Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 11-13-25

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for November 13, 2025

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

We start with local news…

Spring Hill Fire (MauryCountySource)

Spring Hill firefighters say a resident’s fast response stopped a potentially serious kitchen fire Tuesday afternoon in the Churchill Farms subdivision.

Fire crews arrived within five minutes to find the blaze already extinguished. Officials said the resident used a fire blanket to smother a grease fire before it spread.

This marks the second kitchen fire in two days for the department. Fire officials are reminding residents of the following key safety reminders:

– Never leave your cooking items unattended on the stove top

– Have a Fire Extinguisher or Fire Blanket in your kitchen

– Ensure your smoke alarm batteries have been replaced and you check your alarm monthly

–Smoke alarms need replacing every 10 years

Water Main Closes School (MauryCountySource)

Columbia Central High School dismissed students early Wednesday afternoon after a water main break disrupted service on campus.

All after-school activities and sports were also canceled. School officials thanked families for their understanding as crews worked to resolve the issue.

Former Herald Publisher Passes (CDH)

The journalism world is mourning the loss of Keith William Ponder, The Columbia Daily Herald's former publisher who died Monday, Nov. 10.

Ponder, 63, passed away at North Mississippi Medical Center, leaving a legacy of more than 40 years in the newspaper industry, beginning as an advertising account executive at the Oskaloosa Daily Herald in his native state of Iowa.

Ponder would later serve in numerous leadership roles, from publisher to senior vice president, division manager and chief revenue officer, though always with a gusto for truth and integrity as a mentor and loyal colleague.

"The journalism industry has shifted and evolved in significant ways over the decades, the Internet and modern world not always being kind to it; to Keith, though, the industry remained more imperative than ever," his obituary reads. "He viewed newspapers as pillars for every community at the local, regional and national level, and a way for readers to navigate and commemorate the important moments in their lives."

As a man whose career took him around the country, Ponder kept a strong love for the ones he worked with, his obituary said quoting him as saying, “I am proud of [my teams] and the work we did. We never lost sight of our mission. At our core, our role is to connect, protect and celebrate the community.”

In addition to his work in the news world, Ponder was also a staunch man of faith, serving as an administrative council member and chair of the staff parish and building committee for the Glasgow First United Methodist Church.

His final years turned a focus on personal health, becoming an active walker, with progress and bettering himself and others at the top of his list of priorities.

"Keith was a consummate list maker, filling up hundreds if not thousands of legal pads and reporter’s notebooks, each containing pages upon pages of his New York Times Spelling Bee notes (he earned the title of 'genius' most mornings) interspersed with personal lists — lists of places he wanted to travel to, lists of his favorite family vacations, lists of memorable life events past, present and future," his obituary reads. "He was an organized, methodical, Type A personality who loved to look to the bigger picture and to dive deep into the nitty-gritty details."

As a "larger-than-life" personality, Ponder will be remembered at not just one, but two celebrations of life. The first will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23 at the First United Methodist Church in Glasgow, Kentucky, 500 S. Green Street.

The following service will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Saint Luke's Methodist Church, 501 E. 19th St. in Newton, Iowa.

Those who knew Ponder are encouraged to share any photos or stories of him for use at his celebration of life events and in a memorial newspaper in his honor by emailing keithpondermemorial@gmail.com.

Veteran’s Day Parade (CDH)

Columbia celebrated its third annual Veterans Day Parade Tuesday, honoring local service men and women in downtown.

And as is tradition, the parade kicked off at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month.

The parade was created initially by former Columbia Mayor Dean Dickey, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean War.

"This is something that Mayor Dickey wanted before he stopped being the mayor," Vice Mayor Randy McBroom said. "He wanted to have this day designated for veterans, because he believed in the service they gave to our community."

And while the turnout isn't necessarily on par with the thousands of spectators at events like the Mule Day Parade, McBroom said the city will continue to support its Veterans Day Parade and its potential for growth.

"We want to figure out a way to make it bigger, and the people who come out enjoy it," McBroom said. "And when you are here, you enjoy it. It is a good vibe, and something we need."

The Well Sees Spike in Needy (CDH)

Multiple hardships have led to a sharp increase in need at The Well food pantry in Spring Hill, including the prolonged government shutdown, recent General Motors and Ultium Cells furloughs, plus a growing population in Maury County.

Shelly Sassen, The Well Ministries Spring Hill CEO, said the culmination of the events has led to "a perfect storm," affecting families and the pantry, even compared to COVID furloughs and layoffs.

