Severe winds hit Charlotte Park

Strong winds blew through West Nashville this afternoon, knocking a tree down on Westboro Drive and toppling at least one Metro Council campaign sign. Limbs and debris were strewn in yards and on streets throughout Charlotte Park, and many plants were bent, in some cases parallel to the ground.

Crews worked to clear the downed tree on Westboro Drive, near the intersection of Thunderbird Drive.

The Weather Channel's forecast for Nashville calls for scattered thunderstorms tonight, with winds "light and variable." The chance of rain tonight and tomorrow is 60%, and scattered thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow, with a high near 85 degrees.

WKRN: Wolf Creek Dam work behind schedule

WKRN News 2 yesterday reported that officials with the Army Corps of Engineers said critical grout repair work on the leaking Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky is behind by as much as two months.

The Corps told WKRN the dam is still safe with lower lake levels at Lake Cumberland and that they plan to complete the grout work by late fall.

A failure at the Wolf Creek Dam likely would cause flooding along the Cumberland River.

The full story text and video can be seen here.

Previous coverage, including a map of flood areas in Charlotte Park, can be seen here.

New buyer for Bellevue mall?

Reports in The City Paper and the Tennessean today said a potential buyer of Bellevue Center will meet with the Metro Industrial Development Board this morning. Carlsbad, Calif.-based Foursquare Properties reportedly will begin general discussions with the board, which could consider developing a tax-incentive program to support the property's revitalization.

UPDATE at 2:15 p.m.
Board agrees to consider tax incentives for Bellevue mall (Tennessean)

Previous stories about Bellvue Center were posted here on May 14, May 7 and May 2.

Blue Moon is back

www.flickr.com

The opening of floating restaurant Blue Moon Lagoon Thursday night drew a crowd of patrons craving the return of waterfront dining at Rock Harbor marina. Our experience surpassed our expectations, and every customer we asked about the food said it was "delicious."

Owners Steve Ford and Erv Woolsey were on site and very welcoming. Ford greeted many of us at the door, where he also was redirecting foot traffic away from a broken walkway on the dock. Equally hospitable were the serving staff, bartenders and hostess, all who maintained a friendly attitude during the inevitable delays that come with a rush of diners and drinkers on opening night.

Sweet Pea and I shared a half order of ribs to start, and the meat slipped right off the bone. The finger-licking barbecue sauce drove us to wash our hands in the unremarkable restrooms (a style more marina, less restaurant) in preparation for our entrees. My fried shrimp po' boy was one of the best I've had: It featured large perfectly fried shrimp and an accompanying sauce that gave the sandwich a unique flavor with just enough kick. Sweet Pea ordered the fresh catch, which arrived piping hot in an aluminum-foil pouch. It was wonderful, as were the three sides: mashed potatoes with crunchy onions on top, butter-licious grilled corn on the cob, and green beans with tomatoes.

Most entrees were about $10 - $20, and Blue Moon offers an extensive selection of beer and island-style drinks, along with a page-long wine list. The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Sunday with live music on weekends, according to the schedule printed on the menu.

While it may go without saying, the marina atmosphere is what makes Blue Moon a nice place to spend a hot summer evening in Nashville. (It was the great service and yummy food that made it so impressive.) The dock/deck features comfortable outdoor furniture, table-top tiki torches, a small tiki bar and a gazebo that must be where the band will play. We met several Charlotte Park neighbors there, and the clientele included people of all ages, families, groups of friends and couples. We thoroughly enjoyed Blue Moon, and we plan to return soon.

Previous articles on Blue Moon can be read here and here.

Yard Sale today and Saturday

Two families are holding a yard sale today and Saturday at 442 Westboro Dr., at the corner of Obrien Avenue. Several shoppers visited the sale this morning.

Let The Charlotte Parker help get the word out about your yard sale. Email us the details of your next sale.

Nashville's Agenda draft leaked

NashvillePost.com today reported it has obtained a draft report of Nashville's Agenda, revealing a set of ideas for Nashville's future. Several of the points outlined in the report fall into categories like education and immigration, affecting the Greater Nashville area. Other points, listed as community development and transportation "action ideas," are of particular interest to Charlotte Park:

• Revitalize Charlotte Avenue.
• Develop higher-density commercial and mixed use areas, particularly at significant neighborhood corners.
• Create a river taxi from northwest Nashville to downtown.

The NashvillePost story includes a history of the Agenda, along with other highlighted points within the report. S-townMike wrote about the story with links to past coverage of criticism of the project.

What do you think? Please "add your comment" below.

Blue Moon to open June 14

Blue Moon Lagoon restaurant is scheduled to open at Rock Harbor Marina with a "grand opening" at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, June 14, according to co-owner Steve Ford. The much-anticipated waterfront restaurant will serve American fare, including steaks and lobster, for lunch and dinner.

Food prices will range from $6 for a hamburger to $22-$28 steaks, according to Dottie Oelhafen, who works with restaurant co-owner Erv Woolsey, a manager of country music stars. Some additional Blue Moon information is available on the restaurant's recently updated website.

The restaurant owners initially had said Blue Moon would open in May. An earlier story on their plans for Blue Moon and the history of restaurants at Rock Harbor can be read here.

Blue Moon is at 525 Basswood Ave. in Rock Harbor on the Cumberland River. Directions are available with the customized Charlotte Park map.

Personal note: I marked my calendar to remember to check out Blue Moon at its grand opening, which happens to be on Flag Day. I think I'll celebrate the holiday by walking over to check it out. See you there, Charlotte Park neighbors -- and everyone else who's been looking forward to the return of waterfront dining here.

