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JANUARY 16, 2025 | VOLUME 37 | NUMBER 1
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Council OKs mayor’s $527M spending plan Capital improvements budget to fund infrastructure, future juvenile center, schools, parks STAFF REPORTS
MNPD Det. Zachary Plese, Det. Ryan Cagle, Chief of Police John Drake, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Sgt. Jeffrey Mathes and Det. Michael Collazo in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, Jan. 3, 2025. PHOTO: MNPD
Biden awards Medal of Valor to Nashville Police
President gives highest public safety award to law enforcement involved in Covenant School shooting response MATTHEW HAMILTON MASTERS, ELI MOTYCKA Five members of the Metro Nashville Police Department were awarded the Medal of Valor, the nation’s highest award for valor by a public safety officer, for the “swift response and bravery” displayed during the 2023 Covenant School shooting. President Joe Biden presented the awards to Dets. Michael Collazo, Ryan Cagle and Zachary Plese, Sgt. Jeffrey Mathes and
Officer Rex Engelbert during a ceremony at the White House on Friday. “The officers rushed to the scene, and as they arrived, the shooter opened fire on them,” reads a White House statement commending the officers. “Still, the officers entered the school, cleared classroom after classroom, and ran towards the sounds of gunfire where they encountered the shooter.
They took down the shooter.” “They allowed people to continue their lives in ways that they never would have been able to,” Biden told reporters following the ceremony. “There’s a lot fewer empty chairs around the kitchen table and dining room table because of what these guys did.” The eyes of the nation focused on Nashville in the days and weeks >> PAGE 2
The Metro Council has approved Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s $527 million capital spending plan, which is highlighted by street infrastructure improvements, a future juvenile center and general maintenance of the city’s school buildings and parks. The resolution passed unanimously on Dec. 17 and was approved by the mayor himself on Dec. 18. “By prioritizing schools, transportation infrastructure, maintenance in parks and libraries, and customer service, we are delivering on the priorities that we — along with members of Metro Council — know communities share,” O’Connell said in a release. “This plan continues our focus on making Nashville more affordable and improving quality of life.” Just behind Metro Nashville Public Schools with an earmarked $98.4 million, Nashville’s future juvenile justice center is the plan’s next most significant line item at $88 million. The plan also includes substantial commitments to roadways and building maintenance. Nearly a quarter of O’Connell’s plan continues funding major projects started under previous mayoral administrations. The East Bank — a vast section of the urban core eyed for redevelopment by the city, private developers and the Tennessee Titans — gets $33 million in infrastructure dollars to create a street grid and establish basic utilities. Another $6.5 million pays for project management related to East >> PAGE 2
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