Axios Nashville

March 16, 2026
Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day, but you can trust Axios Nashville.
🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of rain and some snow (!), with a high of 40 and a low of 23.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Nashville member Cynthia Cohen! Happy belated birthday to John Green!
This newsletter is 995 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Dems move to censure Ogles
Democrats in Congress are moving to censure U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for a series of anti-Muslim posts he made on social media.
Why it matters: Partisan tensions are surging in Congress over violent attacks in Michigan and Virginia last week, with anti-Muslim sentiment reaching a fever pitch in the congressional GOP.
Driving the news: Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) on Thursday introduced a two-page resolution to censure Ogles for writing on social media earlier this week that "Muslims don't belong in American society."
- The measure cites other comments Ogles has made — including a remark on a podcast that Muslims will "breed their way through our society" — calling them "alarming and inappropriate."
- In addition to censuring Ogles, the resolution would remove the Tennessee Republican from the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Zoom in: A resolution to censure Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) over similar posts is top-of-mind for many Democratic lawmakers, sources tell Axios, with Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) openly stating Thursday night that his comments "should have already resulted in censure."
- Following attacks against a synagogue in the Detroit suburbs and a college in Virginia, Fine called for "more Islamophobia, not less."
- Ogles also joined the chorus of anti-Muslim posts Thursday night.
The other side: Ogles responded to Thanedar's censure resolution by texting Axios a list of terrorist attacks committed by Muslims, adding, "In addition to 9/11 and Oct 7. Facts speak for themselves."
- He also highlighted a bill he's planning to introduce to repeal a 1965 law that ended selective quotas restricting certain groups' immigration to the U.S.
Between the lines: Democratic sources stressed that lawmakers are treading carefully on this front. They don't want to give Fine and Ogles the attention they believe the two Republicans crave.
Reality check: Only one Republican — retiring centrist Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) — has gone so far as to call out his GOP colleagues for their comments, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sidestepping questions about them.
- With Republicans in control of the House, albeit by a narrow margin, they would likely succeed in quashing any Democratic censure effort.
The big picture: Ogles has regularly drawn criticism for his rhetoric on social media. He has been fiercely critical of Democratic officials in Nashville.
- In December, Ogles blasted local judges, saying that as long as Democrats held power in Middle Tennessee, "we are at war." Nashville judges said Ogles' comments put them and courthouse staff "at heightened risk."
2. How to digitize old home movies for free at the library
Starting today, anyone can book time to turn their old home movies, photos and slideshows into timeless digital artifacts.
Why it matters: Every family has a stash of old VHS tapes or slides that hold priceless memories. But as VCRs and projectors became outdated, many of them slid into obscurity.
- Now the Nashville Public Library is offering to help preserve those memories for generations to come.
▶️ State of play: The library's new Memory Lab program, which launches Monday at the Donelson branch, features reservable space with tech and software that can convert VHS tapes and Polaroids into pixels and megabytes.
Flashback: The library previously dabbled with this idea last year through its "home movie project," which allowed Nashvillians to apply for a chance to have their movies digitized by preservationists.
- The goal is to create a video time capsule of life in Nashville over the years.
The latest effort is a more personalized, self-service approach. Participants can book time to come in and use library equipment to convert their family memories into digital files.
- They'll have help from library staff as needed during their session, but the end result is theirs to keep.
Between the lines: Paying a private company to digitize movies can cost $30 per VHS tape, but the self-service Memory Lab is free.
The big picture: Nashville is the latest library system to launch a free digitization service. Systems in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Brooklyn have already created similar programs.
If you go: You can reserve a four-hour session at the Memory Lab online.
3. The Setlist: Famous burger coming to Nashville
🍔 Burger lovers, rejoice. The Chicago restaurant Au Cheval, which serves famously good burgers, is opening a Nashville location. (Tennessean)
💰 Tennessee State University's president wants to build on positive financial momentum with new revenue streams. (WPLN)
♻️ Efforts to expand protections for the Duck River are advancing at the legislature. (Tennessee Lookout)
4. 💗 Dolly clears the air
Dolly Parton is back, and she's hard at work.
The latest: The Smoky Mountain songbird made her first public appearance in months last week to celebrate the opening of a new season at Dollywood in East Tennessee.
- "I've been missing you," she told an adoring crowd of fans.
Flashback: Parton slowed down toward the end of 2025 to deal with health problems, but on Friday she assured fans "all's good."
What she's saying: Parton, who turned 80 in January, explained she needed to "build myself back up spiritually, emotionally and physically" following the death of her husband Carl Dean a year ago.
- "I just kind of got wore down and wore out grieving over Carl," she said. "I've had a few little health issues and we're taking good care of them."
The big picture: Parton assured fans things are now "back to normal." And for Parton, normal means busy.
- She's rewriting and retooling songs for her upcoming Broadway musical, which is expected to open this fall in New York.
- A new Dolly-themed hotel and museum are expected to open this year in downtown Nashville.
The bottom line: "Be ready for me," she said. "I ain't near done."
Editor's note: This second story has been corrected to say that anyone (not just library cardholders) can use the Memory Lab.
Congrats to the small crew that correctly predicted "One Battle After Another" as Best Picture winner: Ann Marie O., Marc T. and Cathy C.
- Most of our readers sided with "Sinners."
Our picks:
Nate was blown away by "Hamnet."
Adam is still thinking about Barbra Streisand at the Oscars. Like buttah.
This newsletter was edited by Mike Szvetitz.
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