David versus Goliath – that’s how Nashville’s independent restaurants felt less than a decade ago. Big upscale chains were moving in, and indies were struggling to survive. Fast forward to today. GQ magazine has dubbed Nashville “Nowville,” and the national press is suddenly hailing the city as a foodie destination and Nashville chefs as rock [...]

Republican legislatures in several states are finding it difficult to stick to one of their mantras: the government closest to the people governs best. In Tennessee – where the GOP now holds a supermajority – the state is making power plays on issues ranging from charter schools to property rights. Increasingly, the state believes it [...]

Longtime Nashville resident Janis Ian is headed back to the Grammys this weekend. Over her career, the singer-songwriter has racked up 11 nominations for folk, jazz, even children’s music. This time, the audiobook of her memoir is up for an award. And tucked inside that story of Janis Ian’s life is how she wrote the [...]

Virtual education appears to be the future, even for the youngest students. School districts are offering classes online. And cyber schools – many of them run by the same for-profit company – are popping up all over the country. But in Tennessee, student test scores have fallen short, spurring two legislative hearings in as many [...]

Governor Bill Haslam laid out a plan in his third state of the state address to cut taxes, pay state employees more and still save money for a rainy day. Hot button policy proposals were mentioned, but far from fully fleshed out. “Tennessee is different.” That was Haslam’s theme for the night. Different from other [...]

Another record year is in the books. We learn this week that 349 service members –active-duty and reservists – took their own lives in 2012. The Army has been the hardest-hit branch. And in the latest prevention measure, psychiatrists and counselors are trying to get as close as possible to the problem – the home [...]

The controversial former chancellor of Washington D.C. schools is hopscotching the country this month, dropping in as state legislatures reconvene for the year. Michelle Rhee is using a political machine to push dozens of policy points. They include such hot buttons as parent trigger laws and school vouchers. WPLN’s Blake Farmer reports. Michelle Rhee is [...]

150 years ago today, Middle Tennessee’s New Year’s Eve was marked by ominous sounds. For months, Union troops in Nashville and Confederates in Murfreesboro had done little more than harass each other. But on this day, the two sides clashed so fiercely the fighting could be heard thirty miles away. WPLN’s Nina Cardona has the [...]

Before 2012, few knew the first thing about fungal meningitis – even doctors. And compounding pharmacies flew well under most people’s radar. That changed as moldy spinal injections sickened hundreds across the country. The outbreak first discovered in Nashville has killed 39 people nationwide, 14 in Tennessee. The husband of Joyce Lovelace is believed to [...]

It’s official: WPLN is fifty years old, so we hope you’ll forgive us a few moments of self-indulgence. After all, to reach the half-century mark is a pretty big deal in FM radio, considering it was still a relatively new frontier in broadcasting back in 1962. At lot has changed since then, and WPLN’s Nina [...]