Smoking ban would bring new era for Nashville dives

1 big thing: A new era for Nashville dives

Interior photo of the Melrose Billiards bar.

ACLU of Tennessee picks a new director

2. ACLU-TN picks a new director


3. Bachelorette parties get pricier

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4. The Setlist

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Check out our job board

5. ☀️ What to do this weekend

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Today's weather: We can see clearly now — the rain is gone. The high is 85°.

Today's newsletter is 929 words — a 3.5-minute read.

⚾️ In honor of the Cubs winning the Field of Dreams game last night, Nate's song of the day is "A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request" by Steve Goodman.

💨 Adam's song of the day is Barbra Streisand's gorgeous take on "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes."

Nashville

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Nashville. Written by Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

Axios Nashville

FEMA pays $81.9 million for COVID funerals in Tennessee

1 big thing: Feds provide millions for Tennessee funerals

Illustration of a hand at a vigil holding a candle wrapped in a $100 bill.

Tennessee senators rally around Trump after "raid"

2. Senators rally around Trump after "raid"

A composite of photos showing Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.

3. TSU president goes to Washington

TSU president Glenda Glover speaking at a conference table.

Illustration of the "Batman building" in Nashville with a bat-signal, with a note instead of a bat, shining on it.

Your future begins here

5. 🎸 CMA Fest bounces back

Keith Urban playing guitar during CMA Fest 2022 at Nissan Stadium.

Good morning, friendly friends. It's Wednesday, and it's wonderful to "see" you.

⛈ Today's weather: More storms this afternoon, with a high of 88°.

Today's newsletter is 810 words — a 3-minute read.

Nate's song of the day is "Ocean" by Young Jesus.

🎭 Adam is feeling reflective after seeing the stage adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" at TPAC.

Nashville looks to attract more conventions

1 big thing: Nashville looks to draw more conventions

Exterior photo of the Music City Center in Nashville.

Finding the best BLT in Nashville

2. 🍅 Celebrating tomatoes, one sandwich at a time

A BLT sandwich sliced in half on a plate.

MNPS faces teacher vacancies

3. MNPS faces teaching vacancies 

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Illustration of a neon sign in the shape of an arrow reading "THE SETLIST."

New jobs to check out

5. Readers take over Music Monday

Good morning, Nashville. Welcome to a new week. Let's get it started together.

Today's weather: 92° with storms possible in the afternoon.

Today's newsletter is 923 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🎶 One way to make our playlists even better is to invite more collaborators to the party. Tell your friends to subscribe so they can join us for the next Music Monday.

🌥 Nate's song of the day is the perfect rock song "No Rain" by Blind Melon.  

👽 Adam's song of the day is Beyoncé's out-of-this-world "Alien Superstar."

Nashville area housing sales dropped 19% in July

1 big thing: Housing sales drop

Illustration of a real estate sale sign shaped like a downward point arrow

Remembering Olivia Newton-John's Nashville ties

2. Remembering Olivia Newton-John

3. Axios sold: Why it matters

Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz in the Axios newsroom.

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Take your career to the next level

5. Talking tech with a "Drag Race" all-star

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❤️ Thanks to our 102 Axios Nashville members for supporting local journalism. Join them by becoming a member.

Today's newsletter is 872 words — a 3-minute read.

🔀 Nate's song of the day is "Twist of Fate" by the iconic Olivia Newton-John. His album of the day is the collection of Olivia Newton-John cover songs by Juliana Hatfield.

💃 Adam is watching this "Drag Race" lip sync to "Twist of Fate."

Skrmetti picked for attorney general

1 big thing: A new attorney general

New homes needed for rescued beagles

2. Nashville Humane Association seeks new homes for beagles

Beagles at the Nashville Humane Association

Cooper launches neighborhood investment tracker

3. Cooper launches neighborhood investment tracker

Photo illustration of Nashville Mayor John Cooper with lines radiating from him.

4.  The Setlist

Illustration of a concert-style poster reading "The Setlist, catch up quick, weekday mornings, the internet," and two silhouettes of the Nashville skyline, over a three-color gradient.

A new career is waiting for you

5. Sportsbooks cool on Titans' Super Bowl chances

Happy Thursday, y'all. (Do we sound natural when we say y'all?)

Today's weather: 84° with rain in the morning.

Today's newsletter is 783 words — a 3-minute read.

😻 Nate struck gold when he adopted his cat Ruby from Metro Animal Care and Control in 2018. 

🐕 Adam is happy to have occasional access to his mom's dog Sparky and his brother's dog Lucy.

A new online tool unveiled by Mayor John Cooper yesterday will allow you to track new sidewalks, school improvements and other infrastructure projects in your neighborhood.

