Sixty years ago, North Nashville was a thriving cultural oasis. There were taverns and gambling joints, restaurants and ice cream parlors, boarding houses and nightclubs that drew the likes of Etta James and Jimi Hendrix. Construction of Interstate 40 through North Nashville in the 1970s split the historically Black neighborhood in two, severed community ties and brought noise and pollution.

Much of the Black middle class that had sustained North Nashville moved away, leading to years of neglect and disrepair. Today, a new generation is working to honor the artistic heritage of the area while also bringing it into the future.

Before host Khalil Ekulona dives into the history of North Nashville, he talks to two guests - Kathryn Rickmeye and Diana Nalyvaiko - about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting Middle Tennesseans.

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WPLN: Metro hits pause on Jefferson Street cap project after community pushback

As Nashville continues its rapid growth, residents with disabilities say they're being left behind. While new buildings are popping up all around Middle Tennessee, residents who rely on wheelchairs, canes, guide dogs and other mobility aids are still fighting for reliable public transportation and safe sidewalks in their neighborhoods.

In this episode, we hear what it's like to navigate Nashville when you have a disability, and get some perspective from people who are advocating for improved services and infrastructure.

At the top of the show, WPLN News Senior Editor Chas Sisk joins us in studio with an update about State Sen. Robin Smith's resignation and the wire fraud charges the East Tennessee Republican is facing.

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After the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Tennessee in March 2020, nurses were often lauded as healthcare heroes. Two years later, nurses are not only feeling the weight of the pandemic, they are also dealing with staffing shortages, patients who refuse to get vaccinated, and the ongoing loss of human life. An increasing number of nurses are considering becoming travel nurses to make more money or leave the healthcare industry altogether for less stressful jobs.

Host Khalil Ekulona talks with three Middle Tennessee nurses about their experiences.

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The honky-tonks on Lower Broadway contribute to Nashville's economy and its reputation as a destination party city. While "NashVegas" has become a playground for bachelorette parties, locals have pushed back — complaining about unruly tourists and under-regulated party vehicles. Things got so out of hand that the word "transportainment" made its first appearance in The New York Times last year.

In this episode, host Khalil Ekulona talks to some of the people who make Nashville's nightlife tick, and also asks the question: Who is Nashville's nightlife really for?

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It has been two years since tornadoes touched down in Middle Tennessee on March 3, 2020. The tornadoes killed 25 people, destroyed more than 1,600 buildings — including more than 400 homes — and damaged some 2,700 others stretching from Benton County, through downtown and East Nashville, and into Cookeville.

This episode examines what has changed since the deadly storms. Host Khalil Ekulona speaks to residents who were displaced by the storms about how their lives were changed that night.

Later in the show, the conversation shifts to the steps you can take to stay safe during Nashville's next major weather event.

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Tennessee’s school funding formula hasn’t been meaningfully changed in the last 30 years, but in late February Governor Bill Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn released a proposal that will focus funding on students. The new Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement promises more dollars to every district.

In the first part of the show, WPLN education reporter Juliana Kim explains the differences between the current and proposed funding formulas, and what it will mean for local schools and teachers.

Later, the conversation shifts to the hurdles unhoused individuals deal with as they try to find an affordable and safe place to live in Middle Tennessee. These complications can include mental health and addiction struggles, and something housing advocates call the "time tax on the poor" — a reference to how long it can take to navigate services.

The guests speak about their own experiences living outdoors and the "housing first" approach to ending homelessness.

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Welcome to the first episode of This Is Nashville. Today the show explores how the region's explosive growth has led to a sense of disconnect, between the old Nashville and the new. Host Khalil Ekulona talks with guests who are shaping the new Nashville and asks them what Music City is gaining and losing with all of these rapid changes.

Before we dive into the conversation, Executive Producer Andrea Tudhope joins Khalil in the studio to talk about what listeners can expect every day from This Is Nashville and how the Middle Tennessee community can contribute.

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