Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway racing will go to voters as 2027 ballot measure
This aerial rendering shows concept for a renovated Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
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Nashvillager Podcast: Silliman Evans
Who was Silliman Evans? Plus, the local news for October 19, 2026.
One year in, has the Memphis Safe Task Force made the city safer?
FILE – Members from the National Guard working as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force conduct a community safety patrol at Tom Lee Park, Oct. 12, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Suspicious package destined for Tennessee elections office intercepted by authorities
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating several suspicious mailings sent to election offices around the country.
Nashvillager Podcast: Political treason?
What happens when a Tennessee politician goes rogue? Plus, the local news for October 16, 2026.
Republicans and Democrats find a unifying target: pharmacy benefit managers
Amye and Charlie Joseph of Elizabethton, Tennessee, are on opposite sides politically but have a shared disdain for pharmacy benefit managers, known as PBMs.
Blackburn promotes coal, nuclear while Green vows to protect rivers, forest and farmland
Tennessee gubernatorial candidates Jerri Green and Marsha Blackburn are divided on data centers, energy and environmental issues.
Nashville voter turnout 15 times higher than last midterm so far
Early voting location at Lentz Public Health Center, Nashville.
Worried about the mix of meds you’re taking? Start a conversation with your doctor
Illustration by Maria Fabrizio for WPLN and KFF Health News
Nashvillager Podcast: Mail service
How is postal service intertwined with the development of Nashville? Plus, the local news for October 15, 2026.
TSU leaders say playing home football games at Nissan Stadium makes financial sense. Here’s why.
Hale Stadium at Tennessee State University is mainly used for football practices. It’s been nearly thirty years since TSU held regular football games here.
Flock cameras are dividing Tennessee towns. Here’s the split in Murfreesboro.
FILE – A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
911 recordings show why ambulance was delayed after Pike’s failed execution
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted on September 30.
4 tales from Tennessee election history to read during early voting that may surprise you
The NashVillager podcast rounds up four of the most influential and insightful election stories from Tennessee's history.
Nashvillager Podcast: How Tennessee became a supermajority state
Will this election change the balance of power in Tennessee? Plus, the local news for October 14, 2026.
Nashvillager Podcast: Food dye, the legality of caffeine, and barrels of Coca-Cola
Why did an early trial into the safety of caffeine play out in a Tennessee courtroom? Plus, the local news for October 13, 2026.
Tennessee Amendment 3 gives voters say on Marsy’s Law and expanded crime victim rights
Mourners honor the four victims killed in a mass shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch on April 22, 2018.
Nashvillager Podcast: Tennessee, death penalty test case
How is the world talking about the failed execution of Christa Pike? Plus, the local news for October 12, 2026.
Tennessee Amendment 1 asks voters to change bail rules
Mayor Karl Dean, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall and Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson announced plans to move the jail and downtown operations from the Criminal Justice Center to Harding Place and to relocate the Metro Nashville Police Department headquarters to Jefferson Street April 21, 2015 in…
Trump makes rare Tennessee appearance ahead of early voting
President Donald Trump addresses a crowd of supporters at a midterm rally in Clarksville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
Does My Vote Even Count? WPLN public event addresses concerns about voting process
WPLN hosted a public conversation about the voting process on Oct. 6th. WPLN hosted a public conversation about the voting process on Oct. 6th.
Christa Pike is discharged from a hospital after surviving execution attempt, her attorneys say
Christa Pike, TDOC photo, January 2023 Christa Pike, TDOC photo, January 2023
Drugs in jars, bags of cash: Tennessee ignored warnings from Arizona’s botched executions
Retired Judge David Duncan poses for a photo at his home in Phoenix, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. Courtney Pedroza for NPR
GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty faces Memphis Democrat Marquita Bradshaw in rematch
Democrat Marquita Bradshaw, left, and Republican Bill Hagerty are again facing off for the U.S. Senate seat Hagerty won in 2020.
Tennessee became the face of the nation’s deadliest 21st century explosion one year ago
A woman holds a candle vigil honoring the victims of a blast at an explosives plant, Accurate Energetic Systems, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Waverly, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The evolution of country music videos | Key Changes
From left: interviewer Allison Moorer and Trey Fanjoy in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater; photo credit: Jewly Hight
Nashvillager Podcast: From world’s fair to federal prison
How did the Butcher Brothers’ greed put a Tennessee city in the spotlight and land them behind bars? Plus, the local news for October 9, 2026.
