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

Axios Nashville

Axios Nashville Thought Bubble

The three newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame represent the genre's highest levels of success and influence.

Keith Whitley, Jerry Lee Lewis and executive Joe Galante helped shape country music as it exists today.

Why it matters: Their contributions will now be honored in one of popular culture’s most exclusive clubs.

Including this group, only 149 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1961.

🎤 Whitley's brief career, cut short by his 1989 death at 34 years old, had an outsized influence on the genre.

His smooth vocals and emotionally complex song choices set the standard for a generation of artists who expanded country music's cultural impact in the 1990s and beyond.

Between the lines: Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton are among the heavyweights who cite Whitley as an influence.

What they're saying: Whitley lived less than five years after his first single hit the charts.

His time on the charts between his debut and death was shorter than any Hall of Famer during the Billboard chart era, music journalist Brian Mansfield points out.

🎹 Lewis, part of the inaugural class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, found widespread acclaim in country music.

The "Great Balls of Fire" singer regularly topped the country charts even as he found mainstream success.

Driving the news: Lewis has been a long-time contender — icons Kris Kristofferson and Kenny Rogers supported a recent campaign to put Lewis into the HOF, per The Tennessean.

What he's saying: "I've always loved country music," Lewis told The Tennessean. "It's made more sense for me than anything."

💼 Born and raised in New York, Galante was reluctant to accept a promotion to RCA Nashville early in his career.

Galante ended up conquering the town he was slow to embrace, rising from budget analyst to the CEO of Sony Music Nashville and shepherding some of country music's most impactful artists.

The big picture: Credited with modernizing country music, Galante helped the genre expand from a niche format to one where its top artists sell out football stadiums.

Dolly Parton, Alabama and Kenny Chesney are among the countless artists whose careers benefited from Galante.

Three more to enter Hall of Fame

Keith Whitley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Joe Galante helped shape country music as it exists today.

Executive Joe Galante, Jerry Lee Lewis and Keith Whitley layered in one photo 

Executive Joe Galante, Jerry Lee Lewis and Keith Whitley. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images, and Michael Ochs. Photos: Archives/Getty Images

The three newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame represent the genre&#x27;s highest levels of success and influence.<ul><li>Keith Whitley, Jerry Lee Lewis and executive Joe Galante helped shape country music as it exists today.</li></ul>

News

No public colleges or universities in Tennessee will increase in-state tuition for undergraduates next year.

The statewide tuition freeze was formalized Thursday by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).

Why it matters: Inflation is pinching wallets across the nation, and college enrollment is sagging. Officials hope keeping tuition rates stable here will make higher education more affordable for Tennessee families.

What they're saying: "Students are already facing higher prices for housing, groceries, and gas," THEC chair Evan Cope said in a statement.

"Thanks to a generous investment from the state and today's action from the commission, we're able to tell these students that they won't be paying higher prices for tuition."

Between the lines: THEC leaders said an influx of $90 million for the higher education funding formula in the new budget helped make the tuition freeze possible.

Tennessee public colleges freeze tuition

No public colleges or universities will increase tuition next year.

Illustration of a stack of frozen dollar bills with snowcaps.

College

No public colleges or universities in Tennessee will increase in-state tuition for undergraduates next year.<ul><li>The statewide tuition freeze was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="formalized Thursday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tn.gov/thec/news/2022/5/19/tennessee-higher-education-commission-votes-to-hold-tuition-flat-at-tennessee-public-institutions-in-2022-2023-academic-year.html" data-vars-content-id="0c031840-5bc9-45e0-a38d-7fc89bd74acc" data-vars-headline="Tennessee public colleges freeze tuition" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tn.gov/thec/news/2022/5/19/tennessee-higher-education-commission-votes-to-hold-tuition-flat-at-tennessee-public-institutions-in-2022-2023-academic-year.html" target="_blank">formalized Thursday</a> by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).</li></ul>

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher program was in line with the state constitution.

