Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 1-5-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for January 5, 2026

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

We start with local news…

Missing Juvenile (MauryCountySource)

The Columbia Police Department is trying to locate a 17-year-old runaway juvenile, Melena Driver.

Driver was last seen on December 31st, 2025, in the area of Napa Valley Way. Driver is 5’02” tall and weighs 120 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Any person with additional information that may assist in this or any other investigation is encouraged to contact Columbia Police Department Dispatch (24 hours) at 931-388-2727, Maury County Crime stoppers at 931-381-4900, or Columbia Police SAFE Tip Email to SafeTips@ColumbiaTN.gov

Maury Alliance Looks To 2026 Growth (CDH)

Maury County is poised to enter 2026 with an active roster of projects, with nearly 400 new jobs anticipated, according to The Maury Chamber & Economic Alliance's latest report.

Maury Alliance President Wil Evans presented the company's quarterly report to Columbia City Council, which he said totals to approximately $373 million in capital investments.

One trend for 2025 has also been more businesses choosing to relocate to the county, or approximately 59% compared to 41% expansions of existing businesses.

"That has gone up a little bit but is still way above the trend that we've seen over the last few years where we've seen 80% of our pipeline be new businesses as opposed to existing industries looking to expand," Evans said.

The cost of living, according to third-quarter 2025 numbers, showed a decrease overall, though Evans said "the trend tends to ebb and flow with the national average."

Unemployment remains between 3-4% overall, which Evans said has been the trend, though the numbers could change due to the temporary shutdown at General Motors in Spring Hill, which is estimated to put about 700 employees out of work as the facility revamps its manufacturing from January to May of 2026.

"We are still hovering around that 3-4% where we have been over the last few years, and we will continue to monitor that trend closely with some of the news we have heard in Spring Hill," Evans said.

Evans also said Maury Alliance's finances have exceeded its goals, showing a 22% increase in its budget funding for economic development.

"The city of Columbia is a generous investor in the work we do for economic development in the community," Evans said. "We have just over $1.1 million in annual commitment to fund our work over the next five years. We did exceed our goal of $1 million annually but have a couple more [investors] that may come on toward the very end."

The year 2025 also launched Maury Alliance's Advanced Manufacturing Industry Council, which Evans said consists of members in the manufacturing industry to "better identify opportunities to create better alignment and programming to help the workforce."

Maury Alliance also created its own Health Care Council this year.

"If you look at the business sectors in Maury County, manufacturing and health care are two of the largest sectors," Evans said. "Those are the first groups we wanted to stand up with our Align Maury program."

Evans said Maury Alliance exceeded its five-year fundraising goal entering 2026, which has set up other opportunities for the organization as part of its Cohesive Community Vision.

"There is a lot of growth going on in the county, which is great, but we understand there is a lot of different concerns and issues that are a result of that," Evans said.

"We see ourselves as sort of that neutral catalyst that really brings the community together, to get everybody on the same page and really try to develop a true vision for where we want to move forward as a community as a whole.

"That's really going to drive our work to make sure the work we are doing to grow the economy is in line with the community. That's a really big focus for us."

Woman Charged with Stealing at Assisted Living Facility (MauryCountySource)

The former office manager of Sapphire of Music City assisted living facility is jailed in lieu of $410,000 bond following her arrest Tuesday night in Maury County on multiple felony charges related to the theft of thousands of dollars from two elderly residents at Sapphire.

Katie Michelle Esparza, 36, of Columbia, worked at the facility from April 2023 to August of this year. Two residents of the facility, ages 72 and 75, both of whom are in memory care, gave control of their debit cards to Esparza for payment of monthly rent expenses. Esparza resigned after being asked by Sapphire’s new director to provide an accounting of patient finances.

A subsequent audit and investigation by the MNPD’s Fraud Unit showed that Esparza used the 75-year-old victim’s debit card and banking information to initiate 35 Venmo money transfer transactions totaling $17,610 from his account to her personal account. Subpoenaed Venmo records also revealed that Esparza attempted 135 cash withdrawals totaling $77,220 from the 75-year-old’s account. Those attempted transactions were rejected. Esparaza is also accused of using the 75-year-old’s debit card without authorization on 18 occasions to cover $899 in her personal expenses.

The investigation also led to video evidence showing that Esparza used the 72-year-old’s debit card to withdraw $1,500 from an ATM without authorization.

The charges against Esparza include money laundering, theft, financial exploitation, credit card fraud, computer fraud, and identity theft.

