All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content.
Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Schools Get STEM Grants (Press Release)
J. E. Woodard Elementary and Randolph Howell Elementary both
have been awarded grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority, in
partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc., a TVA retiree
organization, to develop science, technology, engineering, and math
education projects to help spark student interest in future careers in
STEM-related fields.
Teachers across TVA’s seven-state region applied for funding of
up to $5,000 for projects, and 238 applications were selected.
“We are excited to have this funding to support hands-on activities
and programs that help students develop skills that can apply to real-
world problem solving,” said Amy Roberts, CTE Director for Maury
County Schools. “We want to open doors to high quality, rewarding jobs
for our students, and the grant will help us introduce them to these
subjects from a young age.”
Schools who are awarded grants must receive their power from a
local power company served by TVA. Woodard and Howell Elementary
are both served by Columbia Power and Water System.
J. E. Woodard Elementary School will use its $5000 grant to get
students engaged with nature and protecting our environment. Part of
enjoying nature is learning to protect our environment. This will be
accomplished by sharing the marvels of nature, highlighting/partnering
with National Parks, and utilizing STEM content/challenges that focus
on the environment. Learning will be framed with literature &
immersive experiences. The students will be challenged to find beauty in
nature & share their discoveries. These discoveries will be displayed in
the school & in dedicated outdoor spaces. One of the inspirations is
“Camp Carol Ann”. Woodard’s principal, a passionate naturist has
extensive collections of artifacts from her years of outdoors adventures.
Those artifacts become the foundation for discussing rocks, fossils,
animal habitats, and mysteries of nature. Coupled with Camp Carol Ann
will be extensive learning guided by immersive studies of National
Parks, STEM challenges and a live STEAM event with challenges
revolving around real-life challenges faced by 6 different national parks.
In the end, our students will be identifying human impact on nature and
creating solutions that minimize that impact.
A $3500 grant awarded for Randolph Howell Elementary STEM
Schools Nature Trail will be a collaborative effort between students,
staff, families, and community partners. The intention of the project is to
create a natural and usable green space for both learning and community
enjoyment. They anticipate that all stakeholders will join together to
create a learning space that highlights local flora and fauna and provides
education about how to live within the natural world. This will be
achieved by creating the physical trail and installing attractive and
durable signage. This space will also include opportunities for meeting
the gross motor and sensory needs of our community. The anticipated
result is that students and community will have access to green learning
spaces within our rapidly expanding community.
“TVA is committed to supporting STEM education to help develop
today’s students into tomorrow’s engineers, scientists and IT
professionals,” said Jeannette Mills, TVA executive vice president and
chief external relations officer. “It’s inspiring to be able to contribute to
the innovators of the next generation.”
Since 2018, TVA and BVI have awarded nearly $5 million in
STEM grants to support local education.
A full list of grant recipients, and information on how to apply for
a future STEM grant can be found at www.tvastem.com.
Midstate Classic (CDH)
Other than perhaps Mule Day, one of Columbia’s biggest events is the
always popular and competitive seventh annual Midstate Classic softball
tournament.
The collegiate doubleheader, which kicks off Wednesday, March 15 at
Ridley Sports Complex, was part of Columbia City Council's study
session discussion this month, where the city will vote on a resolution to
accept $19,000 generated by sponsor donations to help fund the
tournament.
Tickets to the Midstate Classic are $10 and available by contacting
Columbia Parks and Recreation at (931) 388-8119 or online
at www.ColumbiaTN.com/MidstateClassic.
Parks and Recreation Director Mack Reagan said the event typically
sells out at about 2,000 seats. As of now, fewer than 500 tickets remain
to be sold, and the ones still available are going fast.
"It's going to be another big year, and everything is planned, itineraries
are set and right now we're working on the final details, such as meals,"
Reagan said. "Everything is set to go, and we are looking forward to a
great day. The only thing we can't control is the weather."
This year's games will once again feature the University of Tennessee
Lady Volunteers, who will face off against the Austin Peay State
University Governors beginning at 5:30 p.m.
"The University of Tennessee is bringing probably one of the best teams
in the country," Reagan said. "They are just unreal."
Earlier in the day, Columbia State Community College will face Motlow
Community College at 1 p.m.
In addition, Columbia Central High School will kick off the tournament
against Tullahoma High School starting at 10 a.m.
“I am so excited about this year’s Midstate Classic between the
Tennessee Lady Vols and Austin Peay State University Govs," Mayor
Chaz Molder said. "Once again, Columbia serves as the host site for one
of the most highly attended softball games in the state; and once again,
Ridley Sports Complex will serve as a showcase venue for this event.
