🌱 More Party Vehicles Approved + Jelly Roll Continues To Climb Charts

Hello, friends. Nicole Fallon-Peek here with your fresh copy of the Nashville Patch newsletter, full of all the local information you need to know right now.

But first, your local weather:

• Saturday: Humid with a stray t-storm. High: 85 Low: 67.
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy and very warm. High: 88 Low: 67.

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Here are the top three stories in Nashville today:

1. The Nashville government has approved three more permits for entertainment vehicles, pushing the total within the city to 90. The party buses are receiving love and hate from the community. They bring fun and energy to the tourism sector and provide jobs for individuals, but also the amount of traffic they cause for the city does welcome pushback. One suggestion for combating this issue is to add a cap on the number of permits a business can obtain. With the city continuing to grow at a rapid rate a lot of things are in the air, and the number of party buses is sure to change in 2024 as the City Council is looking to make adjustments. (WZTV)
2. Of the largest cities in the country, Nashville ranks toward the bottom regarding public transportation usage. A question that has been recently asked for the WeGo Transit system is why are there not more shelters in place at bus stops, the answer was simple, the transportation system is severely underfunded compared to other major cities. The city has done a lot to address this issue over the years by adding more than 150 shelters to stops in the past 10 years, but that is still covering only a fraction of the stops in Nashville. With the rapid growth of the city and the desire to make public transportation more of a utilized option, the city is hoping to find solutions to the funding issue. (News Channel 5 Nashville)
3. Nashville's hometown artist Jason DeFord, better known as Jelly Roll, is continuing his rise to country stardom with a recent performance at the ACM Awards where he performed his song, "Save Me," with fellow star Lainey Wilson. This is the second major stage Jelly Roll has taken on in the last two months as he recently performed at the CMT Music Awards in Austin where he won three trophies. The former convict is making a great name for himself and serving the community by raising about $250,000 the night of his sold-out concert at Bridgestone Arena and using the money to create programs aimed at assisting incarcerated youth in Davidson County. Jelly Roll is releasing his next studio album, "Whitsitt Chapel," on Jun. 2. (Tennessean)

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Today and tomorrow in Nashville:

Saturday, May 13

• Handmade Nashville 2023 Spring Arts & Crafts Show At Red Caboose Park (11:00 AM)
• Songwriter Session: Jenn Schott At Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum (12:00 PM)
• Shop Black Fest Nashville At 1037 28th Ave N. (12:00 PM)
• Wine Tasting: Rosé At Yolan (4:00 PM)

Sunday, May 14

• Mother's Day Weekend Brunch At The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel (10:00 AM)
• Diva Royale Drag Queen Show At BigShotz (1:30 PM)
• Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows In Concert At Schermerhorn Symphony Center (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Metro Nashville Police Department joined the Andrew Jackson Lodge 5 last week to honor the 47 law enforcement professionals who died in service of Nashville since 1875. National Police Week is this week coming, and it is an important opportunity to recognize the officers who put their lives on the line each and every day for the public. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department via Facebook)
• The Nashville Ballet wants to take part in Teacher Appreciation Week and shout out the amazing faculty at the School of Nashville Ballet for all they do. The amount of compassion and dedication they bring to their job is recognized daily in the effort they put out and the results the students show in their art. (Nashville Ballet via Facebook)
• The Nashville Flea Market is now only two weeks away! The Flea Market will be taking place the entire weekend from May 26-28 with all the shopping and food trucks you can imagine in one place. (Nashville Flea Market via Facebook)

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• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Delighted Every Week (May 16)

You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you soon!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.