

⚡️ This morning’s special-called NES board meeting. NES leaders said the utility will commission an independent after-action review of its Winter Storm Fern response and immediately begin implementing a series of reforms, including strengthening emergency management leadership, overhauling outage communications and mapping systems, revising how estimated restoration times are developed and shared, and evaluating long-term system resiliency through grid hardening, expanded vegetation management, and a systemwide undergrounding study. The utility also plans to modernize technology used for damage assessment and field reporting, adjust storm messaging to set earlier and more realistic expectations, and benchmark its response against peer utilities. To address customer impacts, NES announced it will suspend disconnects and late fees through June, offer flexible payment arrangements through the end of 2026, expand customer service support, and donate $1 million in non-electric revenues to the Winter Storm Recovery Fund administered by United Way, while separately assessing storm-related costs and financing options to limit potential rate impacts. (Watch the meeting here)

• 🤖 Robot drivers will begin operating in Nashville streets this month.

  By the end of the Februrary, you’ll be able to hail a Waymo autonomous vehicle through the Lyft app.

  Tennessean

• 🔥 TN layoffs increased more than 67 percent in January compared to last year.

  The trend isn't just happening in Tennessee. Nationally, employers announced more than 108,400 job cuts in January—the highest clip in the first month of the year since 2009.

  Tennessean

• 🔌 TVA pursues 6.2 GW of new generation, citing data centers and population growth.

  Data center demand “climbed to 18 percent of our industrial load in 2025, and we are projecting data center growth to double in our region by 2030,” says CEO Don Moul.

  Utility Dive

• 🏛 Parthenon closed from March 1 through June 28 for HVAC replacement.

  Metro Parks has announced that the upgrade protects the museum’s artwork and artifacts while improving year-round comfort for visitors.

  Parks & Rec

• 

  Via City Now Next: Mall at Green Hills to undergo a complete transformation and expansive exterior revitalization.

  More info

• Boutique hotelier showcases Nashville's 'depth' in new project

  NBJ

• Southern Land Co. spends $10 million expanding East Nashville development site

  NBJ

• 📅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 Mon, Feb 9

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.