Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 1-20-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for January 20, 2026

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.

Duck River Bills Filed At State House (Press Release)

The tension between protecting natural resources and sourcing enough water to fuel Middle Tennessee’s growth is once again coming to the statehouse.

Members of the Tennessee General Assembly filed a handful of bills last week concerning the Duck River, a scenic river known worldwide for supporting a vast array of freshwater species, including several federally endangered and threatened species. The river also serves as the sole water source for roughly 250,000 people in Middle Tennessee, an area that faces increasing development pressure and intermittent drought periods. Environmental groups have warned for years that drawing more and more water from the river is unsustainable.

One bill seeks to prohibit the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which regulates water withdrawals from rivers, from stopping any utility that provides drinking water from making withdrawals, regardless of drought conditions. A proposed House Joint Resolution would express support for reconstructing the Columbia Dam, a project that was halted in the 1980s and dismantled in the 1990s.

Another bill would designate several rivers and creeks as Class II pastoral waterways, which would protect those areas from mining, commercial timber harvest, and landfill uses and allow private landowners the option to participate in protections to ensure the land remains pastoral. While portions of the Duck River are already designated as Class II waterways, this bill would stretch the classification to the entire river, except the portion including the Normandy Reservoir, which is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Rep. Pat Marsh, a Shelbyville Republican, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding this bill.

Bills may still be amended, and the filing deadline for new legislation is Jan. 30.

A bill introduced by Chapel Hill Republican Rep. Todd Warner would block the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation — which issues water withdrawal permits for utilities — from limiting how much water a utility can withdraw, so long as it is “for the purposes of providing drinking water.”

“I think TDEC has overstepped their bounds in some of these places, especially on the Duck River,” by telling utilities that they must stop pumping if river flow levels drop below a certain threshold, Warner said Tuesday. “Well, we have no backup water, so we’re not going to cease pumping.”

Warner said he filed the bill because he felt the department did not provide an answer as to what would happen to a utility that kept pumping water despite limitations during low flows. He referenced a permit granted to the Marshall County Board of Public Utilities in August 2021 that included water withdrawal limitations for times of drought, when withdrawals could be fatal to the river’s many inhabitants. Marshall County appealed that permit, asking that withdrawal limitations be removed. The department, The Nature Conservancy and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation reached a settlement with Marshall County in 2022 to keep the limits in place.

Warner noted that the bill does allow the regulatory authority to limit withdrawals if required by federal law — for example, if water is found to be contaminated, or contains federally endangered species. But the bill states that this exemption doesn’t apply if federal law only “recommends” pumping be prohibited. 

At the federal level, President Donald Trump’s administration has been slashing environmental regulations, including proposing rule changes that environmental legislators say would weaken habitat and harm protections for threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The administration has stated it is removing “regulatory barriers that hinder responsible resource development and economic growth while maintaining core conservation commitments.”

Under Trump, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin proposed a new rule that would cut federal protection for wetlands. In 2025, Tennessee legislators passed a law that lessened state regulatory protections for an estimated 80% of Tennessee wetlands that lack federal protection.

Warner is also sponsoring a resolution that would show “strong support” for the reconstruction of the Columbia Dam, recognizing the project as a “critical priority for the State to establish an adequate water supply system for sustained growth, economic development, and recreational use.”

The initial dam project ran into multiple issues and was ultimately torn down amid a lawsuit over environmental impacts and land permitting issues with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, rising costs, and a cost-benefit analysis that recommended scrapping the project altogether.

As water needs grow, a group called “Columbia Dam Now” says a new dam is the only way to provide affordable drinking water for the area. An opposing group, “Don’t Dam the Duck,” has concerns about the project’s feasibility and the impact a dam would have on the river’s delicate ecology.

Columbia Dam Now has been working with U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles since mid-2025 to secure congressional funding for a feasibility study for the project. A cost estimate for a modern-day rebuild of the dam has not been released.

