Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 10-21-26

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for October 21, 2026

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

We start with local news…

NAACP and UAW Candidate Forum (MSM)

Six independent candidates for U.S. Senate and Tennessee Governor answered policy questions on Oct. 10, in a forum hosted by the Maury County NAACP and the Community Action Program of United Auto Workers Local 1853. Several other confirmed candidates were detained by bad weather or other business, including Democratic nominees Jerri Green for governor, Marquita Bradshaw for Senate, and Justin Pearson for Congressional District 9.

Senate candidates

The moderator, Treveontae Martin of Columbia, asked independent Senate candidates Jeremy Hearn, James Macon and Robert Jones for their opinions on economic policy, labor law and unionization, AI and data centers, automation and offshoring, affordability across the board and their political inclinations.

Hearn was most concerned by the results of his research into the devaluation of the dollar, an allegedly stagnant national economy, threats of surveillance, and the federal government’s unaccountability to both checks and balances and financial audits.

“We haven’t had a quorum government since George Bush,” he said. “Every US dollar after the year 2011 has not a single penny… We drained the entire thing.”

Macon, an executive with Stryker, professed concern for the national budget, the influence of big campaign donors, and federal accountability.

“If the money’s getting lost in the federal realm, then that’s a lot of money that could come back to the states that is not,” said Macon, singling out the half a trillion dollars “missing” from Department of Defense audits in the last ten years.

Jones, who runs a veterinary nonprofit, emphasized making the government transparent and accountable to its constituents, and getting the thoughts of the “grassroots” for important policies.

“We want the local communities to ask for help and not just be dictated to. Any economic policy is going to come from that,” he said. “And until we have trust in our government, does [policy] actually matter?”

Jones and Macon agreed that the freedom to unionize was essential to workers’ prosperity and safety.

“The ability to organize is literally the definition of self-determination,” said Macon. “Those are fundamental rights of all U.S. citizens.”

“Unions [keep us from] being dictated to by big business,” said Jones.

All the candidates favored more transparency about the economic, environmental and employment risks posed by offshoring, automation, and especially artificial intelligence and data centers.

“To just let AI and data centers… into Tennessee… [people] just don’t know [the dangers],” Hearn said. “AI has not produced a single thing that’s reliable… [and it facilitates] the freedom to abuse the freedom of others.”

Macon favored the use of AI as a tool for workers, but he also saw profit-sharing as a natural consequence of it. He and Jones suggested tying corporations’ legal and tax benefits to their continued or added employment of American citizens.

“If [we learn that] they’re using the subsidy in a corrupt way, we need to pull that subsidy,” said Jones, “because they are supposed to employ… people… [at] wages that are appropriate.”

“Can we build [goods now manufactured overseas] here?” Macon asked of the national-security benefits of domestic manufacturing. “I don’t think the federal government has taken an active enough role in that.”

For affordability, Macon proposed to push down the costs of elders’ medicine and to expand Medicare and rural hospitals, and to give senior citizens a “property tax vacation.”

“How about we stop going to war? That’d be a start, right? Keep our fuel costs down,” Jones proposed. “[And] the federal government already pays for 43% of all of healthcare right now… If it was done efficiently, we could provide universal healthcare.”

Macon also praised the work being done in Spring Hill, which he said is studied in business schools as an economic success story.

“[Spring Hill] is not only one of the biggest-growing communities from a population standpoint, but from an earnings standpoint: this has one of the highest per capita earnings, for workers or for management, in the entire state of Tennessee,” he told the crowd. “Labor and corporate have worked together to build something that’s completely unique to any other community across the country.”

Three independent candidates for governor, Ray Brown, Dave Seeman and Columbia resident Lauren Pinkston, participated in the second forum.

Brown, a union electrical worker in the Oak Ridge, is running on a platform of judicial and legislative accountability.

“I’ve been telling everybody I’m going to take [state officials] out to the woodshed to straighten them out,” he said of an allegedly corrupt establishment. “We need to tell our legislators, stop making stupid laws… [and] these little backdoor deals.”

Dave Seeman, the Green Party candidate, spoke for preserving and tax-funding common goods, and against cutting taxes or awarding public money to private initiatives branded with the language of “choice.”

“My [Volunteer Plan] makes three main promises,” he said. “The first is to power the future [with] renewable energy[, which] is already cheaper than fossil fuels… The second one is to save the common [natural resources]… [which] are under threat… And the last one is to build [up] the common resources that our community needs.”