"Most of all, I am proud of our team at the Parks and Recreation
Department for their good work in putting on this event every year and
helping our youth, in particular young women in our community, see
first-hand a collegiate sport being played in our community at a very
high level.”
Duck River Bills (CDH)
After a state House subcommittee's unanimous vote Tuesday in favor of
expanding protections to the Duck River, cautious optimism is settling in
for county and state elected leaders hoping to keep waters clean for the
“most biodiverse river in the world."
But lingering questions are keeping community advocates vigilant.
House Bill 0447, sponsored by Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, would
expand the state’s Class II Scenic status along the river in Maury
County, acting as a guardrail of protection.
With Maury County commissioners in tow Tuesday, Cepicky stood
before the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee
advocating for the expansion of protective boundaries for the Duck
River under the bill.
Subcommittee chairman, Rep. Bud Hulsey, R-Kingsport, said Tuesday,
the committee had seen a large run of contentious bills in the past couple
of weeks, but none with such support as the bill to protect Duck River.
“I never got as many emails as I got from your people in Maury
County,” Hulsey told Cepicky.
Cepicky told committee members that there was a time when the river
was not the most biodiverse, referring to when pollution from the former
Monsanto Chemical Company imperiled the river.
“It’s taken a long time to get this river back to where it was,” Cepicky
said. “We have already protected the eastern side as a class II pastoral
scenic waterway,” Cepicky said. “We’re asking to protect its western
side.”
Also leaning on the river’s use for outdoor recreation, Cepicky
punctuated his comments with the importance of protecting the fastest-
growing county in Tennessee — Maury County’s water source for “the
next hundred years.”
Maury County Commission Chairman Eric Previti, along with Mayor
Sheila Butt and other commissioners present at the subcommittee
meeting in Nashville, said “hats off” to citizens who voiced support for
the bill by sending almost 1,000 emails to elected leaders.
Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, raised questions Tuesday about
how expanding the river's scenic status could create limitations to
agriculture under the new protections, though the bill would protect
existing agriculture developments with some exceptions.
While highlighting decades of progress to keep water protected from
pollutants, Todd said his other concern was property rights.
“Protecting this resource is very important,” Todd said. “But I’m always
concerned about property rights and how something is going to affect
someone else.”
Todd asked Cepicky about further ramifications for property owners
regarding land use and discharge of materials into rivers.
Cepicky deferred to TDEC's goal of maintaining water quality, stating
“their job is not to prohibit business or land use, but to protect the
water’s pristine nature.”
While the bill’s language focused on waterway protections, language for
the designation of Class II rivers prohibits activity such as mining,
timber harvesting and building of roads.
Meanwhile in the Maury County community, some questions remain
about a lingering solid waste landfill proposal by Baton Rouge-based
Trinity Business Group, which has applied for multiple building permits
on the former Monsanto Chemical Company site through the Tennessee
Department of Environment and Conservation.
Last fall, community advocates moved swiftly to rally against the solid
waste landfill, including a tire recycling center, that would be located
approximately two miles from the Duck River at the Monsanto site. The
old Monsanto property is designated as a Superfund site, which is
mandated for EPA rehabilitation due to the presence of hazardous waste.
According to de facto expert and former Maury County Commissioner
Sue Stephenson, the Monsanto property contains four buried capped pits
containing phosphorus.
Elected leaders hope that the legislation will thwart landfill
developments, that could cause pollution of the biodiverse river.
Last fall, the Maury County Commission added further protections to the
Duck River by adopting the Jackson Law, a state law that would prohibit
the construction of landfills without the approval of city and county
government.
Jeremy Hooper, TDEC Solid Waste Management representative, spoke
before the committee Tuesday, explaining that the bill would expand the
scenic status, which could in-turn challenge landfill development.
“I can speak to solid waste management,” Hooper said. “There is a two-
mile buffer [from the Duck River], in which solid waste landfills cannot
be permitted. If this [status] is extended to that, we’d have to consider
that in the permitting process.”
County Mayor Sheila Butt recently made five new appointments to the
existing Maury-Marshall Solid Waste Board at February’s commission
meeting, which will begin to seek solutions for new landfill sites.
The bill will be heard by the full House committee on March 8.
CSCC Performance Series (Press Release)
Columbia State Community College welcomes Appalachian Road Show
to the Cherry Theater on March 16 as part of the First Farmers
Performance Series.
Appalachian Road Show is a visionary acoustic ensemble, bringing new-
generation interpretations of traditional Americana, bluegrass and folk
songs, as well as offering innovative original music, all presented with a
common thread tied directly to the heart of the Appalachian regions of
the United States. Appalachian Road Show invites us to come and sit a
spell on its porch as the band shares its dynamic musicianship through
songs and stories emanating from the mountains and hollers of North
Carolina and Virginia to the coal mines of West Virginia and Kentucky.
