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I wanna call you on your bird phone. Ring ring — it's our new podcast Calls from the Wild — now available on the NPR app and NPR One, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. On the “Calls from the Wild” podcast, you'll hear what kudzu, bears, mussels and bats have to tell us about our changing environment. Guests include former NYT columnist Margaret Renkl and pubic radio reporters from throughout our region. Your narrator is John Boyle. It's easy listening. And after you listen you are invited to join our project on iNaturalist (inaturalistorg). It covers Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia and roaming in the region is encouraged. It's easy, it's free, and it's a great way to get into the habit of noticing and recording the birds, plants, insects and animals around you. And when you contribute — congratulations — you made some science! Tap link in bio to get to the podcast. Calls from the Wild is a collaboration of Nashville Public Radio and the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom. (@porchlightnews) Video producer: Megan Jones Editor: Andrew Henderson by @wpln
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14 hours ago
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Early voting in Tennessee starts Oct. 14. While voters think toward the future, The Backstory from Nashville Public Radio was checking out the past for some of the most interesting – and surprising -- chapters in our state’s election history. You can listen on the NashVillager podcast with host Nina Cardona (@ninacardonawpln) on the way to the polls or read while you’re waiting in line to vote. Tap link in bio to access Backstory on our site and subscribe to the NashVillager podcast for the morning’s news plus a hit of history every weekday. This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial (@Tennessee250). Photos and images: The Associated Press, Tennessee State Library and Archives (@tnlibarchives) Producer: Alexis Marshall Editor: Megan Jones by @wpln
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2 days ago
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“I see patients every week in my office who are tortured by the results of tests that they really didn’t need to ever have,” said Rita Redberg, a University of California-San Francisco Medical Center professor and cardiologist. Medical tests like full-body scans are often marketed as a way to find diseases early and seek peace of mind. But many medical screenings carry costs and risks that patients might not expect. And the results often lead to additional testing in a phenomenon known as a “diagnostic cascade.” Studies show that overtesting and overdiagnosis can leave patients worse off than simply doing nothing. So how do you decide whether a test is right for you? Redberg suggests asking yourself and your medical provider: What am I going to learn from this test? How is this test going to help in my care? Could I improve my health without doing this test? She told HealthQ’s Cara Anthony that many test results, especially in her field of cardiology, end up pointing patients back to the basics of a healthy lifestyle, like eating well, exercising, and not smoking. And patients could make those changes even without a test. The QTip: Before saying yes to the test, ask about the risks and benefits — even if your doctor recommends it. Illustration: @studioria by @wpln
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3 days ago
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Elections. Your voice, your vote. But what do you do when you have changed your mind about a candidate or a party? Do you tell your friends? Family? Church group? Social media? Reporter Justin Barney (@justinbarney) went out to talk to voters about just that. What could change a voter’s mind about a candidate? What factors determine if someone is public about their vote or private? Who influences a person’s feelings about a candidate or party? You will hear three voter voices here. The last two voices are from our election event held Oct 6, 2026, at Nashville Public Radio, and the first is from a polling place in Tennessee in August 2026. “I think if we were more vocal about who we support and who we want, we would actually be able to understand where people are coming from. I think people wanna be private so that they aren't confronted, therefore they won't be able to be held accountable,” says our second voter voice. Who or what influences how you vote? What things do you consider if you are thinking about changing party or candidate? Do you choose to keep your vote private? Or do you prefer to publicize the candidates you vote for? Tap link in bio for ongoing coverage of elections. Photo: Tricia Drake / WPLN Producer: Megan Jones Editor: LaTonya Turner by @wpln
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4 days ago
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Tennessee is expecting rain, strong winds and possible spin-up tornadoes this weekend as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias pass through. Much of the state will enter a flood watch tonight. The storm is proijected to bring 1-3 inches of rain, which could help ease the drought that has taken hold over most of Middle and West Tennessee. The National Weather Service warn that tropical storms like this one can evolve rapidly, so stay weather aware and keep an eye on the forecast. Images: National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Producer: Alexis Marshall Editor: Megan Jones by @wpln
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7 days ago
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Former HBCU students are suing state officials over claims their schools were underfunded by billions of dollars. Tennessee is one of the states that might soon face litigation. The group filed its first lawsuit in Missouri. In 2023, federal officials sent letters to 16 governors urging them to fix the funding disparity between land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their non-HBCU counterparts. That includes Tennessee State University (@tennstateu). A group of attorneys joined together with the goal of getting states to pay their debts, and even though they’ve already started litigation, WPLN reporter Camellia Burris (@camelllia.elaine) reports that they’re open to settling the matter outside of court. The plaintiffs of the first lawsuit are former students of Lincoln University who claim that underfunding left them in deteriorating dorms using outdated technology. TSU students have made similar complaints over the years. Tap link in bio fo the full story. Producer/Editor: LaTonya Turner and Megan Jones Photos: Alexis Marshall / WPLN and TSU sign courtesy of Tennessee State University by @wpln