The 3-2 decision overturns rulings from lower courts that blocked the program.

Why it matters: Lee's program would create education savings accounts, commonly called vouchers, that would allow eligible students to use public funding to attend private school.

Flashback: A bill authorizing vouchers in Tennessee's biggest cities narrowly passed the General Assembly in 2019, but the measure was mired in court challenges and controversy.

The high court's ruling is a significant victory as Lee nears the end of his first term.

Between the lines: The Supreme Court reheard the case after Justice Cornelia Clark died last year.

Court of Appeals Judge Thomas "Skip" Frierson, II, stepped in temporarily for the case. He joined Chief Justice Roger Page and Justice Jeff Bivins in the majority.

Justices Sharon Lee and Holly Kirby dissented.

The intrigue: The program was originally designed for students in a handful of counties, but lawmakers winnowed it down so that it applies only to the Nashville and Shelby County districts.

Those local governments sued, saying the state couldn't create such a program that applied only to them.

While some state courts agreed, the Supreme Court found the program's narrow design did not violate the state constitution.

What he's saying: Lee said the opinion "puts parents in Memphis and Nashville one step closer to finding the best educational fit for their children."

The other side: State Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) said the Home Rule Amendment to the constitution should bar the program.

"While the decision itself is bad, the worst result of the Tennessee Supreme Court's school vouchers decision will be the school vouchers," Yarbro tweeted.

"In state after state after state, vouchers lead to worse education outcomes."

What's next: Wednesday's ruling was in response to a specific constitutional question that arose during a broader lawsuit over the vouchers, so the ongoing lawsuit will continue in state trial court.

Lee's school voucher program gets TN Supreme Court win

Photo illustration of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee with lines radiating from him.

Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tennessee

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Gov. Bill Lee&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="school voucher program" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2021/10/11/public-education-funding-tennessee-bill-lee" data-vars-content-id="2d2bcbae-f987-411c-ba74-f9c8dc1de89d" data-vars-headline="Lee&#x27;s school voucher program gets TN Supreme Court win" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2021/10/11/public-education-funding-tennessee-bill-lee" target="_self">school voucher program</a> was in line with the state constitution.<ul><li>The 3-2 decision overturns rulings from lower courts that blocked the program.</li></ul>

Politics

A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law Tuesday that would have required businesses to post a public notice for allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity.

Why it matters: Tennessee has emerged as a leader in anti-trans legislation. LGBT+ advocates say the legislation, which passed into law last year, is offensive and transphobic.

Driving the news: Nashville restaurateur Bob Bernstein, who owns Fido and Bongo Java, is a plaintiff in the suit filed by the ACLU, which argued the law violated the First Amendment. Bernstein's businesses allow individuals to decide which bathroom is most appropriate for them.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger blocked the law from taking effect while the lawsuit continued.

Between the lines: Under the law, businesses like Bernstein's would be required to post a sign saying they had "a policy of allowing the use of restrooms by either biological sex, regardless of the designation on the restroom."

Bernstein called the signs "discriminatory, inaccurate and divisive."

The latest: Trauger struck the law down in a blistering 40-page ruling criticizing the state's position that the required signage was "a simple truthful statement of fact."

Trauger described the law as "a brazen attempt to single out trans-inclusive establishments and force them to parrot a message that they reasonably believe would sow fear and misunderstanding."

Judge strikes bathroom law

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger blocked the law from taking effect while a lawsuit continues.

Illustration of a series of gavels, some of them transparent. 

