For months, Tennessee’s Republican leaders have maintained that the state’s abortion ban – known as one of the strictest in the U.S. – allows doctors to perform the procedure, should they need to in order to save the patient’s life, even though the statute doesn’t explicitly say so.

This assertion has been met with skepticism from health care experts, attorneys, Democrats and reproductive rights advocates, who counter that the law has created a dangerous, new legal landscape for those navigating pregnancy and for medical providers.

Since some isolated Republican lawmakers vouched for exceptions, last week a key legislative leader acknowledged that the skeptics had a point – and he thinks the law should be changed.

“You have all kinds of people who say: I don’t see it, can you point to it?” House Speaker Cameron Sexton says, about the statute’s unclear language around exemptions, in an interview with The Associated Press. “If that’s the intent, then let’s clarify it. Let’s have the exemption for the life of the mother.”

Sexton’s comments stand in stark contrast to the stances of Senate Speaker Randy McNally and Gov. Bill Lee, both Republicans. While all three lawmakers largely oppose abortion, Sexton is the lone, top Republican leader to concede that the ban could be clarified and improved.

Tennessee’s abortion ban is considered one of the nation’s strictest. It makes performing an abortion a Class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. There are currently no exceptions.

Instead, the law includes an “affirmative defense” for doctors. Rather than make the state prove that the procedure was not medically necessary, the law shifts the burden to the doctor to argue in court that it was.

Tennessee lawmakers passed the law in 2019, when the idea of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade was a hope among most Republicans, rather than an impending reality. In the months since Tennessee’s law has been in effect, at least one Republican state lawmaker has admitted that he voted for the trigger law after hardly reading it because he never thought the high court would revoke the constitutional right to abortion.

Tennessee’s abortion ban has not faced a legal challenge since it went into effect in August. However, legal challenges are popping up across the country against the strict restrictions that states have implemented since the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling.

Most recently, South Carolina’s Supreme Court struck down a ban on abortion after about six weeks into pregnancy, ruling that the restriction enacted by the Deep South state violates a state constitutional right to privacy.

New curbside recycling schedule begins Jan. 30

Starting Jan. 30, Metro Water Services will provide Nashville residents with curbside recycling pickup services every other week.

“This important increase in our curbside recycling services will divert significant waste from our landfills,” says Mayor John Cooper. “Recycling is not just a matter of personal responsibility, it is a collective effort that has the power to transform our city and preserve our neighborhoods.”

In fiscal year 2021, Cooper proposed increasing Metro’s residential recycling from once a month to every other week – another step toward cutting the city’s carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, generating 35% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025 and reaching 100% renewable energy in 20 years.

All residents receiving curbside service will have a new recycling collection schedule starting Jan. 30. Residents can view their new collection schedule and sign up for collection day reminders online at Recycle.Nashville.gov or by downloading the Nashville Waste and Recycling app available on iOS and Android mobile devices. Residents with curbside services will also be receiving a postcard in the coming weeks notifying them of their new collection schedule.

Capital costs for the service will be funded through prior existing Metro capital budget allocations and grants from both the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and The Recycling Partnership.

Residents interested in recycling more are encouraged to request a free additional recycling cart via hubNashville by calling 311 from within Davidson County or by visiting hub.nashville.gov. Households may request up to three recycling carts. Since collection will occur more frequently, residents who want to return an unused recycling cart can make that request through hubNashville.

Country Hall launches ‘Night Train’ online

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled its newest online exhibition, Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970, which is available to access for free on the museum’s website.

The multimedia exhibit explores the significant story of Nashville’s vibrant and pioneering rhythm and blues scene and its important role in helping the city to become a world-renowned music center.

Made possible by a major grant awarded from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the online exhibit revisits, updates and preserves the museum’s award-winning physical exhibit of the same name, which was featured in its 5,000-square-foot temporary gallery space nearly 20 years ago (March 2004-December 2005).

Night Train to Nashville explores Nashville’s rhythm and blues activity in the decades following World War II. As Nashville’s country music industry was just getting started, the city was also a hotbed for rhythm and blues in the late 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, with celebrated performers – Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Charles, Arthur Alexander, Ruth Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Etta James and Little Richard, among others – contributing to the city’s rich musical heritage. During this time, rhythm and blues reigned alongside country music in the city’s clubs and studios, on radio and on nationally syndicated television.

The multimedia exhibit showcases a vast array of historic photos, performance videos and audio recordings, as well as instruments, show posters, stage wear and other rare items featured in the original exhibit. The museum will also mount a physical Night Train to Nashville exhibit in its galleries in January 2024, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the original exhibit.