Christa Pike is walking with help and eating after failed execution attempt, her attorneys say
Luke Ihnen, attorney for Christa Pike, speaks during a news conference after a judge ruled the Tennessee Department of Correction must preserve all evidence related to the failed execution of Pike, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Christa Pike survived a failed execution. So did 7 other inmates in recent decades
Mounted law enforcement officers are seen outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the planned execution of Christa Pike, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville.
Trying to execute Christa Pike again would push into uncharted legal territory, experts say
Attorneys for Christa Pike hold a news conference after a judge ruled the Tennessee Department of Corrections must preserve all evidence related to the failed execution of Pike, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
Man with a gun and knife is fatally shot by security at Nashville federal courthouse, police say
Law enforcement responds to a shooting at the federal courthouse on Thursday in Nashville.
The Boring Co. prepares new tunneling site for Music City Loop
The Boring Company prepares for tunnel construction in Nashville on Feb. 24, 2026.
Nashvillager Podcast: What now?
Where does a failed execution put Tennessee in regards to the death penalty? Plus, the local news for October 8, 2026.
The sometimes-awkward art of asking for a second opinion
HealthQ hosts Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer
The sometimes-awkward art of asking for a second opinion
HealthQ hosts Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer
Hurricane Isaias will impact Tennessee. Here’s the latest forecast
A NOAA map shows the storm becoming a hurricane by Thursday, making landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday evening, and sweeping north toward Tennessee over the weekend.
Attorneys, doctors, nurses and lawmakers asked for a death penalty moratorium before Pike’s failed execution
Protesters enter the last leg of the 9-mile walk from Riverbend to War Memorial in the Easter Sunday anti-death penalty March4Mercy.
Judge orders that Christa Pike execution evidence be preserved
Tennessee Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers, left, presents arguments during a court hearing, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn., as attorneys for Christa Pike request the Tennessee Department of Corrections to preserve all evidence related to her failed execution. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, Pool)
Nashville’s sheriff Daron Hall retiring after 24 years
Sheriff Daron Hall speaks at a press conference on Feb. 19, 2020, announcing charges against Alex Friedmann, a criminal justice advocate accused of planning a jailbreak.
Former HBCU students file lawsuit over underfunding by states, including Tennessee
TSU students are advocating for the state to make up for $2.1 billion of underfunding. A 2023 federal analysis found that 16 states had underfunded their historically Black land grant universities and now former students of an HBCU are suing state officials. Their attorneys say similar litigation may soon take place…
Nashvillager Podcast: Constitutional amendments on the November ballot
What’s so important about having a symphony orchestra? Plus, the local news for October 6, 2026.
GM plans to produce cheaper long-range EV batteries in Tennessee
Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, is expanding its factory in Spring Hill to produce manganese-rich batteries for electric vehicles.
Christa Pike conscious and able to speak after failed execution
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday.
Tennessee Republicans consider more execution options after Christa Pike lethal injection fails
Photographs of Colleen Slemmer, who was murdered in 1995, are displayed outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution before the planned execution of Christa Pike.
What happened during Christa Pike’s failed execution
Media witnesses recount the moments before the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Nashvillager Podcast: The Nashville Symphony’s value proposition
What’s so important about having a symphony orchestra? Plus, the local news for October 6, 2026.
The mystery of the Flatwoods Monster
The first reported sighting of West Virginia’s Flatwoods Monster happened in 1952.
The Nashville Symphony’s season is back on after $10M ‘lifeline’ from Oracle
Nashville Symphony onstage at schermerhorn symphony center The Nashville Symphony on the Schermerhorn stage.
Registered to vote? Tennessee’s deadline is here
The deadline to register to vote in Tennessee’s 2026 general election is Monday, Oct. 5.
Nashvillager Podcast: Utopian Tennessee
Who built a town on the Cumberland Plateau for wealthy British immigrants? Plus, the local news for October 5, 2026
As Blackburn refuses to debate, Tennessee Democrat Jerri Green holds empty podium forum
Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jerri Green appears alongside an empty podium in the place of her GOP opponent, Marsha Blackburn, on Sept. 30, 2026.