Lauren Pinkston professed that she wants to represent politically “independent” Americans, who now outnumber both Democrats and Republicans in Tennessee and the country, and party members who are demoralized by the state of the parties.

“We’re in this situation because the majority of us have been silent… We’re capitalist everywhere except for our government, and we need to have choices,” she said, pointing out that only a third of Tennesseans voted in the last midterm election. “It is independents that have changed the narrative around this race and made it actually competitive.”

The candidates for governor were united in their concern for the wellbeing and prosperity of working families.

“We have an economy now where working families cannot make it,” Pinkston said, and recommended investing the state’s recent ten-figure budget surpluses back into taxpayers. “We have pulled money away from education and from taxpayers. The middle class, the working class is paying for the majority of everything that is running this state right now.”

“We need to rein in the amount of money we give away in those taxes to corporations,” said Seeman, who would only endorse tax breaks to reward successful job-placement and training programs.

“The system penalizes families,” complained Brown. “If you don’t have a family-based system, you don’t have a system at all.”

Part of the challenge, they acknowledged, is due to the state’s unplanned-for growth.

“The state of Tennessee has grown 14 percent over the last decade… [but] we have had zero-percent job growth over the last two years, and very minimal job growth the two years before that,” Pinkston claimed. “The last time that Tennessee was actually a productive society was the 1970s and 1980s [because of car manufacturing]… We need to have that type of vision again for the state and… make sure that the workforce is prepared.”

The candidates were asked where they stand on the political spectrum, and specifically whether Tennessee needs more or less “socialism.” Pinkston warned that without reforms to capitalism, “we’re going to start asking for another system.”

“I used to work in a college of business as a professor [of] business ethics, and my dean at the time liked to call me [names] because we didn’t always align on politics… I said, ‘If we do not teach the next generation how to hold capitalism accountable, you are going to end up with an entire generation that is asking for socialism over capitalism,'” she said. “All I know is that if I’m going to give a third of my paycheck to the government, I want the government to work for me, and you can call me whatever that is.”

“I think that we already embrace a lot of socialist ideas, like libraries… [and] school systems that are publicly funded… The two are not as at odds as people may think,” said Seeman, who left a business he started after his co-founders rejected his plan to hand it over to the workers. “I’m pro-free market, and I’m pro- lots of other ideas that we associate only with capitalism, [but which] are really their own ideas that can exist in both worlds.”

“I lean far right and I lean far left,” said Brown.

Seeman offered to endorse candidates who would pass a two-year moratorium and create an “Environmental Justice Unit” to regulate AI and data centers. Pinkston called for similar reforms and for companies valued at more than $250 million to pay dividends back to the state.

“I’m all for data centers as long as it’s regulated,” Brown said. He suggested creating a data-center park in each grand division of Tennessee.

Elephant Sanctuary Needs Tree Limbs (CDH)

Residents in Middle Tennessee looking to clear out extra branches or tree trimmings from fall yard cleanup have an opportunity to put those materials to good use.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald is inviting them to donate fresh trees, branches, and other vegetation – known as browse – to support the care and enrichment of the elephants who live there, according to a recent news release.

“Something as simple as trimming a tree in your backyard can make a meaningful difference for the elephants,” said Kristy Eaker, senior manager of Elephant Care at The Sanctuary. “These donations give us more opportunities to encourage natural foraging behaviors and provide variety in their daily care. It's also a wonderful way for our community to feel connected to the elephants and the work we do here.”

Browse is an important part of an elephant's natural diet, providing both nutritional and behavioral benefits. In the wild, elephants spend up to 18 hours a day foraging for food like grasses, leaves, and branches. At The Sanctuary, donated browse helps encourage natural behaviors such as stripping leaves, breaking branches and exploring different textures and scents.

"As temperatures begin to cool and elephants spend more time near their heated barns, providing a variety of browse becomes especially valuable," the release states.

Donations are welcomed year-round, with an increased need during the fall and winter months. Many common trees and plants found throughout Middle Tennessee are suitable for donation, including maple, oak, willow, sweet gum, sycamore, mulberry, bamboo and pine.

A complete list of accepted trees and vegetation, along with additional donation information, is available at www.elephants.com/browse.

Donation guidelines

• Branches and trimmings should be as fresh as possible, preferably cut within the past two weeks.

• All donated materials must be free from pesticides and other chemical treatments.

