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Medical providers in Tennessee are licensed and monitored by a variety of oversight boards. Whether or not those groups are doing their job well depends on who you ask. Plus the local news for January 9th, and Mon Rovia Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Megan Jones and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The legislative session is about to start. Some of the measures lawmakers submit will be thoroughly debated and voted into law. Some won't really cross the starting line. Plus, the local news for January 8, 2026, and Tash Tea. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Megan Jones and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Nashville's central core has been through ups and downs that should inform the way the city's newest neighborhood is designed. Plus, the local news for January 7th and this week's edition of What Where Whens-Day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Megan Jones and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Last month's announcement of an investment in Tennessee zinc operations is big for the state and big for the nation. Plus the local news for January 6, 2026 and the complex music history of Muscle Shoals. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
In the aftermath of World War I, a Nashville man with unbelievable self-confidence sparked a diplomatic incident that reads like fiction. Plus the local news for January 5, 2025 and where to find low cost health care Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Megan JonesAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
A newly filed bill in Tennessee's General Assembly cites lots of scripture and asks lawmakers to take an explicitly pro-Israel stance. Plus the local news for December 31, 2025 and the trade war comes for Tennessee soybeans. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Alexis MarshallAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Every week This is Nashville presents The Roundabout where we bring together a panel of guests spanning the political spectrum to unpack the week's biggest news and hear directly from listeners across Middle Tennessee. For this special “Best of…” episode we revisit some of the most timely conversations, surprising moments of agreement, and thoughtful opinions.Featuring How will Vanderbilt answer Trump? with Marianna Bacallao, state legislative reporter, WPLN; Rep. Jody Barrett, state house representative; Bruce Barry, Vanderbilt professor; Tennessee Lookout contributor Vouchers with Maryam Abolfazli, founder of Rise & Shine TN; Shaka Mitchell, Sr. Fellow for the American Federation for Children; Pat Nolan, political analyst and retired journalist The real-world economy with Molly Davis, Reporter, The Tennessean; Kara Smith, PhD, Belmont University Professor of Economics; Mandy Spears, Executive Vice President, The Sycamore Institute Southern Christians and the death penalty with Liam Adams, religion reporter, Tennessean; Russell Moore, Editor at-large of Christianity Today; Dr. Phillis Sheppard, professor of religion and psychology, Vanderbilt University
Every President and First Lady does something to make the nation's executive mansion their home. For the Polks, it was almost puritan customs, a key bit of redecoration, and an undercurrent of slavery. Plus the local news for December 29, 2025 and a big year for Nashville transit. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Megan Jones and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
For the holiday episodes, we're doing a look back at our colleague's best work. This one by WPLN's Catherine Sweeney features criminal justice reporter Paige Pfleger's story on how a blind spot in Tennessee's probation system leaves domestic violence victims in danger. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Catherine Sweeney Editor: LaTonya Turner Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
During this holiday week, the NashVillager Podcast takes a moment to share some of the best local reporting of the year — as chosen by WPLN staffers. Today, reporter Rose Gilbert highlights her colleague Mary Mancini's story about a local elephant sanctuary. This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Rose Gilbert Editor: LaTonya Turner Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Nina Cardona, Tony Gonzalez, Megan Jones and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
How can a WPLN music story transport you somewhere new?During this holiday week, the NashVillager Podcast takes a moment to share some of the best local reporting of the year — as chosen by WPLN staffers. Today, music reporter Justin Barney shows how his colleague Jewly Hight goes far beyond typical artists interviews to capture the local music scene.
