Tennessee teachers and school staff may soon be able to carry handguns on campus thanks to a bill passed by the General Assembly. Students protest against the bill The move goes against what many have been rallying for after the Covenant School shooting left six victims dead, three of whom were students. More: Parents, students and educators speak out against bill to arm Tennessee teachers High school senior Sarayah Shaw helped organize a teach-in event at the capitol on Monday, calling on lawmakers to reject the bill. She and other speakers at the student-led protest said that the solution to ..read more

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a petition last week with more than 20 Republican state attorneys general to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from considering race when regulating pollution.  The petition is only a request. But if it leads to action, it could have wide-reaching implications for vulnerable people in communities around the U.S. while paving the way for companies to profit from them. The petition addresses Title VI in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin by recipients of federal f ..read more

A bill headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk would make it so anyone deemed unfit to stand trial would be automatically committed. The measure, which received bipartisan support in the House and Senate, aims to fill a gap in the state’s criminal justice system for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability. The bill was named Jillian’s Law in honor of Belmont University freshman Jillian Ludwig who was killed by a stray bullet in November. The man accused of shooting her has an intellectual disability and was deemed unfit to stand trial for a separate, gun-related charge. He was rele ..read more

What’s up with the city’s new street lamps?  As Nashville moves to replace old streetlights in favor of new LEDs, we take a look at how the transition is going. Plus the latest newscast and a conversation about the death of the school voucher bill in the state legislature. Credits:This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Nina Cardona Editor: Miriam Kramer Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Rachel Iacovone, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP Listen and follow via: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music ...or wherever you get your podcasts ..read more

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s universal school voucher plan was supposed to be part of a “conservative education revolution.” But for now, at least, it’s dead. Lee made the announcement on X Monday morning, saying he was “extremely disappointed.” Lee and pro-voucher lobbying groups campaigned hard to get a bill through the legislature that would offer up to 20,000 “Education Freedom Scholarships” of $7,075 in public funds to put toward the costs of private school. Those scholarships would be open to students even if they’re wealthy or already attend private school. Proponents of the plan said it w ..read more

What should we do with our household trash?  On this Earth Day, a look at a looming challenge facing Middle Tennessee: the landfill that holds so much of our waste is nearly full. Plus the latest newscast and a look back at the story of a person who fled to Nashville during the Rwandan genocide. Credits:This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Nina Cardona Editor: Miriam Kramer Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Rachel Iacovone, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP Listen and follow via: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music ...or wherever yo ..read more

As it is now, the east bank of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville consists of the soon-to-be-replaced Nissan Stadium, a sea of concrete and not much else. But, that’s not for long. Nashville’s Metro Council gave the city and Boston-based developer the Fallon Company the green light to develop the first 30 acres in the area. In addition to granting approval for the 431-page agreement between Metro and Fallon, the council also approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, which plans to construct a new facility on the site. What’s the scop ..read more

Of all the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the 14th is a big one. It’s shaped all of our lives, whether we realize it or not: Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board of Education, Bush v. Gore, plus other Supreme Court cases that legalized same-sex marriage, interracial marriage, access to birth control — they’ve all been built on the back of the 14th. The amendment was ratified after the Civil War, and it’s packed full of lofty phrases like due process, equal protection, and liberty. But what do those words really guarantee us? Today on the show: how the 14th Amendment has remade America – and how ..read more

Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album ‘Overcomer’, has died. She was 47. A representative for the singer told The Associated Press that the singer was found dead in her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. The representative said the cause of Mandisa’s death was not yet known. Mandisa, whose full name was Mandisa Lynn Hundley, was born near Sacramento, California, and grew up singing in church. She gained stardom after finishing ninth on “American Idol” in 2006. As she left, host Ryan Seacrest told the singer that sh ..read more

Fast bus service, 86 miles of sidewalks and a dozen new transit centers — those are some elements of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s freshly unveiled transit improvement proposal. O’Connell announced in February that he would pursue a transit referendum this fall, asking Nashville voters to dedicate a share of tax dollars specifically to transit and transportation. Details of the Nov. 5 ballot measure were not immediately released at that time, setting in motion a series of public meetings to shape the proposal. Now, after two months of planning — which included the convening of advisory committees ..read more