Top Nashville stories to watch in 2022

Nashville rings in the new year with COVID spiking, a music industry racked with an uncertain future and the likelihood of drastic changes to its political representation hanging in the balance.

• Here are the top stories Adam and Nate are watching as we wade into 2022.

🦠 COVID, year 3: Lingering staffing and supply shortages are likely to have long-term effects on local businesses.

🎤 Live music: As vaccinations rolled out, some music venues were able to stumble to their feet after being silenced for 18 months by regulations and pandemic fears. Many depended on government stimulus funding, some of which is still being doled out.

• But 2022 began with a slate of concert cancellations, returning Nashville's live music industry to now-familiar precariousness.

🔍 Redistricting: Even though Nashville is solidly liberal, state Republican lawmakers seem poised to redraw congressional district boundaries so the city is represented in Washington, D.C. by three or four conservatives.

🗳 Elections: Crime could become a dominant national issue during the midterms. Primary races in May for judges and the district attorney's office will open the door for local debates on the matter.

📬 Thank you to everyone who pitched their story ideas last month. Email [email protected] to let us know what else we should be watching.