Tennessee Scam Artists
Good afternoon, everyone. TN's top scammers... NES donates more money to help customers pay bills as questions regarding understaffing surface... Nashville tourism dropped 13 percent... And much more!
Who funds your Councilmember? Checkout our new Council Watch tool. 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. (Explore)
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Tennessee Attorney General targets scam artists.
From Megan Podsiedlik
Last week, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office announced Tennessee’s top ten consumer complaint categories of 2025. Last year, the AG Division of Consumer Affairs received 9,938 complaints and helped recover more than $3.6 million for consumers through mediation. The most common complaints involved home improvement and warranty disputes, followed by internet sales issues and debt collection concerns.
Since taking office, Skrmetti has prioritized consumer protection, taking on everything from BlackRock’s misleading information and holding Meta (Facebook and Instagram)/AI accountable for targeting children to celebrity scams and the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster price gouging debacle.
Nashvillians recently got a taste of the ugly scam artistry that takes place after natural disaster strikes. In the wake of this winter’s ice storm, the BBB warned that fraudulent companies target vulnerable communities that need tree removal, HVAC assistance, and plumbing services. One Nashville homeowner told News 2 he paid over $6,000 for tree removal services that were never performed. The same happened after 2020’s devastating tornadoes.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
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)
A patriotic story from the American Revolution marking hope and resilience.
When hope was all but lost, the Overmountain Men—a frontier militia from what is now Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia—organized themselves in 1780 after British officer Patrick Ferguson threatened to destroy their settlements during the American Revolutionary War. About 1,000 men gathered at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in present-day Elizabethton and marched across the Appalachian Mountains to confront Loyalist forces. They defeated Ferguson at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, a Patriot victory that helped turn the tide of the war in the southern colonies.
Listen to former statesman, Senator Frank Niceley, recount the story here.
HEADLINES
- 🔌 NES dedicates $1M to expand bill assistance following deadly ice storm. In addition to its $1 million donation to the Winter Storm Recovery Fund, the utility company announced a $1 million donation to NeedLink Nashville on Friday morning. (WSMV)
- ⬇️ Stats show a 13 percent drop in Nashville tourism. Metro Nashville’s Tourism and Convention Commission held its monthly meeting to discuss 2025 tourism statistics. Only 2 percent of Nashville tourism is international. (WKRN)
- ⚡️ Is NES understaffed? Nashville Electric Service's staffing levels remained stagnant for the past decade, despite a 24% boost in its number of customers, according to budget documents. (Tennessean)
- 🧊 Reporter Estefany Rodriguez's ICE detainment prompts media organization responses. National media industry organizations are speaking out in support of Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodríguez Florez, who was arrested by ICE on Wednesday and is noted in court documents to be detained in Alabama. (Post)
- 🍼 Proposed Metro bills aim to ease Nashville child care centers operations. Mayor Freddie O’Connell and several Metro Council members are proposing legislation aimed at making it easier to open and operate child care centers in Nashville. (Fox 17)
- 🚀 Retired NASA astronaut opts out of bid for TN governor. Barry “Butch” Wilmore said he just pulled the petition to run, but never made an announcement he was going to run. He said he technically never entered the race and was just evaluating the possibility. (WSMV)
- 🚨 ‘9-1-1’ & ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Renewed By ABC. Veteran 9-1-1 has been renewed for Season 10, freshman 9-1-1: Nashville has been picked up for a second season. (Deadline)
DEVELOPMENT
- Izakaya restaurant Present Tense reopens in intimate Wedgewood-Houston space (NBJ)
- East Nashville property previously eyed for project hits market (Post)
- Lower Broadway building listed for sale (Post)
- Music City Children’s Museum eyes East Bank home (Post)
- Mixed-use building eyed for South Nashville (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
Bluegrass Monday with Kyle Tuttle @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.