We’re finally getting a real taste of fall this weekend and a break from the latest round of heat. Saturday we wake up to temperatures in the low to mid 40s. We’ll struggle to get to 60° that afternoon. Can’t totally rule out some patchy frost Sunday morning for some, especially those in more rural areas. Temps will get all the way down to the mid to upper 30s. [NashSeverWx]
Is Nashville’s airport the best in the country? A new poll says it’s close. Nashville International Airport landed the No. 2 spot in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for best large airport, according to results released on Oct. 14. “As the gateway to Music City, Nashville International Airport serves as both the first and last impression for millions of travelers — and it’s one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation,” the award states. “With 114 nonstop destinations, including 12 international routes like Reykjavík, Iceland, and Dublin, Ireland, BNA connects Nashville to the world like never before.” [The Tennessean]
Meet the woman custom-making costumes and wild works of art for Halloween. With unique outfits covering the walls of her studio space, Jaiya Wendell was hard at work making Halloween. “Everything in here is custom pieces,” she said, looking around the room. “I’m going to go super over the top and put a lot of love into each design. I’m happiest when I’m crafting.” [News Channel 5]
The number of Nashvillians casting a ballot on the first day of early voting has risen nearly 1400% compared to the last midterm election in 2022. However, the 2022 midterm didn’t have an open seat for governor on the ballot. With Gov. Bill Lee at the end of his term limit, the state’s highest office is open for the first time since 2018. Compared to that election, Nashville’s first-day voter turnout actually fell by 80%. Statewide numbers have not yet been released. [WPLN]
A social media post by Mayhem Marsha Blackburn, the Republican nominee for Tennessee’s gubernatorial election, is raising a legal question. The video, posted Tuesday, Oct. 13, appears to show versions of Blackburn … generated by artificial intelligence. They are lip-syncing to Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” and dancing his choreography from the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show. However, could that fun post cross a legal line? Tennessee’s ELVIS Act was signed into law in 2024, protecting musicians’ voices and likeness from unauthorized AI use. It is also a law Blackburn, herself, fought hard to preserve. [WKRN]
Finally, Vanderbilt students have decided to stand up against the insane celebration of the slaughter of Jewish people. And it is a powerful take. SJP, let me be clear: Today, you made Jews at Vanderbilt feel unsafe and unheard. You created a large fracture in the potential progress for dialogue by pretending something that happened, did not. Here’s the real question, SJP, that students around me are wondering: Why today? You knew exactly what today memorializes. There was no confusion, no negligence, no oversight. Just provocation. [Vanderbilt Hustler]
As high school seniors throughout Tennessee gear up for the hustle and grind of the college admissions process, it’s worth remembering how different this experience can be for students across the rural and urban divide. When I was accepted to Vanderbilt University in 2023, administrators in my rural Centerville, Tennessee, high school were shocked: A girl from our district had not been admitted in over 25 years. [Nashville SUNN]
When Tennessee voters go to the polls to choose their next governor, they will also be asked to vote on a constitutional amendment that would change how judges determine bail for defendants charged with some serious crimes. Called Amendment #1, the proposed constitutional amendment seeks to make more than 70 crimes eligible for no-bail detention, including aggravated rape and grave torture. [Tennessee Tribune]
Republican voters are questioning Marsha Marsha Marsha’s refusal to debate as early voting begins. As early voting gets underway in Tennessee, one supporter of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party is raising concerns about Republican gubernatorial nominee Marsha Blackburn’s decision not to debate her Democratic opponent. [FOX17]
As it is currently written, the Tennessee Constitution guarantees the right to bail for people arrested and jailed for almost any alleged crime. But in November, voters will be asked if they want to change that by expanding the list of alleged offenses for which a person can be kept in jail while they await trial. [Nashville Banner]
As early voting begins in Tennessee, state and local election officials are warning voters about a false claim circulating online that a poll worker’s mark on a ballot automatically invalidates it. Secretary of State Tre Hargett shared the post online Wednesday to alert the public and address the misinformation. [WSMV]
How 12South lost locals. 12South’s boom allowed some of Nashville’s most-popular brands to flourish — but business owners have a warning for other neighborhoods. 12South has become one of the hottest retail streets in the country, with global brands clamoring to hang their names overhead. But what had been a gradual change over the past decade has quickened into an out-of-town overhaul in the past 18 months. The neighborhood’s boom allowed some of the city’s most-popular brands to flourish — but business owners have a warning for Nashville. [Nashville Business Journal]
As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, Tennessee Voices, American Stories explores how individual Tennesseans have connected with and contributed to the creation and development of the nation. The American Revolution encompasses both the nation’s formative conflict with Great Britain and the ongoing process of fully realizing the country’s foundational ideals. The exhibition runs through January 3, 2027. [Tennessee State Museum]
Eight states sued OpenAI on Wednesday, accusing it of deceiving parents about the safety of ChatGPT. The coordinated lawsuits — filed individually in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana — target the AI giant for the harms its generative AI chatbot is alleged to have caused to children in those states. [NBC News]