A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law Tuesday that would have required businesses to post a public notice for allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity.Why it matters: Tennessee has emerged as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a leader in anti-trans legislation" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly9hcG5ld3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvdGVubmVzc2VlLXRyYW5zZ2VuZGVyLWxhd3MtYjhkODFkNTYyODdkNmVkOWQ1NmM1ZGEyMjAzNTk2YjA_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bBd43cdc7b" data-vars-content-id="a8e842f9-33e4-40ff-9b7d-5500411d0c0a" data-vars-headline="Judge strikes bathroom law" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly9hcG5ld3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvdGVubmVzc2VlLXRyYW5zZ2VuZGVyLWxhd3MtYjhkODFkNTYyODdkNmVkOWQ1NmM1ZGEyMjAzNTk2YjA_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bBd43cdc7b" target="_blank">a leader in anti-trans legislation</a>. LGBT+ advocates say the legislation, which <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="passed into law last year" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGVubmVzc2Vhbi5jb20vc3RvcnkvbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDIxLzA1LzE5L3Rlbm5lc3NlZS1sYXctcmVxdWlyZXMtc2lnbnMtdHJhbnNnZW5kZXItYmF0aHJvb20tdXNlLWFsbG93ZWQvNTE2MTc2MTAwMS8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bB73e3ce4d" data-vars-content-id="a8e842f9-33e4-40ff-9b7d-5500411d0c0a" data-vars-headline="Judge strikes bathroom law" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/27749033.21/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGVubmVzc2Vhbi5jb20vc3RvcnkvbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDIxLzA1LzE5L3Rlbm5lc3NlZS1sYXctcmVxdWlyZXMtc2lnbnMtdHJhbnNnZW5kZXItYmF0aHJvb20tdXNlLWFsbG93ZWQvNTE2MTc2MTAwMS8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613b89d6ca76e632c69b8c4bB73e3ce4d" target="_blank">passed into law last year</a>, is offensive and transphobic.

Meharry Medical College is unveiling a new historical marker Friday honoring trailblazing graduate Josie E. Wells.

Why it matters: Wells was one of Nashville's first female doctors and the first woman to join the Meharry faculty, helping steer the historically Black medical college through the early 1900s.

"She became the matriarch of a generation," Meharry library executive director Sandra Parham tells Axios.

Driving the news: Parham helped push for the historical marker after learning about Wells' story through library archives. The Metro Historical Commission unanimously approved the marker last year.

"She had to overcome a lot," Parham says of Wells, who was only one generation removed from slavery and was one of just a handful of women to graduate from Meharry in 1904.

Wells then founded a private practice to treat women and children in the city.

Between the lines: The new historical marker, which will be on Dr. DB Todd Jr. Boulevard, is the latest in a broad effort among city leaders and historians to recognize Black leaders who shaped the city by fighting for equality.

Parham says Wells' hard work set an example for those who followed during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

The big picture: Recognizing Wells' legacy is part of appreciating the city's broader history, Parham says.

"Hopefully other people who didn't know the story will know the story," Parham says.

"I want a child on Albion Street three blocks over to say, 'I can do that. … That school up on the hill is for me, too.'"

Honoring Meharry groundbreaker Josie E. Wells with historical marker

"She became the matriarch of a generation."

Photo courtesy of Meharry Medical College

Photo: courtesy of Meharry Medical College

Meharry Medical College is unveiling a new historical marker Friday honoring trailblazing graduate <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Josie E. Wells" data-vars-click-url="https://home.mmc.edu/historical-city-marker-in-the-works-for-meharrys-first-female-faculty-member/" data-vars-content-id="f71a05db-85b3-4253-80f0-52c672da86bf" data-vars-headline="Honoring Meharry groundbreaker Josie E. Wells with historical marker" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://home.mmc.edu/historical-city-marker-in-the-works-for-meharrys-first-female-faculty-member/" target="_blank">Josie E. Wells</a>.Why it matters: Wells was one of Nashville&#x27;s first female doctors and the first woman to join the Meharry faculty, helping steer the historically Black medical college through the early 1900s.

Adam Tamburin

Featured stories

Tennessee public colleges freeze tuition

Honoring Meharry groundbreaker Josie E. Wells with historical marker

Lee's school voucher program gets TN Supreme Court win

Three more to enter Hall of Fame

Judge strikes bathroom law