Indeed, when the Scene stopped by Swain’s house and spoke to a half-dozen Hispanic workers there, none of them had more than a simple grasp of English. It is unclear whether these workers are in the country legally. A call to Eric Gonzales, whom one of the men identified as the group’s foreman, reveals that he doesn’t check the legal status of all his employees. Gonzales says that some of his workers have shown him green cards, but if they don’t have them he will hire them anyway. When asked directly about the workers, Swain says, “I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I do feel like that it’s not the place of the homeowner,” to check immigration status. I don’t even think it’s safe for me as a single woman to be asking.” She says that her experiences with these workers have only strengthened her opinions about the immigration question. “It’s not always this perspective that they’re always hard workers,” says Swain. “I’ve found that many of them do poor jobs that have to be redone. They’ll cheat you just as quickly as an American.”

Ben Nelson, a young father and structural engineer, moved to the Hope Gardens neighborhood near the Farmer’s Market two years ago. Like other downtown Nashville transplants, Nelson says he was reassured about the move because his children would be zoned for Eakin Elementary instead of the closer school, Buena Vista. “It’s one thing to work to revitalize downtown with the understanding that your children are still going to go to a strong performing school. I think it would be great if one day there was enough mix of different classes and different groups that it was possible to put all of downtown Nashville in one school, but right now it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton assured thousands of AIPAC activists that Barack Obama will be "a good friend to Israel." Speaking Wednesday before thousands of pro-Israel activists in Washington at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference, the New York senator stressed the need for a Democratic president in the White House. "I know Senator Obama knows what is at stake here," Clinton said, adding, "Let me be very clear: I know Senator Obama will be a good friend to Israel."