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Keep us strong. You power public media.Donate todayFriday, July 17, 2026Good morning! 
I come to you today with a public service announcement: Today is the first day of early voting for the August primary election.
This election will decide which candidates from each party will appear on the November ballot for some of our state’s most powerful elected positions, like governor, U.S. senator, and U.S. representatives.
We’ve got an early voting guide with information about what you need to vote and where you vote. (In Nashville, you can cast a ballot during early voting at any of the 15 early voting locations — including three new locations in previous “voting deserts.”)
And to be an informed voter, check out our other recent election coverage from our newsroom, including:
🗳️ After Tennessee redrew its congressional map, here’s who’s on your primary ballot.
🗳️ Sen. Marsha Blackburn refuses to debate her Republican competitors for governor. What does that mean in Tennessee’s primary?
🗳️ Tennessee redistricting mirrors a historic split in Nashville’s Black community.
WHAT TO KNOW
Cindy Leachman Aldridge holds a photo of her late grandson, Jonah Neal.
Photo: Luke Sharrett for NPR
In May, Jessica Neal’s son was having a mental breakdown in Memphis and attempted to take his life with a handgun. Jessica called 911, hoping to save him.
Instead of local police, federal agents arrived at her doorstep. Within minutes of entering her home, an agent had shot her son, Neal said. It would be hours before she found out her son was dead, she added.
The agent was with Homeland Security Investigations, which operates under Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HSI was sent to Memphis as part of a crime-fighting task force that began last fall at the direction of President Trump and Gov. Bill Lee.
At least five people — including 25-year-old Jonah Neal in May — have been shot by a member of the Memphis Safe Task Force. Four of those confrontations were fatal.
Nationally, there have been more than two dozen incidents where an immigration agent shot at civilians during Trump’s second term, according to The Trace, an outlet focused on covering gun violence.
In a press release in May, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said members of the task force encountered Jonah Neal “with multiple weapons inside the residence.” The TBI added: “At this time, it is not immediately clear whether Neal died as a result of the agent firing upon him or if it was self-inflicted stab wounds.”
But in their first public interview since Jonah Neal died, his mother and his grandmother, Cindy Leachman Aldridge, told NPR it’s difficult to believe that a gunshot did not play a role in his death. They are asking to see any body-camera footage from that night.
The TBI told NPR that the investigation was ongoing and the bureau did not “have any information that we can share.” Neither the TBI nor U.S. Marshals Service, which leads the task force, responded to questions about whether the HSI agent who struck Jonah Neal has been placed on leave.
“I want answers,” Leachman Aldridge said. “Not only for us, but for these other young gentlemen whose family has lost them because of the task force.”Many thanks to every supporter who has given this month as we mark the one year anniversary of federal defunding of public media.
Contributions from this community keep trusted local news and culture freely accessible to everyone. There’s still time to give to launch us into Year Two. Becoming a monthly supporter is the best way to sustain the service you value. Thank you!
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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast
with host Nina Cardona 🎙️
Fort Negley, Fortress Rosencrans, and a law that went sideways: Two Middle Tennessee remnants of the Civil War are a reminder of something that’s true in any era: how laws aren’t always carried out in the way that advocates intended. Plus, the local news for July 17, 2026.
Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcasting app
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MORE TO KNOW
- Middle Tennessee school districts in saw overall improvement in their standardized test results, but scores for many marginalized students declined. The Tennessee Department of Education’s new databreaks down how students performed on the 2026 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. A “proficient” score means a student is on track for college and career success. Williamson County comes out on top with the highest proficiency rate for all subjects at 73.9%. But even there, students from low-income families experienced a decline in their test scores, with proficiency rates falling from 38.7% to 33.9%. [WPLN]
- The Metro Human Relations Commission has criticized a recent report on Nashville’s police surveillance technology. The Nashville Police and Public Safety Alliance had analyzed 10 cities that were a similar size, and noted that Nashville doesn’t use the same kinds of technology, including license plate readers and gunshot detection systems, as many of the peer cities. It suggested that Nashville is behind the curve on safety tools. But the MHRC calls the research “fundamentally flawed in its framing, methodology and scope.” It also condemns the report’s lack of looking at symptoms of crime, as well as concerns that technology could widen a chasm of disparity among the city’s most vulnerable communities. [WPLN]
- The volunteers behind Nashville Severe Weather draw tens of thousands of viewers who interact with them in real time. It’s a service that evokes the early promise of the internet, before the rise of the influencer, writes Travis Loller from the Associated Press. One of the volunteers is a church pastor with a soothing voice who sometimes leaves the stream to shepherd his family to their safe space. “The popularity of Nashville Severe Weather defies much of the received logic about how to build an audience on social media,” Loller writers. “They don’t try to play up danger or excitement. They certainly don’t try to chase down tornadoes or run around outside in hurricane-force winds.”
FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE
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