With the East Bank development agreement official, Mayor Freddie O'Connell and The Fallon Company took a victory lap Wednesday, touting the creation of a new urban neighborhood.Why it matters: The East Bank plan calls for hotels, retail space, affordable housing, a day care center and new streets lined with bike lanes, sidewalks and a transportation hub.The intrigue: Fallon executives kept a low profile, mostly avoiding media interviews, while Metro Council considered legislation for the development deal.Zoom out: Fallon CEO Michael Fallon tells Axios the Boston-based company is picky about the markets it enters."We like to make really big bets," Fallon...

The burger joint Cledis, which opened on Elm Hill Pike in 2022, is expanding into Bellevue.Why it matters: Chef Shane Nasby wanted Cledis to stand alongside classic Nashville burger spots like Brown's and Gabby's. The newly announced expansion plans are a marker of his success.Zoom out: Nasby and his family live in Bellevue. He previously co-owned HoneyFire BBQ there.What we're watching: The Nasby family said the new location would open this fall. More details are forthcoming.

Tennessee resident and worldwide superstar Taylor Swift is releasing her 11th studio album "The Tortured Poets Department" at 11pm Thursday.The intrigue: Grimey's, the East Nashville record store with past ties to Swift, unveiled a new mural celebrating the album's arrival.Between the lines: Ever the musical mastermind, Swift has sprinkled hints about her new work around the country. The Grimey's mural is next to a QR code that leads to a video of a typewriter typing the letter O, as in, "Oh Taylor, what does it all mean?"Zoom in: In the runup to release day, Swift released playlists arranged around the stages of grief, intensifying speculation that this will be a breakup album.Go deeper: Ranking Swift's songs from best to worst

We've got a busy weekend coming up. It's time to start planning ahead.🎉 Celebrating Diane Nash: City leaders are planning a day of celebration on Saturday to mark the dedication of Diane Nash Plaza outside the Historic Metro Courthouse.Nash, a civil rights leader who was instrumental in the sit-ins that desegregated Nashville's downtown lunch counters, has accepted an invitation to attend the dedication.Public buses will be free to encourage attendance.🎶 Record Store Day: Vinyl lovers will descend on Nashville's record stores Saturday for a day of music, parties and limited-edition releases. Remember to show up early — lines start forming outside some local shops in the wee hours.Rock band Paramore, which started in Franklin, are the ambassadors for this year's event.🌎 Earth Day festival: A gathering to celebrate nature's bounty will take place 11am-5pm Saturday at Centennial Park. There will be music, food and educational demonstrations.The Nashville Tree Foundation will give away hundreds of free trees.🎤 Rites of Spring: Vanderbilt University's annual music festival will take place Saturday. The lineup includes rapper Young Nudy.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert reiterated this week the league's desire to expand and once again listed Nashville as a possible new market. Why it matters: Interest in women's basketball is at an all-time high thanks to Caitlin Clark and a wave of new young players coming into the league. Nashville...

Although the bridge collapse in Baltimore last month was due to a series of unlikely accidents rather than crumbling infrastructure, the incident has renewed focus on the vulnerability of bridges across the U.S. The big picture: The U.S. Department of Transportation considers 6.8% of the over 600,000 bridges it tracks...

The state House passed legislation Tuesday to create a live music fund to support concert venues across Tennessee. Why it matters: Between the lasting impact of pandemic shutdowns, rising real estate costs and competition from corporate giants, the economic climate has never been more hostile to small and medium-sized music venues.

Covenant School parents and student protesters made a passionate appeal Monday to stop legislation that would allow some public school teachers to carry concealed guns on campus. Why it matters: The bill would continue a years-long trend of Tennessee Republicans expanding access to firearms. But advocates for gun control, who...

Tennessee Lady Vols star Rickea Jackson was selected fourth in last night's WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Why it matters: Led by Caitlin Clark, who was taken first by the Indiana Fever, this is considered the most anticipated rookie class in WNBA history. The class is full of...

A year ago, the Metro Council vote on approving the new Titans stadium was a legislative slugfest that went down to the wire. No such drama is expected Tuesday evening when the council considers the ambitious East Bank redevelopment agreement with The Fallon Company. Why it matters: The development of...

The Titans are among the NFL's top spenders this offseason as general manager Ran Carthon looks to revive a team that won just six games last season. By the numbers: The Titans have doled out over $306 million to sign free agents and extend current players, according to Spotrac, which tracks professional sports contracts.

Tennessee lawmakers remain at odds over Gov. Bill Lee's plan to expand school vouchers to allow families statewide the option to use state dollars to pay private school tuition for K-12 students. Why it matters: The legislative session is winding down, but the House and Senate have advanced very different...