Nashville a top 5 hottest-housing market

Charlotte, North Carolina will be this year’s hottest housing market, according to a Zillow analysis. Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dallas, Texas and Nashville join Charlotte in the top five of the Zillow 2023 hottest markets list.

“This year’s hottest markets will feel much chillier than they did a year ago,” says Anushna Prakash, economic data analyst at Zillow. “The desire to move hasn’t changed, but both buyers and sellers are frozen in place by higher mortgage rates, slowing the housing market to a crawl.

“Markets that offer relative affordability and room to grow are poised to stand out, especially given the prevalence of remote work. The good news for buyers is that monthly housing costs have stopped climbing,” Prakash continues. “Home shoppers who can overcome affordability hurdles will find a more comfortable market this year, with more time to consider options and less chance of a bidding war, even if they’re shopping in one of the hottest markets.”

Rounding out Zillow’s 10 hottest housing markets of 2023 are Jacksonville, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Unlike in recent years, fast-growing home values are not a requirement for making this year’s list of hottest markets. Higher mortgage rates and severe affordability challenges have chilled demand and brought home values down from last summer’s peak. Home value growth in Charlotte is expected to be much slower this year than its 11.8% pace of 2022, as is the case in all of Zillow’s 2023 hottest markets and the U.S. as a whole.

Epilepsy Foundation expands across state

The Epilepsy Foundation of East Tennessee has announced the expansion of its service offerings to people with epilepsy across the entire state.

While the organization already had offices in East and Southeast Tennessee, it previously had no local presence in the Middle and West regions of the state. Now, it has received a state appropriation to offer assistance to all 84,800 Tennesseans living with epilepsy.

“Before now, it was difficult to assist people in the two largest sections of the state remotely,” says Pam Hughes, EFET’s executive director. “But this neurological disorder affects people everywhere, and we’re thrilled to be able to help those living with epilepsy across the entire Volunteer State.”

During the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30, EFET is offering the following direct services to all Tennesseans with epilepsy:

• Assistance with paying for a neurologist visit

• Diagnostic testing required by a neurologist for accurate diagnosis and treatment

• Assistance with obtaining and paying for seizure medications

• Emergency dental services to remedy broken teeth resulting from seizures and gum diseases associated with seizure medications

• Emotional support through monthly in-person and virtual support groups

• Transportation to and from appointments, support groups and other necessities

• Summer camps to help children with epilepsy to connect with their peers

• Wellness programs to address nutrition, mood disorders, memory issues and more

• Information about different types of seizures and the specialized first aid required for each

• Referrals to any services needed for those with epilepsy

• Free bicycle helmets for children ages 3-17 to prevent head injuries, the one and only preventable cause of epilepsy

The foundation also has a 24/7 Epilepsy and Seizures help line, which can be reached at 1-800-332-1000.

The Middle Tennessee office is open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 555 Marriott Drive, Suite 330 in Nashville. The office phone number is 615-928-1016.

Ardent, SwitchPoint team for innovation studio

Ardent Health Services has partnered with SwitchPoint Ventures to launch an innovation studio focused on transforming health care delivery and administration.

The partnership is an outgrowth of the companies’ successful two-year collaboration in developing AI solutions, combining Ardent’s resources and broad clinical footprint with SwitchPoint Ventures’ expertise in artificial intelligence and innovation strategy.

The new studio builds on a model that has already delivered results, handcrafting solutions that use Ardent’s 30 hospitals and 200 sites of care to address entrenched challenges within health care delivery. The studio’s charge is to develop and deploy data-driven solutions across Ardent’s footprint, with an eye toward launching them as independent ventures serving the broader health care industry.

“Ardent and SwitchPoint share a commitment to addressing the root problems that burden health care delivery,” says Ardent President and CEO Marty Bonick. “Making health care work better demands more than status quo thinking. SwitchPoint’s team listens, breaks down assumptions, attacks the salient issues, and iterates until there’s a breakthrough. Together, I’m confident we will bring big ideas and bold solutions to life in the areas that matter most to patients and caregivers.”

In 2021, Ardent and SwitchPoint partnered to develop Winnow, an AI solution for clinician recruitment. Winnow uses predictive analytics to help Ardent and other health care providers source, recruit, and retain clinicians who are ideal fits for each role. Winnow was recently awarded the 2022 NEXT Award for Best Healthcare Startup by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.