Warner, a member of the Columbia Dam Now board, said his goal for this resolution is to help secure that federal funding. The group spent several months in 2025 collecting similar non-binding resolutions from various county and city governments in the area.

A group of public officials, conservationists and utility representatives have been reviewing possibilities to address water needs in Middle Tennessee at the behest of Gov. Bill Lee, who issued an executive order in November 2024 declaring the river a “scenic treasure” and creating the group to determine how to balance water needs with the river’s health. 

The Duck River Planning Partnership issued its first recommendations in November, including a feasibility study for a pipeline bringing water from the Tennessee River to Middle Tennessee, a feasibility study for regional water solutions, and raising winter water levels in the Normandy Dam, a reservoir that allows the Tennessee Valley Authority to regulate the river’s water flow. 

Rebuilding the Columbia Dam was not among the partnership’s recommendations.

The Mallory Valley Utility District released a study in September that found that a pipeline supplying water from the Cumberland River to Maury and Williamson counties is feasible, but could cost up to $1.9 billion without state or federal help.

Earlier this month, Columbia’s City Council approved water rate hikes of up to 20% per year over the next five years to fund the construction of a new water intake and water treatment plant to serve Columbia Power and Water Systems’ customers. The new intake is permitted by the state’s regulatory department to withdraw up to 32 million gallons of water per day from the river, 12 million gallons more than the current intake.

While Maury County residents said the new rates will place extreme strain on the finances of already struggling families and residents with fixed incomes, the utility’s leaders said the 20% raise per year represents the worst-case scenario, and annual hikes will likely fall below that cap. State officials said the new intake had been under consideration for at least a decade and is the most advanced of all of the proposed solutions in terms of permitting, public hearings and state approvals. 

The project’s permit is among several included in a settlement over environmental protections between the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, and state regulators. The settlement requires the utilities to follow an updated drought management plan approved by the state’s Department of Environment and Conservation and set goals to limit the amount of water allowed to leak from the utilities’ systems.

Spring Hill Naming Opportunities (MSM)

The City of Spring Hill is currently seeking its residents’ input on two large new municipal projects: giving family-friendly names to its four new “sludge trucks” and helping to shape the character and programming of the new city library.

Help name the “sludge trucks”

The city has purchased four sludge-hauling trailers to transport wastewater byproduct instead of hiring it out to a disposal company. Personnel will haul the sludge from the Kedron Road wastewater plant to the Cedar Ridge Landfill in Lewisburg. The city expects to save about $275,000 this way each year.

“Now comes the fun part. Last year, we hosted the ‘Name-a-Snowplow’ contest and it was a huge hit. This year, we need your help in naming these four new trailers!” the city announced in a press release. “Yes, we are aware this could go completely off the rails[, so] please keep the names FAMILY-FRIENDLY. City Staff will vote on their favorite submissions and the winners will receive a prize!”

Name-a-Trailer ideas are due by Jan. 30. The submission form can be filled out online at springhilltn.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/1606.

Input on new library

The Spring Hill Library wants people’s input on the design, services and programs that could be offered at their new library facility. The survey closes on Saturday, Jan. 24.

“As we think about what a new library building could mean for our community, we’re asking for your insights!” reads a press release from the library. “Take a few minutes to complete our online survey or attend an in-person session and you’ll help shape future programs, spaces, and services offered at the Spring Hill Public Library.”

To give your opinions, fill out the online form at springhilltn.org/m/newsflash/home/detail/1607.

Estep Inducted in Baseball Coach HOF (MSM)

For someone who didn’t aspire to become a coach, Richie Estep has become a pretty good one.

Further confirmation of that came Saturday, when the 11th-year Columbia Academy mentor was inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame during its annual awards luncheon at the Cool Springs Marriott.

“It wasn’t a dream of mine. It wasn’t something I as a kid wanted to do,” said the 50-year-old, a 1993 CA graduate who played collegiately at Lipscomb University. “I was a shy kid, didn’t talk a lot, didn’t think I could be that kind of leader.”