• Limbs, branches, and small logs are welcome. Please do not bring stumps or large tree trunks.

• Donors are encouraged to review the full list of accepted vegetation before dropping off materials.

Browse donations can be dropped off at The Elephant Sanctuary's Elephant Discovery Center, located at 27 East Main St. in Hohenwald. A designated drop-off area is available behind the building, next to the "re-tired" elephant statue.

For large or heavy deliveries, donors are asked to coordinate arrangements in advance by contacting Eaker at Kristy@elephants.com.

Community members are also encouraged to explore the Elephant Discovery Center, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center features educational exhibits about elephants, their care, and conservation. The Sanctuary's elephant habitats are closed to the public, and visitors cannot see or interact with the elephants.

The Elephant Sanctuary is grateful for the continued generosity of the Middle Tennessee community, according to the announcement. Whether donating a few fresh branches or coordinating a larger delivery, local residents can play a meaningful role in providing additional opportunities for the elephants to forage, explore, and engage with their surroundings.

For more information about browse donations, visit www.elephants.com/browse, email elephants@elephants.com, or call 931-796-6500.

Columbia State Transfer Summit (Press Release)

Columbia State Community College's Career, Veteran and Transfer Center welcomed nearly 200 attendees and volunteers to the 2026 Transfer Matters Advising Summit (TMAS 2.0) at the Williamson Campus. The increase in attendance at this year's summit further solidifies the event as a meaningful professional development experience for higher education professionals dedicated to student transfer success.

Held under the theme “Strategic Higher Education: Advising Community College Transfer Students,” TMAS 2.0 brought together academic advisors, transfer coordinators, faculty, deans, recruiters, counselors, and more from public, private, online and out-of-state institutions. The event served as a dynamic platform for strengthening transfer partnerships, exchanging innovative practices and fostering collaboration that supports community college students pursuing bachelor's degrees and beyond.

Building on the success of the inaugural summit, which welcomed more than 150 participants last year, there was significant growth in attendance and engagement with nearly 200 attendees this year. The strong turnout at TMAS 2.0 reflects a shared commitment among institutions to creating seamless transfer pathways and improving student outcomes throughout Tennessee and across the region.

The summit featured an impressive lineup of thought leaders in higher education.

The opening keynote speaker, Dr. Tracy Comer, senior director of Transfer and Veteran Initiatives for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission Academic Affairs and Workforce Alignment, provided valuable insights into statewide transfer initiatives and emphasized the importance of institutional collaboration in advancing student success.

During the luncheon keynote, Dr. Aaron Beshears, Columbia State artificial intelligence program director, explored the emerging role of AI in higher education and highlighted opportunities for AI-driven solutions to enhance advising practices and student support services.

The summit ended with a presentation by Deborah K. Allen, Tennessee Technological University Student Success Center director. Allen showcased Tennessee Tech's Transfer Student Association Program, an initiative inspired by participation in the inaugural TMAS summit. Her presentation offered practical strategies for strengthening student engagement, fostering belonging and creating meaningful support systems for transfer students.

“One goal of the Transfer Matters Advising Summit is to foster a transfer-ready culture among institutions while empowering students through intentional advising, mentoring, and support throughout the transfer process,” said Freda Leslie Pillow, Columbia State Career, Transfer and Veteran Center coordinator and Transfer Matters Advising Summit event coordinator. “The growth of this summit demonstrates the dedication of higher education professionals to creating seamless pathways and opportunities for transfer students.”

Attendees participated in concurrent breakout sessions focused on key academic divisions and student success initiatives, including Science and Mathematics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Health Sciences; Written, Oral and Digital Communications; and Business and Technology.

Throughout the day, participants engaged with colleges, universities and community partners through exhibit hall resource tables designed to encourage networking, information sharing and strategic collaboration.

Sixty representatives provided educational sessions, institutional updates and resource materials that highlighted academic programs, transfer pathways, admissions requirements, scholarship opportunities, enrollment timelines and student support services. Participants left with valuable tools and resources to better assist students navigating the transfer process.

