TheVoiceOfJoyce Nashville Public Radio needs your money and support. Give generously.

Posted on by jaslvr

Read on, all communities will need to dig deep to support local news. It’s worth it. I’m a supporting member of WQXR & NPR in New York.

Read on and help support Nashville.

We put the forecast every day at the top of the NashVillager, and it seems like every day we’ve been using the same emoji — hot sunshine + stormy rain clouds, all in one. Keep your umbrella handy even if it’s sunny!What value does Nashville Public Radio bring to you?

That question merits a complex answer. At their most basic operations, our radio towers allow for emergency broadcast communications, which can be lifesaving in times when electricity or internet is down. This kind of value is immediate and necessary.

Other kinds of value are harder to quantify but no less meaningful.

The joy of discovering a new favorite band through WNXP, then getting to see them live at a WNXP Presents rooftop show.

The way that The Promise has made countless Nashville parents think differently about where to send their children to school.

The insights gained from local reporters keeping an eye on updates about complicated topics, like TVA’s natural gas expansion.

The deepening of connection that we gain from listening to This Is Nashville. So many fascinating, connected, thoughtful people that make up the fabric of our community!

During this week’s emergency fund drive, we’re asking you to help us bridge the gap— a financial gap of $400,000 — created by Congress’s recent vote to rescind funding for public radio stations. And because we have an atypical membership model, where it’s pay-what-you-want, that means asking you: What kind of value do you place on this service? 

I’ll suggest leaning into the power of 4. Are you a sustaining member? Then consider increasing your donation by $4/month. If every sustaining member did this, we would cover the gap.

If you prefer to make a power donation, consider giving a generous one-time boost of $400. And I recommend selecting the thank-you tote bag that reads “Power to the Public. Radio for the People.”

Thank you, the public, for making our work possible. Let’s keep it going.

WHAT TO KNOW

Byron Black has a sophisticated heart implant, which operates both as a pacemaker and a defibrillator. This is a product photo of the specific model, named in legal filings, sold by Boston Scientific.A judge sided with Byron Black, the man scheduled for Tennessee’s next execution, and ordered the state to disable his heart implant before he undergoes a lethal injection.

Chancellor Russell T. Perkins, who is overseeing several challenges to the state’s lethal injection protocol in Davidson County Chancery Court, gave the order late last week.

Black has a sophisticated device implanted in his chest that doles out powerful shocks if the heart goes out of rhythm. His attorneys and medical witnesses say that is extremely likely to happen as he dies, so the implant would jolt him continuously, causing immense pain.

Perkins wrote that Black’s attorneys effectively argued that administering the injection without disabling his implant would violate his constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.

Perkins said he wasn’t persuaded by the state’s argument that it has no duty to remove the implant, and that it didn’t offer any other convincing arguments. 

The process is unlikely to delay Black’s execution, the judge noted. But WPLN’s Catherine Sweeney reports all of Black’s attempts to delay  — including a request to the Tennessee Supreme Court last month — have failed.

NashVillager is supported by

and Nashville Public Radio donors

🎙️ On the NashVillager podcast today: 

Will you step up for WPLN News? The current funding crisis isn’t the first political hurricane to threaten public broadcasting, but this one truly made landfall. Plus, the local news for July 22, 2025, and privatizing TVA.

Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcasting app:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music| Pocket Casts | Web

MORE TO KNOW

  • Three days after Nashville’s library board discussed plans to reopen the downtown Main Library branch this month, the library announced that would not happen. The Main branch has been closed since mid-June, after the parking garage that serves the library caught fire, destroying two floors of parking, burning multiple cars and damaging parts of the library. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. WPLN’s Cynthia Abrams reports almost all materials — 99%, according to the library — will be able to be restored through light cleaning. However, the library says it is waiting for restoration experts to conduct the necessary third-party safety reviews.
     
  • Tennessee cannot bar its residents from telling people where they can get an out-of-state abortion. A federal judge is permanently blocking that part of a state law that also makes it a felon to transport or “recruit” a minor for an abortion without parental consent. The Tennessean reports the judge ruled that informing Tennessee residents — whether they are adults or minors — where they can receive out of state abortions is protected speech.
     
  • Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell is defending his turfagainst Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who visited Nashville last week to announce that ICE will ramp up enforcement in the city. “We are strongly focused on a safety-driven agenda and one that is not focused on separation,” O’Connell says. “We’ve not had any conversations with the Secretary or DHS about any of this.” Noem says one of the reasons the federal government would be ramping up immigration enforcement is that Nashville is a “sanctuary city,” even though sanctuary city policies are  prohibited under Tennessee state law.
     
  • Tennessee quarterback Will Levis has a season-ending shoulder surgery, keeping him from competing for playing time in his third season with the Titans. The Titans announced the news yesterday, one day before the Titans report Tuesday for training camp. “We support his decision to focus on his long-term health,” the Titans said in a statement. The Associated Press reports Levis’ surgery is scheduled for July 29, and the Titans’ regular season opens Sept. 7. 

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

ICYMI: Pastor Glenda Gleaves Sutton arrived in Nashville with her two sons in tow. She had left a stressful but steady life as an air traffic controller and was on a mission to repair her own family.

That effort didn’t pan out as quickly as hoped, and left her temporarily homeless. She has since dedicated her life to repairing the families of anyone within the sound of her voice. She’s dished out diapers and confronted drug dealers — always stepping out in faith and always in support of others. Her story is all about the power of encouragement and the effectiveness of showing people the way out rather than just telling them.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. CLICK FOR TICKET GIVEAWAYS

THE LATEST FROM NPR

Leave a Reply