Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 11-13-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for November 13, 2026

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

We start with local news…

Athenaeum Gets Grant (CDH)

The Athenaeum Rectory, commonly referred to as Columbia's prized hidden jewel, is the recipient of a $17,064 grant for capital maintenance and improvements from the Tennessee State Museum.

According to a recent news release, grant funding will be used for foundation repairs to the eastern elevation of the historic home, an ongoing project to restore the only remaining structure tied to the former Columbia Female Institute.

“This grant will enable us to complete badly needed repairs on the Athenaeum,” said Kayla Southern, president of the Maury County APTA, the governing body of the Athenaeum Rectory. “The Athenaeum has such an important history, and this grant helps us in our preservation efforts to ensure the home is around for future generations to discover and appreciate.”

The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2026-27 Appropriations act, according to the release, "for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements."

The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant required a minimum request of $5,000 and a maximum amount of $100,000, with all projects to be completed by June 30, 2027, according to the release.

“The Tennessee State Museum’s Capital Grant program continues to support the infrastructure of Tennessee museums,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum executive director. “It is an honor to support the incredible work of our strong network of Tennessee museums.

"This grant is an extension of how the State of Tennessee can further support their efforts and the preservation of local and state history. We thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee museums.”

Built in 1837 by master builder Nathan Vaught for Samuel Polk Walker, nephew of President James K. Polk, the Athenaeum campus operated as two all-girl schools, with the rectory serving as the home of headmaster Rev. Franklin Gillette Smith and his family.

The home remained under ownership of the Smith family until the 1970s when it was donated to the Maury County Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA).

In March of 2025, the city unveiled a historical marker honoring the former Female Institute and its role in advancing women's education during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Today, the Athenaeum, which translates to "seat of knowledge," remains open for tours and private events. In August of 2020, the rectory reopened following a year of renovations, which at the time was almost 10 years in the making.

For more information, as well as scheduling a tour of The Athenaeum Rectory, call (931) 797-3316.

Spring Hill EMS Services Contract Considered (NewsChannel5)

Will some Spring Hill households have to wait longer for an ambulance? That's a concern from city leaders as Maury and Williamson counties work out who will pay for EMS service in a city that straddles two county lines.

More than half of the EMS calls to Spring Hill originate from the Maury County side of the city. Williamson County leaders say those calls are getting more expensive and have asked Maury County to contribute financially.

Spring Hill Mayor Matt Fitterer says when that contribution means keeping response times low, it's an easy decision.

“I know the demographics in Spring Hill skew older when we get to the Maury County side,” Fitterer said. “To knowingly have them be faced with a two- to four-minute longer response time is something I’m fearful of.”

When asked whether he fears for his residents if a deal isn't reached, Fitterer didn't hesitate.

"Yes, I absolutely do," he said.

For residents like 78-year-old Randy Haman, whose neighborhood sits near the Maury-Williamson county line, the stakes feel personal.

"EMS is very important," Haman said. "I want to get the EMS as close to me as possible."

A longer wait, he said, is not something he's willing to accept.

"I wouldn't like it," Haman said.

Other Spring Hill residents echoed that concern.

"I have small children. I want this fast response time," Rachel O'Roark a Spring Hill resident said. "This is the bare minimum response time for saving lives."

"There might be some way to meet in the middle, in good faith, some way to compromise," O'Roark said.

Maury County budget committee approves short-term funding

Maury County leaders are not yet ready to commit long-term. The Budget Committee voted to continue paying Williamson EMS $750,000 for another six months. The full Maury County Commission is expected to finalize the vote Monday. Williamson County commissioners have voiced disappointment at the decision.

In a statement, Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt said the county had been receiving Williamson County EMS service at no cost for years, but that arrangement was no longer sustainable.

"For many years, Spring Hill has had Williamson County EMA ambulance service. It has come as no cost to them," Butt said. "As with everything else, the cost of providing services has skyrocketed in the last few years and Williamson County was no longer willing to continue subsidizing the Maury County portion of Spring Hill in perpetuity."

Butt said the timing of the decision created additional challenges.

"That decision was presented to us in the middle of a budget cycle. They were gracious in extending some time, and last night the Maury County Budget Committee passed a resolution to continue subsidizing Williamson EMA in the amount of $750,000 for six months while we work toward our 2027-2028 budget and include that service area," Butt said. "In making our decision in the next few months, we will certainly consider the safety of the residents of Spring Hill as we strive daily to do for all of the taxpayers in Maury County."