Twenty institutional partners represented at TMAS 2.0 included:

• Austin Peay State University

• Belmont University

• Chamberlain University

• East Tennessee State University

• Fisk University

• Grand Canyon University

• Lane College

• Lipscomb University

• Middle Tennessee State University

• Murray State University

• Tennessee State University

• Tennessee Technological University

• Trevecca Nazarene University

• University of North Alabama

• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

• University of Tennessee, Knoxville

• University of Tennessee at Martin

• University of Tennessee Southern

• University of Memphis

• Western Kentucky University

Community college and grant partners included:

• The Ayers Foundation

• tnAchieves

• Chattanooga State Community College

• Motlow State Community College

• Nashville State Community College

• Pellissippi State Community College

• Volunteer State Community College

• Kentucky Western Community College

Members of the Ayers Foundation, tnAchieves and community colleges around the state serve as mentors, advisors and grant partners connected with university leaders. This connection and understanding of higher education options in Tennessee help students learn and better access information about transfer pathways, academic programs and other vital details. Their support and involvement in the summit and beyond help boost students' opportunities to achieve their goals in higher education.

Beyond the educational offerings, TMAS 2.0 created opportunities for connection and engagement through interactive experiences such as a photo booth and the Premier Green Carpet Film Experience, where participants shared why transfer students should consider attending their institutions.

A special milestone during the event was the unveiling of a new Transfer Matters Advising Summit logo, developed by Columbia State's Office of Communications to commemorate the summit's second anniversary. The refreshed branding symbolizes the continued momentum, growth and collaborative spirit that have become hallmarks of the event.

TMAS continues to serve as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration among institutions committed to removing barriers and expanding educational opportunities for transfer students.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, students who transfer after completing an associate degree graduate at a higher rate, with 71% earning a bachelor’s degree within four years. This reinforces the importance of collaborative initiatives such as TMAS that strengthen transfer pathways and promote student achievement.

For more information about the Transfer Matters Advising Summit, contact the Career, Veteran and Transfer Center by email at fpillow@ColumbiaState.edu. 

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

Mrs. Nancy Susan Cromwell Wiser, 80, a longtime resident of Columbia died Friday, October 9, 2026, at Maury Regional Medical Center. A memorial service will be conducted Friday, October 23, at 5:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. The family will visit with friends from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM at the funeral home.

And now, news from around the state…

Latest Gubernatorial Poll (Tennessean)

A new independent poll found Republican gubernatorial nominee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn took a 12% lead over rival Democratic nominee Jerri Green with 44% support, while Green earned 32%, and independent candidate David Hatley came in at 12%. The remaining 12% were largely undecided, while 1% said they’d support independent Lauren Pinkston.

Blackburn boasted 74% support among Republicans, while Green commanded 88% support among Democrats. Independents broke for Green at 43%, with 20% of independents supporting Hatley and 16% supporting Blackburn.

Polling and research firm Spry Strategies surveyed 635 likely Tennessee voters between Oct. 10 and 16 via a text-to-web survey. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3.89 percentage points.

A plurality of undecided voters surveyed don’t support any of the top four Republican, Democratic and independent candidates for Tennessee governor when forced to choose. Among the 65 likely voters who were undecided, 30% said they support “someone else” over either the Republican or Democratic candidates or the two leading independents in the race.

Of the named candidates, Republican gubernatorial nominee U.S. Sen Marsha Blackburn came out on top among undecided voters, earning 25% total support. Just behind her was independent David Hatley, who garnered 21%. Then came Democrat Jerri Green with 19% support, followed by independent Lauren Pinkston.

No gubernatorial campaign has reported expenditures with Spry Strategies this election cycle. The firm's clients include Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, the Tennessee House and Senate Republican caucuses and U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett.

While Tennessee has in recent election cycles skewed strongly Republican, and the poll is engineered to reflect the voter base, respondents seemed skewed somewhat to the right: About 53% of respondents identified as Republicans and 19% identified as independents, while 23% identified as Democrats. Nearly 57% of respondents lived in rural or small towns, and 83% of respondents identified as moderate to very conservative.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

We are losing the last piece of Opryland theme park history. General Jackson Showboat announced that it will close in December. The last cruise will take place on December 15th.

In a statement from Opry Entertainment Group, they shared, “After an extensive evaluation, we have decided to retire the General Jackson Showboat due to ongoing maintenance challenges that have impacted its operating schedule. For many years, the General Jackson has offered visitors a unique way to connect with Nashville, and we are grateful to the teams who brought the experience to life. 

The General Jackson was launched into the Ohio River in Indiana and began its journey to the Cumberland River in 1985. According to the General Jackson’s website, its official birthday is July 2, 1985, the date Mrs. Thelma Gaylord christened the boat.