Why it matters: Cooper touted the initiative as a way to increase transparency and accountability.

Information on more than 800 projects is available on the website.

👋 Nate here: The website displays the recent projects on a color-coded map of Davidson County. I searched for infrastructure improvements near my home in the Whites Creek area.

The map showed a roof replacement at Alex Green Elementary with a budget of $158,950 and an expected completion date of Aug. 23.

There was also a stormwater project on Green Lane near Whites Creek Pike completed earlier this year for $125,984.

Context: Cooper is touting neighborhood investments at the same time he is nearing the end of negotiating a financing plan for a new Titans stadium, which would cost around $2.2 billion.

What he's saying: In a press release that harkened back to his campaign messaging when he ran for mayor in 2019, Cooper said "for too long Metro government has prioritized downtown development and tax incentives for billion-dollar corporations over more money" for schools and neighborhoods.

Information on more than 800 projects around Nashville is available on the website.

Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photo: Leah Puttkammer/Getty Images

A new online tool unveiled by Mayor John Cooper yesterday will allow you to track new sidewalks, school improvements and other infrastructure projects in your neighborhood.Why it matters: Cooper touted the initiative as a way to increase transparency and accountability.

Politics

News

Real Estate

Nashville seems poised to outlaw smoking in the handful of age-restricted bars and music venues that still allow it.

At least one owner sees a "bittersweet" silver lining in the dissipating smoke clouds.

State of play: Smoking has been prohibited in most Tennessee businesses for more than a decade. But some exceptions remained, including 21-and-up bars.

Most bars implemented their own bans. But a new state law allows local governments to pass broader bans that apply to the holdouts.

An ordinance proposing a broader indoor smoking ban in Nashville was filed last month. It faces a pivotal vote at Tuesday's Metro Council meeting.

Why it matters: Austin Ray, who owns Melrose Billiard Parlor, said the expected change would be "the end of an era" for the bar and pool hall, which has allowed smoking since it opened in 1944.

Flashback: Ray, the president of A.Ray Hospitality, said in a statement that he seriously considered eliminating smoking when his company acquired the bar in 2016. But he deferred to longtime customers.

Yes, but: Ray said eliminating smoking offered "a wonderful opportunity to welcome guests who have not wanted to visit Billiards due to the smoke."

"Walking down the original terrazzo staircase to a historic underground escape is a unique experience that's been shared by dive bar lovers, including many celebrities," Ray said.

"We will now be able to share this experience with everyone."

The other side: Customers at another stalwart, Fran's East Side, told the Tennessee Lookout that expanding the smoking ban would unfairly penalize smokers.

"The people who smoke now, they have no options. You can't smoke at no restaurants. … The bar's all you got left," Fran's patron Donnie Barber told the Lookout.

"If you can't get in a bar and have a beer and a cigarette, it's f---ed up." 

The big picture: Jamie Kent, a singer-songwriter and spokesperson for Musicians for a Smokefree Tennessee, tells Axios the ban would keep musicians and employees from working in a fog of secondhand smoke.

"This ordinance presents a huge opportunity to finally protect the health of our musicians and hospitality workers, while also attracting a whole new group of customers to these great bars and venues," Kent says.

At least one owner sees a silver lining in the dissipating smoke clouds.

Melrose Billiard Parlor. Photo: courtesy of A.Ray Hospitality

Smoking cessation

Nashville seems poised to outlaw smoking in the handful of age-restricted bars and music venues that still allow it.<ul><li>At least one owner sees a &quot;bittersweet&quot; silver lining in the dissipating smoke clouds.</li></ul>

Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty joined the chorus of Republicans rallying around former President Trump after the FBI searched his Florida home late Monday.

Why it matters: Support for Trump in the wake of what he calls a raid could serve as the party's latest loyalty litmus test. Politico reports that Trump's team is keeping tabs on which Republicans "aren't, in their view, sufficiently rushing to his defense."

What they're saying: Blackburn tweeted that she stands with Trump, and accused the FBI of continuing a political witch hunt against him.

"The FBI flew agents from Washington, D.C. to Mar-a-Lago for the sole purpose of advancing the bureau's years-long campaign to take down President Trump," Blackburn said.

"The FBI raiding the home of a former U.S. President is unprecedented, & the current administration doing this to the sitting President's top political opponent is beyond comprehension — particularly when neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton ever faced similar treatment," Hagerty said.

State of play: The search appeared to mark a dramatic escalation in the investigation into Trump's handling of presidential documents, Axios' Erin Doherty reports. 

U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who represents a portion of Nashville, said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray should appear before Congress to explain "why they felt this unprecedented raid was necessary."