Spring Hill may be divided by a county line, but residents hope that division won't cost them their health and safety.

Hero Remembered with Headstone (MSM)

The Veterans Administration Office in Maury County partnered with the members of the Tennessee Society of the Sons of the American Revolution to provide a headstone for one of the county’s most decorated veterans who served our country on active duty during all three major mid-century conflicts: World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

A native and citizen of Maury County, Lt. Col. William Hardin Foster Page was a member of the United States Air Force where he served as a combat pilot in World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The Sons of the American Revolution were pleased to assist the Veterans Administration in providing a headstone to such an great American hero.

According to his obituary prepared by his family, Lt. Col. William H.F. Page enlisted at the age of fifteen to begin his distinguished military career as an enlisted man in the Army field artillery in 1943. He applied for and was accepted into the Army Air Corps and completed his pilot training in early 1944. He flew a B-25 to the Southwest Pacific theater of operations to begin his tour of combat, initially flying the P-38 and later transitioned to B-25 gunships in the war against Japan.

His major campaigns were the liberation of the Philippines, conquest of the Solomon Islands, and the battle of Okinawa. He remained in the occupation of Japan until late 1946 when he then separated from active duty.

He remained active in the Reserves until he returned to active duty in 1953. He contributed to NATO’s involvement during the Korean Conflict. His subsequent overseas assignments were in Europe in the 1950s and the Panama Canal Zone in the 1960s.

During those times, he performed flying support in humanitarian aid efforts, military aid, and hot spots around the world. Mentioned are the Belgian Congo uprising, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Dominican Republic crisis, and providing aircraft aid and training to Iran.

In 1968, he was assigned to Thailand to schedule logistical air operations for the Southeast Asian war in Vietnam while flying logistic combat missions within the SEA theater (Southeast Asia). After a brief stateside return, he was reassigned to SEA to be the Director of Air Operations within the super-secret Studies and Observation Group (SOG) organization within MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam), planning and participating in actions against the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. He worked closely with the CIA providing combat support against the Laotian and Cambodian communist forces.

During his time in SEA, he flew the MC-130, AC-47, A-1H, various FAC (forward air controller type aircraft), as well as helicopters and other support aircraft associated with that war.

Upon his return to the States, he was assigned to the Air Force Logistics Command Headquarters, Wright Patterson, AFB, Dayton Ohio, where the last nine years of his career, his wealth of operations and management experience contributed significantly to the AFLC success and mission: ending as Director of Inquiries in the Command Inspector General’s office. He was retired in 1980 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, where his uniform blouse was requested by the museum curator for display and archiving.

During his 37 1/2 year career, he obtained the aeronautical rating of Command Pilot. He logged more than 10,000 hours of flight time in more than 20 different combat and support aircraft. Beyond his service ribbons, his awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Bronze Star with Valor Device, Distinguished Service Medal and Meritorious Service Medal.

At the date of his retirement, Lt. Col William H.F. Page was the most decorated officer in the Air Force, with 38 medals and ribbons. He was a member of The Order of Daledalin’s, the Air Commando Association, he enjoyed playing golf and was an avid car collector.

Lt. Col Page chose to reside in Fort Walton Beach, Florida until his final day, and died on Aug. 26, 2022 at the age of 97. He was interred in his family plot in Spring Hill Cemetery in his native Maury County on Sept. 17, 2022.

He was survived by his son Reagan Arris Page. He was preceded in death by his daughter Kelly Lyn Page.

Bridge Named in Honor of Joe Roberson (MSM)

Maury County and the Tennessee Department of Transportation honored Colonel Joe Roberson, an Army veteran, teacher and historian based in Carters Creek, by naming the bridge at the south end of Carters Creek Pike in his honor during a dedication ceremony on Oct. 29.

“Today, I was honored to attend the dedication of the Colonel Joe Roberson Bridge on Carters Creek Pike, recognizing a man whose life reflects service, leadership, and a deep commitment to Maury County,” said county Mayor Sheila Butt.

“I’m grateful to see Colonel Roberson’s extraordinary contributions recognized through this dedication. Thank you, Colonel Roberson, for your service to our country and our community.”

