Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 11-5-25

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for November 5, 2025

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

We start with local news…

Woodard Ranked Among Top Schools (Press Release)

 J.E. Woodard Elementary School ranks among the top 40% of elementary schools in Tennessee, according to U.S. News & World Report. J.E. Woodard Elementary School placed 355 out of 926 elementary schools in Tennessee.

 "The 2026 Best Elementary rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all," said Dr. LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for education at U.S. News. "These rankings offer communities and families valuable insights into schools dedicated to preparing students for future success."

 Schools were assessed on their shares of students who were proficient or above proficient in their mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments. Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves, and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics.

 “Being named among the best in the state is a tribute to our teachers, staff, students and families working together toward excellence,” said Julie Wolaver, principal of J.E. Woodard Elementary School. “We are immensely proud and honored to be recognized in this report.”

 “J.E. Woodard Elementary School’s recognition should give our community a sense of pride and affirmation of the many great things happening in Maury County Public Schools,” said Lisa Ventura, Superintendent of Maury County Public Schools. “This achievement reflects both the dedication of the J.E. Woodard Elementary School staff and the support of the Columbia community.”

 View the complete list of Best Tennessee Schools, at www.usnews.com/education.”

Miracle League To Add Playground (Press Release)

The Miracle League of Columbia at Maury County Park has unveiled plans for a new all-inclusive playground, a $1 million project that will sit alongside the Miracle League baseball field currently under construction. This initiative is a joint effort between The Miracle League and Maury County Parks, dedicated to expanding accessibility and inclusion for families across the region.

The playground will be named Taye’s Place in honor of Taye Ramer, nephew of Miracle League Founder and President Robin Estep. His ability to bring people together and remind others of the power of inclusion became the heart of The Miracle League’s mission — making it only fitting that this new playground carry his name.

“Taye has been the ‘why’ behind everything we’ve done,” said Robin Estep, Founding Member of The Miracle League of Columbia. “Without him, there wouldn’t be a Miracle League of Columbia. He brings such joy to everyone around him, and it’s so fitting that this playground be named in his honor. Announcing Taye’s Place truly feels like a dream come true.”

Designed by Landscape Structures, a Minnesota-based leader in inclusive playground design, Taye’s Place will feature vibrant, accessible play structures that invite children of all ages and abilities to play together. The playground’s design emphasizes both fun and functionality, ensuring an environment where everyone feels welcome.

“This playground represents so much more than play—it’s about belonging,” said Juli Beck, Board Chairman of The Miracle League of Columbia. “Its inclusive design ensures that every child, regardless of ability, can experience the joy of play. The bright, welcoming colors will make it a centerpiece of our community.”

Taye’s Place playground will be constructed alongside the Miracle League field currently under construction on the former site of the Babe Ruth Field, a community landmark that hosted youth baseball for more than 40 years. Hewlett Spencer holds the county contract, with Bell Construction Company overseeing the build.

To make Taye’s Place a reality, The Miracle League of Columbia is calling on the community to help complete the dream. Though construction plans are underway, additional funding and donations are needed to finish the project. Every contribution—big or small—brings them one step closer to creating a space where all children, regardless of ability, can experience the joy of play. For more information about the Miracle League baseball field or Taye’s Place playground, please visit www.columbiamiracleleague.com.

County Agrees to Fund Major Renovations (MSM)

At its October meeting, the Maury County Commission voted overwhelmingly to set the Guaranteed Maximum Prices (GMP) to renovate three county facilities, which would allow their staff to borrow $26 million to fund the projects.

The commission approved GMPs of $15.99 million for the historic 1906 county courthouse, to remove asbestos from and renovate the interior; $10.79 million to build new facilities for the animal services shelter and campus; and $6.16 million to build a new county library for Mt. Pleasant in Howard Field. The renovation of the courthouse would also take $7 million from the fund dedicated to upkeep of it and the Memorial Building.

The votes to fund the animal shelter and the library elicited applause from the attending public, and some thanked commissioners during public comment.

“I wanted to say thank you for letting us come to the meetings,” said Marsha Frizzley, who works at the animal shelter. “Most of the people here are volunteers, we’re all just very passionate about the animals.”

“Thank you for considering this project, we’re really excited about this,” said Tracy Vogel, the chairwoman of the county Library Board.