Playing for Ken Dugan and Mel Brown and beginning his coaching career under Jeff Forehand at Goodpasture – each of whom preceded Estep as TBCA Hall of Fame inductees – convinced him that an engineering career wasn’t the path he desired.

“Coach Dugan was going to let me hit and pitch. He was the only one,” Estep recalled. “Most colleges, once you get to college you’ve got to pick one. I had other bigger schools calling, but I wanted to hit and pitch, and he gave me my chance to do that.

“Coach Brown was the first one that just really believed in me and threw me out there and said ‘you’re going to lead this team.’ He was tough and made us tougher. I thought the world of him.”

Estep worked under Forehand at Goodpasture before succeeding him in 2001 and winning four state championships with the Cougars in 14 seasons.

“Coach Forehand – I learned more about how to run practices and how to treat players and get players to play for you, to work on the little things every single day,” he said regarding the current Lipscomb University coach. 

“The structure of my practice plan is still just like Jeff’s back in the day. I’ve added my own touch, but I do follow that structure. I still talk to him. He means the world to me.”

Despite the influence of Hall of Famers, the transition wasn’t always clear-cut for Estep.

“I was so intimidated to take over even for Jeff. I didn’t know if I was going to put my name in the hat,” he said. “I was probably the third or fourth choice Goodpasture had back when I was 24.

“I just liked it too much. I figured it out at some point in my college career and I was like ‘I think I like this game, I want to be around it.’ I played right field, I played first base, I hit, I pitched. I had to get every rep in college at all those positions. I loved every minute of it and I was like, ‘I want to be around this as long as I can if I can’t play it. I’m thankful I figured it out. I enjoy being around this game every day.”

Returning to his high school alma mater following the 2014 season, Estep has added another three state titles to his résumé – including back-to-back Division II-A championships over the past two years – while compiling a 753-205 record over 25 total seasons. His teams have claimed 20 district titles and made 14 state tournament appearances, while winning 30 or more games on 15 occasions.

Estep was inducted along with two other coaches currently working at their high school alma maters – Montgomery Central’s Todd Dunn and Geff Davis from Gibbs.

“It doesn’t seem real. It doesn’t seem like I’m old enough to be in it,” Estep said. “I’m still right in the middle of the grind.

“To be in such a distinguished group is incredible; it’s amazing. I’m humbled and honored.”

The TBCA also recognized its 2025 Phil Clark Coaches of the Year, including Estep in Division II-A, Eagleville’s Brandon Bassham in Class 1A and Lipscomb Academy’s Brad Coon in DII-AA. TBCA 2025 Players of the Year included Columbia Academy’s Gunner Skelton (DII-A), Lipscomb’s Jack Dugan (DII-AA) and Eagleville’s Brady Burns (Class 1A).

Additionally, the organization’s Jim Painter Lifetime Achievement Award – presented in honor of the legendary Columbia State baseball coach – was presented to retired Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association assistant executive director Gene Menees.

CSCC Get $2M AI Grant (Press Release)

Columbia State Community College was recently awarded a federal grant that will help establish and support a new AI division.

Columbia State was the only community college in Tennessee to receive the four-year funding from the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The funds total $2.02 million for AI in higher education.

The funding will help develop an initiative called COMPASS: Community College Operational Model for Promoting AI Student Success. COMPASS will serve in the creation of the new AI division and is designed to build institutional capacity for artificial intelligence while ensuring students gain practical AI literacy skills.

“Columbia State continually reviews its programs and services to provide an educational institution and environment that provides our students with the skills and knowledge needed for their careers or professions, both today and tomorrow,” said Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State president. “AI understanding and use are required for all fields or careers. This grant establishes us as an AI cutting-edge institution, integrating artificial intelligence throughout our curriculums and services. We are excited and honored to be selected.”

The initiative includes faculty training, the integration of AI tools across academic programs and student services, and required AI literacy modules that will reach more than 1,200 first-year students each year.

