Nashville

Mayor Cooper will light Nashville's Christmas tree tomorrow at 5:30pm. It's a 35-foot Norway Spruce donated by Bellevue memory care facility Barton House.

But first: Cooper will plant a new tree to the side of the courthouse, overlooking the Cumberland River.

It will eventually become Nashville's permanent Christmas tree, eliminating the need every year to find a new one, chop it down, and haul it to Public Square Park.

What they're saying: "This small but important gesture is representative of the Cooper Administration’s commitment to sustainability and is one of several recent actions to restore tree canopy across the city," the mayor's office said in a statement.

One "Christmas Vacation" quote to go: "It's a little full. Lots of sap. Looks great though." - Clark Griswold

Nashville's 35-foot Christmas tree

Mayor Cooper will light Nashville's Christmas tree at 5:30pm Friday.

Nashville's Christmas tree, a 35-foot Norway Spruce, outside of the courthouse 

Photo courtesy of the Nashville Parks Department

Christmas

Mayor Cooper will light Nashville&#x27;s Christmas tree tomorrow at 5:30pm. It&#x27;s a 35-foot Norway Spruce donated by Bellevue memory care facility Barton House.

Things to Do

A controversial statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest on private land overlooking Interstate 65 was removed Tuesday after standing for more than two decades.

Local leaders were fiercely critical of the statue, which showed the Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader with a wild grin riding a horse.

It has been vandalized several times over the years. In 2017, it was doused with bright pink paint.

What they're saying: "This has been a national embarrassment," state Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, told the Tennessean. "I’m so excited. This is great news.

"It's just so hurtful to people, not to mention it's heinously ugly."

Why it matters: The removal comes amid an ongoing reckoning over racism and symbols of the Confederacy. Forrest has become emblematic of those debates in Tennessee.

His bust was removed from the State Capitol earlier this year, a move Gov. Bill Lee supported by saying Forrest "represents pain and suffering and brutal crimes committed against African Americans."

Driving the news: Bill Dorris owned the land and the statue. He defended its historic value until his death last year.

Dorris' will names the Battle of Nashville Trust as a beneficiary and the recipient of much of his property. The decision to remove the statue was made by the trust in consultation with the executor of Dorris' will, according to a statement from both parties.

It called the statue "ugly and a blight on Nashville," adding that it distracted from the trust's mission. No decision has been about what will happen to the statue in the future, according to the statement.

Nathan Bedford Forrest statue removed

Local leaders were fiercely critical of the statue.

The statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest after it was splattered with pink paint in 2017. 

The statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest after it was splattered with pink paint in 2017. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP

Confederate States of America

A controversial statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest on private land overlooking Interstate 65 was removed Tuesday after standing for more than two decades.<ul><li>Local leaders were fiercely critical of the statue, which showed the Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader with a wild grin riding a horse.</li><li>It has been vandalized several times over the years. In 2017, it was doused with bright pink paint.</li></ul>

News

A federal judge ordered eight men off Tennessee's sexual offender registry last week, saying their inclusion was tied to an "illegal" state policy.

It is the latest ruling criticizing the state for adding new restrictions for offenders years after they were convicted.

Why it matters: Rulings like this set the stage for broader efforts to change Tennessee's registry. They also provide a potential roadmap for some offenders convicted decades ago who want to be removed from the increasingly restrictive registry.  

Zoom out: Tennessee's sex offender registry was established in 1994 as a largely confidential tool for law enforcement.

Lawmakers added a series of rules over the years that limited where offenders could live, work, and travel. The new rules apply to everyone on the list, even people convicted and sentenced before those rules existed.

Federal courts have repeatedly found that practice amounted to illegal retroactive punishment. A federal appeals court gave Michigan lawmakers 90 days to change their registry system to fix the same problem.

What she's saying: In her Dec. 3 order, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger said the registry was "not a license to heap an endless parade of new and severe punishments on individuals whose long-ago offenses carried no such consequences when committed."

"The framers of the Constitution chose to make that practice illegal," Trauger wrote.

"Nevertheless, Tennessee officials continue to flout the Constitution's guarantees."

The big picture: Trauger's ruling granting a preliminary injunction applies to eight men who are suing the state over the registry. But similar reasoning in other lawsuits has been used to remove offenders.

A panel of state lawmakers met in October to discuss the legal challenges and the possible need to change the rules surrounding the registry.

The Tennessean reported lawmakers were concerned the registry could be deemed unconstitutional if they didn't take action.

Tennessee's sex offender registry scrutinized

"The framers of the Constitution chose to make that practice illegal."