Rep. Cepicky Calls for Presidential Fitness Test (CDH)

Tennessee students might soon find themselves running, stretching and competing for the iconic Presidential Fitness Award once again.

State Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, filed House Bill 1466 to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test to public schools across Tennessee, according to a Dec. 19 legislative press release.

The proposal follows a July 31 executive order by President Donald Trump reviving the long-dormant national fitness assessment, which was established in 1956 and discontinued in the 2012-13 school year.

"Physical fitness is vital to improving the well-being of children across the Volunteer State," Cepicky said in the announcement. "Students will once again get to experience the healthy competition and patriotism associated with the time-honored Presidential Fitness Test."

The Presidential Fitness Test was introduced by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and became a rite of passage for generations of American students. The test typically included a one-mile run, pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups, a shuttle run and a sit-and-reach flexibility test.

Students can receive the Presidential Fitness Award if they meet the parameters set forth by the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

Under the proposed legislation, the Tennessee Department of Education will provide guidance to local education agencies and public charter schools on the requirements associated with the test. Performance on the test will not negatively impact a student's grade in any class, and students with an individualized education program (IEP) will be provided with reasonable accommodations and will not be required to test if they are unable to do so safely.

Nearly 40% of Tennessee students were overweight or obese in the 2023-24 academic year, according to a report from the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Department of Education.

"President Trump wants every young American to have the opportunity to emphasize healthy, active lifestyles -- creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July.

Cepicky passed a new law in May to increase recess time for Tennessee students from 15 minutes per day to at least 40, promoting a more productive school day and encouraging additional physical activity.

The second session of the 114th General Assembly begins Jan. 13.

Taylor’s Landing Residents Protest Apartment (MSM)

A group of residents of Taylor Landing are contesting half of an apartment complex intended for a vacant lot in their neighborhood.

The Columbia City Council reintroduced the resolution two months after a failed vote on the matter, which was challenged on procedural grounds by the counsel for the opposing homeowners in Taylor Landing.

The initiative to build an apartment complex on the site at Taylor Landing, a suburb in north Columbia, has been in the works for about two decades, in which time the previous Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the project expired.

The planned Waters Edge at Taylor Landing apartment complex consists of two complexes on either side of Taylor Bend Road. One has already been approved, an apartment complex consisting entirely of residential units. The other five-acre parcel would feature five apartment buildings containing 82 apartments, 12 townhouses and amenities — including a pool, dog park and administrative offices — which would serve the residents of both complexes.

Representatives of the developer met several times with residents of Taylor Landing to listen to their concerns about the design and ended up removing 41 housing units from the initial draft. The final, 94-unit version of the second complex came before a six-person Columbia city council in October and failed to pass in a 2-2 vote with two abstentions.

Some residents of Taylor Landing have strongly opposed the development, and they bring the support of many of their neighbors. Joshua Moore, who attends the city council meetings when Taylor Landing’s issues come up, brought a petition with more than 200 signatures to the December meeting, asking the city council to reject the development again.

Mareva Walsh brought up the lack of provision for traffic safety, especially the lack of stoplights where Taylor Landing’s outgoing roads intersect with major thoroughfares, and the prospect of adding hundreds of non-homeowners to a neighborhood whose infrastructure and considerable amenities are paid for by the homeowners’ association.

“We’ve already had repairs done at the cost of our own homeowners enjoying the amenities,” she said, which include parks, pavilions and soccer fields. “I can’t imagine having 300-600 more people accessing our amenities without it costing them anything [in HOA dues].”

“The increased HOA costs… [would] place an undue financial burden on the homeowners… and [Waters Edge] does not fit in with the existing landscape of Taylor Landing,” said Christy Daus. “It also goes against the city’s own Vision 238 plan… The City of Columbia does not need any more build-to-rent structures.”

Howard Todd, another resident, said he found no reason to “oppose” the development even if he wasn’t exactly a “supporter.” He sympathized with the developers’ incentives to build on the property, pointed out that there are other rentals in Taylor Landing, and praised the developer representatives for taking residents’ input seriously and removing 41 housing units from the initial plan.

“I do not oppose that development. I think it would actually help us, potentially, [to redevelop the] Nashville Highway just outside our property,” he said.

“There’s been a narrative that there’s a groundswell of support against this community, and that’s not true… It’s more like a crusade,” said Michael Schmidlen who showed up to the December meetings to claim that the petitioners don’t speak for the whole neighborhood. Some Taylor Landing residents — he didn’t say how many — are favorable to the second half of the complex, and consider it an aesthetic and developmental improvement on what’s now a vacant, overgrown lot. “Mr. Gamble and [other developer representatives] have been nothing but straightforward with us… I don’t think there’s any more that could be expected of them.”