Henry Rollins to open two-day punk and hardcore exhibit in Nashville
When music legend Henry Rollins moved from Los Angeles to Nashville he said it was to work on some kind of visual display of his collection of punk and hardcore posters, albums and other ephemera. Now it's here.
Tennessee again taps former U.S. Attorney to review execution protocol
Former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton
Tennessee correction commissioner steps down after failed execution
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada reads a statement as relatives of victims of convicted murderer Byron Black listen outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Byron Black.
The record-breaking, genre-melting, career-redefining evolution of Miranda Lambert
In the two decades since her breakthrough single, the revenge-fueled “Kerosene,” Lambert has achieved just about every kind of success an artist can in the country music industry. With her new album, Crisco , she says her sights are set on new levels of stardom.
Christa Pike was on a ventilator and unconscious after failed Tennessee execution, attorneys say
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday.
Pike’s team says they predicted complications with her execution
Christa Pike's legal team argued this summer that her health conditions could make her execution painful and difficult.
Nashvillager Podcast: Independent football
Is Tennessee’s high school sports league losing its grip on private school football? Plus, the local news for October 2, 2026
Tennessee Democrats call on the GOP to fix state executions
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday.
Blackburn calls to ‘bring back electric chair’ after Tennessee’s second failed execution
Media witnesses recount the moments before the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Inside The Truth — LiveNation’s new venue in Nashville
The Truth opens in Nashville’s WeHo neighborhood.
Tennessee’s execution failures need reform, public defender says
Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday.
Updates: Christa Pike on a ventilator and unconscious, attorneys say
Christa Pike was taken to a medical facility after the state tried and failed to execute her Wednesday night. We're now working to find out the latest with Pike, as well as the ramifications for capital punishment.
Gov. Lee halts execution, orders third-party review following Pike’s failed lethal injection
Gov. Bill Lee talks at the ribbon cutting of a Goodwill Middle Tennessee Opportunity Campus grand opening the morning after Christa Pike’s botched execution on Oct. 1, 2026
Nashvillager Podcast: Fighting over Lower Broad (and Pigeon Forge)
Should the city or state have the say in how Tennessee’s busiest tourist neighborhoods are managed? Plus, the local news for October 1, 2026
Before saying yes to the medical test, know the risks and benefits
Illustration by Maria Fabrizio for WPLN and KFF Health News
Education and transportation central to Nashville mayor’s new spending plan
A teacher speaks in front of a group of young students who are seated on a rug in a brightly colored classroom.
What Where When-sday: International Black Film Festival
IMG_7703 (1) The Nashville Film Festival is wrapping up but there is another film fest for the movie buffs out there. The International Black Film Festival , starting today (Sep 30) through Sunday (Oct 4) at Belmont University, Scarritt Bennett Center and other venues across Nashville.
Christa Pike’s influence from Tennessee’s death row
Marcy Wilson with her daughter Teddy pictured behind her. Teddy died of an overdose after spending time near Christa Pike.
Nashvillager Podcast: The state of the station
How is Nashville Public Radio doing these days? Plus, the local news for September 30, 2026
‘It’s humiliating:’ Nashville Symphony members react to furloughs
Symphony musicians in Nashville have been put out of a job this week with almost no notice — and they’re reeling. “It’s infuriating and it’s actually humiliating,” said Joel Reist, Nashville Orchestra Committee chairman. He tells WPLN his plan right now is to sell his instrument to pay his mortgage. “I have the bass…
After failed execution, health workers say Tennessee’s rules flout medical ethics
Abraham Bonowitz speaks during a March 4 Mercy protest against the death penalty at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville ahead of the Sept. 30 scheduled execution of Christa Pike.
Tennessee unable to carry out the execution by lethal injection of Christa Gail Pike, witnesses say
Sangha members of Wild Heart Meditation Center chanted Metta, or lovingkindness meditation, outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution at the time Christa Pike’s execution was scheduled to start.
Planning for what matters: Strategies beyond your will – Oct. 9, 2026
Join Nashville Public Radio for a free morning event in recognition of Estate Planning Awareness Month.
Nashville Democrat sues for GOP ‘retaliation’ to redistricting protest
Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, protests with a banner atop her desk in the Senate chamber during a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Trump can’t force election changes by blocking counterterrorism funds to states, judge says
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Sept. 28.