“This grant positions Columbia State to lead in AI education and workforce preparation,” said Dr. Mehran Mostajir, Columbia State dean of the Business and Technology Division and assistant professor of Engineering Systems Technology. “What we build here can serve as a model for community colleges nationwide.”

COMPASS focuses on developing human capital, essential for economic competitiveness while creating open-access resources and implementation guides so community colleges nationwide can replicate the model and responsibly adopt AI in ways that support student success and workforce readiness.

“This grant will allow Columbia State to do important, long-term work around artificial intelligence that directly supports our students, faculty and staff,” said Patrick McElhiney, Columbia State director of grants. “It gives us the opportunity to strengthen the college itself while supporting innovation in teaching, student support, and workforce preparation. We’re grateful for the partners who helped make this possible, including Maury Alliance, Williamson Inc., the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Maury County Public Schools, Williamson County Schools, GM Spring Hill and Tractor Supply Company. Their support reflects a shared commitment to preparing our communities for what’s next, and we’re excited to put this funding to work in a way that benefits students, educators and employers alike.”

“This investment in AI programming is a win for students, employers and our regional economy,” said Nathan Zipper, Williamson, Inc. chief economic development officer. “We were proud to support the college securing this grant, which will expand access to AI education and ensure students are prepared for the skills employers need now and in the years ahead.”

For details on programs offered by Columbia State’s Business and Technology Division, visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/academics/business-and-technology or email BusTech@Columbiastate.edu. 

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…

Thomas “Tom” Allen Anderson, 61, resident of Columbia, died January 14, 2026 at his residence.

Funeral services will be conducted Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Rev. Stephen Souls and Rev. Dedra Campbell officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Sunday, January 25, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Mayor Dean Dickey, a devoted public servant, respected business leader, and lifelong advocate for his community, passed away on January 8, 2026.

Mayor Dickey’s family will receive friends January 22, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at First Family Church in Columbia, Tennessee. Friends can visit prior to the service from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., January 23, 2026 at First Family Church.

Carl Edward Woodall, 88, died Sunday, January 18, 2026 at his residence in Columbia.

A graveside service will be conducted Thursday, January 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM at Santa Fe Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. The family will visit with friends Thursday from 12:00 noon until 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Betty Jo Prince Clark, 90, retired employee of JCPenny, and resident of the Sawdust Community, passed away peacefully Monday, January 19, 2026 at her home surrounded by her loving family.

Funeral services will be conducted Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 10:30 A.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Wednesday from 4:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Beverly Biffle Collins, 90, a former resident of Columbia, died Sunday, January 11, 2026 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 1:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. 

Martha Ruth Foster Luster, 96, passed away on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at her daughter’s residence in Culleoka.

Funeral services will be conducted Friday, January 23, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Friendship Cemetery in Culleoka. The family will visit with friends Friday from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Now, news from around the state…

Mining Investment in Tennessee (Tennessean)

Tennessee is set to receive its largest capital investment ever as Korea Zinc plans a massive $7.4 billion build‑out of Middle Tennessee's historic mining and refining operations — a project that experts say could reshape the state’s economy and strengthen U.S. efforts to reduce dependence on China for critical minerals.

The Seoul‑based company, working with the U.S. government, will build a new refinery and base its U.S. headquarters at the Clarksville smelter it is acquiring from Nyrstar. It also intends to take over the nearby Middle Tennessee zinc‑mining complex in Smith County and reopen the long-dormant Gordonsville mine with another new refining center as part of the project.

Since the investment was announced Dec. 15, the deeper significance is coming into focus: it represents a key U.S.-backed effort to restore domestic critical‑minerals processing, bolster national security and rebuild the industrial base after decades of offshoring.

The deal positions the region at the center of America’s push to reduce its reliance on China for the metals that underpin defense systems, semiconductor manufacturing and electric vehicles.