Some commissioners revived their objections to aspects of the projects which they deemed unfinished or unnecessary. Commissioner Gabe Howard announced that he would vote against the courthouse renovation as presented, restating his committee-stage objections to the apparently expensive new museum.

“The historic courthouse is important to our community,” he declared, “[but] we don’t need that museum.”

Commissioner Connie Green, who sits on the Maury County Library Board, informed the rest of the commission that certain design and location choices for the Mt. Pleasant Library hadn’t been explained or resolved to her satisfaction, and possibly those of other board members, whose vote is needed for the Commission to proceed, according to county bylaws.

“I’m very much in favor of the Mt. Pleasant library, but questions have not been answered at all,” she said.

To these other commissioners replied — some with audible impatience — their concerns should’ve been brought up in committee, not at the last voting meeting on the calendar. Without addressing Howard’s specific objection to the museum, several stressed the urgency of voting to preserve the 120-year-old courthouse, which Commissioner Eric Previti claimed is “the most photographed building in the state of Tennessee.”

“I have to disagree with Mr. Howard on this, the courthouse is probably the biggest need for the community,” said Commissioner Scott Sumners.

“Not supporting the renovation of a piece of history is basically saying you don’t care about the history of our county,” said Commissioner Gwynne Evans. “If we don’t start conserving it for the future, nobody’s going to know where we came from.”

Commissioner Kenny Morrow made a motion to defer voting on the new library until the library board had officially approved George Nuber Architecture’s final building design, but other commissioners and county Finance Director Doug Lukonen responded that delaying the vote would force the county to bid out the project contracts and interest rates for a second time, incurring costs of up to $100,000. He also added that the library board had approved of almost all the design choices, with the main exception being the location of some bathrooms.

Based on these considerations, the commission voted instead to approve the GMPs and borrowing for all three projects, though they amended the Mt. Pleasant Library funding to be conditional upon library board approval of the final design. Several commissioners expressed their frustration that objections to some details had sidetracked the meeting.

“We have committee meetings for a reason,” said Chairman Danny Grooms. “The things that were brought up tonight should’ve been brought up in committee, and we wouldn’t have been near as long as we have been tonight.”

“If there’s a process that’s failed here somewhere, we need to make sure that process is done correctly,” Howard said. “I think we all assumed that it was done. Shame on us.”

The commission also debated what rate they should set to dispose of Columbia’s municipal waste. The resolution before them, set after County Mayor Sheila Butt met with Columbia officials, proposed charging $60 per ton of trash in the first half of 2026 and $65 starting next July.

Commissioners Howard and Sumners, who have argued before for raising the county’s waste charges on Columbia, proposed raising the rate to $62.50 in January and the full gate rate of $75 in July.

“When you’re losing money, I think we need to get that amount up as quick as possible,” Howard said.

“I just want the city council people to know, this is not a property tax issue, it’s a service-based fee,” said Sumners, replying to an objection the city’s mayor made months ago.

In May, Chaz Molder pushed back at claims that Columbia free-rides county services, from animal control to solid waste to ambulance services, by reminding the commission that the city already forwards almost two-fifths of its property taxes to the county government.

Commissioner Jerry Strahan and County Mayor Sheila Butt favored leaving the rates where they were set during negotiations with the city, as a competitive bid in Columbia’s ongoing search for a waste-disposal service. Butt said in the meeting that the state’s rate formula was used to find the $60 and later $65 were fair tonnage rates. She reminded commissioners that city waste is easier to dispose of than that from non-municipal sources.

“I recently attended a meeting [where Columbia said], ‘Oh, we’re looking in the very near future at doing something quite different with another company,'” Strahan recalled. “It would favor us very well to have a relationship with the city at that point.”

County Donates Land to Spring Hill (CDH)

Maury County voted recently to dedicate approximately 88 acres of land located next to Battle Creek Elementary School to Spring Hill.

The land parcel, which also includes Battle Creek Way, is intended to create a safer environment for students and vehicular traffic. This includes utilizing 75 feet of right-of-way to install new turn lanes and traffic signals, according to a City of Spring Hill staff report.

The push to pass the donation was primarily spearheaded by Spring Hill Alderman Vincent Fuqua, as well as District 5 Maury County Commissioner Scott Sumners.

Prior to the vote, Sumners moved to amend the resolution to suggest the roadway's bridge be named after the Simmons family, the property's former landowners.