The pantry has seen an 80% increase during the first week of November, Sassen said.

Because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds paused in November, leaving many vulnerable.

According to the Tennessee Department of Human Services, 7,226 individuals in Maury County received SNAP benefits in September.

General Motors announced in October it would be temporarily laying off 700 employees at the Ultium Cell battery plant in Spring Hill starting in January. This is due to the automaker's plans to temporarily readjust its production facility away from electronic vehicles.

"If we have that, plus the furloughed workers and these other workers who are going to be laid off at GM and Ultium, it is like the perfect storm for The Well," Sassen said. "It's kind of like COVID all over again, but it's worse because it just happened at full force."

In October, The Well serviced 2,300 families, and is now serving an estimated 3,500 in November, if not higher, Sassen said.

For people like Jeff and Jennifer Swing of Beechcraft, located near Manchester, Tennessee, SNAP benefits were a necessity to ensure they would get enough food for the month.

Jennifer faces multiple health issues, including kidney failure and an irregular heartbeat, which require a specialist. Her health has kept her from working. After losing their SNAP benefits, which they said totaled $106 per month, the Swings had no other choice but to seek help from others.

"I am the only one in the household that gets an income, and she has kidney failure and can't work," Jeff said. "We got insurance through Obamacare, but her deductibles are so high that it's still hard for her to get to the specialist she needs to go to."

Jeff added that the rising cost of groceries has also impacted their monthly budget.

"We went from having less than $200 worth of groceries to last me and her all month to now costing us between $350-$400, just for the same things we've always been getting," Jeff said. "It's hard to find help, and we don't really know how to ask because we've never had to.

"We hope someone can finally figure it all out for us. That's all we can pray for."

With the influx of new clients and more to be expected as the weeks continue into November, The Well is focused on meeting each individual's and family's needs.

Though that doesn't mean the nonprofit couldn't use a little help itself. Sassen said she's thankful for the increase in donations but is concerned about the continued need to stock the pantry.

"Food, funding and volunteers are the three things," Sassen said. "Food is always important, and funding because we can buy three times the amount of food if they donate to us versus if they give us food. We buy from a food bank and can get it 30 cents on the dollar."

Today and tomorrow, The Well will partner with WKOM/WKRM for a two-day radio Hope for the Hungry Thanksgiving Radiothon fundraiser, with a goal to raise $75,000.

"The first day will be an eight-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to have people call in to help feed our families during November," Sassen said. "Then on Friday the 14th, we will be doing a remote broadcast at Kroger off Port Royal. Families can stop by and donate food from Kroger, donate funding by walking up to the radio station, or call in and donate online."

For more information about The Well Outreach, its two locations in Spring Hill and Mt. Pleasant or to donate online, visit www.TheWellOutReach.org

Country Classroom (MSM)

Nancy Delk, chairwoman of the women’s branch of the Maury County Farm Bureau, led a tour of the Farm Bureau’s annual “Country Classroom” day recently.

Approximately 1,000 fourth-graders, from Maury County’s public and private schools, came out to the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension campus between Spring Hill and Columbia.

After a “Rally ‘Round the Flag,” a prayer, and the national anthem sung by the Columbia Academy Chorus, the students were taken around to 15 “stations” where they learned about the activities that can make up the life of a farmer. Young students who might not otherwise experience farm life learned about raising cattle for dairy, keeping honey bees, managing the soil, and the technology and skills needed for modern agriculture.

“They need to learn that farmers aren’t just guys in straw hats,” Delk said. “They have to know how high-tech things are.”

C.O.W.B.O.Y. Up, a local organization that works for suicide prevention, gave a short talk on the virtues needed to farm, like honesty and work ethic. The organization also gives annual talks to seventh-graders in Maury County Public Schools on the more mature topics of suicide prevention. According to a 2020 study, farmers are 3.5 times more likely than the general population to attempt suicide, and almost half of those that do are retirement-age.

Another crisis that faces farmers in Middle Tennessee is the aging-out of the population and subsequent selling of farmland. Farmers find few young people interested in their trade, not even many of their own children, and are under pressure to sell their property to developers who offer a premium price.

“We lose 10 acres an hour in the state of Tennessee to development,” said Delk, who operates a 1,000-acre farm on the Duck River (part of a land grant to a Revolutionary War soldier) with her husband and son. “It’s important that our children learn the importance of profitable farming, to at least give them that experience, of how much intense hard work [it takes] to get food to their table.”

