Residents of Middle Tennessee communities slammed by deadly tornadoes this weekend described tragic and terrifying scenes in which one mobile home landed on top of another, roofs were ripped from houses and an entire church collapsed during a string of powerful storms that killed six people.

Emergency workers and community members cleaned up Sunday from the severe weekend storms and tornadoes that also sent dozens more to the hospital while damaging buildings, turning over vehicles and knocking out power to tens of thousands.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department identified the victims killed north of downtown as Joseph Dalton, 37; Floridema Gabriel Pérez, 31; and her son, Anthony Elmer Mendez, 2. Dalton was inside his mobile home when the storm tossed it on top of Pérez’s residence. Two other children were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the department said in a statement.

Officials elsewhere confirmed that three people, including a child, died after a tornado struck Montgomery County 50 miles northwest of Nashville near the Kentucky state line Saturday afternoon. They did not immediately provide names.

About 60 people were treated for injuries at area medical facilities, including nine transferred in critical condition to a Nashville hospital, said Jimmie Edwards, Montgomery County’s director of emergency services.

Twenty-one total injuries were reported in Nashville, city officials said. A church north of downtown collapsed during the storm, resulting in 13 people being treated at hospitals, Nashville emergency officials said in a news release. They were later listed in stable condition.

At least six tornado tracks were reported Saturday in central Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service. Agency meteorologist Cory Mueller in Nashville said it was sending out tornado tracking teams Sunday to attempt to confirm these potential tornadoes and calculate their severity.

SmileDirectClub winds down operations

Nashville-based SmileDirectClub is shutting down – just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy protection.

That leaves existing customers in limbo. SmileDirectClub’s aligner treatment through its telehealth platform is no longer available, the company says while urging consumers to consult their local dentist for further treatment. Customer care support for the company also has ceased.

Customer orders that haven’t shipped yet have been canceled, and “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” no longer exists, the company says. SmileDirectClub apologized for the inconvenience and said additional information about refund requests will arrive “once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take.”

SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of September. At the time, the company reported nearly $900 million in debt.

Nashville ranks high for ‘naughty’ holiday driving

Santa Claus is coming to town...but let’s hope he’s not taking Interstates 40, 24 or 65.

GasBuddy has released the results of its annual aggressive holiday driving study, revealing that U.S. drivers are up to 48% more aggressive on the roads during the holiday season.

The study ranked the top 50 U.S. metros from most to least aggressive, placing Tucson, Arizona at the top of the “naughty list,” and Minneapolis, Minnesota as the city with the “nicest” holiday drivers, rising six spots from seventh in 2022.

Nashville ranked second on the “naughty list,” up (sadly) from a third place showing last year.

GasBuddy’s study examined millions of drives during 2023’s Thanksgiving holiday weekend, measuring the number of events of speeding, hard braking and fast acceleration.

Two Florida cities made the “naughty list” for the second year in a row, though Tampa, FL, fell to the 13th most aggressive city. New Orleans also found itself in the top 10 most aggressive cities this year, rising from 14th in 2022.

Top 10 cities with the most aggressive holiday drivers: Tucson, Nashville, Orlando, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Richmond, Salt Lake City, Buffalo, Memphis and Oklahoma City.

Top 10 cities with the least aggressive holiday drivers: Minneapolis, Providence, Portland, Seattle, Cleveland, Norfolk, Hartford, Las Vegas, Rochester and Columbus.

AEG Presents to move to Nashville Yards

Southwest Value Partners and AEG, joint venture partners and co-developers of the Nashville Yards mixed-use district, featuring a 4,500-capacity music venue, announced today that AEG Presents, a global leader in concert promotion and artist development, will be relocating its regional office to Nashville Yards in 2025.

As previously announced, AEG Presents will also be booking and operating the new music venue at the development, scheduled to open in early 2025.

AEG Presents’ new location will be in the distinctive Class A+ creative office building and be composed of the company’s regional office, members of its Global Touring division, and the Nashville outpost of AEG Presents partner Messina Touring Group.

The three entities combined oversee every element of the live music experience, from bookings at intimate clubs and theaters to arena and stadium tour dates and promote tours for artists such as Kelsea Ballerini, Zach Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Ed Sheeran, Blake Shelton, George Strait, and Carrie Underwood, among many others.

