CRIME PLUMMETS: Through the first three quarters of 2026, crime in Nashville has continued to fall. In some areas, current figures are in line with the city’s best years on record. Through October 3, the Metro Nashville Police Department had recorded 30 homicides. That’s down almost 39 percent from the same period last year and reflects a pace similar to 2013, which had the lowest homicide count in Metro history. Remarkably, all categories of major violent and property crimes have continued to trend downward even after doing so for several years after the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall violent offenses are down more than 14 percent and property offenses are down 17 percent. —Steven Hale
POLL POSITIONS: The Chaz Molder team has released new internal polling showing the gap between the Democratic nominee and Republican Charlie Hatcher narrowing in the 5th Congressional District. According to a memo provided by Molder, he trails 41 percent to 46 percent against the GOP nominee in the district President Trump would have won by more than 20 points in 2024. The campaign previously released late-August polling showing Molder trailing by eight points. During the intervening period, Molder has aired a series of television ads, while Hatcher did not air his first until Tuesday. Eleven percent of district voters remain undecided, according to Molder’s polling. — Stephen Elliott
TAX BREAK: Tennessee is moving forward with implementation of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, a national school voucher program that will go into effect in 2027. Individuals can claim a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 each year for donations to nonprofits called scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). An SGO must spend at least 90 percent of its funds on qualifying K-12 education expenses including tuition, fees, tutoring and classroom supplies. While the program was designed primarily for private school tuition, advocates nationwide have been considering how the scholarships could be used by public schools, such as for tutoring or after-school programs. Tennessee is one of 30 states that have opted into the federal program, and the state Department of Education released a preliminary interest form for SGOs on Oct. 7. — Lillian Avedian
HALF DEBATE: Independent candidates for governor Dave Hatley and Lauren Pinkston are set to debate later this month, though neither of the major party nominees will participate. According to a release from Pinkston, who is polling around 2 percent, will debate Hatley, who is polling around 10 percent, on Oct. 27 and Middle Tennessee State University. The Tennessee Press Association will host the debate, which will not include Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn or Democratic Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green. Blackburn has categorically refused to debate her opponents in the primary and general elections, while Green has repeatedly challenged Blackburn to a debate but refuses to debate the independents, whom she does not see as viable competition since they are not polling at the 15 percent threshold used in presidential debates. — Sarah Grace Taylor
JACKIE SHANE ARCHIVE: On Tuesday, the Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives unveiled Jackie Shane’s archive, featuring her costumes, jewelry, photos and writings. In the 1970s, the singer, who was transgender, faded from the spotlight after she realized she couldn’t perform and exist as her true self in society. “One has to witness the magnetic [performance] of Miss Jackie Shane,” wrote the singer in the first draft of her artist biography. Her secretary would later alter Shane’s pronouns to appeal to the music industry, echoing the pushback Shane received for wanting to show up as her true self on stage and in public. The archive displays and celebrates every aspect of Shane’s vibrant personality. Organizers hope that it will help others learn more about what being queer looked like in the past and encourage them to live truly as they are. “One of the things my Aunt Jackie said [in her writing] was, ‘I was born and never lived,’” said Vonnie Crawford Moore, one of Shane’s six heirs. “One thing she knew is that one day, her story would be told. Our mission and goal is that she will live.” — Eden Turner
ETHICS COMPLAINT: A committee of the Metro Nashville Public Schools board voted to refer an ethics complaint regarding board member Zach Young to the board’s attorney for a legal opinion and recommendation for action. The committee met for the first time on Oct. 7 to address an ethics complaint the school board received on Aug. 13. Heidi Basgall Favorite filed the complaint, alleging that Young “has leveled demonstrably false accusations against young-adult petition canvassers in the community” who collected signatures to end auto racing at Nashville’s fairgrounds. The ethics committee will meet again after receiving the legal opinion. — Lillian Avedian
This article first appeared on Nashville Banner and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Source: nashvillebanner.com