“We are excited to welcome this talented group of musicians to our
Performance Series,” said Bethany Lay, Columbia State vice president
for advancement and executive director of the Columbia State
Foundation. “Their authentic bluegrass sound is beloved by many, and
tickets are selling fast! Don't miss the opportunity to join the celebration
of genuine Appalachian music.”
Individual tickets are on sale for $30 each plus tax for adults and $20
each plus tax for Columbia State students. To charge tickets by phone
using a major credit card, call 931.540.2879 or purchase them in person
in Room 113 of the Pryor Administration Building on the Columbia
Campus, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
On the night of the performance, the box office opens at 6 p.m. in the
Kenneth and Ramona Cherry Theater, located in the Waymon L.
Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus. Theater doors open at 6:30
p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m. The Columbia Campus is located at
1665 Hampshire Pike in Columbia.
For more information, visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/Performance-
Series.
Mule Kick 5K (Press Release)
Hosted by the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation and presented
by First Farmers and Merchants Bank, the annual Mule Kick 5K & 1-
Mile Trot will take place Saturday, April 1, at Riverwalk Park in
Columbia.
Proceeds from the 2023 Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot provide funding
for Maury Regional Health’s mobile medical unit, which delivers health
care services to at-risk and underserved individuals throughout southern
Middle Tennessee by providing basic health screenings, education and
resources. A portion of the proceeds from the Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile
Trot will also support the Foundation’s Wellness and Aquatics Center
Healthy Living Endowment and the Columbia Parks and Recreation
Department. In addition, the Maury County school with the most
participation in the event will receive a donation to their P.E. program
from the Foundation.
“The Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot is a great tradition for both Maury
County and the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation that helps
support our mission of providing important health care services for
individuals who may not otherwise be able to obtain care,” Foundation
Executive Director Joe Kilgore said. “We are excited to host the Mule
Kick 5K and look forward to an exciting race!”
On Saturday, April 1, the race will begin at Riverwalk Park in Columbia
with an 8 a.m. start time for the 5K and a 9:15 a.m. start time for the 1-
Mile Trot. Both runners and walkers are encouraged to
participate. Participants may register for the race online
at runsignup.com/MuleKick5K .
“The Mule Kick has become one of the great annual events for Maury
County, and we are honored to be involved again as presenting sponsor,”
said Brian K. Williams, chairman and chief executive officer of First
Farmers. “We’re thankful for the tremendous work of the Foundation in
helping to serve the health care needs of others throughout our region.”
In addition to presenting sponsor First Farmers and Merchants Bank,
sponsorships ranging from $350 to $2,500 are still available for those
who are interested in marketing exposure at this event. For additional
information, contact the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation at
931.380.4075.
To learn more about the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation, the
Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot or to make a direct gift to support the
mobile medical unit fund, visit MauryRegional.com/Foundation.
Design Competition for City Flag (MainStreetMaury)
The City of Columbia has established a design competition to create an
official city flag and Columbia residents are invited to take part in the
process by submitting their original flag designs from now through
March 15 th .
The final, winning design will be announced on April 20. The City is
excited to give the public an opportunity to participate in the design
process, as it will reflect and symbolize our community. Designs can be
submitted on the City’s website at www.columbiatn.com/727/Columbia-
Flag-Project.
All entries will be judged based on flag criteria presented in the
competition guidelines then narrowed down to three final designs. The
public will have a chance to vote, from April 1-15, on the final three
designs chosen by the Columbia Arts Council. The winning design will
reflect Columbia's pride, rich history, promising future and embody
what makes Columbia special and unique, using meaningful symbolism
and minimal color & design features.
“I couldn't be more excited about this flag design competition that will
result in the first official flag for the city of Columbia,” said Columbia
Mayor Chaz Molder. “A flag creates identity, establishes symbolism,
and promotes unity, and I can't wait to see the final product. Our
community is full of creative individuals from all walks of life, and I am
particularly pleased that this will be a public driven process. And, I am
also excited that this project is being led, in part, by Nathaniel Bliss, a
local Scout with Troop 111, who brought forward the idea as part of his
Eagle Scout project. I encourage all members of the community to
participate in what will be a project that will be historic in nature given
its long term, lasting effects.”
Nathaniel Bliss is eager to see the end result of this process.
"I chose the flag design competition as my Eagle Scout project because I
am interested in flags and what they represent, as well as the impact they
have on a community,” stated Bliss. “I recognized that Columbia did not
have a flag and felt it was time our city got one. A flag symbolizes a
city, its history, culture, and people of all backgrounds. It unifies the
community and provides something to rally around. As a proud resident
of Columbia, I thought our historic city deserved such an important
symbol."