Nashville Symphony suspending season amid ‘financial emergency’
The Schermerhorn Symphony Center was completed September 9 The Nashville Symphony is suspending its season and placing more than 100 staffers on furlough.
Nashvillager Podcast: A mess of an election
What lessons can we take today from a contentious Reconstruction-era election in Nashville? Plus, the local news for September 29, 2026
Curious Nashville: We found the namesake of Elm Hill Pike
Elm Hill Pike is among the oldest roads in Nashville, and the origins of its name have largely been lost to time.
A surprising number of Americans use AI for spiritual reasons. Here’s what they told us
ai-and-spiritual-practice-web.jpg
Preschoolers at the Goddard School of Gallatin act as ‘kid journalists’ for World News Day
Preschoolers at the Goddard School of Gallatin celebrated “World News Day” by acting as “junior journalists” – interviewing each other and staff members at the school. September 28 was dubbed “World News Day” by a global network of journalists and editors nearly a decade ago to highlight the role that reporters play…
Americans are confused and worried about elections. Will that impact turnout?
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – APRIL 21: Voters arrive before casting their ballots at a polling location at Washington-Liberty High School on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Virginia voters will decide today on a statewide ballot question on whether to allow the Virginia General Assembly to redraw congressional…
Nashvillager Podcast: The Nashville Symphony’s new financial crisis
Can Music City’s orchestra afford to stay afloat? Plus, the local news for September 28, 2026.
How Nashville celebrated “9 to 5” Day
The exterior of Garth Brooks’ honky tonk, Friends in Low Places, on Sept. 25, 2026.
Abortion backers notch court win — and point to brawl with AG over documents
A woman holds a sign quoting Tupac Shakur on women’s reproductive freedom. A protester holds a sign after Tennessee’s full abortion ban — called the Human Life Protection Act — took effect in 2022.
Nashvillager Podcast: 9 to 5 Day
A Dolly Parton-themed novena candle at a memorial to the late singer in East Nashville on August 25, 2026
Across the country, youth prisons are closing. Tennessee is building more.
Mountain View Academy in Dandridge, Tennessee.
Fired for not moving LGBTQ books, a former Tennessee librarian sues
Luanne James, former director of the Rutherford County Library System, who was fired for refusing to move more than 100 books from the children’s to the adult section, poses for a photo during an interview in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Ode to Joy (Oladokun), whose new album is no light affair
Courtesy of the artist; photo credit: Graham Tolbert
High demand is straining Nashville’s water system. Metro asks you to limit sprinklers
Metro is asking for reduced use of sprinklers and irrigation.
How an unlikely duo is helping those in jail find sobriety in Dickson County
Sheriff Tim Eads and Freeman Recovery CEO Shawn Baker stand together inside the Dickson County Sheriff’s Department.
Dolly Parton’s estate granted temporary restraining order against singer’s nephew
Henry Bailey, 7, from Kentucky signs his name to a tribute sign to the late Dolly Parton before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sept. 19 in Bristol.
Nashvillager Podcast: Finger lickin’ franchises
How did a Nashville businessman make KFC famous? Plus, the local news for September 24, 2026.
Report finds 14 ‘forgotten children’ buried at former youth corrections facility in Tennessee
Georgetown University's Forgotten Children Initiative has released a map documenting more than 1,000 deaths at 40 youth corrections facilities across the country.
How Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ became the longest-running No. 1 hit of all time
Ella Langley's song "Choosin' Texas" is officially the longest-running No. 1 single in the U.S., spending 23 weeks at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It is also 2026's biggest hit. Since its release in October, the song has achieved 911 million on-demand streams in the U.S. and 1.26 billion globally.
As Tennessee AG seeks abortion records, a nonprofit pushes back in court
Protesters outdoors hold signs saying “abortion is essential” and “bans off our bodies.” One protester wears a stocking cap with a white box sticking out of the fold; it’s labeled “abortion pills.”
Tennessee Dem calls for independent to drop out of governor’s race over Andrew Jackson video
Lauren Pinkston, an independent candidate running for governor of Tennessee.
Nashville Film Festival opening night captures Peter Frampton’s perserverance
Peter Frampton playing guitar
Paramount makes concessions to salvage $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 22: David Ellison, Chairman & CEO, Paramount Skydance speaks on stage during New York Upfront Partnership Event 2026 at Storied NYC on April 22, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Paramount)