TheVoiceOfJoyce This NashVillager reports on everything from animal birthing at the Zoo to rising grocery prices. They’re thinking of giving seniors a tax holiday to making grocery shopping affordable. Good idea.

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I love a loophole. 

As a health reporter, I write about shuttered rural hospitals, flu infection rates, public vaccine programming, access to contraceptives — things like that. But as a person, I like cute baby animals. 

Here is the loophole: When there is a birth at the zoo, a whole team has been caring for mom and baby. In the lead up, the staff is doing regular ultrasounds to see if development is going well. They make sure to be all hands on deck during and immediately after delivery. They ensure mom is eating enough food to breastfeed, that the baby is latching. That the pair is practicing safe sleep. 

It’s obstetrics and neonatology! Health topics! You’ve gotta send out the health reporter. 

This is how I’ve written about a baby elephant, a baby clouded leopard, and now… 

WHAT TO KNOW

Photo credit: Allyson Mao

The Nashville Zoo now has a baby aardvark in its care. 

There are so many things I didn’t know about aardvarks until I got to go meet some. 

Aardvarks are private. They are nocturnal and live in burrows, making them notoriously hard to study in the wild. We actually have no idea what the global population is. The Nashville team said seeing an aardvark on a safari would be a highly unlikely, “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” 

Aardvarks and anteaters look alike, since they both evolved adaptations to eat ants and termites. But they’re totally unrelated. On the animal kingdom’s big family tree, aardvarks are kind of out on their own. They’re the only surviving species under the Orycteropodidae order — a segment of African mammals.  

Nashville’s aardvarks don’t have a normal standing exhibit. They’d be asleep during most of the zoo’s hours and probably wouldn’t leave the indoors. So you can see them rarely: during presentations, or when caregivers take them on a leash walk. 

I could go on and on. But we’ll have a radio and streaming story (complete with sniffing and nursing sounds) and a longer article available next week, along with some video on social so follow along for more. 

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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

Who was “Black Bob” Renfro? Robert Renfro came here as a slave shortly after the city was founded. But, he earned his freedom and won both the support of Nashville’s elite and multiple lawsuits. Plus the local news for January 16, 2026 and Rock Nashville. 

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MORE TO KNOW

  • The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched a domestic violence registry. So far, it has one entry: a man in Blount County, finds WPLN criminal justice reporter Paige Pfleger. The General Assembly passed a law to create the registry last year. It was named for Savanna Puckett, a Robertson County sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed by her abusive boyfriend in 2022. Her mom, Kim Dodson, told lawmakers that Puckett had searched her boyfriend’s criminal history when he started showing concerning behaviors. She said all that came back was a marijuana charge – yet he had a lengthy history of domestic assault. 
  • Nashville’s skies are full of planes, and the country’s air traffic agency has noticed. The Federal Aviation Administration is considering tighter regulations on the airspace above the city due to higher traffic, WPLN Morning Edition host Nina Cardona reports in the NashVillager podcast. It could “re-classify” the airspace, meaning it would have as much oversight as the air around Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. That could be a headache for people flying small personal planes; those aren’t allowed under the tighter rules. 
  • Tennessee lawmakers are again eyeing a cut to the grocery tax — but some are hedging their bets, reports WVLT. Only 10 states levy taxes on groceries, and it’s common for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to pitch lowering it. And with grocery prices soaring, there is likely more political appetite. But it would mean a big financial hit for the state. Legislative analysts say it would drop about $800 million of revenue out of the state budget. With that in mind, House Majority Leader William Lamberth says a tax-free holiday for seniors is probably an easier sell. 

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

The Tennessee General Assembly reconvenes for another session this week. Today we take you inside the halls of power to preview the key issues, potential legislation and the political dynamics that will shape the next few months – and our state’s future.

We hear from reporters who offer insights into what’s at stake and break down major topics expected to dominate the conversation in the coming months — from school vouchers and immigration policy to targeting drag shows. It’s a lot.

Your input is central to our show. Call (615) 751-2500 to leave us your thoughts or feedback. Submit your idea through our Pitch Form or email us. Stream This is Nashvillewith host Blake Farmeron YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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