No. 589: The Perfection of Baseball

Good afternoon, everyone.

As the Franklin mayoral race nears the end of early voting, it’s worth noting that turnout for the election is insanely high.

With three days left in early voting, 7,410 voters have hit the ballot box. By comparison, the 2021 election turned out just 3,403 voters and in 2019, just 1,774 registered voters hit the box.

In the next couple of days, we’ll have two stories regarding political trends both in Franklin and in broader Williamson County that should shed some light on what’s happening in the state’s most affluent area.

In other news, last night during the Phillies-Diamondbacks game, I was marveling at the perfect geometry of the baseball diamond.

The entire arrangement—the rubber, 60'6" from home base, the bases 90' apart—culminated in pitchers maxing out their arms around the platonic limit of 100 miles per hour.

It’s easy to understand 100 mph as fast. In metric speak, that’d be 160 km/h which tells us next to nothing.

Mark it up as another example of the superiority of the Imperial system of measurement and another feather in the cap of American ingenuity.

Onward.

❏ AIRPORT AUTHORITY STILL UP IN THE AIR… AND CLAIMING TERRITORY?

Before we jump into tonight’s council docket, let’s take a look at the Airport Authority’s attempt to broaden their influence over zoning and permitting in Nashville. 

Back in June, Metro took the state to court after a law shifted appointment power away from Nashville’s mayor and council, placing the majority of influence in the hands of state leaders.

Yesterday, the Tennessee Journal released a rendering they unearthed of the new zoning and permit boundary the Authority currently controls. Considering how the overlay used to look, the changes to the map certainly seem like a bit of a power grab. While Metro is trying to assess the intentions of the state, MNAA attorney George Cate, has assured them that the organization will only have authority in regards to airport hazards. 

"All that's happening here is that the authority is being given a chance as the expert on what areas might constitute an airport hazard to develop the map and supply that to the Metro government, that then uses the map to determine … whether to grant a permit," Cate told the Tennessean.

❍ TONIGHT AT METRO COUNCIL 

Sandwiched between a laundry list of sewer legislation are a few key bills, resolutions, and appointments to watch. 

First up are the appointments: Kevin Crumbo, Nashville’s numbers guy, is up for Director of Finance, and Wally Dietz is returning for the position of Director of Law. A few other temporary appointments will be sprinkled in between the elections of the President Pro Tempore, commission, and board appointments. 

SRO FUNDING REVISITED 

The resolution to cover the cost of existing MNPS SROs is back on the docket. Last meeting, a few hesitant council members deferred the legislation, even though accepting the state’s money would take the financial burden off Metro’s books. 

“Saying no to this does not get rid of the SROs. Saying yes to it does not add SROs,” Councilmember Johnston had said while speaking out against deferment. The resolution is on the Public Health & Safety Committee’s agenda during their meeting this afternoon. The Q&A should shed more light on the legislation before it goes before the council this evening. 

MNPD GETS A RAP ON THE KNUCKLES OVER LPRS

Ever since the end of the summer pilot program, the council has noticeably kept MNPD in limbo when it comes to making LPRs permanent in Nashville. While they’re waiting, three bill sponsors would like the police department to kindly pack it up: council members Emily Benedict, Ginny Welsch, and Delishia Porterfield have filed a bill requiring MNPD to take down all LPRs and signage used during the program. The bill will be introduced on first reading.

From Megan Podsiedlik

HEADLINES

Should chess be an official sport in Tennessee schools? One Rutherford County man makes his case (NewsChannel 5) Mitchell made his pitch in a letter to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). In the letter, he also stated the International Olympic Committee already recognizes chess as a sport. He said building programs in schools across the state would be cheaper than many other sports.

Tennessee’s Public Charter School Commission Overturns Five Local Charter School Application Denials (Star) At this year’s annual charter school appeals hearing, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC) heard from eight proposed charter schools. State law permits charter authorizers who have been denied by the local authorizer to ask for reconsideration.

Report: Tennessee ranks as top 5 state financially (Center Square) Financial watchdog Truth in Accounting categorized Tennessee as a Sunshine State, meaning it’s in the top five, in its 14th annual Financial State of the States report. Tennessee was found to have $9,500 in surplus per resident, behind Alaska ($80,000), North Dakota ($47,400), Wyoming ($24,600) and Utah ($12,700).

DEVELOPMENT

• Local chef brings Italian seaside to Franklin with newest restaurant Bestia Mare (NBJ)
• Reba's son plans Middle Tennessee development (NBJ)
• West End retail building listed for $2.3M (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown 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 and our 2023 southern festival guide and 🎥 2023 movie guide.

TONIGHT

🎻 Simply The Best: The Music of Tina Turner with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $41+, Info

🎙 Nick Cave @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $39.50+, Info

🎺 Todd Day Wait @ The Underdog, 11:30p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ Honky Tonk Tuesday afterparty, down the street

🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ American Legion Post 82, 5p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

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• And check out our podcast, YouTube, and article archive for more.