Ask the Mayor & Photographer Jeff Fasano

Call 615-760-2000 to share what’s on your mind or to ask a question. This is your opportunity to get your questions answered. We never know what’s going to come up on our Ask The Mayor show, but it’s always interesting. Join us!This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.Guests: Freddie O'Connell | Mayor, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Wally Dietz | Director of Law, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Listen to previous Ask the Mayor episodes: Ask the Mayors with Freddie O'Connell and Benton McDonough (June 18, 2024) Ask the Mayors with Freddie O'Connell and Ken Moore (May 30, 2024) Ask the Mayor with Freddie O'Connell, plus Taking Cover (April 17, 2024) Ask the Mayor with Freddie O'Connell, plus Votes For Women (March 28, 2024) Ask the Mayor with Freddie O'Connell & Photographer Jeff Fasano (Feb. 15, 2024)  

The Christmas Day bombing caused extensive damage to the historic buildings, homes and businesses that dot Second Avenue. Redevelopment of the area is ongoing, with some sections rebuilt and open to pedestrians and cars, while others remain untouched. Today, we’ll learn about the historic cultural and economic importance of Second Avenue, provide updates on the vision for redevelopment and communication infrastructure improvements, and check in on former residents and business owners.This episode was produced by Ambriehl Crutchfield.Guests: James Hoobler | Senior Curator, Art & Architecture, Tennessee State Museum (Retired) Ron Limb | Owner, Hostel, Second Avenue business Demetrius Kelley | Owner, Melting Pot/Rodizio, Second Avenue business Mariyo Deon | Former Second Avenue resident Michelle Scopel | Urban Development Senior Project Manager, MDHA Further reading and listening: WPLN | Timeline: The Nashville Bombing, From Advance Warning To The Aftermath WPLN | Rebuilding After Bombing Will Test Resilience Of Downtown Nashville’s Historic District Marketplace | 3 years after bombing, Nashville wants tourists to give its downtown another chance

The first marker, "Heaton's Station," was placed in 1968 at a bend in the Cumberland River in North Nashville and commemorates one of the city’s first structures, a fortified house built for protection in 1780. Now there are almost 300 markers across the city, with at least one in every council district. Today, we’ll talk about the importance of the marker program and how to get one made and planted. We'll also find out all about the marker for Warehouse 28, a gay disco that also made possible the founding of Nashville CARES, and the double-sided marker that commemorates Riverside Sanitarium and honors Dr. Dorothy Brown, the first female African American surgeon in the South.Guests: Jessica Reeves | Preservationist, Metro Historical Commission; Administrator, Historical Marker Program  John Bridges | Author; Board member, Metro Historical Commission  Bennie Thompson | Founder and Chairman, Riverside Historical Society Michael Hubbard | Member, Riverside Historical Society; Executive Director, Charles and Etta Dudley Foundation Further Reading and Listening: WPLN News | On A Downtown Corner, A New Marker Acknowledges Nashville’s Slave-Trading Past NPR Investigations | Off The Mark: The fractured landscape of U.S. historical markers Read about all the people, places and things Nashville's historical markers commemorate at the program website.

She has written under her own name and collaborated on multiple books for celebrities - five of which made the New York Times best seller list. Now in her memoir Ghosted, she has emerged from behind the scenes to tell the story of losing her political allies, feeling spiritually adrift and politically confused, and becoming unemployable after she was unwilling to endorse an unsuitable president.Nancy lives in Franklin, Tennessee with her husband – journalist David French – and family.This episode was co-produced by Elizabeth Burton.

Today, we’re speaking with Caché McClay, The Tennessean’s dedicated Beyoncé reporter, and Bryan West, The Tennessean’s dedicated Taylor Swift reporter, about what it’s like to cover two global superstars from here in Nashville. Julia Masters from the Nashville Business Journal will be in to break down her recent entertainment coverage, including: a new plan by hospitality leaders to shape tourism in Nashville, the current trends in local restaurants, and Metro Council's look into how to better support independently owned venues. Plus, we’re checking in with Gracie Fuisz, the host of the recently launched City Cast Nashville podcast.Today's episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys.GUESTS Caché McClay | Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, The Tennessean Bryan West | Taylor Swift reporter, The Tennessean Julia Masters | Entertainment reporter, Nashville Business Journal Grace Fuisz | Host, City Cast Nashville

