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Julio Hernandez's big deal
Maiz De La Vida food truck. Photo: Courtesy of Maiz De La Vida.
With stints at fine dining restaurants in New York and country club kitchens in Nashville, Julio Hernandez was already accomplished in the food world when he brokered the deal in 2020 that ultimately put him in the running for a prestigious James Beard Award.
Details: Hernandez convinced his wife Emma to pool together their pandemic stimulus checks so he could buy 200 pounds of dry corn and a new stone grain mill to make tortillas.
Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow finalists for Rock Hall
Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow at the CMA Awards in 2019. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for the Country Music Association
Three acts with deep Nashville ties are finalists for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Driving the news: Country legend Willie Nelson, pop-rocker Sheryl Crow and Jack White's most popular rock project the White Stripes were among the finalists announced Tuesday.
Tennessee's infrastructure needs keep growing
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios and Maura Losch/Axios
Tennessee's list of infrastructure projects needed to support transportation, education and public safety grew for the seventh consecutive year, according to a new report approved last week.
- Andrew Freedman, author of Axios Generate
Ice storm causes power outages, flight delays from Texas to Tennessee
A weather operations room is seen at the State Operations Center on January 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic air spilling south from Canada is resulting in a long-duration ice storm for millions of people across at least eight states.
The big picture: At least six people in Texas have died since Monday as sleet, snow and freezing rain snarled road and air travel. Waves of mixed precipitation are forecast to spread northeast with time, lasting through early Thursday.
Previewing Nashville's wide-open mayoral race
Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios; Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
The Nashville political world was abuzz with gossip following Mayor John Cooper's announcement Tuesday that he will not seek re-election.
What's happening: Metro Councilmembers Sharon Hurt and Freddie O'Connell and former city official Matt Wilsthire are already running for mayor.
- That's just the beginning.
Tyre Nichols' funeral to take place in Memphis
A candlelight vigil in memory of Tyre Nichols at the Tobey Skate Park in Memphis. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Tyre Nichols' funeral takes place Wednesday in Memphis.
The Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, who is leading the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, tells Axios it will be a tribute to the free-spirited amateur photographer who loved skateboarding and watching the sun set over the Mississippi River.
Inside Nashville mayor's decision not to run
Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Nashville politics experienced yet another tectonic shift Tuesday as Mayor John Cooper announced he would not seek re-election.
- Cooper's replacement will give Nashville its fourth mayor in 5.5 years.
Black History Month arrives as teachers' fears mount
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Nearly 30% of educators in red states that limit discussions of Black history say they've altered their curriculum, according to a new survey of teachers.
Why it matters: Conservative-led states' and school districts' bans on so-called critical race theory have led some teachers to scrap once-noncontroversial Black history lessons for fear of being fired or shamed on and social media.