SUMMARY: Downtown Nashville, with one of the city’s lowest tree canopy covers (7-8%), is now officially designated as an outdoor library for trees called the “Nashville Downtown Arboretum.” It features over 50 mapped tree species, including overcup oak and sweetbay magnolia, with some marked by QR codes for public education. Since 2020, 263 trees have been planted downtown, adding less than 1% to the canopy. The arboretum project, started by the city’s transportation department and Nashville Downtown Partnership in 2022, classifies downtown as a “level one” arboretum, requiring at least 30 tree species. Other arboretums exist nearby, such as Fannie Mae Dees Park and Vanderbilt University.

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SUMMARY: Scammers are using artificial intelligence to target seniors with fake crisis calls, impersonating grandchildren in distress to demand money. The Better Business Bureau warns that these scams involve cloned voices from short audio clips, making it hard to distinguish real from fake. Scammers pressure victims not to contact other family members and often involve accomplices posing as professionals to add credibility. Seniors are targeted due to their relative wealth, isolation, or memory loss, making them vulnerable to losing thousands or even millions. Advocacy groups urge awareness and recommend reporting suspected scams to 866-836-6678.

Staff at the Better Business Bureau say scammers are using artificial intelligence to impersonate their grandchildren in crises and ask for money.

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SUMMARY: Tennessee Republicans are urging all local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into 287(g) agreements with ICE, granting officers federal authority to detain and investigate undocumented immigrants. Currently, eight Tennessee agencies have such agreements, with three more pending. The state legislature has allocated \$20 million in grants to encourage participation. Rep. Lee Reeves emphasizes that this partnership targets criminal illegal aliens and protects communities. However, immigrant rights groups warn it damages trust between immigrants and police and leads to racial profiling and lawsuits. Davidson County ended its 287(g) agreement in 2012 amid controversy. Lawmakers defend the program as a public safety measure.

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