One of the main ways we can interact with others is through our hobbies and niche interests. And they’ve got another benefit, too: When we learn more about other people’s hobbies and niche interests, we better appreciate the world around us and we can embrace and celebrate our differences.Today, we delve into three vastly different niche activities and the people who pursue them. From Rubik’s cubing to cooking to professional Santa artistry, these guests illustrate the importance of finding our “niche” in all stages of life.This episode was produced by Leslie Eiler Thompson.Guests: Shook G. | Rubik’s Cube player Zach and Maggie White | Regional cooking Santa Shed (Shedrich) Webster | Professional Santa portrayal artist

We're seemingly full of towering yellow cranes and active construction sites busy with workers using hefty machinery and hoisting heavy materials – often several hundred feet in the air. Tragically, Tennessee is one of the most dangerous states when it comes to construction worker on-the-job injury and deaths. In recent years, the city of Nashville and the State of Tennessee have not seen eye-to-eye on how to improve safety for workers. Today, we’re speaking with reporters, local advocates and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development about the sometimes deadly problems workers face, how they’re working to make construction sites safer, and what to do if you get injured on the job.This episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys and Mary Mancini. Guests: Molly Davis | Growth and Development Reporter, The Tennessean  Cynthia Abrams | Metro Reporter, WPLN  Sandra Sepulveda | Metro Councilwoman, District 30 Charlie Rodriguez | Organizer, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Troy Haley | Administrator, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Campos-Pons is the Cornelius Vanderbilt chair of fine arts and identifies just as much as a teacher as an artist. She grew up in a small village in the Cuban state of Matanzas, and the community, topography, and vibrant Cuban artistic community she experienced in her youth continues to inform her work. In 2023, Campos-Pons was named a MacArthur Fellow in recognition of how her art "forges connections between her own experiences as a Cuban woman and global issues of displacement and inequality."We're speaking with her today about her upbringing, the heart of her love for teaching and her belief in art’s ability to heal individuals and society. You can see her work at Frist’s Ingram Gallery Sept. 27, 2024 through Jan. 5, 2025 in a exhibition called Behold.This episode was co-produced by Magnolia McKay and Katherine Ceicys.Today's guest:María Magdalena Campos-PonsLearn more Learn more about Campos-Pons' place in the MacAurthur Foundation's Class of 2023. View aompos-Pons' work at the Gallery Wendi Norris, Galerie Barbara Thumm, and Galleria Giampaolo Abbondio.

In 1946, a violent uprising in Columbia, Tenn., led to national attention and a court case that historians say was the first time the legal system was used by Black defendants in the Civil Rights Movement. Then, in the late '50s and early '60s, three bombings in Nashville kicked off a nationwide campaign of violence in opposition to the movement.Today, we speak with historian and author Betsy Phillips about her new book, "Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control," which pieces together what really happened and who was involved in the three Nashville bombings. We’ll also speak with historians Dr. Learotha Williams, Jr. and Linda Wynn about the most recent white supremacist march through downtown Nashville and the connection to the racially motivated violence of Nashville’s past.GUESTS: Betsy Phillips | Historian and author, "Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond their Control" Dr. Learotha Williams, Jr. | Professor of African American and Public History at Tennessee State University; Coordinator of North Nashville Heritage Project Linda Wynn | Historian and co-founder, Nashville Conference on African American Culture & History; Assistant Director for State Programs, Tennessee Historical Commission; Former history professor at Fisk University Today’s show was produced by Mary Mancini.

Dubbed the "High Fidelity" for millennials, the book paints a picture of Nashville before it became "It City" — before the bachelorettes moved in, before Lower Broad was owned by country stars and before most major bands added Music City as a tour stop. "Lo Fi" takes us back to a time when Nashville felt like it was by residents and for residents.Today, we interview author Liz Riggs about the book, her inspirations, and her Nashville. Also joining us for today's music-filled episode will be Mike “Grimey” Grimes and WNXP's Emily Young.Today's Guests: Liz Riggs | Author, Lo Fi Mike Grimes | Owner/operator of Grimey's New & Preloved Music and The Basement venues Emily Young | WNXP Events and Promotions director Jude Mason | Guest Host Today's show was produced by Jude Mason.