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8 days ago
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Candidates for governor are issuing new challenges to bring GOP frontrunner Marsha Blackburn to the debate stage as the Nov. 3 election approaches. Democratic Memphis City Councilmember Jerri Green has hosted a series of empty podium debates, challenging Blackburn to join her on stage. Conservative independent David Hatley has offered to donate $1 million to charity if Blackburn agrees to a debate. He told WPLN’s Marianna Bacallao (@ba.marianna) that the money would go to a series of charities that work directly with domestic violence victims, hungry families and people without homes. “Personally, if someone asked me to do something for charity, I would run through a wall to do it,” Hatley said. “It seems like she’s just trying to slide into the governor’s seat without answering any questions … What is her real plan for Tennessee?” In an email, Blackburn’s campaign manager, Abigail Sigler, said, “Tennesseans don’t want gimmicks; they want people who will go work for them.” Tap link in bio for the full story. Photos: Marianna Bacallao Producer: Marianna Bacallao Editor: Megan Jones A woman in a dark suit speaks into a microphone at a debate event with a sign reading 'MIA MARSHA' in the foreground. by @wpln
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9 days ago
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North of Nashville and south of the Kentucky state line is historic downtown Gallatin, Tennessee, where it's easy to step back in time. It’s home to the state’s oldest silent movie theater still standing in its original location. A few doors down is a former drugstore and soda fountain. Four miles northeast of downtown is the Gallatin Industrial Center, home to a hyperscale data center for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. Meta Gallatin is a 900-acre campus with four buildings spanning nearly 1.7 million square feet, equivalent to 10 Walmart Supercenters. The campus is highly secure with perimeter fencing housing thousands of computer servers used for all things digital, everything from email and streaming to online banking and ChatGPT. It’s the Fort Knox of Gallatin and it gives us a look at what it's like when a data center comes to town. by @wpln
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9 days ago
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Christa Pike has survived a failed attempt at execution by lethal injection, according to a statement from her legal team. This is the first update about her condition since Friday, according to WPLN’s reporter Catherine Sweeney (@sweeneywpln). This is part of the statement from Pike’s legal team. “Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care. Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery. ... Christa’s life has been extraordinarily difficult. ... She survived two complete rounds of lethal injection per Tennessee’s protocol, despite her attorneys’ warning to the state of specific challenges with her veins. She is the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the U.S. Christa is a survivor and will take recovery one day at a time. We continue to ask the Governor of Tennessee to commute Christa Pike’s sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.” Tap link in bio for the full story and follow for more. Producer/Editor: Megan Jones Photo: George Walker IV / AP by @wpln
598
10 days ago
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Here is a first-hand account of the failed execution of Christa Pike, as witnessed by WPLN reporter Catherine Sweeney (@sweeneywpln). iAs of Tuesday morning, Pike is still hospitalized after the state attempted to execute her by lethal injection on Sept. 30. After Pike left the execution chamber in an ambulance on Sept. 30, Lee announced he would suspend lethal injections for the rest of the year. Her attorneys say the lethal drugs were administered improperly, flowing into her muscle and not into her bloodstream. When mistakes happen and prisoners experience needless suffering, Tennessee is opened up to legal challenges. Sweeney was one of the seven media witnesses who spent the day at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution as the courts fought over whether Tennessee could carry out Pike’s death sentence. Tap link in bio for the full account by Catherine Sweeney. Photo: George Walker / AP Producer/Editor: Megan Jones by @wpln
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10 days ago
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Punk artist Henry Rollins (@fanatichenry) moved to Nashville and is mounting a free punk exhibit here in Wedgewood-Houston in November, 2026. Justin Barney (@justinbarney) reports that Rollins has assembled 1970's and 1980's ephemera to show at the exhibit. From the press release, here is Henry Rollins in his own words. “Hello, Henry Rollins here. I wrote the following in an effort to somehow entice you to come to this event. An incredible amount of time, effort and expenditure has gone into this. I’ve either gotten it extremely right, or catastrophically wrong! For many years, I’ve been fascinated with historical markers. Physical objects that still remain years after they were created, become irrefutable evidence of time and place. Memories fade and retelling of facts often leads to distortion. Everything in the Cool Evidence exhibit denotes a time and place, be it an event, or just the fraction of a second it takes for a camera to extract an image—forcing a testimony from Time that humans can be exceptional. There’s always an alternative to misery. Tap link in bio for full story. Portrait and venue photos: Justin Barney / WPLN Exhibit photos: courtesy Henry Rollins Producer/Editor: Megan Jones Henry Rollins seated in a gallery space with punk-themed artwork displayed on the walls behind him. by @wpln
480
10 days ago
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Thank you to everyone who gave during our fall fund drive. Our high-quality local news is free for all, but it costs money to produce. Your donation helps our community. It includes everyone access trustworthy information about what’s going on in Middle Tennessee, no matter the. We are so grateful — we cannot do this work without you. And if you meant to give but it slipped your mind, you can still make a donation right now. Tap link in bio to help us raise the last $10K to reach our $250K goal! by @wpln
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11 days ago
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