It's been quite a year for everyone's favorite: country star, actress, philanthropist (and just plain good person) Dolly Parton. Plus the local news for December 19, 2025 and the final installment of The Debt. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
America had Civil Rights Leaders who fought hard for equality far before the to the Civil Rights Movement as we usually think of it got underway. Plus the local news for December 17, 2025 and this week's edition of What Where Whens-day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
After more than year without a new contract, some workers at the Chattanooga VW factory are losing patience with the United Auto Workers. Plus the local news for December 16, 2025 and another installment of The Debt. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Exposure to the elements during a brutal cold snap played a role in the defeat of the Confederates in the two-day Battle of Nashville. Today, people living on the street face many of the same conditions, and federal resources to help them are in limbo. Plus the local news for December 15, 2025, and part one of The Debt. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The neighborhood that used to run things at Cheekwood is ready to kick out the stream of visitor traffic to the attraction. But the plan for moving access to a new road has opponents of its own. Plus the local news for December 12, 2025, and the chilling of free speech on Appalachian college campuses. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Incredible fog once lead to a tragic accident involving nearly 100 cars near Chattanooga. The complex system that protects against a repeat tragedy needs to be replaced. Plus, the local news for December 11, 2025 and Andi Marie Tillman. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
What happens when government funding is withheld from a public university that's served generations of Black Tennesseans? And what could be possible if that debt were finally paid?Today's This is Nashville call-in episode is a companion to the one-hour radio special from WPLN News and the Tennessee Lookout. Listen now or though the WPLN podcast feed.From Nashville Public Radio and the Tennessee Lookout, The Debt traces Tennessee State University's decades-long fight for fair funding — through an overlooked Civil Rights lawsuit, a historic merger with a predominantly white university, a dramatic student hunger strike, and a lawmaker who discovered his father's old research on underfunding.This episode was produced by Camellia Burris.Guests: Dr. Learotha “Dr. Lee” Williams, Jr., Scholar of African-American Civil War and Reconstruction, and Public History at Tennessee State University Dr. George Pruitt, retired university administrator; former president, TESU; former vice-president of student affairs at TSU; author, From Protest to President Camellia Burris, Education reporter, WPLN Emily Siner, Contributing reporter, WPLN
Today, a peek behind the curtain at the sources that inform the NashVillager Podcast. Plus the local news for December 10, 2025, and this week's edition of What Where Whens-Day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
In this one-hour special from WPLN and the Tennessee Lookout: What happens when government funding is withheld from a public university that's served generations of Black Tennesseans? And what could be possible if that debt were finally paid?
In this one-hour special from WPLN and the Tennessee Lookout: What happens when government funding is withheld from a public university that's served generations of Black Tennesseans? And what could be possible if that debt were finally paid?
A lot of Tennesseans could use help paying for food. Plus the local news for December 9, 2025, and the evolution from CA$HK to Kyleigh. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam Kramer LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
One way out of a time of deep division is finding a common cause. Plus the local news for December 8, 2025 and the Santa train. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The South is sometimes assumed to be a monoculture. But that's not certainly not true … and it never has been. Plus, the local news for December 2, 2025, and a visit to a farm-turned-classroom in Clarksville. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Banks used to be very local institutions, but these days they seem to get bigger and bigger. Plus the local news for December 1, 2025 and the latest installment from Music Citizens. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The Grand Ole Opry has elevated Nashville and its country music to a global stage and turns 100 years old this week. That much you've probably heard (WPLN has lots of Opry 100 coverage online.)But a Curious Nashville listener has a question that hits at the foundation of the Opry: What does it mean for an artist to be a “member” of the Opry? WPLN's daily talk show, This Is Nashville, dove deep into the Opry and tapped multiple music experts to share the answer.
In an era when national holidays were rare, what did it take for Thanksgiving to make the cut? Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln play significant roles in the creation of the Thanksgiving holiday — but it was also writer and activist Sarah Hale who beat the drum for decades.Plus the local news for Nov. 26 and a round-up of events in What Where When-sday. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public Radio.Host/producer: Tony GonzalezEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
On this day, the Union broke the Confederate siege of Chattanooga by storming Missionary Ridge, which some describe as the “death knell” of the Confederacy.Plus the local news for Nov. 25, and a profile of Henry J. Star, the WNXP Nashville Artist of the Month for November. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Tony Gonzalez Editor: LaTonya Turner Additional support: Mack Linebaugh and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Some listeners could not get enough of Curious Nashville's reporting about gyros. When we broadcast the story on WPLN's This Is Nashville program — and opened up the phone lines — some called in with first-hand intel about Chicago-Style Gyros and founder Joey Kahn.
It's the anniversary of one of Tennessee's deadliest disasters, and the Tennessee Guard served a very different role than its current deployment in Memphis. Plus the local news for November 24, 2025 and a feature from our series IN MY PLACE. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public Radio Host/producer: Blake Farmer Editor: LaTonya Turner Additional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The fight over access is at the heart of the lawsuits over Tennessee's execution protocols and so much more. Plus the local news for November 21, 2025 and what's the deal with Chicago Style Gyros in Music City? Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
It's easy to wave off concern about sinkholes or pipeline spills as anti-business nonsense, but things can and do go wrong sometimes. Plus the local news for November 20, 2025 and Tennessee pearls. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The arm of government carrying out immigration raids today was created to respond to terrorism. Plus, the local news for November 19, 2025, and this week's edition of What Where Whens-Day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The zig-zag boundary between Central and Eastern time zones in Tennessee is partly because of another kind of issue with time-keeping. Plus, the local news for November 18, 2025, and new Country Grammy categories. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Our question today: What is a "Chicago-style gyro," and why are there so many shops with that name in Nashville? Little did we know that trying to figure this out would take us way beyond Nashville and lead us to uncover the very creation of the gyro as we know it. And reporter Justin Barney is taking you along as he crisscrosses the country, plunges into culinary history, hits the factory floor, and gets face-to-face with the man who elevated a niche menu item into a cultural staple.You can make Curious Nashville even better by asking us a great question at WPLN.org/Curious. Credits:Curious Nashville is a production of Nashville Public Radio and uses music from Blue Dot Sessions. Another version of today's story was also produced for the food podcast “Proof,” from America's Test Kitchen, and you can check that out if you want to go deeper into culinary history. Host: Tony GonzalezReporter & producer: Justin BarneyEditing: Blake FarmerSpecial thanks to Nashville Public Radio's Tasha A.F. Lemley, Mack Linebaugh, and Cynthia Abrams.