Blackburn tweeted that she stands with Trump and accused the FBI of continuing a political witch hunt.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty. Photo: Alex Brandon, Tom Williams via AP

Donald Trump

Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty joined the chorus of Republicans rallying around former President Trump after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the FBI searched" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/09/trump-raid-mar-a-lago-fbi" data-vars-content-id="a6545023-c529-40a5-9c58-d04ac4b23fa8" data-vars-headline="Tennessee senators rally around Trump after &quot;raid&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/09/trump-raid-mar-a-lago-fbi" target="_self">the FBI searched</a> his Florida home late Monday.Why it matters: Support for Trump in the wake of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="what he calls a raid" data-vars-click-url="https://saveamerica.nucleusemail.com/amplify/v/XeHZxcJVhW" data-vars-content-id="a6545023-c529-40a5-9c58-d04ac4b23fa8" data-vars-headline="Tennessee senators rally around Trump after &quot;raid&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://saveamerica.nucleusemail.com/amplify/v/XeHZxcJVhW" target="_blank">what he calls a raid</a> could serve as the party&#x27;s latest loyalty litmus test. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Politico reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/09/trump-world-republicans-fbi-2024-run-00050485" data-vars-content-id="a6545023-c529-40a5-9c58-d04ac4b23fa8" data-vars-headline="Tennessee senators rally around Trump after &quot;raid&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/09/trump-world-republicans-fbi-2024-run-00050485" target="_blank">Politico reports</a> that Trump&#x27;s team is keeping tabs on which Republicans &quot;aren&#x27;t, in their view, sufficiently rushing to his defense.&quot;

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided nearly $81.9 million in funeral assistance in Tennessee for deaths attributed to COVID-19.

The funds paid for 14,895 funerals as of Aug. 1.

Why it matters: A FEMA spokesperson says funeral assistance funds are still available.

The Tennessee Department of Health reports 27,030 people have died from COVID. That means more than 12,000 individuals and families are still eligible to apply for the program.

By the numbers: The average FEMA reimbursement in Tennessee comes out to about $5,500 per funeral.

Details: FEMA pays up to $9,000 to reimburse funeral expenses associated with a death attributed to COVID-19.

That includes burial, cremation, casket, headstone and other expenses.

A FEMA spokesperson says funeral assistance funds are still available.

COVID-19

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided nearly $81.9 million in funeral assistance in Tennessee for deaths attributed to COVID-19.<ul><li>The funds paid for 14,895 funerals as of Aug. 1.</li></ul>

A batch of beagles that were slated to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments will instead be up for adoption at the Nashville Humane Association beginning today.

Driving the news: Forty impossibly cute beagles arrived here late Tuesday night from a Virginia breeding facility where 4,000 dogs were rescued.

The latest: Ten dogs will be available for adoption this morning. The others are still undergoing medical checks before heading to foster homes or going up for adoption later.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the company, Envigo RMS LLC, alleging animal welfare violations at the Virginia facility.

Envigo's parent company closed the facility in June. Envigo settled with the government without paying any fines, Reuters reports.

What's next: NHA said on Facebook to keep an eye out on its social media pages for more information as the dogs become ready for their new homes.

The beagles were previously slated to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments

Photo: courtesy of the Nashville Humane Association

Dogs

A batch of beagles that were slated to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments will instead be up for adoption at the Nashville Humane Association <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="beginning today" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/nashvillehumane/status/1557516182843973633?t=PKozALjDzTQkmOArFzuz6Q&amp;s=19" data-vars-content-id="d83d12b8-23f8-45c1-8263-afaa9fffdc66" data-vars-headline="New homes needed for rescued beagles" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/nashvillehumane/status/1557516182843973633?t=PKozALjDzTQkmOArFzuz6Q&amp;s=19" target="_blank">beginning today</a>.Driving the news: Forty impossibly cute beagles arrived here late Tuesday night from a Virginia breeding facility where <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="4,000 dogs were rescued" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/us/envigo-beagles-breeder-adoption.html" data-vars-content-id="d83d12b8-23f8-45c1-8263-afaa9fffdc66" data-vars-headline="New homes needed for rescued beagles" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/us/envigo-beagles-breeder-adoption.html" target="_blank">4,000 dogs were rescued</a>.

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Nate Rau

Stories

Smoking ban would bring new era for Nashville dives

Cooper launches neighborhood investment tracker

New homes needed for rescued beagles

FEMA pays $81.9 million for COVID funerals in Tennessee

Tennessee senators rally around Trump after "raid"

Newsletter editions

🚭 "End of an era"

🐶 Beleaguered beagles

COVID-19 funeral funds

📉 Housing's summer slump

"Super Bowl" of conventions