During this past summer, the volume has been turned down on the public discussion of “rapid transit” and The Amp in Nashville. But the discussion has continued, and the importance of the discussion has become more important than ever. Here are some of the highlights: 1. The need for rapid transit is growing: It seemed as though new real estate developments were announced almost daily during the summer. The density at the geographic center of Middle Tennessee is becoming greater. More people bring with them more cars. Traffic is getting worse, and widening our streets is not an option. We …

The Downtown Partnership is celebrating its 20th anniversary. MP&F is proud to be a part of downtown Nashville, as Partner David Fox recaps the last two decades in this guest column that ran in the Sept. 25 issue of The Tennessean. “Congratulations to the Downtown Partnership as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. As a partner in a company that has operated in downtown Nashville since 1987, I can say that it has made a difference for our city to have an organization like the Downtown Partnership totally focused on making our downtown as functional and user-friendly as possible. As my partner …

The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson, is set to once again feature an exciting mix of Tennessee flavors when its Fall Fest food, music and art festival returns Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. “We are delighted to invite our neighbors to celebrate autumn and the art, music and food that are a part of our collective Tennessee history, all in the shadow of President Jackson’s storied home,” said president and CEO of The Hermitage, Howard J. Kittell. Fall Fest at The Hermitage is free for children 11 and under …

More than 2,100 volunteers participated in today’s Hands On Nashville Day, the community’s largest day of service benefiting Metro Nashville Public Schools. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the organization’s signature volunteer event, which resulted in more than 8,400 donated hours of service through landscaping, painting and cleaning projects at 52 schools throughout Davidson County. Each year, the volunteer resource center hosts Hands On Nashville Day, bringing together residents of Middle Tennessee to donate their time to help make Metro Schools brighter, safer places for Davidson County children to learn and play. “Hands On Nashville Day showcases the volunteer …

Griffin Technology is proud to play an important role in the Nashville Academies Program and has joined with 400 other Nashville-area businesses to make a difference in the lives of high school students. Griffin Technology CEO and Antioch High School graduate Mark Rowan talks about the company’s involvement in this guest column that ran in The Tennessean’s Sept. 12 issue.  “When the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce came to Griffin Technology and asked us to become part of the Academies of Nashville program, I knew that our partnership with the Hunters Lane Academy of Design and Technology would be an opportunity to instill …

Hands On Nashville will host its 23rd annual Hands On Nashville Day on Saturday, Sept. 20. The event is Nashville’s largest annual day of service to public schools. Hands On Nashville and more than 1,500 volunteers will participate in improvement projects such as painting and landscaping across the city at Metro Nashville Public Schools.   All registered volunteers are invited to the CMT One Country Celebration after-party to enjoy complimentary lunch from noon to 2 p.m. This event is also Hands On Nashville’s biggest fundraiser of the year. During registration, all participants will be asked to make a $25 donation to …

Supporters of Happy Tales Humane, Franklin’s only no-kill animal shelter, will tee off at The Grove on Monday, Sept. 22, to raise funds for the organization’s new facility. “The Happy Tales Charity Golf Tournament at The Grove is in its third year, and this event promises to be even better than last year’s,” Happy Tales board chairman Mark Enderle said. “This is an exciting time for Happy Tales, and the funds raised during the tournament will support the move to our new facility at Berry Farms.” A pre-tournament lunch begins at 11 a.m. and the scramble-style event opens with a …

Recently, Brentwood-based MAPCO Express, Inc., launched MAPCO MobilePay App which, based on a partnership with PayPal, allows consumers to use their smartphones to pay for their gas. MAPCO is the first of its competitors to launch a mobile app with these capabilities. The app was designed to enhance the customer experience – by using the app to pay at the pump and integrating MY Rewards, the company’s rewards program, consumers can save up to 5 cents per gallon when using MobilePay with PayPal. It was also designed to save consumers time. Using the app only requires registering a PayPal account, …

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and presenting sponsor Sarah Cannon recently hosted Light The Night Walk’s annual kick-off event, themed “Give Cancer the Boot,” at the Wildhorse Saloon. Attendees enjoyed a musical performance by songwriter Jeffrey Steele, and WKRN’s Lisa Patton served as the event emcee. Dr. Ian Flinn, director of the hematological malignancies research program at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, shared insight into ground-breaking research and new treatments that The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society funds. Follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor Jeff Letson shared his personal story, and actor Charles Esten of the ABC hit show “Nashville,” whose daughter is …