Latest news with #Kupin
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Salemtown neighbors help cottontails during breeding season with nesting baskets
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Spring brings new life for both flora and fauna, even in the urban jungle of downtown Nashville. Neighbors in the Salemtown area of Nashville have taken initiative to ensure the safe continuation of the cycle of life by helping cottontail rabbits have safe places to breed. Per the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee is home to three species of rabbits: the eastern cottontail, the swamp rabbit, and the Appalachian cottontail. The eastern cottontail is the most abundant and widespread in Tennessee, according to the TWRA. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More According to District 19 Councilman Jacob Kupin, the strange baskets popping up in the neighborhood are meant to help the rabbits have a space to protect their vulnerable young from predators and other hazards from the human-centered world. The baskets have small holes that are just big enough for a mother rabbit to enter and exit in order to protect her young from lawn mowers, weed eaters, people's pets and other predators in the area. Having protective areas like these baskets is another example of a 'great partnership' between urban livers and nature to help take care of the natural world around them. 'It's great to see these baskets popping up to help the Cottontails breed and survive,' he told News 2. 'Even in an urban environment, it's important that that's accentuated.' 'We know in an urban environment there are a number of car conflicts and people conflicts, especially as we continue to build in the city, so this is a way to make sure that [the rabbits] are protected and have the space to do what they need to do and reproduce and continue to be a beautiful part of our urban core,' Kupin added. The idea of the protective baskets was organic from the neighbors themselves, according to Kupin, which highlights how involved neighborhood associations are in their local communities. Dog credited with saving family's life during severe storms 'These are communities that are deeply invested in their neighborhoods and take steps like this to enhance it, which is really exciting for me to see,' he told News 2. Having this type of human intervention to protect natural species also displays the desire of community members to keep green spaces and more natural elements of their environment in tact in the face of growing development. 'There's a lot of really great pieces of nature in our city,' Kupin said. 'Sometimes in urban cores you kind of lose that—it becomes a cement jungle. It's important to me that we maintain our greenery and maintain our flora and fauna.' Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sambuca, an original restaurant in The Gulch, closes after 20 years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A foundational restaurant in one of Nashville's most popular neighborhoods has closed. Sambuca Nashville opened 20 years ago in The Gulch, before the area became what it is now. The restaurant announced their immediate closure on Monday, March 24. In fact, Sunday was their last day open at their spot along 12th Avenue South. 'Safe Bar' program expands in Nashville and new app makes participating bars easy to find 'A place like Sambuca that's been around since before the Gulch as we know today was created is kind of a difficult day,' said Malick Gaye with Nashville's Chamber of Commerce. Sambuca opened in 2005, when most of the surrounding businesses and apartment complexes were just being built, and the area was still largely a railroad yard. Over that time, the restaurant helped form the identity of The Gulch. In a Facebook post announcing their closure, the restaurant blamed a 'perfect storm' of COVID and rising costs for the decision. News 2 reached out for comment from Sambuca on Tuesday but did not hear back. | READ MORE | 'One of the benefits of growth is you have all these new places and restaurants and things to check out, but sometimes that creates a strain on the demand for the folks that have been here for sometime,' said Metro Councilman Jacob Kupin. 'It's just really important to hopefully get ahead of that.' 'We know the incoming migration into the Gulch is what's causing a couple of demographic shifts,' explained Gaye. 'We're not necessarily seeing oversaturation in Nashville; what we are seeing is new ideas, new companies, new concepts.' The Gulch is now a 'young professionals' hub, according to the Nashville Chamber, and it's only becoming more dense. Councilman Kupin said he's currently working with other businesses in the Gulch that are struggling to stay alive. He added that impending transit and housing improvements in the area should hopefully help businesses stay open long-term. ⏩ 'I think it's essential, as we see growth, to also focus on how do we protect the businesses that got us here,' said Kupin. 'There's a couple of businesses, right now, at risk of closure that I've been personally working with to try and figure out how can they stay in their building, how can they stay in their space. So, of course, it's a challenge.' It's important to note that Sambuca had a Houston-based location that opened prior to Nashville's, over 20 years ago; that restaurant also closed this past December. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Downtown Nashville riverfront safety report highlights areas for improvement
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A safety report highlights Nashville's plan to improve safety along the Cumberland River just over a year after the disappearance of Missouri University student Riley Strain. Since Strain's disappearance, there has been an emphasis by Metro Councilmembers and Nashville's mayor to improve safety both downtown and along the riverfront. Read the safety report here '[The report] talks about security and lighting and fencing and riverfront safety and cleanliness,' Metro Councilmember Jacob Kupin, whose district covers both sides of the downtown riverfront, told News 2. Strain, 22, accidentally fell into the Cumberland River in March 2024. He drowned after a night of drinking on Broadway with his fraternity brothers. The report added that between January and December 2024, the Nashville Fire Department responded to 47 water and ice-related rescue calls in the area. 'Riley really caught the hearts of the nation,' Kupin said. 'He was someone that could have been anybody — downtown with some buddies in the evening, drinking [and] having a good time. The ending, obviously, was fatal.' Kupin said Metro Council has already allocated $1.5 million toward riverfront safety improvements as part of the Capital Spending Plan. The report breaks down four primary focus areas — safety infrastructure, litter management, unhoused population support and security coverage — and provides policy recommendations to make the riverfront safer. 'Planning is underway for type of fencing and locations and cutting back vegetation — things like that,' Kupin said. 'There's additional trash cleanup and remediation that's going on.' However, the report highlighted the additional long-term work that needs to be done. The installation of a consistent, permanent barrier along the riverbank, the installation of advanced camera systems and the implementation of a comprehensive vegetation management plan to address yearly maintenance and prevent trees from falling onto the barriers. Riley Strain Continuing Coverage | The latest in the case of the Missouri student 'The recommendations presented in this report provide a roadmap for both immediate and long-term improvements, ensuring that the riverfront will be a safer, more accessible, and cleaner space for residents and visitors alike,' the report said. As part of those longer-term efforts, the report highlighted partnerships between agencies like the Nashville Department of Transportation and Nashville Electric Service to install new LED streetlights and pedestrian lighting fixtures along the riverfront. As for camera system improvements, the report noted that any implementation of advanced video analytics for real-time security monitoring 'may require Council approval and a public hearing.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