Our question today: What is a "Chicago-style gyro," and why are there so many shops with that name in Nashville?Little did we know that trying to figure this out would take us way beyond Nashville and lead us to uncover the very creation of the gyro as we know it. WPLN reporter Justin Barney is taking you along as he crisscrosses the country, plunges into culinary history, hits the factory floor, and gets face-to-face with the man who elevated a niche menu item into a cultural staple.You can find more Curious Nashville stories at WPLN.org/Curious and submit a question to our team below.This episode was produced by Tony Gonzalez and Justin Barney.Special thanks to Blake Farmer, Tasha A.F. Lemley, Mack Linebaugh and Cynthia Abrams
From Nixon's clean slate from Ford to the way that Trump recently cleared the records of Tennessee political figures, a look at pardons. Plus, the local news for November 17, 2025, and a blind spot in Tennessee's probation system. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Sometimes assistance can be given in a way that hurts more than it helps. Plus the local news for November 14, 2025 and a tent revival in Scott County. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Tunnel-building technology has come a long way in recent years, but creating a tunnel under a bustling city is still a difficult task. Plus, the local news for November 13, 2025, and newfound writings from Virginia Woolf. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
From a young age, Colby Keegan said he hoped to "affect positive change." He was homeless when he died of an overdose at the age of 23. His mother, Lisa Wysocky, founded Colby's Army in his honor. Our In My Place series has taken us through the steps of homelessness to housing and beyond. That's from the first point of contact between a service provider and someone experiencing homelessness — through all the twists and turns to an apartment — and then sometimes doing it all over again more than once.In this episode, which is the season finale, we're spending the whole hour with Wysocky, looking through the eyes of family members of people who have experienced homelessness.Further listening: Get all episodes at the In My Place page or as a podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you do your listening Nashville Scene: Best News Podcast: 'In My Place' In My Place is a special project of WPLN's This Is Nashville, supported in part by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Job growth in the Midstate has long focused on factories in rural areas, but we might be seeing a shifting trend begin. Plus, the local news for November 12, 2025, and this week's edition of What, Where, Whens-day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
For Veterans' Day, the story of a monument to everyone who fought in the bloody Battle of Franklin, both Union and Confederate. Plus, the local news for November 11th, 2025, and small town v. cryptocurrency mine Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
A hijacked passenger jet and the threat to crash it into a Tennessee nuclear facility are what prompted the first-ever passenger screenings in American airports. Plus, the local news for November 10, 2025, and the end of participatory budgeting in Nashville. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Last year's soybean market was a disappointment. This year's began with damaged fields and is ending with high tariffs in a major market. Plus, the local news for November 7, 2025, and Vanderbilt's community pushes back against the White House. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
You probably have some sense of what's protected by the federal Bill of Rights, but did you know the Tennessee constitution gets more granular about what rights you have as a resident of this state? Plus, the local news for November 6, 2025, and next steps after the fallout from a Charlie Kirk reaction. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
The song “The Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees became an unlikely and somewhat accidental anti-war anthem in the 1960s thanks to a little quirk in geography. Plus, the local news for November 5, 2025, and this week's edition of What, Where, Whens-day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Every society has had to confront the problem of hunger. In this moment, it's down to the grassroots to help the people in most need. Plus, the local news for November 4, 2025, and Blood Root. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
Tennessee officials have said they won't tap into reserves to fill in the food stamp funding gap. So what are those reserves for? Plus, the local news for November 3, 2025 and looking out for beavers. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Tony GonzalezAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Miriam Kramer, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP
A true Halloween story about an inadvertent trick that literally fell from the sky. Plus the local news for October 31, 2025 and the return of WPLN's Curious Nashville. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public Radio.Host/producer: Nina Cardona Editor: Tony Gonzalez
A true story that sounds like something out of a horror flick is a reminder of why the Midstate's topography is especially vulnerable to contaminated air. Plus, the local news for October 30, 2025, and Snooper. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: Miriam KramerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, LaTonya Turner and the staff of WPLN and WNXP