From the Bell Witch to El Día de los Muertos: Tennessee’s Impressive Collection of Haunts

On the eve of Election Day, we spend a moment looking at political polarization and the nonpartisan advocates trying to draw us back to the center. We’re joined by attorney Chloe Akers and Dr. Ming Wang. We’ll also have a live update from Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett as we learn the U.S. Justice Department has deployed election monitors to our state. Plus, we’ll hear how the Nashville Guardians of Democracy are trying to prevent interference at polling sites and ask how they avoid adding to intimidation concerns. And the Nashville branch of the NAACP is connecting voters with rides. President Timothy Hughes joins us to explain how it works. It’s a pre-election pep talk ahead of the midterms.Guests: Tre Hargett, Tennessee Secretary of State Marianna Bacallao, WPLN power & equity reporter Chloe Akers, The Best of Tennessee Dr. Ming Wang, Common Ground Network John Spragens, Nashville Guardians of Democracy Timothy Hughes, NAACP Nashville Branch

We do some day-tripping from Nashville today to meet our Tennessee ghosts, hear their stories and learn some history along the way.We spend some time at Brushy Mountain, drop in on Rugby, Tennessee, stop by the haunted historic Harriman hospital and make our way to the Lotz House — a haunted house that served as a battlefield hospital in the Civil War. Plus, we see what’s happening in Adams, Tennessee, as the 200-year-old tale of the Bell Witch continues to scare us. And we end the show on a slightly less spooky note talking about some upcoming Dia de los Muertos celebrations (Cheekwood, Nashville City Cemetery) as we remember our own ancestors who’ve passed away.Guests: Jill Kilgore, ghost hunter; senior communications manager, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Christabel "Bel" Stuart, Bell Witch lore storyteller, production committee chair of the Bell Witch Fall Festival Ofelia Vázquez, founder, La Misión ConArte

Headliner: Three of the leading candidates for Tennessee governor, minus frontrunner Marsha Blackburn, appear in their final forum at MTSU, hosted by the Tennessee Press Association. Rewatch here. The Tennessean's Vivian Jones and Tennessee Lookout's Adam Friedman offer a recap.Newsmaker: Linus Hall, founder of Yazoo Brewing Company, joins us live to discuss the sale of the city's oldest crafter brewery to a crosstown rival as the industry consolidates nationwide.Tastemakers: Former Broadway actress Rachel Potter and Hutton Hotel programming director Meredith DiMenna highlight the Addam's Family musical in concert and the Hutton's off-Broadway series.

It’s a Curious Nashville investigation...with a twist. We recently had an anonymous listener ask: "What is the most haunted place in Nashville?"So, instead of scoff, we came up with a ranking system and went to visit some infamous places. On Todays's show, we've got paranormal investigators on with us debating what might count as the most haunted. And we also hear from some of our most creepy-curious listeners!Guests: Alex Migliorini, tour guide for Nashville Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl Missy Lavieri, owner of Nashville Paranormal Matthew Ollis, lead Paranormal Tour Guide at Nashville Tours

Nolan Smith still has a vivid memory of heaving a basketball into the Atlantic Ocean from the deck of a cruise ship. It was the loss-induced tantrum of a highly competitive 8-year-old. He was on a family trip with the NBA team his father coached for, playing pickup basketball with some older boys who also had their own basketball pedigrees.His father, who won a national championship in college and played nine years in the NBA, demanded better.“Son, if you’re going to play this game, you have to always have a great attitude and be a great teammate,” he told his son.The scolding seared into Smith's brain because they were the last words he ever heard from his father. There, in the middle of the ocean, Derek Smith died from a heart attack that night at the age of 34.Now in his second season as head coach of the Tennessee State University men’s basketball team, Nolan Smith talks about attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps. Like his dad, he won a national championship when he led Duke University to a national title in 2010. In fact, they won in the same city (Indianapolis) 30 years apart. Derek Smith reached legendary status at the University of Louisville after its championship run in 1980.Injuries cut short the younger Smith’s playing career. But coaching has become his new calling. After working in some of the winningest programs in college basketball, Smith took his first head coaching job with TSU. In his first season, the Tigers broke a 32-year post-season drought and went to the NCAA tournament after winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship.The success helped him recruit 11 new players inspired by his goal to not just revive a culture of winning at TSU but to become the first historically Black university to win an NCAA title.In This Interview Learning from Coach K The draw of Nashville to new recruits The new business of college basketball