Fisk University sophomore Morgan Price made history Friday when she became the first athlete from a historically Black college or university to earn a national collegiate gymnastics championship.Why it matters: Price's title in the USA Gymnastics women's collegiate all-around competition is a significant moment for the sport and for Fisk, which was the first HBCU to launch an NCAA gymnastics team.What they're saying: "THE PRICE IS RIGHT," Fisk gymnastics posted after her all-around win on Saturday. "Etch her name in the HISTORY BOOKS."The intrigue: Price — a native of Lebanon, Tennessee who spent her high school career in Texas —...

It appears Axios Nashville readers are a bunch of rabid Pilates enthusiasts. The intrigue: A few weeks ago, we reported on how Pilates is surpassing high-impact workouts like CrossFit as the most popular exercise trend. We asked readers to explain why they like Pilates, as well as their favorite Nashville-area...

😂 The Nashville Comedy Festival is bringing a raft of comedians to town starting Friday. Events will take place across several venues through April 21.Jeff Dunham, who is known for his ventriloquism, will headline the festival with a performance this Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.The full lineup includes shows from Lewis Black, Shane Gillis and Matteo Lane.Our pick: Tim Robinson, known for his silly and strange Netflix sketch show "I Think You Should Leave," will bring a live version of the show to Ryman Auditorium on April 18.🌸 The Cherry Blossom Festival will celebrate spring and Japanese culture Saturday in Public...

A Nashville race car driver filed a lawsuit Thursday to prevent a November referendum about affordable housing at the fairgrounds.Why it matters: A group opposing a racetrack improvement plan wants to amend the city charter to swap out racing for affordable housing on the list of required programming at the Metro-owned fairgrounds.They need to gather thousands of voter signatures in order to put the proposal on the November ballot.Yes, but: Chancery Court will have to consider a new challenge from Nashville resident and race car driver Jonathan Dishman before the affordable housing group can begin collecting signatures.The Metro Charter Revision Commission approved the charter amendment proposal. Dishman's lawsuit challenges the commission's action.Flashback: Previous Mayor John Cooper reached an agreement to improve the fairgrounds racetrack and bring NASCAR events back to Nashville.State of play: The plan stalled at the end of his term, and there's no sense that Mayor Freddie O'Connell's administration will actively pursue a new deal until after the November transportation referendum.Opponents of the NASCAR plan are pushing the ballot measure because they hope it convinces city leaders not to invest taxpayer money in racetrack improvements. There's already a small amount of affordable housing coming online at the fairgrounds.

Former Metro Councilmember Emily Evans sat in the front row of a community meeting in the Belmont neighborhood last month when suddenly, she seemed to be staring into a mirror.The meeting was led by rookie Metro Councilmember Quin Evans Segall, who a few weeks earlier proposed a sweeping series of bills to address Nashville's middle-class housing crisis.Evans thought to herself, "She kinda reminds me of me."Why it matters: Evans' approach to a complicated policy issue years ago is instructive as the city government navigates the fallout from Segall's stalled effort to slash zoning restrictions and codes regulations.Evans, who isn't related...

Republicans in the Tennessee Senate approved legislation this week that would allow public school teachers to carry a concealed gun in the classroom.State of play: The bill passed along party lines, with Republicans saying the measure would improve school safety. Democrats argued it would instead introduce more danger.Activists and Covenant School parents were fiercely critical. Onlookers yelled out in protest during the debate. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally ordered many of them out of the room.Zoom in: The Senate bill would allow public school employees to carry a gun if they pass a background check, receive training and meet other requirements.The district schools director, the principal and a law enforcement leader must also sign off.The big picture: Since the mass shooting at The Covenant School, a growing coalition has unsuccessfully pleaded with lawmakers to enact incremental gun control measures.What's next: The bill still needs House approval.House committees approved their version of the bill in 2023. If a lawmaker moves to revive it, the full House could act quickly to take a final vote.

Prince's Hot Chicken has opened an outpost at the Nashville International Airport.The store is located in the area connecting the C and D concourses.

Music executive Mike Curb is giving Belmont University $58 million to help fund a dramatic expansion of the institution's Music Row footprint.Why it matters: It's the biggest donation in Belmont history. University president Greg Jones said in a statement that the funding "solidifies Belmont's position at the forefront of developing the next generation of music industry leaders."Driving the news: Belmont has educated many eventual country music stars, songwriters and executives through its music business program, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.University leaders announced the donation last night ahead of an anniversary celebration at the Grand Ole Opry that featured performances...