District 11 Commissioner Gwynne Evans, who spoke about knowing the family personally, seconded the motion.

"When the school board bought that property, it was appraised and the family deducted $1 million from the price tag," Evans said. "Usually when they find out the county is interested, they add five, six or eight million. They actually reduced the price."

Evans added the former owners were native Spring Hill residents who farmed in the area, and that something should be named in their honor.

"You would have thought they would have named something, but it was just kind of an oversight, I'm assuming," Evans said. "I think they would be very appreciative if we could give something out there."

The Oct. 20 vote also coincided with the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen's regular meeting, in which the board voted unanimously to accept the dedication.

Spring Hill Mayor Matt Fitterer commented on the resolution being a joint effort between the city, Maury County and Maury County Public Schools.

"I know this whole group has spoken for months now that we are going to get things done in cooperation and collaboration with others, and it's great to see throughout all three entities working together," Fitterer said.

CSCC Hosts Sean of the South (Press Release)

Columbia State Community College recently hosted a special library event where writer and musician Sean “Sean of the South” Dietrich spoke to students and staff about his writing and educational journey.

A columnist, humorist and multi-instrumentalist known for his commentary on life in the American South, Dietrich’s work has appeared in Newsweek, Southern Living, Reader’s Digest, Garden and Gun and his column appears weekly in newspapers throughout the U.S. He has authored over 15 books and more than 4,000 columns. He has made appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, and his work has been featured on the Today Show.

The Finney Library Reader's Theatre provided a more personal opportunity to connect with students prior to his concert in the 500-seat Cherry Theater. Students from three Columbia State classes were invited to attend.

The event began with Dietrich retelling the story of his educational journey and the non-traditional route that led him to attend community college.

He dropped out of school in seventh grade and began working full-time jobs at 14. Years later, Dietrich said he was encouraged by a coworker to attend community college.

So, with no high school classes or a GED completed, he still sought to further his education.

“They (his community college) had a test that they gave to the homeschool crowd, and the people who had been home-schooled had to prove what they had learned without having been part of a collective official school experience,” Dietrich said. “There was a test you could take, and apparently, CLEP out of certain classes. So, she (a registrar) said, ‘You could take this test, but I highly recommend studying real hard for it, because it's real, real difficult.’ And because I come from a long line of men who make poor decisions. I said, let's take it now. So, I took the test, and I’m surprised at the answers I did know. And when I was done, I handed this big booklet to this lady, and she ran it through this big old conveyor belt, and it had blinking lights that looked like the Starship Enterprise, and it spit out this little receipt. And she looked at it and said, ‘Wow. You're in college, kid.’ And that was the beginning of my entire life. That was where I began.”

His decision to begin classes then took his interests in reading and writing to a new level.

“One of the first classes I took was creative writing,” Dietrich said. “I love writing. And I walked in, and my creative writing teacher said, ‘You know, you're about 30 minutes early.’ I said, ‘Well, I've been waiting a long time to get here.’ And she said, ‘Well, since you’re just sitting here, why don’t you write something?’ So, I started to write something for her, and she read it, and she said, ‘Oh, wow! This is really nice. You did a really, really wonderful job on this. It might be too early to say this, but I'm gonna say it anyway; you could be a real writer.’ She said, ‘I've never had a real writer in my class, I've taught a lot of kids to write, but I've never had somebody who's, you know, a writer.’ I said, ‘Really? You think I could be a writer?’ I'll never forget it. Someone was looking at me with credibility and telling me that I had something that was special, that changed the way I saw myself, and I'm still getting over it. It changed me forever.”

Dietrich continued writing while in school. But following graduation was when a story he wrote altered his outlook on what his life and career could be.

“But after I graduated, I wrote a story, and the story was submitted to a major magazine. And one day, I was coming home from work, and as I got home, there was a little letter in my mailbox that said, ‘We decided to run your story.’ I didn't ever plan on this story getting submitted. And it said in the letter, ‘This story was submitted anonymously by someone who only identifies themselves as your wife, and we're going to run the story.’ And here's $27 in payment. $27. I was a professional. It changed the game for me. And after that, I began writing, and my writing started going into different places and doing different things and leading me before different audiences.”

After discussing how his path led him to where he is today, Dietrich then turned to the students to answer some of their questions about writing, what it takes to publish a book and overall life lessons.