Basic rules and guidelines include but are not limited to: (1) Submit an
original flag design by March 15, 2023; (2) Competition is limited to
Columbia residents only; (3) No compensation will be given for any
designs submitted; (4) Only one entry per resident; and (5) All ages and
skill levels are welcome to participate.
For a complete list of rules and information regarding the Columbia Flag
Project, visit the City’s website at www.columbiatn.com/727/Columbia-
Flag-Project.
And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes &
Nichols Funeral Home…
Mr. Thomas Harry Anderson, husband of Columbia native, Josephine
Elizabeth (Jo Beth) Folger passed away on March 2, 2023 in Los Altos,
California. A graveside service for Mr. Anderson will be held Saturday
at 11:00 A.M. at Williamsport Cemetery. Oakes & Nichols Funeral
Directors are assisting the family with arrangements.
…And now, news from around the state…
Gas Prices (MainStreetMaury)
After moderate decreases in gas prices two weeks ago, pump prices
across the state saw quite a bit of variation. Today’s state gas price
average is three cents higher than last week’s. The Tennessee Gas Price
average is now $3.04 which is 15 cents less expensive than one month
ago and 77 cents less expensive than one year ago.
“This past week we experienced fluctuation in our gas prices across the
state, and it’s likely that we’ll continue to see this fluctuation throughout
the spring driving season,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA –
The Auto Club Group. “Warmer weather is encouraging people to
travel, which increases demand for gasoline. It’s also very common this
time of year to see fluctuating gas prices as this is the time of year when
refineries conduct seasonal maintenance and begin the process of
producing summer blend gasoline, which is more expensive to produce
than winter blend gasoline.”
Quick Facts
54% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $3.00
The lowest 10% of pump prices are $2.84 for regular unleaded
The highest 10% of pump prices are $3.36 for regular unleaded
Tennessee is the 7th least expensive market in the nation
Daylight Savings Time (Tennessean)
Like it or not, the annual ritual of changing our clocks to daylight saving
time is coming at 2 a.m., Sunday, March 12.
Since most of our computers, smartphones and DVRs automatically
change the time for us, it's not as much of a chore as it used to be. But
unless you have smart appliances, microwaves and ovens are among
the household items that will need a manual adjustment.
We all lose an hour of sleep when going to DST, as the day is only 23
hours long.
When clocks go forward, that one hour of daylight is basically shifted
from morning to evening as daylight saving time begins. We won't go
back to standard time until Sunday, Nov. 5.
Only two states don't observe it – Hawaii and Arizona. Other non-
observers include American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in the past
five years, 19 states have "enacted legislation or passed resolutions to
provide for year-round daylight saving time, if Congress were to allow
such a change, and in some cases, if surrounding states enact the same
legislation. Because federal law does not currently allow full-time DST,
Congress would have to act before states could adopt changes."
Changes Happening in DCS (WPLN)
The Department of Children’s Services commissioner gave an update to
the legislature that showed improvements to the troubled system.
Margie Quin went before the state’s Finance, Ways, and Means
Committee, last week, as part of the department’s budget request.
Quin highlighted several ways that DCS has made changes already this
year, and how more funding could help it continue that upward
trajectory.
“We’re not doing all that we want to be able to do,” Quin says. “And
we’re here looking for a better solution.”
She says one of the biggest victories is that kids are no longer sleeping
in office buildings, except for in Shelby County, which includes
Memphis.
“I’m very hopeful that in the next 30 to 60 days that that will be solved
as well,” Quin says. “And that no more children are sleeping in offices,
state office buildings.”
Instead, kids are being placed in transitional homes.
“Obviously, this has been a very difficult season for DCS,” Quin says.
“The need is critical now.”
Children sleeping in offices across the state was a symptom of several
problems within the system that have become more public over the last
year.
That includes a shortage of foster care placements and a shortage of case
workers.
Quin says the worker shortage has also started to show signs of a
turnaround. The department has gotten more than 500 applications for
case manager positions since increasing pay a few weeks ago.
Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival is returning to The Park at
Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, TN on September 23 & 24.
Ahead of the official lineup announcement, fans can purchase tickets
during a blind presale today, March 7th beginning at 10 a.m. CT.
2022 marked the annual festival’s eighth year with headlining sets from
Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jon Batiste and The Avett Brothers
alongside wares and food from local artisans, chefs, brewers and more.
A true family-friendly experience, festival-goers are going to want to
mark their calendars for this year’s event.
As we wait for the 2023 lineup, who are you hoping will be the
headliners this year?
Grab your tickets today and sign up to be the first to know about all
things Pilgrimage at PilgrimageFestival.com.
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