Good morning, this is Nashville Local Pulse for Friday, December 13, 2024.

We're starting with breaking news from the past few days. A violent felon with multiple warrants was arrested in Humphreys County, and the city of Columbia received a $420,000 grant for an emergency siren project. Additionally, a non-profit is warning against leaving children alone in cars after 11 thefts were reported in just one week.

Moving on to our job market snapshot, Nashville continues to thrive with a diverse range of opportunities. As of January 2024, our unemployment rate has dipped to 4.2%, indicating a tight labor market. Major employers like HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University, Amazon, Nissan North America, and Bridgestone Americas Inc. are actively recruiting for various roles. Notably, the healthcare sector is a dominant force, contributing $67 billion and 362,560 jobs to our local economy annually. The music and entertainment industry also plays a crucial role, with over 80,000 direct and indirect jobs and an annual contribution of $9.9 billion.

In real estate news, we don't have any major updates on commercial or residential property sales, but we do know that Nashville's growing population is expected to fuel job creation across various sectors. The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is implementing initiatives to increase workforce participation and prepare students for high-wage and high-demand jobs.

From city hall, we have updates on decisions that affect our daily lives. The Nashville Fairgrounds multimillion-dollar racetrack renovation has sparked debate and excitement. Additionally, the city is proposing a $1.5 million permanent fence to prevent deadly riverfront falls.

Weather-wise, we're expecting a mild day today with temperatures reaching 56 degrees. However, we did have a Code Red Weather alert for the Midstate and southern Kentucky, which has since expired.

In new business activity, we have a mix of openings and changes. The Nashville job market is vibrant, with numerous opportunities emerging across nonprofit, education, and social services sectors.

Looking ahead to community events, Fostering Hope is providing Christmas gifts to Tennessee foster kids, expanding their reach to include kids in metro and East Tennessee areas hard hit by recent storms.

In local school achievements, we don't have any specific updates today, but we do want to mention that the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is working to prepare students for high-wage and high-demand jobs.

For our feel-good community story, we're highlighting the animal therapy offered at a Tennessee barn, where you can even hug a cow for healing.

In today's crime report, we have a few significant incidents to share. A suspect was arrested in Lebanon thanks to License Plate Readers, while Nashville continues to delay rolling them out. Additionally, there were fights at a Tennessee prison that resulted in one inmate's death and five others injured.

This has been Nashville Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates.