NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Today’s weather: Partly cloudy, cooler. HIGH 51, LOW 37

Today, we’re thankful for you. Every time you’ve opened this newsletter, forwarded it, or clicked on one of our articles, you’ve provided essential feedback to our staff. Your actions have told us what resonates with you and what doesn’t.

By reading, you play an essential role bringing no-paywall news to Nashville. Today, we’re asking if you can do a little more. When you give to the Banner today, your donation will go twice as far thanks to the Sandra Schatten Foundation and NewsMatch.

THE LEDE

Nashvillians from Sudan Support Families, Friends Amid War

Since last year, Sudan has been locked in war between two formerly allied army officers, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who took power in a coup that overthrew a civilian government, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The two are vying for control of the country, and – to date – more than 11 million people have been displaced because of the conflict.

Much of the support for those who were forced to flee and those who chose to remain (or could not leave) came from Sudanese people living in the Gulf, North America and in Europe. 

Nashville includes an estimated 2,000 members of the Sudanese community, many of whom are doing what they can to help those who remain in Sudan. One tries to send about $400 to one of his family members. At first, he would choose who to send it to that month by flipping a coin. Now he cycles through each family member and then starts again.

FROM THE BANNER

BANNER & COMPANY: Hal Cato has served in leadership positions at some of Nashville’s most prominent nonprofits — including Hands On Nashville, Oasis Center and Thistle Farms. Today, he sits at the helm of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which oversees more than 1,500 funds and hundreds of millions of dollars to help those in need. How to best direct and coordinate those resources in a fast-changing city is a challenge Cato feels up for, even if it means changing. 

ON THE RECORD

BEST FOOT FORWARD: Metro Nashville is seeking a new lobbyist at the state legislature. The capital city’s government issued a request for quotations on Monday as the Tennessee General Assembly prepares to return to Nashville in January. Lobbyists Jim Schmidt, Tom Lee and Debra Maggart represented Metro in the previous legislative session, and the Metro Council last year opted to hire a lobbyist of its own. Any successful bidder would need connections to Tennessee Republicans, who control a supermajority in the state legislature, as Metro continues to seek to mend its relationship with the state legislature. Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s top in-house lobbyist is Darren Jernigan, a recently retired member of the state House. — Stephen Elliott

FAREWELL FIRST-ROUNDERS: The Nashville Predators traded forward Philip Tomasino, their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (24th overall) to the Pittsburgh Penguins and got a 2027 fourth-round selection in return. The 23-year-old who played 159 games for Nashville over parts of four seasons is the third first-rounder the Predators have sent packing in recent weeks. Goalie Yaroslav Askarov (11th overall, 2020) was traded to San Jose on Aug. 23, and defenseman Dante Fabbro (17th overall, 2016) was placed on waivers earlier this month (Columbus claimed him). Nashville made four first-round picks from 2016-2020, and none of them are with the franchise any longer. The exodus started when forward Eeli Tolvanen (30th overall, 2017) was waived nearly two years ago. Tomasino set a career-high with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 76 games as a rookie in 2021-22 but has just 39 points in 82 games since, including one assist in 11 contests this season. “The player wasn’t a regular in the lineup,” general manager Barry Trotz told The Tennessean. “… It was probably time to make a change.” — David Boclair

HOLIDAY FORECAST: Rain is expected Wednesday night and will continue into Thanksgiving morning, although it is not likely to last long enough or be heavy enough to impact travel throughout Thursday. What is certain is that the holiday weekend will usher in the first frost of the season, which is long overdue. On average, Nashville’s first frost occurs on Nov. 7, but, historically speaking, it could happen as early as the first week of October. There has yet to be one this fall. Low temperatures will drop below freezing Friday and well into the 20s on Saturday and Sunday, where they will remain into the early part of next week. There is no significant chance of rain in the days following Thanksgiving. — David Boclair

OFFICIAL CHRISTMAS: Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee will kick off the start of the Christmas season at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Capitol with a tree lighting ceremony and performances by the KIPP Choir and the 129th Army Band. Then, on Friday, Dec. 6, Metro’s official tree lighting, led by Mayor Freddie O’Connell, will take place in Public Square Park with entertainment from the Lakeview Elementary School Music Program, Head Magnet Middle School Choir and the Olive Branch Church Choir. Both the Capitol and Metro trees are Norway spruces and 30 feet tall. The state tree came from Ashland City, while Metro’s, which will feature 6,000 LED lights, comes from Brentwood. — Steve Cavendish

BEST OF THE REST ($ indicates subscription required)

• BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: Plans for an 11-floor apartment building on the site where the music venue 3rd and Lindsley sits have been scrapped. (Nashville Post) ($)

• ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT: Over the last two-plus weeks, state police have increased arrests of homeless people camping on public property, with a particular emphasis on downtown Nashville. (Nashville Scene) 

• HOLDING BACK: Tennessee’s top academic official made a presentation to the Board of Education last week that detailed the impact of the controversial 2021 reading intervention and retention law. (Chalkbeat)

• FAMILY TIES: A mix-up by an IVF clinic in California created a situation in which two couples were raising each others’ babies and forced those couples into an agonizing decision. (The New York Times)

• VARIABLE SPEEDS: Scientists at Stanford are exploring the notion of “organ aging,” which is the realization that some parts of the body start to age sooner than others, all of which creates a unique set of health circumstances. (The Washington Post)

• MOVING ENCOUNTERS: Running clubs are gaining traction as a better – and safer – place than dating apps for people to find romance. (CNN) 

• HIGH GROUND: Holland is the world’s tallest country, based on the average height of its citizens, and much of the top 20 is in Northern and Eastern Europe. (Visual Capitalist)

Quote of Note

“It was so exciting, it was like meeting our colleagues from the past. It was actually like them being there. It was like touching them. Like them being part of our team instead of just four of us being there, we were all there sharing what they had written because it was tangible and you could see the style of their handwriting.”

— Barry Miller, a Scottish lighthouse keeper, after a 132-year-old message in a bottle was discovered during an inspection of his lighthouse.