Most profitable farming in Tennessee right now looks like raising cattle, corn and soybeans to sell to massive processors, many in North Alabama. Regional soybeans get sent to the Bunge plant in Decatur, Ala. Granaries like Tennessee Valley Commodities in Lawrenceburg also buy much of local farmers’ corn and sell it to chicken companies like Tyson.

Small-scale specialty farming of certain crops and meats, however, has recently taken hold in southern Middle Tennessee. Among these farms Delk named the Old Stone Creamery in Spring Hill, the oldest Jersey-cow dairy in the USA; livestock farms like the Beef Barn at Church Farms and the Taylor Family Farm in Ethridge; and organic produce farms like Bountiful Blessings Farm of Williamsport and the Highland Realm Blueberry Farm in Hampshire.

“We have a lot of diversity in smaller farms,” Mrs. Delk stated.

New Physicians in MRMC Lawrence (MSM)

Maury Regional Health is expanding to serve Lawrence County with the addition of Lawrence Health Center, which will offer a comprehensive spectrum of outpatient services when it opens in spring 2026. Until the facility is complete, Lawrence Health Center’s new primary and pediatric care teams are welcoming patients in nearby Mount Pleasant.

Thomas Bernhoffer, MD, and Alana Brown, MD, will provide primary care and pediatric services, respectively for Maury Regional Medical Group (MRMG) at Lawrence Health Center. They will be joined by Martha Kristin Woodside, FNP, a primary care nurse practitioner already with MRMG. The trio are now welcoming adult and pediatric patients at MRMG Primary Care in Mount Pleasant until Lawrence Health Center opens in spring 2026.

“We are ecstatic about the new Lawrence Health Center opening next spring, but we don’t want the community to have to wait to establish their care,” said MRMG President Nathan Miller. “By scheduling with our team now at their temporary home in Mount Pleasant, patients can begin establishing their new care team without delay, supporting a seamless transition and continuous care for when we officially open the doors of our new medical office building in Lawrenceburg.”

Bernhoffer is a board-certified specialist in family medicine who earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his residency at the Toledo Hospital Family Residency Program in Toledo, Ohio.

Brown is a specialist in pediatrics who earned her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Cupecoy, Saint Maarten. She completed her residency in pediatrics at the University School of Medicine in Wichita, Kansas.

Woodside is an advanced practice provider who joined Maury Regional Medical Group in 2023 after previously serving as a registered nurse at Maury Regional Medical Center. She received her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from American Sentinel University in Denver, Col, and an associate degree in nursing from Columbia State Community College.

To schedule with Brown, Bernhoffer or Woodside, call MRMG Primary Care in Mount Pleasant at 931.244.6090 or visit MauryRegional.com/MountPleasant.

The three-story, 60,000-square-foot Lawrence Health Center, expected to be completed in spring 2026, will be home to:

• Primary, pediatric and specialty care from Maury Regional Medical Group for continuous, coordinated care throughout all life’s chapters.

• Convenient diagnostics to minimize the need for travel, including outpatient imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, CT, mammography and bone densitometry), pulmonary function testing and a sleep medicine center.

• Comprehensive rehabilitation services for adults and children, including physical and occupational therapy as well as speech-language pathology.

• Accessible support services, such as an outpatient pharmacy, occupational health center and specialty care through the facility’s leasing partners.

“As our region continues to grow, we are committed to delivering exceptional care close to home,” said Maury Regional Health CEO Martin Chaney, MD. “This state-of-the-art facility will offer a wide array of outpatient services — including primary, pediatric and specialty care — to provide Lawrence County residents of all ages with the trusted Maury Regional Health care they know and rely on without the need to travel to Columbia.”

Lawrence Health Center is just one of many expansion projects underway or in the planning phases at Maury Regional Health.

Improvements at the Maury Regional Medical Center campus in Columbia include the development of an Orthopedic Surgical Institute to accommodate the growing number of joint replacements, renovation of the emergency department, expansion of the heart center, parking and thoroughfare improvements, additional childbirth beds and expansion of the front entry to relocate key patient and visitor services toward the main entrance.

To learn more about Maury Regional Health’s strategic plan for the future, visit MauryRegional.com/StrategicPlan.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace Event (MSM)

The Columbia branch of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace charity held their last bed-building session for the year on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Thirty-five volunteers came together in the Skillington Barn at Maury County Park, where they cut and assembled wood into beds for children who need them. After four hours of work, 20 beds were produced. The beds come with mattresses, pillows and sheets when a family applies successfully for one.

