by despotmj | Jun 29, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
As June is coming to a close, many football fans are growing increasingly anxious to know when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be agreed on by the NFL Players Association and NFL owners. On March 11, at 11:59 p.m., the previous CBA expired, leaving fans to wonder if a new deal would be agreed on over the summer, or if a lengthy lockout would ensue. With the lockout nearly three months in place, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, but one must also ask if that could be an oncoming train. The most pointed issues which must be resolved in order for a new CBA to be reached include how to divide the nearly $10 billion in revenues the NFL generates every year, while determining how to split the revenue in future seasons, as revenue is expected to reach $20 billion per season before 2020. Other issues include putting a rookie wage-scale in place to combat rookie deals which have reached $50 million in guaranteed money, better benefits for retired players and increasing the NFL season from 16 to 18 games. The NFL and NFLPA have met multiple times over the last few months, but have been highly criticized for making little progress. In recent weeks, hope has emerged that progress is being made at more than an anemic pace and many believe a deal could be reached by the end of July. That is a crucial date for NFL teams due to the fact that if a deal is reached by then little or no training camp would be missed, allowing for...
by Lacy Pack | Jun 24, 2011 | News Slider
Are you breaking a sweat while walking from class to your car this summer? You’re not the only one, and Las Paletas is the perfect remedy to beating the heat. This Mexican popsicle shop located on 12th Ave. South has an extensive amount of flavors-all made with fresh, natural ingredients. They make fruit-only paletas, creamy paletas and “other paletas” like cucumber with hot peppers, hibiscus and avocado. From adults in business suits to mothers with small children, people of all ages come to Las Paletas. Sevier Park is conveniently located just across the street, too, which is an added bonus to the shop’s location. As a college student, I find Las Paletas to be an inexpensive, fun way to venture out of the usual flavor selections to more adventurous options like creamy avocado and chocolate with hot peppers. I don’t even like avocados, but I am hooked on the creamy, smooth avocado paleta. Las Paletas has already received national exposure from The Food Network, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, but Irma Paz-Bernstein, co-owner of the shop, is cautious of growing the business. “Success is very subjective,” says Paz-Bernstein. “To have kids prefer our paletas over ice-cream, we change kids’ tastes. We even had a marriage proposal here! We get to be part of people’s stories and that is a true success.” Las Paletas is open this summer from noon-8 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday. So, drop by Las Paletas, pick a Mexican caramel paleta and take a stroll through the park with that special someone. Many establishments around town sell...
by Hunter Patterson | Jun 24, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Last month it was announced that Belmont would be the leaving the A-Sun and becoming 12th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. While it was announced on the 13th of May, Belmont will not officially join the OVC until July 1, 2012. Belmont president Robert Fisher was intentional in explaining that the move was a strategic one that was made for the student-athletes and the budget of the university. Belmont will have to pay $200,000 to leave the Atlantic Sun Conference, however, the school’s travel costs will drop immensely. “You don’t have to get on a plane to go anywhere,” Dr. Fisher said. “And the students won’t have to miss as many classes.” Missing classes is something that Belmont and Lipscomb have dealt with in the past because of the long travels the two schools make to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. This bodes even worse for Lipscomb now, since their travel partner will no longer be making the trips. Usually, Lipscomb and Belmont would share a plane when traveling to Florida to play teams like North Florida and Jacksonville. Now, Belmont’s longest road trip will be a six hour bus ride to Edwardsville, Ill. to play Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. All of Belmont’s current teams – other than men’s soccer – will be recognized by the OVC in 2012. And despite reports, Belmont does not plan to add football anytime soon. With the addition of the Bruins, the OVC now has five teams in Tennessee: Austin Peay State, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and now, Belmont. Think of it this way; TSU...
by despotmj | Jun 23, 2011 | News Slider
When the Franklin Theatre re-opened its doors on Friday, June 3, 3011, hundreds of people packed the downtown Franklin streets in order to celebrate the restoration of one of the greatest landmarks of community’s history. The original Franklin Theatre opened its doors in 1937, and at the time the price of admission was 10 cents for children and 25 cents for adults. Through the years the theatre was a tremendously popular staple of the downtown Franklin streets, as in several ways it set trends for an ever growing community. Some of these trends included becoming the first air-conditioned building, as well as housing the first public restrooms in 1938. This landmark set precedents in other areas of the community as well, as it did in 1940 when the theatre manager and city agreed to allow movies to be shown on Sundays, as long as they weren’t operating during church hours. Through the years the theatre gained more and more popularity, even after a name change to the Franklin Cinema, and in 2004, the Franklin Cinema hosted the world premiere of Peter Berg’s, Friday Night Lights, a popular film featuring local celebrity Tim McGraw. Again in 2005, the cinema held the world premiere of Elizabethtown. A movie packed with star power including Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. So when the theatre closed its doors in 2007, a great hole was left in the community which had grown accustomed to seeing modern films in a very nostalgic setting. “This place means so much to so many people,” said Lindsay George, Community Relations Director of the Franklin Theatre. “Everyone has a story...
by Danielle Boyd | Jun 23, 2011 | News Slider
If you are looking for fun, entertainment, tours and great southern home-cooking, The Fontanel is a great place to go for the entire family. The Fontanel Farm and Mansion is one of Nashville’s newest and fastest growing attractions for tourist and local Nashvillans. The Fontanel Mansion was built in 1988 for country-music-star Barbara Mandrell and her husband, Ken Dudney. The large immaculate Mansion now stands as a tourist attraction with lingering artifacts from some of Nashville’s greatest country stars. The Mansion is 27,000 square feet long with 13 bathrooms, five fireplaces, 20 rooms, two kitchens and an unbelievable indoor pool. Not only does the historic Mansion make The Fontanel such a highly recommended summer experience, but the food at Fontanel’s Farm house Restaurant “is to die for.” The wait is at least fifteen minutes for some weekend days, but one will definitely find it to be worth it. With the covered porch, hillside view and gift shop right outside of the restaurant the wait time flies by. The menu is combined with options for anyone with an appetite for a fresh southern home-cooked breakfast, lunch or dinner. For my visit, I tried the Good OL’ Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, skillet greens and corn on the cob — and it was absolutely magnificent. The prompt service, filling meal and live jazz band that played softly in the background truly made my visit to The Fontanel a very enjoyable one. To top it all off the prices are very reasonable, especially for the taste and size of the meal. It’s not highlighted on the menu, but I thought the biscuits...
