Reading the Crosstabs

Right Up My Alley

By Rachel Gladstone

The nineteenth installment in Tales from the Westside

One of my favorite things about living in the Nations is the fact that we have alleys. That probably surprises you. You probably expected me to dash off a list of my favorite bars and restaurants or tell you how much I love the small town feel that persists, despite the overbuilding that just won’t seem to quit. But honestly, the alleys are one of our best features; let me explain.

Originally designed as a functional grid when the neighborhood was built in 1913, alleyways gave this industrial, working-class neighborhood a means for delivery vehicles of all shapes and sizes to reach the factories and lumber yards that reigned supreme. For residents, this meant easy access to the garages and stables at the back of their properties where they’d also accept deliveries of the wood and coal that heated their homes. These mini-thoroughfares kept heavy traffic (and piles of horse dung) out of sight, allowing folks to sit on their porch swings and enjoy conversations with neighbors while not having to endure the unpleasant smells, soot and noise relegated to the alleys.

Alleys were also designated for trash pick-up, which, except for the new houses without alley access that require curbside pickup, is still the case. And let’s not forget the geniuses (aka greedy developers) who thought it was a good idea to build two houses back-to-back, making one of those houses an alley-facing property. This makes for an entrance that’s not only unsightly and smelly, but it kind of ruins the whole swinging on the front porch, chatting up your neighbors vibe.

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🤠 Davy Crockett statue unveiled at the Capitol
A new bronze statue of Davy Crockett, born in Greene County, now stands above the entrance to the Motlow Tunnel on the Capitol grounds. Sculptor Jamie Lester’s Crockett is 10 feet tall on a three-foot base of three limestone pieces, one for each of the state’s Grand Divisions, with four more limestone blocks serving as benches. He holds a rifle modeled on one his family owned, now at the East Tennessee History Center, and the piece works in a Tennessee box turtle, a bear paw print, an oak leaf and a deer. “This statue helps bring his legacy back home to Tennessee, the land of his birth,” said Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, whose district includes Crockett’s birthplace. (TN House Republicans)

🚔 Police arrest suspect in car break-ins across Belle Meade, West Nashville and Brentwood
Metro police say a string of vehicle break-ins hit Belle Meade, West Nashville and Brentwood, along with Murfreesboro and Lebanon, and they’ve arrested a suspect: Laquarius Bumphus, 20, caught Wednesday at a Charlotte Pike gas station after he tried to run. Officers found two stolen pistols, multiple key sets and fobs, and a key fob programmer inside a vehicle. He’s being held on a $100,000 bond. The Age of Laquarius draws to a close. (Fox 17)

⚖️ Appeals court orders judge to reconsider Tennessee’s police “buffer law”
A three-judge 6th Circuit panel ruled Tuesday that U.S. District Judge William Campbell Jr. must reconsider his February decision to leave Tennessee’s “buffer law” in effect while a media coalition challenges it. The 2025 law lets police order the public, press included, to stay 25 feet away from crime scenes, traffic stops and any “ongoing and immediate threat to public safety,” and violators can be charged with a misdemeanor. The outlets suing, including the Tennessee Lookout, the Nashville Banner, Gannett, Scripps and TEGNA, argue the law is vague and blocks newsgathering. The panel said Campbell never weighed whether they were likely to win, “the most important (factor) in First Amendment cases,” and found they have standing because their reporters “routinely face a choice between defying a direct order of a police officer” or giving up work the First Amendment protects. Similar laws in Indiana and Louisiana have been struck down. (Tennessee Lookout)

💼 Former THEC COO Scott Sloan joins Vogel Group in Nashville
Scott Sloan, most recently chief operating officer and general counsel of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, has joined lobbying firm Vogel Group as a principal in its Nashville office and will be of counsel at Holtzman Vogel. Sloan represented THEC before the General Assembly for nearly 15 years, helped roll out Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect and the LEAP workforce initiative under Gov. Bill Haslam, and worked on the 2016 FOCUS Act that gave the regional universities their own boards. Before that he led policy and the charitable solicitations and gaming division at the Secretary of State’s office, and was Chief Engrossing Clerk of the state Senate from 2007 to 2012. At Vogel he’ll work on higher education, gaming and charitable solicitation regulation.

📚 American Scapegoat release event Passage Press hosts author TJ Harker and special guests in Nashville on Thursday, Dec. 3, to celebrate the release of his book American Scapegoat: How a Corrupt Justice System Sacrificed Derek Chauvin to the Mob.

A panel will discuss the Chauvin trial and its impact on criminal justice and social life in the U.S. VIP guests get a private happy hour with the panel and the author at 6pm; general admission starts at 7pm, with a cocktail hour and signed books after the talk. The address comes with registration. (Tickets here)

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  Via City Now Next: Simon broke ground Thursday on Sagefield, a 100-acre open-air shopping center with about 80 stores, restaurants and an organic market at I-65 and I-840 in Thompson’s Station, about 60% of it green space. It’s set to open in late 2028.

  More info

• TDOT says the James Robertson Parkway bridge will close for about two years starting summer 2027, after the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon, so crews can lower the East Bank approach and run utilities through it, with work done by summer 2029 ahead of the 2030 Super Bowl.

  NC5

• Sidco Commons, a 3.71-acre mixed-use plan near One Hundred Oaks with 12- and 5-story residential buildings and a 16-story hotel, went to the Metro Planning Commission for SP zoning; it would replace a La Quinta Inn and the Bedford Nashville Event Venue.

  Post

• 📅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.

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