Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 12-30-25

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for December 30, 2025

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

We start with local news…

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.

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 Regional Recognized (MSM)

Maury Regional Medical Center has been recognized among the top hospitals in the nation and state for medical excellence and patient safety in the 2026 CareChex® Awards by Quantros.

The hospital received eight 2026 CareChex® award rankings, including top 10 percent in the nation for medical excellence in spinal fusion and spinal surgery and No. 1 in Tennessee for patient safety in cardiac care.

“These recognitions highlight the outstanding commitment and expertise of our physicians, nurses and care teams,” CEO Martin Chaney, MD, said. “We take great pride in providing safe, seamless and exceptional, patient-centered care to our community and are honored to be ranked among the top hospitals in both Tennessee and the United States in the awards we received.”

Maury Regional Medical Center’s 2026 CareChex® Awards for medical excellence include:

• Cancer Care – Top 100 in the nation, Top 10 percent in the state

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – Top 10 percent in the state

• Heart Failure Treatment – Top 100 in the nation, Top 10 percent in the state

• Spinal Fusion – Top 100 in the nation, Top 10 percent in the nation

• Spinal Surgery – Top 100 in the nation, Top 10 percent in the nation, No. 1 in the state

MRMC’s 2026 CareChex® Awards for patient safety include:

• Cardiac Care – Top 100 in the nation, No. 1 in the state, Top 10 percent in the state, No. 1 in the market

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – Top 10 percent in the state

• Heart Failure Treatment – Top 100 in the nation, Top 10 percent in the state

Since 2009, the CareChex Awards, powered by Quantros, has recognized hospital systems across the nation for their performance based on measurable patient quality outcomes. The methodology of the scoring system is based on objective quality outcomes comparing inpatient performance across general, acute and non-federal hospitals.

Maury Regional offers an array of services in cardiology, orthopedics and cancer treatment as well as advanced services in other areas of specialty care. To learn more about the services Maury Regional Medical Center provides, visit MauryRegional.com/OurServices.

Coach Dan Bland Passes (MSM)

Former Columbia Central football coach Dan Bland, died in Jackson at the age of 81.

Bland spent 21 years as a high school football coach across Tennessee, including three seasons at Columbia Central, where he compiled a 14-16 record from 1991-93.

A native of Covington, Tenn., Bland was an athletic standout at the high school level and went on to play football collegiately at Mississippi State, serving as a team captain for the 1965 Bulldogs. 

During his MSU career, State defeated Ole Miss in the 1964 Egg Bowl, stopping a 17-game losing streak to its in-state Southeastern Conference rival. As a senior, Bland was part of the Bulldog squad that defeated eighth-ranked host Florida with future Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier.

After college, Bland was drafted by both the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers (in the third round) and the AFL’s Houston Oilers (in the eighth round), eventually signing with the 49ers. He spent a season with San Francisco, one with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a third with the Oilers before retiring in 1968.

Bland was a member of the first football coaching staff at Jackson Central-Merry when the school opened in 1970, before going on to hold head coaching roles at Tullahoma (1975-79), Farragut (1980-86), Jackson Central-Merry (1987-90), Milan (1994-95) and Humboldt (2008-12) in addition to his time at Columbia Central. Bland also spent five seasons (2001-05) in the Mississippi prep ranks at Pascagoula.

Tip Helps Waitress With Family Vacation (MSM)

Alli Copeland had never been on a family vacation before, but during this holiday season she had been working hard as a waitress at Aubrey’s Restaurant, to make enough to take her family on one. Still, on Dec. 11, she was about $900 short of the budgeted amount that she needed to bring all of her relatives, from her grandmother to her siblings, to Dollywood like she wanted.

Meanwhile, local entrepreneur Dave Dutton was hosting his annual “$100 Tip Lunch” for his friends at Aubrey’s this year, where they were served by Alli. The general manager collaborated with Dutton’s group to pick a particularly deserving staff member this year, and she sent Alli to their table after explaining her plan to save for a family vacation.

“What 19-year-old does that?” Dutton mused.

To fund the vacation — they didn’t know the difference between her goal and her current savings — Dutton and his friends pooled $800. Then, Dutton said, “This is where God stepped in, and in a divine way” — a woman who had intended to make it to the lunch, but couldn’t, sent Dutton $100 with a cash-transfer app, bringing their total tip to $900.