The Maury County branch of Sleep in Heavenly Peace has been active since 2022, when their president Beth Morrill first learned about the organization and the need for children’s beds in Maury County. She and her husband Bill and a few people from their Wellspring Christian Church started attending the work sessions of the Nashville branch of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. They came back to Columbia and built 20 beds during their first local session in September 2022.

“I was shocked when I first learned about this ministry, I had no idea there were children in any community sleeping on the floor,” Morrill told Main Street Maury in 2022.

Now, after a little more than three years, Sleep in Heavenly Peace Columbia has handmade 550 beds, 150 of them this year alone, and delivered 497 to the children of Maury County, with the help of volunteers from all over the community. However, they’ve gotten so good at supplying beds that a new problem has arisen: demand for their work has fallen in Columbia, where they’ve done most of their outreach so far.

“We have noticed a significant slowdown in requests,” Morrill said. “We hope to reach more people in Mt. Pleasant and Culleoka, where we feel there might be needs we have not tapped into.”

Now the organization is casting a wider net for beneficiaries in Mt. Pleasant and the rural communities of Maury County, hoping to find and supply more children who don’t yet have their own beds. They currently have 50 spare beds in storage, and are reaching out for their new owners by advertising on CarePortal of Middle Tennessee, putting up fliers at local libraries and food pantries, and spreading the word via Facebook and personal references.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteers hope the beds from this Saturday will last them until they start building again in February. Any family in need can get one by going to shpbeds.org/chapter/tn-columbia/ and clicking the “Apply” button in the top right of the home page.

“Do you know someone with a child between the ages of 3 and 17 who does not have their own bed to sleep in?” Morrill asks Main Street Maury’s readers. “[Because] our motto is, ‘No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town!'”

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

Mr. Gary Douglas “Herky” Kinser, 89, retired owner of Herky’s Outdoor Sports, died Thursday, November 6th at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care Center. A memorial service will be held Saturday November 15th at 2:00 PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church. The family will visit with friends from 12:00 noon until time of the services at the church. Oakes & Nichols Funeral Directors are assisting the family with the arrangements

Now, news from around the state…

Franklin PD Hiring Victim Advocate (Tennessean)

The Franklin Police Department is looking to hire its first victim services coordinator and will be taking applications for the position through Nov. 17, officials say.

The position comes as the department makes "an effort to strengthen ... support and care for victims and witnesses of crime and traumatic events."

“Supporting victims of crime is a responsibility we take very seriously,” Police Chief Deb Faulkner said in prepared statements. “This position reinforces our commitment to compassionate policing and ensures that individuals experiencing trauma receive the care, dignity, and guidance they deserve. Bringing a Victim Services Coordinator onto our team is essential to delivering the level of service our community expects.”

The position will be hired as a full-time role and report directly to Faulkner.

On-scene response may occasionally be required at the request of law enforcement, officials said.

Other area agencies, like Metro Nashville Police, have a dedicated person or office available to help.

Franklin's creation of the role reflects a growing priority among law enforcement agencies nationwide to strengthen victim advocacy, trauma-informed response, and holistic services for those impacted by crime, the department said.

Anyone interested in applying for the position should have: 

• A bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, criminal justice or a related field from an accredited college or university

• A master’s degree and/or licensure in counseling or social work is desirable

• A minimum of three (3) years of experience providing victim advocacy or counseling services, preferably in a law enforcement or crisis intervention setting

• Strong interpersonal skills, knowledge of trauma-informed practices, and an understanding of victim advocacy principles

Starting salary ranges from $69,468-$75,598. Interested applicants can learn more and apply by visiting www.cta.cadienttalent.com.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Spring Hill High School’s annual Holiday Market is set for Saturday, November 15, and this year’s event is being driven by the hard work of the school’s SkillsUSA engineering students. The market will take place from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the campus on Raider Lane in Columbia.

Students have been preparing for months to build a large community event featuring just over 50 vendors offering baked goods, handmade candles, tumblers, freeze-dried candy, clothing, toys, gifts, and other locally made items. Food trucks will also be on-site.

The market serves as a fundraiser to help send the SkillsUSA students to their state competitions in March, with hopes of advancing to the national competition in June.

Admission is free, and door prizes will be available. Organizers encourage residents to attend, support local vendors, and help the students reach their competition goals.