Nina Cardona
@ninacardonawpln.bsky.social
I get up pretty early to read the news. Host of NashVillager Podcast and Morning Edition on WPLN
In Tennessee history and this week, a look at tight elections and dark horse winners wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Two tight elections
How was the Matt Van Epps win this week like another Tennessean’s victory in the 1800s? Plus the local news for Dec. 4, 2025, and a Curious Nashville story.
wpln.org
December 4, 2025 at 2:44 PM
In Tennessee history and this week, a look at tight elections and dark horse winners wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Reposted by Nina Cardona
Republicans have narrowly kept control of Tennessee’s 7th congressional seat. The latest on this tight race that turned into an unexpected battleground: wpln.org/post/republi... @mariannabac.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social
Republicans keep Tennessee congressional seat in unexpectedly close race
Republican Matt Van Epps fended off Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn with nearly 53% of the vote, a much narrower margin than previous years.
wpln.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Republicans have narrowly kept control of Tennessee’s 7th congressional seat. The latest on this tight race that turned into an unexpected battleground: wpln.org/post/republi... @mariannabac.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social
We've got a lot of new place names to learn wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: More East names for Nashville’s east side
What’s in a place name? We’re getting a taste of what we’ll call the city’s soon-to-be new neighborhoods on the East Bank.
wpln.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:36 PM
We've got a lot of new place names to learn wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Nashville may be the Buckle of the (protestant Christian) Bible Belt, but it has always also been at least a little bit Jewish wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Jewish Nashville
When did religious diversity come to Nashville? The South is sometimes assumed to be a monoculture. But that’s not certainly not true … and it never has been.
wpln.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Nashville may be the Buckle of the (protestant Christian) Bible Belt, but it has always also been at least a little bit Jewish wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Nashville's biggest bank is about to get bigger wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Big banks getting bigger
When national holidays were rare, what did it take for Thanksgiving to make the cut? Plus the local news for Nov. 26 and a round-up of events in What Where When-sday.
wpln.org
December 1, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Nashville's biggest bank is about to get bigger wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
We've got laws that say the public should be able to access information about what the government is up to, but when it comes to the exceptions, limits and restrictions there's an awful lot of disagreement wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Freedom of Information
When is it ok to limit public access to documents that show what’s going on? Plus, the local news for November 21, 2025.
wpln.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:35 PM
We've got laws that say the public should be able to access information about what the government is up to, but when it comes to the exceptions, limits and restrictions there's an awful lot of disagreement wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Tennessee stretches into two time zones now, but that wasn't always the case wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
wpln.org
November 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Tennessee stretches into two time zones now, but that wasn't always the case wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Several people in Tennessee's political ecosphere recently got presidential pardons. The reaction isn't great, even from members of Trump's own party. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Political pardons
What message do presidential pardons really send? Plus, the local news for November 17, 2025.
wpln.org
November 17, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Several people in Tennessee's political ecosphere recently got presidential pardons. The reaction isn't great, even from members of Trump's own party. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Some pieces of our city's backstory feel like a kid getting his block tower knocked down so that a bigger kid can play in the same spot. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Andrew Jackson Courts
Why did Black leaders protest the building of the city’s oldest housing project? Plus, the local news for November 14, 2025.
wpln.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Some pieces of our city's backstory feel like a kid getting his block tower knocked down so that a bigger kid can play in the same spot. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
In much of Tennessee, industrial development has long been the big focus for job creation efforts. Times are changing. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Factories or labs
What’s the future of job creation in Tennessee? Plus, the local news for November 12, 2025.
wpln.org
November 12, 2025 at 1:36 PM
In much of Tennessee, industrial development has long been the big focus for job creation efforts. Times are changing. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
This Veteran's Day, This Is Nashville is talking to current vets, and I'm highlighting a local memorial you may not realize is there wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Tombs of the unknown soldiers
How do you honor those who we can’t identify? Plus, the local news for November 11, 2025.
wpln.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:46 PM
This Veteran's Day, This Is Nashville is talking to current vets, and I'm highlighting a local memorial you may not realize is there wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
The other day, I discovered that Tennessee played a big role in the incident that triggered the start of airport security screenings in this nation. So of course I'm telling all about it on the podcast today! wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: A hijacking tale
What role did Tennessee play in the advent of airport security? Plus, the local news for November 10, 2025.
wpln.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:57 PM
The other day, I discovered that Tennessee played a big role in the incident that triggered the start of airport security screenings in this nation. So of course I'm telling all about it on the podcast today! wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Tennessee's soybean farmers really needed 2025 to be a good year. Instead they got flooded fields and Chinese tariffs. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: A bad year for a major cash crop
How will Tennessee’s soybean farms weather a second bad year? Plus, the local news for November 7, 2025.
wpln.org
November 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Tennessee's soybean farmers really needed 2025 to be a good year. Instead they got flooded fields and Chinese tariffs. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Tennessee's constitution includes its own version of the Bill of Rights, and it gets way more specific than the federal version wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Your rights as a Tennessean
What rights are established in the state constitution? Plus, the local news for November 6, 2025.