Joshua Moore agreed that the property is currently overgrown and unsightly, and he had filed complaints about it to the city and followed their progress. He claimed that the city had given a violation notice to the owners in August, but then withdrew it in September just before the project came before the Planning Commission.

Moore found fault with other instances of the city’s handling of Waters Edge deliberation records. The video of the September planning commission, at which Moore stated his technical and procedural concerns with the development, is not posted on the city site, and he later complained that his comments weren’t adequately recorded in the written minutes of that meeting. He also said the city hadn’t responded to his records requests in seven business days, which under state law constitutes a legal denial of the request.

Procedural challenge and officials’ rebuttals

Local attorney Dustin Kittle submitted a letter to the city council on behalf of the opposed residents, objecting to the “procedural deficiencies” of reconsidering the Waters Edge Development. He contends the current agenda item is legally void because it was reintroduced at the voting meeting in November after it failed in October. Robert’s Rules of Order, by which Columbia’s City Council is supposed to abide, require a city councilor to “reconsider” a resolution during the meeting where it first failed. A new Waters Edge resolution, on Kittle’s reading, must wait another year and then pass the city planning commission to reach the city council again.

“We are simply asking for clarity on what [legal or parliamentary] authority allows reconsideration at a meeting 1-3 months later after a failed vote at a prior meeting,” Moore said at the November meeting.

“If an ordinance receives a negative vote, then no subsequent considerations follow, regardless of whether it’s the first hearing or the second,” said Paul Keltner, Columbia’s Director of Development Services, in an email sent to Moore on Nov. 5.

Kittle also claimed other factors are disqualifying. The timestamps on the city website show that the final version of the Nov. 13 agenda was posted just before 4 p.m. on the day before the meeting, and the final Dec. 11 agenda was posted the afternoon of the meeting. If these were the first times at which the agenda items were posted, it would constitute inadequate notice under state law: TN Code § 8-44-110 (2024) mandates that agendas must be published “[a]t least forty-eight (48) hours prior to a regular meeting,” and inadequate notice would nullify the proceedings. At the time of this publication, the city still had not answered Joshua Moore’s Nov. 18 request for the “agenda logs” for the Nov. 13 meeting, which would show the history of when and how the city posted and amended the meeting agenda.

Reintroducing Waters Edge also wasn’t on the agenda for, and didn’t get discussed at, the city council’s Nov. 6 study session. The agenda item also says reconsideration was “request[ed] by council members [Carl] McCullen and [Cheryl] Secrest,” which, Kittle said, looks like a possible violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act’s prohibition on councilors discussing city business outside of public meetings.

During the Nov. 13 meeting, Columbia City Attorney Jake Hubbell defended the city’s actions on these counts.

First, he said he had been informed that the item was placed on the agenda at least three days before the meeting, and the November resolution to bring the project back to consideration didn’t require as much public notice as the project resolution itself would.

Second, Hubbell argued, Keltner was right to tell Moore that the developer-initiated approval attempt wouldn’t return for “subsequent considerations,” i.e., second reading, because the reconsideration led by the city council would start again at first reading.

Finally, Hubbell cited statute 8.5.18.K in the city zoning ordinance to prove that the city council and the planning commission are the only entities with the power to bring back a failed “zoning ordinance amendment” like the Waters Edge PUD without a year’s delay.

“The zoning ordinance provides that if a motion or ordinance is defeated, it can’t be brought back for a year, unless initiated by council. So this council has the right to bring that back to look at again,” he said. “If you want to get into Robert’s Rules of Order, a motion to reconsider is done at the same meeting, [but] you can renew a motion at a later meeting. So there’s nothing preventing this council from making a motion tonight to put this back on a December or January agenda.”

Kittle called Hubbell’s distinction between “renewal” and “reconsideration” an “after-the-fact characterization,” and pointed to the wording of the November agenda item, which asks “to have the development… reconsidered.”

“I saw things I didn’t like in the bushes and the woods [at Taylor Landing]… [It looked] like homeless people had been in there,” said Ward 1 Councilman Carl McCullen, to explain why he voted yes for Waters Edge in December after abstaining from the vote in October. “I thought that the project would help that area.”

