Keeping It Local

Thank you to everyone who attended our event with Gabriel Mann on Spencer Pratt's mayoral campaign last night. If you weren't there, you missed out. But we do these once a month, so keep your eyes peeled for the next event.

There is sometimes a tendency to magnify an issue that sits under the umbrella of "local political grievances" and amplify it for a broader audience.

Pratt's campaign drew widespread attention for its creativity and energy, but he was very narrowly focused on the people in the city and their particular concerns.

A related parable to ponder as we head into the weekend:

On a street, there are three tailors.

The first to set up shop hung a sign reading, "Here is the best tailor in the town."

The next shop's sign read, "Here is the best tailor in the world."

And the third simply read, "Here is the best tailor on this street."

If you would like to support our work and ensure these wonderful events persist into the future, you can give a tax-deductible donation to our affiliate non-profit here.

✹ 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

• 🏗️ West End neighbors hand Vanderbilt a wish list for its Innovation District. The Hillsboro-West End Neighborhood Association is asking Vanderbilt to lower building heights, shrink the scale of the 43-acre project nearest the neighborhood, fund traffic-calming, and stand up an ongoing design-review committee. Metro Council passed the rezoning on first reading Tuesday; the public hearing and second reading land Aug. 4, with CM Tom Cash signaling he'll seek a deferral if constituents want more time. (Post)
• 🔬 Anonymous $25M gift fuels a new Vanderbilt science hub. Vanderbilt says unnamed donors have given $25 million toward a 210,000-square-foot, 10-story interdisciplinary research facility on the former Stevenson 6 site, set to open at the end of 2028. It'll house roughly 50 principal investigators spanning chemical biology, bioengineering, nanophotonics, and quantum computing across the College of Arts and Science, Engineering, and Medicine Basic Sciences. (WSMV)
• 💨 Tennessee automakers swept into the UK's Diesel-Gate sequel. A civil suit in Britain's High Court accuses Ford, Nissan, Mercedes, Renault, and Stellantis-owned Peugeot and Citroën of fitting diesels with software that runs clean in the lab but dirty on the road—some allegedly emitting up to 12 times the nitrogen oxide shown in testing. Two of the named manufacturers have deep Tennessee roots: Nissan, headquartered in Franklin with plants in Smyrna and Decherd, and Ford, still expanding its BlueOval City complex. A ruling is expected this summer. (Tennessee Star)

DEVELOPMENT

• Opryland-area restaurant Cock of the Walk closes after 42 years (NBJ)

✹ WHO'S A GOOD GIRL?

The fifth installment in Tales from the Westside

From Rachel Gladstone

Briley was a rescue dog. A German Shepherd-Doberman mix, I found on a Friday at rush hour trying to cross Briley Parkway, the six lane, speed demon’s wet dream, that stands between the Nations and Charlotte Park. It was more than a few years ago, back before the “flyover” section above the Parkway was constructed, when you could get to the airport in 15 minutes, no matter your location or the time of day.

I’d left my house a few moments before and was easing down Urbandale Ave. when I saw her on my right, trotting down the slim-to-none strip of concrete that served as a sidewalk, heading for God-knows-where. The endless smile on her big goofy face was infectious. Now that’s the epitome of happiness! I said through a grin of my own, returning my attention to the traffic which had slowed to a crawl.

The prancing puppy, however, was doing anything but crawling and as she headed for the dangerous intersection of Urbandale and Briley, she began veering in and out of the street, peering expectantly at the windows of the cars in front of me as if she was looking for someone.

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.

FRIDAY

🎻 Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 11a & 6p, $49, Info

🎸 Tophouse @ Exit/In, 8p, $33.34, Info

🎸 Andrew Peterson @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, $60+, Info

🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

SATURDAY

🎸 The Darts @ The Blue Room, 7p, $19, Info

🪕 The Amanda Cook Band @ Station Inn, 9p, $25, Info

🎸 Joshua Hedley & The Hedliners @ Dee's Lounge, 9p, $10, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

SUNDAY

🎸 Pinback @ Fogg Street Lawn Club, 5p, $53.13, Info

🎸 Diarrhea Planet @ Eastside Bowl, 6:30p, $31.44, Info

🎸 The Human League With Very Special Guests Soft Cell & Alison Moyet @ Grand Ole Opry House, 7p, $50, Info

🪕 Bluegrass Jam @ Station Inn, 7p, Free, Info
+ a night for musicians and singers from all over the world to gather and enjoy making music together

🪕 Sundays Between with Easy Green @ Tennessee Brew Works, 1p, Info
+ a bluegrass celebration of the music of the Grateful Dead

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

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