The county resolution read, “It is the desire of the legislative body of Maury County, Tennessee to recognize a living hero whose bravery, educational contributions, and civic leadership represent the very best of Maury County.”

Col. Roberson, a Vietnam veteran, earned the Bronze Star, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal and many more awards during his 30-year military career. He retired as a full colonel and taught Spanish in Murfreesboro and at Columbia Central High. He served three terms on the Maury County Commission and volunteered as a translator with his church’s missions in several Central American countries, and now volunteers at Columbia Academy on Tuesdays.

“It was just such an honor, [but] my family’s name on that sign, Roberson, means more than mine does to me,” Roberson said of the sign dedication. “My parents and my wife made me who I am, so my family was really the name on that sign.”

Roberson expressed his hope that Veterans’ Day 2026 would remind Americans that their safety and opportunity are made possible by the enlistment and sacrifices of one or two percent of their young people, and prompt them to take better care of their veterans during and after service.

“We veterans would really like to be guaranteed that we will have a military that is funded and taken care of properly,” he said. “[Also,] I would hope that our country would… appreciate everything more: the country they live in, the life we have, and [make] a commitment to take care of the veterans that have let this country be what it is.”

Roberson has also published two genealogical works. The Cocke-Catesby Family History 1086-2010 documents his maternal line, naming more than 8,000 people going back to his 25th-great-grandfather in the 1086 “Domesday Book” of William the Conqueror. Carter’s Creek: Families and Branches, which documents the old families in the community to which he belongs. People took him “up on the hollers and the hills” to see their ancestors’ graves, some of which only they knew about; a few of the 19 family graveyards he was shown weren’t in the “Lightfoot book” of local cemeteries. One “flat stone” discovered by a farm worker back in the woods turned out to be a perfectly preserved 1816 headstone, naming a couple and their dozen children.

Boy Receives Heart (MSM)

When 10-year-old Logan Lucado collapsed after a fire drill at Whitthorne Middle School in Columbia, only a speedy medical response and heart transplant saved his life.

Logan was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2015, and suffered a heart attack, skull fracture and brain hemorrhages during his mother’s stressful labor and delivery. The trauma caused him to develop autism and cardiomyopathy.

“He was given 12 hours to live, and my boy will be 11 years old in November,” said his mother, Ashley Hailey. “He has lived with his heart condition and autism all of his life, and he has been a gift from God since then.”

On Sept. 4, a glitch in the fire alarm system at Whitthorne Middle School brought a fire engine to the campus. With no emergency to respond to, the firefighters and school officials decided to stage a fire drill in which Logan participated.

By the time the students returned to class, they discovered Logan had passed out in his chair. School nurses and firefighters performed CPR until an ambulance could rush him to Maury Regional Medical Center, where the staff had stabilized him by the time his family arrived.

Logan was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. There he was brought back from two heart attacks, re-intubated until a particularly bad nosebleed was brought under control, and received a heart catheter after being on an ECMO machine, a temporary, life-support system that takes over the function of the heart and lungs.

On Sept. 24, Logan was put on the heart transplant list but his O-negative blood type greatly restricted the organs that were feasible for him. Two days later, however, a heart became available to him.

“On Saturday at 5:42 p.m., I was told … they found the perfect heart for him,” mother Ashley said. “He underwent heart transplant surgery on Sunday night into Monday. Well, he is now recovering amazingly.”

Logan came home on Oct. 15 and is reportedly doing very well. Ashley thanked God, the medical staff, the school and everyone else who supported Logan during the highly improbable series of events that saved his life.

“The school has been amazing. Everybody in this community of Columbia, Tennessee has been absolutely wonderful and I just want everybody to know his story,” she said.

“In the three weeks that this has happened, a miracle has happened in front of my eyes … I want people to know about his journey and this big miracle, because if it wasn’t for God, my baby would not have been put at the right place at the right time with the right people.”

CPWS To Host Annual Toy Drive (Press Release)

Columbia Power & Water Systems (CPWS) invites the Maury County community to come together for lunch and local giving at the Second Annual Giving Tuesday drive-thru cook-out on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the entrance on Highland Avenue.  