“What makes this such a God thing that I’m still taking in myself is the fact that my tips are usually much bigger than the $900 that we were giving,” Dutton mused, noting that previous $100 Tip Lunches have netted totals of $1,500, $2,200 and $2,400. “However, God knew exactly who should get this tip this year and the exact amount.”

Old Stone Creamery Received Funding (MSM)

Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt has announced that a Maury County dairy operation is among the latest recipients of funding through the Agricultural Enterprise Fund (AEF). 

Old Stone Creamery was recently announced as a recipient of AEF funding, which supports projects that grow Tennessee agriculture by increasing farm income, expanding markets, boosting capacity or advancing innovation. The program helps farmers and agricultural businesses add value to their operations and reach new opportunities.

“These AEF recipients are getting the tools they need to strengthen their operations and their communities,” Holt said. “By investing in these farm and forest businesses, we’re continuing our work to expand economic opportunity and support agricultural development across Tennessee.”

For eligibility requirements and application details, visit Agricultural Enterprise Fund, TN Department of Agriculture. The next AEF application deadline is Jan. 10, 2026.

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

Virginia Thurston Rice, 98, passed away on December 27th.

Funeral Services will be conducted Friday, January 2nd at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. The family will meet with friends starting at 1 pm. Services will be held at 2:00 PM. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery. 

Now, news from around the state…

Franklin Band Heading to Rose Bowl (WKRN.com)

Less than 20 bands from across the nation — including one from Middle Tennessee — are getting ready to help ring in the new year by performing at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

After a year of practicing, members of the Franklin High School Band said they are ready to perform for their biggest audience yet. Over 200 students boarded their flights to California from Nashville International Airport on Saturday, Dec. 27.

“I think something to look forward to a lot is just representing our school on such a wide national scale, where it’s something where we can represent Franklin, Tennessee, as a town and as a school, just all the way out in California and [on] national television and in just a really big way,” said Jane Anderson, a drum major in the band.

Anderson has been in and out of practices with the Franklin Band, preparing to perform for the entire nation on New Year’s Day in the Rose Parade.

“Two years ago, the band sent in an application for this parade, to do this trip. I remember us…recording a video of the big televised turn to send in for that, and we sent that in. That was the application, and they eventually came out last year at the big national band finals. They announced it for the whole stadium,” percussion captain Adam Gallers said.

These young musicians are excited to showcase what makes their Middle Tennessee high school band so special.

“I think that we really just have a good energy that we perform with, and it’s not just about the size of the band or the music that we’re playing, although just the performance quality and just sort of like how we act on and off the field,” said Sam Bryant, another drum major for the Franklin Band.

What makes this trip to California even more special is that 30 years ago, Franklin High School students were selected for the first time to march in the Rose Parade.

“The band in 1996 went, so this is especially meaningful for us 30 years later to be able to have that opportunity to return” the Franklin Band Booster Board’s vice president of publicity and communications, Brandi Thigpen, said. “We have several generational ties that just make this really special.”

According to Thigpen, some current Franklin High School faculty members, former band parents, and community members also marched in the 1996 parade. In addition, Thigpen mentioned that the lead chaperone for this trip — who participated in the band’s previous Pasadena performance — will get to watch both of her sons march in the 2026 parade.

Being one of less than 20 bands marching in the parade means the Franklin Band will perform next to other talented musicians.

“I think that it’s just really cool that we get to be a part of something that’s so historically and culturally significant in the Rose Parade,” Bryant said. “I mean, I grew up watching it, and I just never thought that we would actually get to go out to Pasadena and participate.” 

“The relationships that we built mean a lot to us, I think. We hang out not just in this setting, but also outside of it,” said brass captain Krishna Deepak.

In addition to performing in the Rose Parade, these Middle Tennessee students have a packed itinerary during their eight days in California.

“We are going to be going to Disney, to Universal. The band will march at Disney, which is such a cool opportunity… We get to go help decorate the Rose Parade floats,” Thigpen said.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC), today announced that its final weekend of 2025 was among the busiest of the year. More than 5.5 million moviegoers watched a film at AMC Theatres and ODEON Cinemas globally from Thursday, December 25, through Sunday, December 28, marking AMC Entertainment’s second-busiest Thursday-through-Sunday weekend of 2025 worldwide.

Attendance was spread across several new releases and holdover titles. For the second consecutive weekend, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH led the way domestically, with MARTY SUPREME, ZOOTOPIA 2, THE HOUSEMAID, and new release ANACONDA all reported to have generated at least $14 million each at the domestic box office.