There was a time not so long ago that neighborhoods were fighting against greenways – the tucked-away alleys that connect our communities through the woods and along our waterways.Now, developers treat greenways like beachfront property. Nashville now has more than 100 miles of them. Murfreesboro has laid 17 miles. Franklin, Brentwood, Mt Juliet, Hendersonville? Going nowhere but up. But we’re still at the point where we’re talking about our greenways — plural. Not “THE greenway,” a potential reality where all the walkways are linked into one outdoor nexus. We'll hear more about the controversial history, the current state of our greenways, and leave you with a challenge if you dare accept it. This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. Guests: Meg Morgan, Greenways for Nashville Executive Director Francois de Kock, Metro Parks Director of Greenways and Open Space Division Bill Purcell, Former Mayor of Nashville Kristine LaLonde, nonprofit consultant Ginnea Harley, East Nashville Resident and storyteller

It’s always wise to pay close attention to our wild critters.The squirrels are gathering up nuts for the winter, the birds are flying south, the mosquitoes are mostly gone. But sometimes it’s more than those seasonal changes like what we’re seeing right now. Armadillo appear where they’ve never been. Bears start showing up in places they haven’t roamed in modern times. And vines from afar start swallowing up hillsides. It’s a special hour on our signal species – a collaboration across the Appalachia + Midsouth Newsroom. We’re listening to Calls from the Wild.This episode was produced in coordination with the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom. 

This month marks 50 years since the premiere of "Harlan County USA."The Academy Award-winning documentary film shined a light on an eastern Kentucky coal mining community and its fight for a union contract. Today, we hear from director Barbara Kopple, others on the crew, and the miners themselves to talk about the documentary’s lasting impact. From our partners at the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, we present Harlan County USA at 50.This episode was produced in coordination with the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom. 

If you bring up the name Buddy Miller in Nashville’s music circles, you’re likely to get a story about how he’s wonderful to work with — humble, talented, and a great collaborator.Sometimes he’s in the band. Other times, he helps write the songs. But he’s just as well known for his production chops. It’s one of the reasons he was tapped to serve as executive music producer on the TV show Nashville.Last month, Buddy released a new self-titled solo album made with friends and collaborators over his five decades in the business and with songs that span multiple genres— gospel, soul, early rock ’n’ roll, and country.Buddy joins Blake in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about his life, his love, his faith, and his music.

Happy Southern Festival of Books week!To celebrate, we’ve invited nine local authors to join us to talk about their work. History, memoirs, YA, fantasy, cooking and more, local authors have been busy, busy, busy putting ideas to the page. Today we hear about their work, their process, and what compelled them to write and, in most cases, self-publish their work.Guests: Leslie Cole, MD, author, The Snake and the Tree Kem Hinton, author, Nether Land Nicholas Knowles, author, The White House of Hickory Valley Tommy Lubben, author, Folk Revivalists: Stories from the Most Famous Band You've Never Heard Of Susan Hudson McBride, author, Unfinished Business: Looking for Meaning Through the Eyes of a Southern Child Mindy Merrell, author, Self-Rising: The Magic Rise Behind Biscuit and Cornbread Culture Teddy Minton, author, The Belcourt Theatre: Nashville’s Oldest Neighborhood Cinema Dr. Terrance Schofield, author, Black Man in the Mirror Shalanda Thompson, author, Around the River Bend: A Memoir of Love During Lockup