The Nashville Predators will invest millions of dollars in upgrades to the Centennial Sportsplex ice rinks under a new lease agreement with Mayor Freddie O'Connell.

Why it matters: Centennial Sportsplex is a vital community hub for hockey and figure skating, which are increasingly popular in Nashville. It's also the practice facility for the Predators.

Between the lines: The lease agreement calls for the Predators to assume operation of the ice rinks and surrounding common areas at the Sportsplex. In exchange, the Predators will be responsible for maintenance and repairs, ridding the city of an estimated $30 million in expenses.

• The swimming pool, tennis courts and fitness center would continue to be run by the Metro Parks Department.

Zoom in: In addition to taking on maintenance and repairs cost, the Predators plan to make "millions of dollars in private investment" into improving the ice rinks.

• The ice facilities have become rundown — bathrooms and other common spaces are clearly in need of upgrades.

The intrigue: Visiting teams have voiced frustrations about the poor condition of the practice facilities in recent years. The Vancouver Canucks even ridiculed the Sportsplex in a TikTok post.

State of play: In a letter to the Parks Board members this week, Predators CEO Sean Henry promised youth and amateur hockey scheduling would remain the same.

• "There will be no cuts to existing programming, and the Predators have committed to keeping pricing and access stable to ensure there are no disruptions to the current, legacy figure skating and hockey programs at Centennial," Henry says, adding the team wants to expand programming to increase public access to the facility.
• During the upgrades, the plan is for at least one rink to remain open at all times, Henry says in his letter.
• The Predators are simultaneously planning $750 million of renovations and upgrades to Bridgestone Arena.

The improvements will include space for Tennessee State's new NCAA hockey program, Henry says.

The big picture: The Predators and Metro previously partnered on new ice facilities in Antioch and Bellevue. Those investments significantly grew the youth hockey scene in Nashville.

What's next: Multiple rounds of approval are required before the lease agreement, which would run through 2049, becomes official.

• The deal is on next week's Parks Board agenda. The board won't vote on the plan until November. Metro Council also must sign off.

If approved, cosmetic improvements would come first with major renovations set to begin later in 2026.

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The state Supreme Court this week set execution dates for four inmates, including Christa Gail Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row.

The latest: The court set the next wave of executions in a series of orders on Tuesday.

• Tony V. Carruthers will be executed on May 21, 2026.
• Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines will be executed on Aug. 13, 2026.
• Pike will be executed on Sept. 30, 2026.
• Gary Wayne Sutton will be executed on Dec. 3, 2026.

Zoom out: The court previously set a Dec. 11, 2025, execution date for Harold Wayne Nichols.

The big picture: Tennessee executions are moving forward at a steady clip in Tennessee after a years-long pause.

• Gov. Bill Lee previously halted executions in 2022 after an investigation revealed prison officials were breaking their own lethal injection rules.
• Executions resumed earlier this year under a new lethal injection protocol.
• Lethal injection is the primary form of execution in Tennessee. Inmates sentenced for a crime committed before 1999 can choose the electric chair.

Zoom in: Pike, who is now 49, was sentenced to death for first-degree murder. She brutally killed Colleen Slemmer, 19, in 1995 in Knoxville. Pike was 18 at the time of the murder.

• Both women were students at Knoxville Job Corps. Pike and two others were charged with beating and torturing Slemmer to death.
• One co-defendant pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and another was convicted of murder and sentenced to life.
• In 2004, Pike was convicted of attempted murder after she attacked another inmate while behind bars.

If Pike's execution moves forward as scheduled, the Tennessean reports, she will be the first Tennessee woman put to death in more than 200 years.

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⚖️ Gov. Lee tapped Jim Todd to replace Judge Cheryl Blackburn in the Davidson County Criminal Court. (Tennessean)

💸 Out-of-state money is pouring into the special primary race for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. The influx of outside cash eclipses fundraising totals for many of the top candidates. (WPLN)

😱 Here's Johnny! The Nashville Opera will perform an adaptation of Stephen King's spine-chilling classic "The Shining." (NewsChannel 5)

A new Tyler Perry production on Netflix reimagines an epic biblical romance by way of Pegram, Tennessee.

▶️ State of play: The Cheatham County city just outside of Nashville is the backdrop for "Ruth & Boaz," which came out last week.

• The story sets the Book of Ruth in contemporary times. In this version, Ruth is an Atlanta hip-hop artist who moves to rural Tennessee to care for her surrogate mother Naomi.
• While there she meets Boaz, sparking a love story.

What they're saying: "We want to bring in film attention and put Cheatham County on the map," Cheatham County Economic Development exec Josie Richard told WSMV.

The big picture: The film is the first project produced under a partnership between Netflix, Tyler Perry Studios and DeVon Franklin. The group will produce a series of faith-based films.

Find more to watch with our streaming guide