“It’s a transformational deal,” Tennessee Chamber of Commerce CEO Josh Brown said. “It’s the confidence that the (Trump) administration has in Tennessee … and the confidence that the Korean economy has in Tennessee.”

South Korean firms have been the state’s top foreign direct investors since 2019, putting roughly $7.2 billion to work here in that period, Brown said.

"Tennessee offers a compelling combination of a highly skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure and strong collaboration at both state and local levels, making it an ideal location for this project,” said Korea Zinc Chairman Yung B. Choi in a statement.

The project, expected to create 740 jobs, will process critical minerals, known as rare earths, that serve as the building blocks for budding technology. 

“This is one of the (Trump) administration’s critical investments,” said Babak Hafezi, founder of Hafezi Capital International Consulting and professor at American University. Rare earth minerals are “a very, very critical component of our resiliency in terms of being able to self-determine."

Through its investment in African mines, China has dominated the global supply chain in recent years, with a market share of over 70%, accounting for roughly 60% of the mining output worldwide. The country commands 91% of global production of rare earths, according to the International Energy Agency. 

While China prioritizes its rare earths through other countries, President Donald Trump is attempting to nearshore, or domestically expand, its U.S. production capabilities with hopes to gain a competitive edge. 

"In the past few decades, the U.S. kind of gave up on both extraction of raw earth materials and, most importantly, processing, which is a second component of it,” Hafezi said. "So, we gave up our hegemonic power as it relates to rare earth minerals to China."

Korea Zinc will refurbish the Middle Tennessee mine complex, formerly owned by Dutch mining company Nyrstar, and build two refining facilities. The Smith County deposit carries three interconnected mines: the Cumberland Mine, Elmwood Mine and Gordonsville Mine and Mill.

Notably, former Vice President Al Gore and his family owned farmland in Smith County with mineral rights leased for zinc mining from the 1960s onward.

In 1983, the Elmwood-Gordonsville mine produced 109,958 metric tons of zinc, the most in the country. 

State business leaders cast the project as validation of Tennessee’s workforce pipeline, Middle Tennessee's accessibility to the wider southeast region and longstanding ties with Korean companies.

"Korea Zinc’s decision to invest in Tennessee, which marks the single largest investment in state history, reinforces the importance of our strategic global recruitment efforts,” Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter said.

Brown said that Korean companies have been investing meaningfully in Tennessee for 30 years.

“I think it’s kind of built on itself over time and those longstanding relationships have paid huge dividends,” Brown said. 

As the company moves toward rare earth production in 2030, Brown, who serves on the Tennessee State Workforce Development Board, said building a skilled workforce to complement the investment is a priority. 

“In the past, I think education has had an approach that said, ‘We’re going to do it a certain way,’ and then employers have had to figure out how to deal with that,” Brown said. “I think now there’s a recognition that the employers really need to drive the conversation in terms of the kinds of workers and the kinds of things that we need taught in the classroom.”

Brown cited LG Chem, another Korean-based company that invested roughly $3.2 billion into the state, announced plans in 2021 to create a new cathode manufacturing facility in Clarksville, spurring 860 new jobs. 

As the company looked to locally source its employees, the company partnered with the regional Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Brown said. LG Chem employees taught classes at the trade school, which allowed students to receive a certification in a particular skill that directly translated into LG Chem’s employment needs. 

Brown expects a similar tailored education program to happen for Korea Zinc’s roll out. 

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

The Kiwanis Annual Yard Sale is set for Saturday, February 28th, 2026, at 8am at the Memorial Building (308 W 7th St, Columbia, TN 38401).

You can also get a jump start on your spring cleaning by donte unwated, gently-used household items. Items not accepted clothes, TVs, sleeper sofas, computers, printers and monitors.

Drop off items February 27 from 1pm – 4pm or February 28 from 8am – 12pm. For more information, call Dwaine Beck at 931-334-3870 or Jan McKeel at 931-446-4845.

For more information, check out the Kiwanis Annual Yard Sale Facebook page.