Ward 3 Councilwoman Cheryl Secrest explained at the December meetings how she decided to reintroduce the measure. At the October meeting she expressed doubts about the development and voted against it, she said, for lack of information, but in the month afterwards she sought further information from officials including Paul Keltner, Columbia City Manager Tony Massey and developer representative Greg Gamble. Based on the satisfactory answers she got, she moved to consider the resolution again.

“[I was] making sure it wasn’t going to be… squeezed in and all jumbled together… The way it’s laid out [turns out to be] pretty good,” she said in the Dec. 4 study session. “It sounds good, it looks good and I think it’s a good thing for the community.”

Secrest received a number of emails about the reintroduced Waters Edge resolution — some favorable, some opposed, and some “not very nice.”

“They said I was sketchy, that I was doing something under the table,” she acknowledged in the December meetings. “Nobody told me to change my mind… [and] I never talked to any other councilor about [changing] my decision… I’m a human being, and I have the choice.”

Maury Alliance Annual Meeting (Press Release)

Join Maury Alliance on Thursday, January 29th, for their most anticipated event of the year, the Maury Alliance Annual Meeting! Celebrate the successes of 2025, honor the transition of their volunteer leadership, and discover their exciting strategic goals for 2026.—all while continuing to commemorate over 100 years of growth, innovation, and community impact in Maury County.  

Enjoy an evening filled with entertainment and networking celebrating business and industry in Maury County with a social hour, elegant dinner and live music.

Purchase tickets now to guarantee a seat at Maury Alliance’s biggest event of the year.

Registration will close January 19 at 5:00 pm. 

Get tickets and learn more by visiting www.mauryalliance.com.

Maury County Clerk Satellite Office (Press Release)

The Maury County Clerk’s office can now help residents with renewals of license plates or placards each Wednesday from 8am to 3:30pm at the Maury County Senior Center located at 1020 Maury County Park Dr.

Please drive around to the back of the building and look for the car tag renewal sign near the back door.

Forms of payment include credit/debit card or check – no cash.

Any Maury County Resident can use this office.

All other transactions will still need to be done through the main office located at 10 Public Square.

Also, you can renew online at TNCountyClerk.com or at kiosks in Spring Hill City Hall or Mt. Pleasant Courthouse.

Now, news from around the state…

Bridgestone to Celebrate 30 Years (MauryCountySource)

Bridgestone Arena will celebrate 30 years in Music City in 2026 and announced it will spend the year honoring its iconic memories, moments, and more.

Bridgestone Arena first opened its doors on Dec. 18, 1996, for Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas Show. The evening welcomed 13,000 fans to the holiday event with special guests Gary Chapman, Vince Gill, Michael W. Smith, and CeCe Winans. Including that grand opening, the arena has seen more than 50 million guests walk through its doors to enjoy Nashville Predators hockey, concerts, family shows, and special events like the SEC Basketball Tournament and the Country Music Association Awards.

In 1998, the Nashville Predators debuted, introducing professional hockey to Music City. Bridgestone Arena is home to the franchise’s biggest milestones, and it has hosted some of the National Hockey League’s marquee events, including the NHL Draft (2003, 2023), NHL All-Star Game (2016) and Stanley Cup Final (2017).

In January, Bridgestone Arena will launch a year-long celebration commemorating its 30 years in Music City. Throughout the year, fans can look forward to exclusive giveaways, specialty merchandise, unique events, content and much more as it honors three decades of spectacular moments that happen Only in Smashville.

“We are excited to celebrate 30 years of Bridgestone Arena in 2026,” Bridgestone Arena and Nashville Predators Chief Venues Officer David Kells said. “Since 1996, the arena has been home to incredible live entertainment, shows and of course, unforgettable Predators hockey highlights. Our venue has provided millions of fans memories to last a lifetime and a place they can call home. The world-class sporting events and entertainment that we attract have been a catalyst to help keep downtown Nashville growing, vibrant and active. We are grateful for every day and look forward to 30 more great years at the heart of Broadway and Music City.”

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Columbia Parks and Recreation is inviting older adults to discover a fitness program designed with their specific needs in mind—and it won’t cost a penny to participate.

The Stay Active & Independent for Life (S.A.I.L.) program offers twice-weekly sessions at the Macedonia Recreation Center, led by certified instructor Jen. Taking place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am – 12pm, the classes provide more than just physical exercise—they’re building a community of active seniors committed to maintaining independence and vitality.

S.A.I.L. follows an evidence-based curriculum specifically developed for adults 65 and older. The program addresses the particular challenges this age group faces, focusing on strength building, balance improvement, and confidence enhancement through carefully designed activities.

The Macedonia Recreation Center is located at 501 Armstrong Street.