With the questions asked and answered, Dietrich then explained his philosophy of life: just make people feel good when they meet you.

“I believe that everything we do in life needs to make people feel better,” he said. “I don't care how you do it. I don't care there are a lot of different ways around it, but I feel that in any exchange we have with another human being, we have the opportunity to make that other person feel just a little better than they did before we came into contact. I just mean there's been a sharp drop in empathy over like the last several years. I feel that we can change that if we consider the other person who we come in contact with, if while we're talking to them, while we're having an exchange, be alert, listen to what they're saying and look for a way to positively affect that person's life, and perhaps their experience.”

The event ended with a free ticket drawing for several students to attend his sold-out Performance Series show in the Cherry Theater. Every student in attendance also received an autographed copy of Dietrich’s newest novel, “Over Yonder,” or a copy of his 2024 collection of columns titled “Tomato Sandwiches Are Eaten Over the Sink.”

“We are so grateful for Sean’s generosity in taking the time to share with our students,” said Tammy Rosson, Columbia State director of events and alumni relations. “He offered thoughtful advice on how students can strengthen their writing skills—no matter their major, from English to radiologic technology. He emphasized the importance of strong communication skills in every field and how we can all learn from one another by being good listeners and deepening our relationships through storytelling. My hope is that students will continue to be encouraged and inspired by the wisdom Sean shared.”

“We were delighted to have Sean Dietrich share his stories with our Columbia State students in this intimate setting,” said Anne Scott, Columbia State library director. “Several students had questions for Sean after the program. Sean was so gracious, and it was delightful to see the students meet and talk with him. Each student received an autographed copy of one of Sean's novels. A drawing was also held for seven tickets to Sean's performance in Cherry Theatre that evening to highlight and encourage students to attend Performance Series events. This was a unique, enriching and memorable student engagement experience. The library hopes to host more programs like this in the near future.”

The John W. Finney Memorial Library is located on the Columbia Campus at 1665 Hampshire Pike and is open from Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters. For more information, visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/Library.

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

Mr. Roy W. Grooms, age 87, a longtime resident of Mt. Pleasant, passed away only four days after his beloved wife, Betty Grooms.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Heritage Funeral Home with Danny Grooms officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends on Thursday from 12:00 PM until the service hour at the funeral home. 

Now, news from around the state…

Williamson County Schools To Open Innovation Hub (Tennessean)

The Williamson County School District has announced that its new Innovation Hub will open in time for the 2026-2027 school year almost two years after the 26,000-square-foot facility first broke ground.

The $15.5 million project, made possible by an Innovative Schools grant from the state, will include classrooms, meeting spaces, a culinary kitchen, a grab-and-go eatery and community spaces, officials say.

“We are opening doors for our students with the work they do in our College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) programs," WCS Superintendent Jason Golden said in a 2024 press release. "This Innovation Hub is the next step our community needs to go beyond what we've already established with our Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center."

The Innovation Hub will be open to all Williamson County high school students.

It will feature the following courses for either high school credit, counting towards graduation requirements, or for Dual Enrollment or Dual Credit, offered through universities:

• Aviation 

• Advanced Power & Machinery 

• Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence 

• Fire Management Services 

• Hospitality & Tourism 

The county will provide transportation to the new Innovation Hub during the middle of the academic day from 10 a.m. –1 p.m.. Students may also drive themselves with parent permission.  

“Each program has been designed to give students a competitive advantage for their future," said Innovation Hub Assistant Director Kris Schneider. "The Innovation Center is all about preparing students to be leaders, problem-solvers and innovators in fields that will shape our community's future."

More information about the courses or the Innovation Hub can be found at www.wcs.edu/secondary/innovation-center. 

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Zoolumination, Nashville Zoo's annual holiday event, returns in 2025 with new designs including more than 1,000 custom-made silk lanterns.

Guests can expect more than 1,000 illuminated displays showcasing wildlife, vibrant landscapes, scenic pathways and festive holiday scenery. The experience also includes live performances, seasonal drinks and traditional foods.

Also returning is the Smashville Ice Rink and North Pole Village, a holiday-themed wonderland featuring the North Pole Express, sweet treats and a chance to meet Santa Claus from Nov. 28 through Dec. 24.

The country's largest lantern festival kicks off mid-November and runs through February. 

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on Nashville Zoo’s website at nashvillezoo.org/zoolumination.