Reporter Nancy Amons has spent more than 20 years breaking stories in Middle Tennessee. She covers both general assignments and investigative stories and specializes in computer-assisted reporting.

Among her honors are two National Headliner awards, a Green Eyeshades award, seven Associated Press awards, a Silver Gavel, an Iris, four Emmys and awards from the American Women in Radio and TV, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. She was Tennessee Associated Press's Broadcast Journalist of the year in 1995.

Nancy was born in Massachusetts and is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism. She began her broadcast career as a disc jockey at age 16. She is an avid dancer.

Hobbies: My favorite hobby is dancing. Swing, Latin, Ballroom, Disco and Country-Western. I tried competing once, but it made me a nervous wreck so I never did it again.

Favorite waltz: "Rose- Colored Glasses." Come join the Nashville Swing Dance Club. It's open to everyone.

Favorite subjects in school: English and Literature. I am a certified book-worm. When I was a kid, I'd rather sit under a tree and read than go play with the other kids. One of my favorite places in Nashville is our new downtown library. Give me a rainy Sunday, and I'll be lost there all afternoon.

School subject I could not master: Chemistry. I couldn't remember those tables.

I love living in Nashville because the people are so friendly and it's a great city for journalists. I tease my colleagues in other cities who fight for government information under the Freedom of Information Act for months. The city and state employees here are the greatest. I actually had a Metro employee tell me once, "Well, it's 4 p.m. and I'd really like to make my son's ballgame. Is it OK if I fax this to you tomorrow? I hate to make you wait."

I also love the live music. It's in the bookstores, the grocery stores, the parks -- it's everywhere! I love jazz, salsa, world music, R&B, oldies, country, bands with a big brass section and any song that's well-written. Needless to say, a venue with a dance floor is a plus.

My favorite foods are gigantic salads and ethnic foods. Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, fresh-Mex and Indian. I like dishes with vegetables I've never seen before. Five-star hot. The hotter, the better. I enjoy watching Nashville become more of a melting pot of cultures.

My favorite car is my 1958 Fiat 600, which is sitting in a shed at my Mom and Dad's. It was imported from Italy, and the gauges are all in Italian. It has "suicide" doors that open backwards. It's orange and looks like a little pumpkin. Anyone know where I can buy a new head? It hasn't run in 25 years because we can't find parts!