The State Building Commission just granted a two-year lease to Elon Musk’s The Boring Company to start their Tesla tunnel to BNA, and local leaders are starting to push back. Since we’re also wondering what local rideshare drivers think about this project, we invited our friend Chris Williams to join host Marie Cecile Anderson and executive producer Whitney Pastorek for today’s Friday News Roundup. Plus, a controversial execution is scheduled for next week, the election to replace Mark Green is set, we kinda want Booth Boots, and Marie saw the Dolly Musical.

Vote for City Cast Nashville as Best Podcast in the Nashville Scene’s 2025 Best of Nashville awards! You must vote in 20 categories for your vote to count.

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

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It’s time for kids to head back to school, but that doesn’t mean the end of great things to do in our city. Host Marie Cecile Anderson, producer Daniel Sumstine, and Hey Nashville newsletter editor Margaret Kingsbury preview their can’t-miss picks for August, a month full of festivals for you, your family and even your dog.If you’re looking for even MORE options, we’ve featured some great activities and important news stories across the city in recent episodes: We took a deep dive into the Tesla tunnels Elon Musk and the state of Tennessee plan to dig under Nashville, and wondered if our city has become a “theme park of intoxication.”Learn more about the sponsors of this July 31st episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

If you’re new here, welcome! City Cast Nashville brings you a new episode every weekday morning with the day's can't-miss conversation about life in Music City. We’re covering the news and culture of our endlessly growing city from every perspective we can find — including yours. It’s like a backyard barbecue and the whole town’s invited, so whether you’ve lived here for a blink or a lifetime, we hope you’ll pull up a lawn chair and sit a while. Learn more at nashville.citycast.fm.

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Nashville is a fantastic outdoor city, but the mosquitoes and ticks are no fun at all. How can we fight back? Local naturalist and author Jo Brichetto, who popularized the “Mosquito Bucket of Doom,” joins host Marie Cecile Anderson to share her tips for warding off the bitey guys while enjoying and protecting the other amazing bugs of summer.

Learn how to make your own Bucket of Doom here.

Get Jo’s book, ‘This is How a Robin Drinks,’ here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 30th episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter. 

Follow us @citycastnashville

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Yesterday, state officials and Elon Musk’s The Boring Company officially announced plans for a tunnel connecting downtown and BNA. We’ve got the details on the plan, plus City Cast Las Vegas host Dayvid Figler joins host Marie Cecile Anderson and executive producer Whitney Pastorek to explain how similar tunnels are already impacting life in Sin City. 

Read the City Cast Las Vegas collaboration with Daniel Rothberg of ProPublica about lapses in the oversight of their tunnel construction here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 29th episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

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Has Nashville turned into a “theme park of intoxication”? That’s what Vanderbilt professor Bruce Barry thinks. In a recent article for “The Tennessee Lookout,” he argued that the city is “on the move but running in place.” Today, he joins host Marie Cecile Anderson to talk about the state of downtown — its aggressive growth, declining inclusivity for locals, and what the future may hold for our city.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 28th episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members-only events, and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter. 

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With Nashville’s downtown library still closed after last month’s fire, where can our unhoused neighbors go to escape the heat? Host Marie Cecile Anderson talks with Nashville Scene columnist and City Cast Nashville contributor Nicole Williams and producer Daniel Sumstine about heat relief, a proposed expansion of license plate readers, a new federal ruling on Tennessee’s abortion law, the possibility of more ICE activity in town, and how the new “Direct Admissions” college program. Plus: tax-free weekend tips and some good news to end your week.

If you enjoyed today's interview with Nashville Zoo's Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Jim Bartoo, learn more here.

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members-only events, and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

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You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392

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There are so many farmers markets in Nashville, from a new one supporting refugee farmers, to more conventional markets around town. So, we invited the Nashville Food Project's Rebecah Boynton to join host Marie Cecile Anderson on the show to talk about the city's best farmers markets and how to navigate them like a pro, as well as the ins and outs of CSAs and how to combat food insecurity.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 24th episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members-only events, and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter. 

Follow us @citycastnashville

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Evan Darr has been a bartender in Nashville for 25 years, from hotels to the Wildhorse Saloon — one of the thousands of gig workers who make this city run. She's joining host Marie Cecile Anderson to talk about her daily grind — from serving bachelorette parties and tourists to staying safe on the job — and what bartending in Nashville has taught her about our city.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 23rd episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members-only events, and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter. 

Follow us @citycastnashville

You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392

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Tipping culture has gotten out of hand — at least, according to some Nashvillians. Last month, The Tennessean columnist Cameron Smith wrote a guide to tipping culture in Nashville, and today he joins host Marie Cecile Anderson and producer Daniel Sumstine to talk about the do's, don'ts, and frustrations of tipping in Nashville. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 22nd episode:

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members-only events, and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter. 

Follow us @citycastnashville

You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

President Trump’s big budget bill has been signed into law, and big changes are coming to your health care because of it. Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, joins executive producer Whitney Pastorek to explain how the bill’s cuts to Medicaid will impact Nashville and our neighbors across the state.

Follow TJC on Instagram here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 21st episode:

Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

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Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville  

Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter. 

Follow us @citycastnashville

You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.