Gritty, old school Nashville on NYTimes

Fun to watch: Check out this video on The New York Times. The four-minute piece features the Times' Frugal Traveler interviewing some local characters at some of the best places to take out-of-town visitors.

I first saw this referenced on Nashville Scene's Pith in the Wind.

DistribuTech comments on Kroger, Out & About

UPDATE: Out & About newspaper reports "Kroger officially says 'no' to distributing GLBT newspaper: 'Save Your Receipt(s)' campaign continues as business and equality groups fight Kroger's discrimination." DistribuTech told the newspaper it will not be allowed back in Kroger or Harris Teeter stores in Middle Tennessee. (June 11)
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Original post follows, updated 1:51 p.m. on June 6 with comment from Jerry Jones, publisher of Out & About.

Nichole Bigley, who works with DistribuTech, a distributor of free publications in retail chains, provided the following statement this morning regarding the removal of gay newspaper Out & About from Kroger grocery stores:

"This is an instance where the May edition of Out & About Newspapers was placed in Nashville retail locations, by DistribuTech, prior to completion of our standard internal and external review and approval processes.'

"As is the case with most of our retail outlet customers, DistribuTech does not display publications that accept advertising for businesses or products that compete with our retail outlet customers, or publications that promote political, religious or other specific agendas.'

"DistribuTech reserves the right to approve every publication that is displayed on DistribuTech-owned racks."

Jerry Jones, publisher of Out & About, provided this response:

"DistribuTech and Out & About Newspaper have been in negotiations for the last 6 to 8 months regarding our publication. We've sent them multiple copies for review, and they in turn told us they sent copies to Kroger Management for review. A contract was signed in late April.'

"O&AN has no other agenda than providing news for our community. I do not see how that makes us any different than other publications that are carried by Kroger and Distributech. For example, Nashville Parent provides news for the parenting community. I also do not see how they can say this policy exists but for the Nashville area only. Both companies allow distribution of the Southern Voice, a weekly gay newspaper in Atlanta. It's a double standard and one that isn't fair to our readers."

Click here to read an earlier story on the situation.

Kroger removes gay newspaper

Updated 8:53 p.m. with statement from Kroger

The City Paper today reported that Nashville area Kroger stores have yanked Out & About, a local newspaper serving the GLBT community, from distribution racks at 34 area stores. DistribuTech, the distribution company paid by Out & About to distribute the free paper in rented space at retail stores, told Out & About publisher Jerry Jones that Kroger had requested a review of the paper's distribution contract.

According to The City Paper, "On Monday, Kroger spokesperson Melissa Eads said in a statement that the papers were removed in accordance with a company policy of not offering publications that serve political or other agendas."

Jones, publisher of Out & About, told The Charlotte Parker in an email:

"The publication was picked up by DistribuTech on May 31. We had already gone through more than 3,500 copies in the Kroger and Harris Teeter stores and we had hoped that within six months we would be going through several thousand.'

"We have not heard back from DistribuTech on the outcome of this, however based on the emails our readers are receiving from Kroger, they indicate that there never was a reevaluation going on, they just wanted us out of their stores.'

"Middle Tennessee is made up of great fair minded people who want and should have access to our newspaper. We provide an excellent source of news, politics, business, arts and entertainment and featues that no other publication provides. It's important that we have the ability to reach as many fair minded people as possible and distribution through Kroger was and is one of those ways. It's expensive to rent those racks, but we were willing to meet that expense so that a greater number of people would be able to read the news and information that we produce."

Eads provided the following statement from Kroger:

"Kroger strives to be a store for the entire community and that necessitates remaining neutral on many issues. We think this is a fair approach to everyone. The free publication racks in many Kroger stores are managed by an outside organization that arranges distribution agreements with individual publications. We have had a long-standing policy in place that prohibits the third-party from distributing publications that promote political, religious or other specific agendas. If a publication is offered that does not meet the guidelines mentioned above, we do ask the distributor to remove it. That is what recently happened when this publication was placed on our free rack. We believe adhering to a neutral, fair policy regarding free publications is the right approach."

Several readers of The City Paper have posted opinions on that paper's site. Out & About has reported on the story online, including correspondence between the paper and Kroger. Channel 4 and NewsChannel 5 also have covered the story.

News about neighborhood news

So local it knows where you live: During my recent detachment from the online world (note the late date of my last post), Rob Curley blogged about a new grant-funded project in the works, called "EveryBlock." Here's an excerpt from Rob's post, with links added for context:

"The formal press release from the Knight Foundation said Adrian [Holovaty] will 'create a series of city data sites presenting address-specific news and information. The 10 cities will include the Knight cities of Miami, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Jose and Charlotte.'

"The newschallenge.org site gives a little more information about the project, stating that it will: 'create, test and release open-source software that links databases to allow citizens of a large city to learn (and act on) civic information about their neighborhood or block.'"

When asked if Nashville is among the 10 cities to be included, Holovaty said his team hasn't finalized the list of cities yet.

I got a new attitude [survey to tell you about]: Late last week Vanderbilt University said its researchers had started contacting Nashville residents about their attitudes on "individual engagement in the community -- from the arts and the economy to politics, religion and schools." Called the Vanderbilt Engaging Nashville Survey, this project is the first for the university's new Center for Nashville Studies.

All the cool kids are doing it: A Sunday story in The Washington Post examined neighborhood blogs in the D.C. area. Check out "Blogging the Block: It's Local Matters That Matter Most For Community Chroniclers." No surprise that politics are a popular subject up there.