The cook-out serves as the anchor event for CPWS’s holiday giving campaign, where drivers can help “Stuff the Bucket” by filling a CPWS utility bucket truck with donations to ensure local children and teens have gifts under the tree this holiday season.  

Anyone who drives through and donates a new, unwrapped toy or makes a cash donation will receive a free 1 lb. all-beef hot dog sack lunch as a thank-you from CPWS. Cash and toy donations collected during the cook-out directly support The Family Center and The Salvation Army in providing holiday assistance to area families.  

Supporting The Family Center Toy Drive All Week Long

For community members unable to attend the Tuesday lunch hour, the opportunity to give runs throughout the week leading up to the cook-out. CPWS is hosting a dedicated collection drive accepting new, unwrapped donations through Tuesday, Dec. 1. Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours in the collection bins located inside the CPWS lobby.  

Donation guidelines for the ongoing drive include items for children and teens ages 0 to 18:  

Infants & Young Children: Baby dolls, Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, educational toys, building blocks, Legos, Play-Doh, puzzles, tool sets, toy cars/trucks, and dress-up clothes  

Older Youth & Teens: Board games, art supplies, sports equipment, blankets, hair accessories, jewelry, watches, makeup, cologne, wallets, purses, tumblers, apparel, belts, and gift cards  

“Community support has been at the center of what we do,” CPWS President and CEO Jack Baxter said. “When the holidays come around, our crews and staff look forward to teaming up with neighbors, The Salvation Army, and The Family Center. Whether you stop by our drive-thru on Highland Avenue for a hot dog on Tuesday or drop an unwrapped toy in our collection bins earlier in the week, every contribution directly helps a Maury County family.”

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

Marlene Pogue Huckaby, 84, resident of Columbia, passed away Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care Center.

Funeral services will be conducted Friday, November 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday from 12:00 PM until 2:00 PM.

And now, news from around the state…

Sagefield Mall (Tennessean)

Construction began Nov. 12 on Sagefield, a 100-acre shopping destination in Williamson County's Thompson Station developed by Simon Property Group, a real estate investment trust that is one of the largest owners of U.S. malls and shopping attractions.

When complete, Sagefield will include around 80 stores in an open-air shopping center layout, different from an enclosed mall like the other Nashville properties owned by Simon. According to the company, green space will cover about 60% of the site, which will also include restaurants, walking trails and water features.

"Sagefield really represents a unique retail development, not just for Middle Tennessee but anywhere in the country right now," Simon President of Development Mark Silvestri said. "We're really happy with the way it came together and appreciative of the local community for their support, their feedback, their input and just working with us all to get to this important milestone."

Simon first announced plans for the mall in early 2025. The shopping center is poised to be the largest retail real estate development in this history of Thompson Station, a small but fast-growing town. Almost all parts of formerly rural Williamson County have been experiencing rapid growth for decades.

Simon, based in Indianapolis, also owns the Mall at Green Hills and Opry Mills in the Nashville area.

The shopping center will be located near the interchange of Interstate 65 and Interstate 840 and Franklin, Spring Hill and other surrounding communities. An affiliate of Simon bought the land for $32.5 million in September.

The development is designed to be a place to spend the day dining, shopping or a combination of both, Silvestri said. He emphasized the thought and detail that went into the development process.

"It's a very inviting place where you can go to a restaurant, have a great dinner with friends and family, sit out on the lawn, do some great shopping, get all the brands that people want today, and just have a great all-around experience," he said.

And as it pertains to location, Williamson County and the greater Nashville market in general is a key development area for Simon. The company recently announced a $250 million redevelopment plan for three malls in its portfolio, and the Mall at Green Hills was one of the properties on that list.

"We're investing significant dollars there, and we're really going to take it to the next level," Silvestri said. "The good just keeps getting better. We're excited about that one, and we're excited about the whole greater Nashville market in general. It's no secret, everyone knows it's a great market and it's booming."

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

A Mule Town tradition for more than 70 years returns this weekend as Columbia Noon Rotary hosts its annual Pancake Day.

Pancake Day will run from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at The Memorial Building, 308 W. 7th St. For $10, guests will enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes created using Noon Rotary's guarded secret recipe.

Groups of three are priced at $25. Children ages 6 and under get to eat for free.

In addition to pancakes, Pancake Day will also feature a silent auction. Also new this year will be pictures with Santa from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.