The Estes Kefauver Federal building in Nashville

The Estes Kefauver Federal Building. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP

Courts

A federal judge ordered eight men off Tennessee&#x27;s sexual offender registry last week, saying their inclusion was tied to an &quot;illegal&quot; state policy.<ul><li>It is the latest ruling criticizing the state for adding new restrictions for offenders years after they were convicted.</li></ul>Why it matters: Rulings like this set the stage for broader <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="efforts to change Tennessee&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/14/tennessee-sex-offender-registry-may-be-thrown-out-court-unlawful/8442852002/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/14/tennessee-sex-offender-registry-may-be-thrown-out-court-unlawful/8442852002/" target="_blank">efforts to change Tennessee&#x27;s</a> registry. They also <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="provide a potential roadmap" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2021/04/08/tennessee-sexual-offender-registry-ruling/7130453002/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2021/04/08/tennessee-sexual-offender-registry-ruling/7130453002/" target="_blank">provide a potential roadmap</a> for some offenders convicted decades ago who want to be removed from the increasingly restrictive registry.

Politics

Mayor John Cooper's proposed $568 million capital spending plan for new buildings and infrastructure projects will be up for a vote when the Metro Council meets tonight.

Why it matters: The spending plan will need to survive a series of amendments seeking to delete some of Cooper's proposed projects.

One amendment would reroute $15 million earmarked for a zoo parking garage to transit and pedestrian safety projects.

Councilmembers have also proposed to defund the Wharf Park project located on the river south of downtown, as well as the Jefferson Street interstate cap project.

Driving the news: Also on the council agenda tonight is Councilmember Burkey Allen's new tax incentive proposal for downtown area developers to include workforce and affordable housing units in their projects.

Council will also vote on a proposal to create the Office Of Housing and Homelessness.

Metro Council tackles Cooper spending plan

Mayor John Cooper's proposed $568 million capital spending plan is up for a vote.

An exterior shot of the large marble Metro Courthouse in Nashville.

The Metro Courthouse. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP

Local government

Mayor John Cooper&#x27;s proposed<a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text=" $568 million capital spending plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2021/10/25/nashville-commits-1b-capital-spending-2021-education" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2021/10/25/nashville-commits-1b-capital-spending-2021-education" target="_self"> $568 million capital spending plan</a> for new buildings and infrastructure projects will be up for a vote when the Metro Council meets tonight.

Tennessee health commissioner Lisa Piercey expects the state to start receiving new COVID-fighting pills in the coming weeks.

Piercey predicts this will trigger a "paradigm shift" in the pandemic, with a renewed emphasis on quickly identifying COVID-19 infections.

Why it matters: Both oral drugs headed for release — from Merck and Pfizer — reduce the likelihood of hospitalization and death for COVID patients.

Piercey told reporters Monday she expects the Merck pill to reach the state by the end of the month, while the Pfizer pill could arrive by January.

Yes, but: Both drugs require patients to start medications within days of the onset of symptoms.

"If you think about the normal course of how this plays out, that can get really tricky," Piercey said, noting that people often wait to get tested for the virus a few days after they notice symptoms.

People will have to act faster to get the benefits of the pills. "Rapid testing, specifically, is going to be a really important component," Piercey said.

The details: Piercey doesn't know exactly when the pills will be available in Tennessee. Both companies are asking the FDA for emergency authorization; a federal advisory committee last week recommended authorizing the Merck pill.

The U.S. plans to buy millions of both pills.

The health department will release more information soon about the state's plan for distributing its supply, Piercey says.

By the numbers: New cases in Tennessee continue to rise. As of Sunday, the state recorded a rolling seven-day average of 1,904 cases, in line with numbers from mid-October.

Meanwhile: The Omicron variant has been detected in the neighboring states of Georgia and Missouri. Piercey expects it to arrive in Tennessee soon.

COVID "paradigm shift" coming for Tennessee

Tennessee expects the Merck pill to reach the state by the end of the month.

Tennessee health commissioner Lisa Piercey speaking behind a podium in 2020 as Gov. Bill Lee watches.

Tennessee health commissioner Lisa Piercey speaking in 2020 as Gov. Bill Lee watches. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP

COVID-19 treatments

Tennessee health commissioner Lisa Piercey expects the state to start receiving new COVID-fighting pills in the coming weeks.<ul><li>Piercey predicts this will trigger a &quot;paradigm shift&quot; in the pandemic, with a renewed emphasis on quickly identifying COVID-19 infections.</li></ul>

Adam Tamburin

Featured stories

Tennessee's sex offender registry scrutinized

Nashville's 35-foot Christmas tree

Nathan Bedford Forrest statue removed

Metro Council tackles Cooper spending plan

COVID "paradigm shift" coming for Tennessee