wpln.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Tennessee's constitution includes its own version of the Bill of Rights, and it gets way more specific than the federal version wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
I've been told many times that The Monkees "Last Train to Clarksville" is set in our Clarksville. On the anniversary of it hitting #1, I decided to sort out what people got right and wrong about the song. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Last train to Clarksville
What role did Tennessee play in a controversy around a song by The Monkees? Plus, the local news for November 5, 2025.
wpln.org
November 5, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I've been told many times that The Monkees "Last Train to Clarksville" is set in our Clarksville. On the anniversary of it hitting #1, I decided to sort out what people got right and wrong about the song. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Once you see the similarities between letting SNAP benefits be a political bargaining tool and the tactics of a medieval siege, you can't really unsee it. And it's always the most vulnerable people paying the biggest price. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Manipulating hunger
What does the current political fight over SNAP have in common with a medieval siege? Plus, the local news for November 4, 2025.
wpln.org
November 4, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Once you see the similarities between letting SNAP benefits be a political bargaining tool and the tactics of a medieval siege, you can't really unsee it. And it's always the most vulnerable people paying the biggest price. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Tennessee has a robust Rainy Day Fund. That fund won't be tapped to help tide people over until SNAP benefits resume. So the question has come up (again): what is the fund for? wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Rainy Days and SNAP benefits
Will Tennessee ever use its rainy day fund? Plus, the local news for Nov. 3, 2025.
wpln.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Tennessee has a robust Rainy Day Fund. That fund won't be tapped to help tide people over until SNAP benefits resume. So the question has come up (again): what is the fund for? wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
One Halloween, a family in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, got the loudest knock ever. It wasn't a trick or treater, but it was something out of a nightmare...or a movie. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
wpln.org
October 31, 2025 at 11:41 AM
One Halloween, a family in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, got the loudest knock ever. It wasn't a trick or treater, but it was something out of a nightmare...or a movie. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
People had to die from breathing in dangerous air before officials got serious about regulating what comes out of smokestacks. Some of those regulations have been loosened, and there are plans for new smokestacks in Tennessee. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Attack of the killer smog
Do we still remember how dangerous polluted air can be? Plus, the local news for October 30, 2025.
wpln.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:02 PM
People had to die from breathing in dangerous air before officials got serious about regulating what comes out of smokestacks. Some of those regulations have been loosened, and there are plans for new smokestacks in Tennessee. wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
The longer this federal shutdown goes on, the more gets shut down in Tennessee. And the ones feeling the pinch are the most vulnerable people in our communities wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Tennesseans feel the pinch
What has the shutdown shut down in Tennessee? Plus, the local news for October 29, 2025.
wpln.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM
The longer this federal shutdown goes on, the more gets shut down in Tennessee. And the ones feeling the pinch are the most vulnerable people in our communities wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
When state and local responders have a coordinated response to natural disasters, you're seeing a ripple effect of a Cold War scare wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Made for nukes, works great for tornadoes
How did the Cuban Missile Crisis improve disaster response in Tennessee? Plus, the local news for October 28, 2025.
wpln.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:30 PM
When state and local responders have a coordinated response to natural disasters, you're seeing a ripple effect of a Cold War scare wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
Reposted by Nina Cardona
Nashville Public Radio has been been community powered for 60+ years. Donate today to keep us free and accessible. http://wpln.org/donate?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=wpln.bsky.social&utm_term=6bff49b0-e29a-4bc7-aadd-17a2ba7fa8bf&utm_content=&utm_campaign=WPLNFundDriveOct2025
October 27, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Nashville Public Radio has been been community powered for 60+ years. Donate today to keep us free and accessible. http://wpln.org/donate?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=wpln.bsky.social&utm_term=6bff49b0-e29a-4bc7-aadd-17a2ba7fa8bf&utm_content=&utm_campaign=WPLNFundDriveOct2025
We've had art heists and "art" heists in this state, and the stories are too good not to share wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Nun bun theft and an art heist at the Arby’s
Why did anyone steal that? Plus, the local news for October 27, 2025.
wpln.org
October 27, 2025 at 12:16 PM
We've had art heists and "art" heists in this state, and the stories are too good not to share wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
For a long time now, the US has maintained guardrails to keep teens out of dangerous and inappropriately adult jobs. Some of those protections are being deleted or diluted wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Putting kids to work
Are we losing protections for teenagers in the workplace? Plus, the local news for October 24, 2025.
wpln.org
October 24, 2025 at 11:58 AM
For a long time now, the US has maintained guardrails to keep teens out of dangerous and inappropriately adult jobs. Some of those protections are being deleted or diluted wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
I'm still blown away by a detail I learned while researching today's episode: the original design for monkey bars included a safety net. So where were those nets on old-school playgrounds?! wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social
NashVillager Podcast: Monkey around
Who decides if playground equipment is safe for kids? Plus, the local news for October 23, 2025.
wpln.org
October 23, 2025 at 11:40 AM
I'm still blown away by a detail I learned while researching today's episode: the original design for monkey bars included a safety net. So where were those nets on old-school playgrounds?! wpln.org/post/nashvil... @wpln.bsky.social