Anchored by CAA, the creative office building is the first of its kind in Nashville. Showcasing an articulated metal facade with ultra-clear glazing, the layered floor plates allow outdoor private terraces on every floor.

WeGo Public Transit grows by 1.8M rides

WeGo Public Transit is closing out 2023 strong with an increase in ridership. There were 1.8 million more rides on our services in comparison to last fiscal year. Additionally, WeGo Ride, an employer-sponsored program which provides employees an alternative to driving by riding the bus, increased by 25%.

Routes with the most ridership include 52 (Nolensville Pike), 55 (Murfreesboro Pike), and 56 (Gallatin Pike).

Routes that saw the greatest increase this year were 77 (Thompson/Wedgewood) and 79 (Skyline).

Key projects for 2024 include the grand opening of the Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center at 26th Avenue and Clarksville Pike.

Hire Right launches Global ID solution

HireRight Holdings Corporation, a leading provider of global background screening services and workforce solutions, announced the launch of its new global identity verification solution, Global ID.

With identity theft and fraud on the rise – and many employees being onboarded and working remotely – it is arguably more important than ever to verify candidates’ identities. HireRight’s new digital Global ID service makes it simple and easy for HireRight customers and their candidates worldwide to verify the authenticity of their candidates’ identity documents.

HireRight’s Global ID service includes the ability to verify a candidate’s identity in addition to their identity document through Global ID’s optional digital Liveness and Biometric Face Match feature. This allows the identity verification process to be conducted entirely remotely by the candidate, without them needing to present their ID in person to their prospective employer.

Global ID is available in more than 200 countries and supports all international passports, as well as many national identity documents. This service, powered by Yoti, can be quickly completed online using a mobile device or computer and offers near-instant results, including verification of the candidate’s identity if that option is selected.

Information: www.hireright.com/services/global-id-check

Metro expands Nashville Flex program support

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell has approved use of funds from the Nashville GRAD program to include Nashville Flex program participants, giving part-time students at Nashville State Community College important support to complete their degree.

Since 2019, the Metro Council has supported the Nashville GRAD program that was launched from the mayor’s office.

The Nashville GRAD program provides eligible students with financial and academic support while pursuing a full-time education at Nashville State.

The Nashville Flex program provides students taking at least six hours with financial and academic support that is necessary as they pursue their education simultaneously with many other responsibilities.

Nashville GRAD and Nashville Flex currently assists more than 400 students at Nashville State, and just over 50% of those students are first-generation college students.

Students are eligible for Nashville GRAD and Nashville Flex if they do not previously have an associate or bachelor’s degree, reside full time in Davidson County and are enrolled in at least six credit hours in an associate degree or technical certificate program.

Students using Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect are eligible for Nashville Flex and GRAD. The first step to applying is to complete the Nashville State Admission application and subsequently the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA).

Driver Services hosting statewide food drive

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s Driver Services division is partnering with Donate Life Tennessee, Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation for the Keeping Tummies and Hearts Full of Love Winter Food Drive.

Through Jan. 31, Tennesseans can bring nonperishable food items to any Driver Services Center in Tennessee. Food items will be donated to local food banks and organizations to help those in need.

To locate the Driver Services Centers across Tennessee, visit https://www.tn.gov/safety/driver-services/locations.html.

Vanderbilt hospitals land Leapfrog honors

Three Vanderbilt Hospitals have been recognized as among the best in the nation by the Leapfrog Group.

• Vanderbilt University Hospital was named a Top Teaching Hospital.

• Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt was named a Top Children’s Hospital.

• Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital was named a Top General Hospital.

Leapfrog is a large coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage that works to encourage health care safety, quality and affordability.

Announced Dec. 5, the Top Hospital award reflects Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s long-standing commitment to patient safety and health care quality and is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive.

The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered, including infection rates, surgery, maternity care, the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication and other errors and numerous other qualities.

The selection of Leapfrog’s Top Hospitals is based on the results of the 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, completed by nearly 2,200 hospitals annually. Performance measures across many areas of hospital care that impact quality, safety and value are considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care and a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors.