Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 2-12-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for February 12, 2026

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

Culleoka House Fire (MauryCountySource)

On February 10, 2026 at 1:35PM the Maury County Fire Department was dispatched to Baptist Church Rd in the Culleoka Community for a reported house fire.

Units arrived to find a home heavily involved in fire with home oxygen bottle’s relief valves operating and fueling the fire. One disabled occupant escaped from the home with the assistance of a neighbor and had critical burn injuries. The patient was air lifted via Air Evac to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes of arrival. One firefighter received minor injuries on scene and was evaluated at a medical facility.

Maury County Fire would like to acknowledge the prompt response of an off-duty Maury Regional Paramedic as well as the rest of the Maury Regional EMS team who provided patient care and standby on scene for our personnel.

The cause of the fire is under routine investigation by the Maury County Sheriff’s Department.

Juveniles Detained in Spring Hill (MauryCountySource)

On Monday, February 9, at approximately 1:20 p.m., officers with the Spring Hill Police Department (SHPD) attempted to detain three individuals seated inside a Toyota Camry in a parking lot located in the 1000 block of Crossings Boulevard. The individuals were being detained in connection with an alleged shoplifting investigation involving the Ulta retail store.

Despite repeated verbal commands from officers, the occupants refused to exit the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the Toyota Camry fled the scene after striking an unoccupied vehicle parked nearby. The suspect vehicle exited the parking lot onto Main Street and continued toward Saturn Parkway.

A SHPD officer observed the vehicle traveling on Saturn Parkway near Port Royal Road and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle failed to comply and continued northbound onto Interstate 65. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) joined the pursuit near Peytonsville Road.

The vehicle continued northbound on Interstate 65, exited at McEwen Drive, and later re-entered Interstate 65 northbound at Cool Springs Boulevard. SHPD terminated its involvement in the pursuit just prior to Moore’s Lane. The WCSO continued the pursuit until the vehicle crashed on Interstate 65 near Old Hickory Boulevard.

Following the crash, all three occupants fled the vehicle on foot. Two passengers, ages 16 and 17, were apprehended a short time later. The driver was not apprehended and remains at large.

The Spring Hill Police Department would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance during this incident: the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, including Air One; the Brentwood Police Department; the Franklin Police Department; and the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Both Maury Political Parties to Hold Caucuses (MSM)

Republican and Democratic nominating caucuses for the 2026 county elections will both happen in the second half of February.

Candidates hoping to qualify as official party candidates for races in Maury County must win the in-person vote of a majority of bona fide party voters. Voters hoping to vote in each party’s primary must register to vote by certain dates and register separately (preferably beforehand) specifically for their respective caucus.

The parties will put forward candidates for the county offices that are up for election in 2026: County Mayor, all 22 County Commission seats, County Trustee, Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, Register of Deeds, 11 Constables and the Board of Education seats in odd-numbered districts. The county-level parties will not run candidates for federal and state positions, nor for the seats of the mayor and vice-mayor of Columbia, nor for the two Mount Pleasant City Commission seats up for election.

Republican caucus

The Republican caucus will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Well Church, 1421 Trotwood Avenue, in Columbia. Caucus voting registration will be open until voting begins at 10:30 a.m. The party recommends registering for the caucus online with the state-level party beforehand.

All bona fide voters (who have voted in at least three of the last four statewide Republican primaries, in August 2020, August 2022, March 2024 and August 2024) will receive a postcard in the mail, with a QR code leading to the registration site.

At the caucus there will be two check-in tables, one for pre-registered voters and one for as-yet unregistered. After checking in, each caucus voter will be given a colored armband representing their voting district and seated with other voters from that district.

Voters will nominate candidates for the county and their district from the floor for one office at a time. Candidates in the caucus will need to bring proof of their own bona fides and be nominated by another bona fide voter. Each voter can vote for the county and district offices that will represent them, including for up to two county commissioners. The votes will be counted and the winner announced for each office in succession at the caucus. Republican Party Chairman Jason Gilliam will collect the names of the winners and send them to the Election Commission as the Republican Party’s official candidates.

Democratic caucus

The Democratic caucus will be held Feb. 28, at the Ledbetter Auditorium in the Frank G. Clement Building (1665 Hampshire Pike) at Columbia State Community College. The doors will open at noon and participants must be in line by 1 p.m. Primary voters are encouraged to pre-register for the caucus online.

All Democratic Party members may participate in the caucus as long as they were registered to vote before Feb. 1 and are bona fide. Normatively, this means they must have participated in the August 2024 primary election, but the requirement isn’t absolute.

“We also may admit voters who don’t meet our ‘guaranteed entry’ criteria based on personal recommendations of other Democrats,” Party Chairman James Dallas told Main Street Maury. “We will probably be fairly generous toward new voters who show up on Caucus Day and sincerely want to participate.”

To be vetted by the party in time, aspiring candidates must declare their intent to run for the nomination by Feb. 22, using an online questionnaire form. They must also fulfill all requirements to run for county office, except that they won’t need to file their own petitions with the county Election Commission. The party’s district committees will recommend candidates for each district seat.

At the convention, each Democratic candidate will be able to make a two-minute pitch to the convention, before the attendees vote by show of hands. Independent candidates may be granted the privileges of addressing and being considered by the convention, but only in races in which no Democrats are running. The caucus’ votes will determine the Democratic candidate for each county seat.

Though the Maury County Democrats won’t discuss their party’s state and federal candidates at the February convention, Dallas hopes some of them will attend anyway, to “do a little politicking… build the party and have a lot of fun.”

Molder Gets Backing From Former Rep. Cooper (Tennessean)

Former U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper is endorsing Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder for Congress in the 5th District, as he seeks to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, who previously served as Maury County Mayor.

In a statement released Feb. 9, Cooper said he is “incredibly proud” to endorse Molder’s bid. It's a significant achievement for Molder's campaign, which has steadily been building momentum in recent months.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has set its sights on unseating Ogles, targeting the 5th District as a top flip opportunity in 2026. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of the race from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican” — a move heralded by Democrats.

“Through his time as Mayor of Columbia, Chaz has focused on bringing people together to bring real solutions to Middle Tennessee families,” Cooper said. “We deserve a representative who will put this district first, who cares about the issues we face here at home, and who can get the job done — I have full faith and confidence that Chaz Molder is that person and look forward to him bringing real representation back to TN-05.”

Cooper served 16 terms in Congress, beginning in 1983, but retired when gerrymandering by the Republican supermajority in 2021 divided Nashville into three congressional districts. Republican leaders added swaths of rural, heavily Republican counties to the historically safe Democrat 5th District.

Ever since, the district has been represented by U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia, who was mayor of Maury County concurrently with Molder for four years beginning in 2018. Ogles won the seat by 13 percentage points in 2022, and was reelected by 17 percentage points in 2024.

Cooper has been relatively quiet in the political scene since retiring from Congress after his district was redrawn. He endorsed Tennessee Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, who ran against now-U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles when he was first elected in 2022. He also supported Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, in the 2023 Nashville mayor’s race.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of Congressman Jim Cooper,” Molder said. “Congressman Cooper is a dedicated public servant whom I’ve admired for years. Through his decades-long service on behalf of Middle Tennesseans, he set the example for delivering bipartisan results. I hope to live up to his legacy in Congress.”

Both Molder and Ogles’ Republican challenger, former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, have out-fundraised Ogles this cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings made last week. 

Molder raised $412,000 in the last quarter of 2025, bringing his total contributions to $1.2 million since September. Molder has $978,000 cash on hand. Among Molder’s donors are former Tennessee House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, former Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper, former Nashville Mayor John Cooper, musician Drew Holcomb and Nashville Soccer Club owner John Ingram. 

Hatcher has raised about $411,000 since entering the race in September, earning the support of former Gov. Bill Haslam and his family, as well as former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker. He has about $174,000 cash on hand. 

Ogles has raised $309,000. Ogles’ campaign reported $70,000 in outstanding debt and $62,000 cash on hand. President Donald Trump endorsed Ogles’ reelection bid last year, calling him a “conservative warrior.” Ogles' donors include SpaceX owner Elon Musk, former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger, Club for Growth PAC and U.S. Israel PAC. Ogles has received more than $300,000 in contributions from political action committees this cycle.

Mersen Layoffs (CDH)

Workers from the International Union of Electrical Workers/Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA) held an informational picket Friday, Feb. 6, at the Mersen advanced materials manufacturing plant in Columbia. Approximately 30 of the 50 workers at the plant reportedly attended the picket, which protested the company’s third attempt to move jobs out of Columbia since the workers voted to unionize in October 2024.

Union representative Orvin Caraballo charged Mersen’s management with making thinly disguised attempts to bust the union: trying to cut or relocate jobs, negotiating in bad faith, limiting the window for collective bargaining and making “unilateral changes” to workplace policy. The company first moved ISO department jobs out of state around Christmas 2024, and only another union protest succeeded at stopping a layoff the next year.

“These are all workers who have been fighting since 2024 to make their jobs safer and better, and to get Mersen to give them safety and dignity in the workplace,” Caraballo complained. “Every turn they can, they use every tactic to union-bust… that has been seen across the United States.”

He challenged Mersen’s claim that they’re planning to move the Columbia jobs to St. Mary’s, Pa., because of hardship. The billion-dollar company just scored a $10 million federal defense contract and reported that 2025 was a “stable” calendar year for them fiscally. They also founded their Maury County operation in 2019 with taxpayer help, making a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with the county and accepting a $505,000 state grant to build the factory’s wastewater infrastructure, in exchange for investing $65 million in the county and creating 101 jobs.

“Anytime you go into the news, you can see that this is one of the industries that’s really booming,” Caraballo told Main Street Maury. “[The claim of hardship] is dumbfounding… After taking taxpayer money and promising long-term growth in this community, turning around and cutting these jobs is a slap in the face to every resident of Maury County.”

“Columbia residents deserve to know why their tax dollars are supporting a company that is actively eliminating local livelihoods,” said Mersen process operator Rickey Frierson. “We’re fighting to protect Tennessee jobs for us and future generations and to hold this company to the promises it made when it took our public money.”

Annie Moses Band to Play for Valentines (MSM)

This Valentine’s Day, the Packard Playhouse welcomes back PBS sensation and Emmy-nominated family ensemble the Annie Moses Band for two intimate performances of “The Art of the Love Song” on Friday, February 14, 2025, at 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM.

A decade after “The Art of the Love Song” was first released as a CD on Warner Classics, the beloved concert experience celebrates the enduring beauty of faithfulness, love, and the romance of “forever” through a sweeping musical presentation of the greatest love songs ever written.

The performance draws from the Annie Moses Band’s Emmy-nominated PBS special filmed at the iconic Grand Ole Opry House, featuring timeless classics including “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “And I Love You So,” “Grow Old Along With Me,” “Evergreen,” “The Very Thought of You,” and “Let’s Stay Together.”

Known for their fiery string playing and soulful renditions of beloved American songs, the Annie Moses Band is a critical sensation comprised of six multi-talented siblings: Annie, Alex, Benjamin, Camille, Gretchen, and Jeremiah Wolaver. Raised by award-winning Nashville songwriters Bill and Robin Wolaver, this extraordinary family of Juilliard-trained musicians has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry House, performing over 20 years across America, Europe, and Asia.

Between them, the siblings play violin, viola, cello, harp, mandolin, guitar, electric guitar, piano, and B3 Hammond organ. Their unique, genre-defying blend of classical Americana with heartland storytelling has captivated audiences nationwide. Their PBS specials, “Christmas with the Annie Moses Band” and “The Art of the Love Song,” have broken records, and their 2021 project, “Tales From My Grandpa’s Pulpit,” topped Billboard charts. The ensemble will be joined by special guest Joshua Carswell, an award-winning tenor and winner of the prestigious American Traditions Competition.

For the Wolaver family, “The Art of the Love Song” represents the fulfillment of a deeply held dream: to celebrate the beauty and power of marriage by curating the very best love songs of the American canon. As a family of Christian faith, they have devoted themselves to creating music that honors commitment, romance, and the sacred bond of lifelong love.

Packard Playhouse, the newly renovated 125-seat venue located in historic downtown Columbia at 614 N. Main Street, has quickly become a must-see destination for quality entertainment since its opening in Spring 2023. Operated by the Wolaver family, the venue specializes in concerts and Broadway-caliber productions featuring both national touring acts and local talent, including protégés from the Conservatory of Annie Moses.

The Conservatory of Annie Moses, founded by the Wolaver family, is a faith-based music education program that mentors young musicians in stagecraft, drama, arranging, songwriting, live performance, and the philosophy of art from a Christian perspective. Through both the Playhouse and the Conservatory, the family is making a significant cultural impact in Columbia, Tennessee, by providing high-quality, family-friendly entertainment and fostering the artistic development of the next generation.

“We felt a deep calling to help other families navigate the artistic development of their children,” says Annie Dupré, founder. The family’s mission through the Annie Moses Foundation is “Godly excellence in the arts transforming stages, screens, and souls.”

This Valentine’s Day concert promises to be an unforgettable evening of romance, artistry, and musical excellence — a perfect date night celebrating love that lasts.

EVENT DETAILS:

What: The Annie Moses Band – “The Art of the Love Song”

When: Saturday, February 14, 2025 (Valentine’s Day) at 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM

Where: Packard Playhouse, 614 N. Main Street, Columbia, TN 38401

Tickets: Available at www.packardplayhouse.com or call 1-800-918-5270

For more information about the Annie Moses Band, visit www.anniemosesband.com. For more information about Packard Playhouse, visit www.packardplayhouse.com.

Maury Regional Offers Pavers as Fundraiser (MSM)

As Maury Regional Medical Center continues its expansion and renovation, the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation invites the public to be a part of this historic moment by purchasing a custom engraved paver to be installed around the iconic front lawn fountain.

“Maury Regional Health has served our region for more than 70 years and touched countless lives,” said Foundation Executive Director Rita Thompson. “This is a special opportunity to honor those who helped shape the organization as it evolved from a 50-bed hospital to a health system with more than 500 providers across 60 clinical specialties.”

Pavers may be purchased to honor a variety of individuals, including administrative leaders, physicians, employees, retirees and supporting businesses. Quantities are limited and available in two sizes. The large 12-by-12-inch pavers are available for $300 and can accommodate five lines of type, 20 characters per line. The smaller 8-by-4-inch paver provides three lines of type, 13 characters per line, at a cost of $150. Installation is projected to begin in late spring.

“This project is an excellent way to honor our history while embracing our future,” said Maury Regional Health CEO Martin Chaney, MD. “These pavers will acknowledge those who paved the way for our success while creating a modern new outdoor space for our patients, visitors and colleagues.”

To purchase a paver, visit MauryRegional.com/PaveTheWay or contact the Foundation at 931.380.4075 or email MRHFoundation@MauryRegional.com.

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

Mr. Mike Keeton, 65, retired machinist for CSX transportation, and resident of Columbia, died Tuesday, February 10 at his residence. Funeral services will be conducted Friday, February 13 at 10:00 AM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Thursday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Mrs. Barbara Tuttle Richardson, 71, resident of Columbia, died Monday, February 9, 2026 at Maury Regional Medical Center. A memorial services will be conducted Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM at St. Peters Episcopal Church. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at St. Peters.

Now, news from around the state…

President Jefferson’s Paternity (Tennessean)

Nashville's city government is fighting back against an attempt to exhume the body of one of President Thomas Jefferson's relatives who is buried in the city.

The city's law department said disturbing a grave is only allowed in very specific circumstances, none of which are present in the case.

Metro Nashville was responding to a petition filed by John Hamilton Works Jr., a Washington, D.C., professor who says he is a seventh-generation descendant of Jefferson.

Works is trying to dig up the grave of John Randolph Jefferson, the third president's nephew, who is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. Doing so could settle the question of whether Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings, a woman he enslaved, Works argues.

Many researchers, however, think there is little room for debate on that issue.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, for one, states that the best analysis on the issue comes from its report, which says that a 1998 DNA study and historical evidence “indicates a high probability that Thomas Jefferson fathered (Sally Hemings’ son) Eston Hemings, and that he most likely was the father of all six of Sally Hemings's children.”

Still, the foundation wrote that “honorable people can disagree on this subject.”

Works, in his petition filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Nov. 19, says that Jefferson’s brother Randolph Jefferson may actually be the father of Hemings’ children. He says that comparing the DNA of Randolph Jefferson’s son John Randolph Jefferson to the DNA used in the 1998 DNA study could provide insight into that theory. Or it could confirm Thomas Jefferson’s paternity.

Either way, Metro Nashville says Tennessee law doesn’t allow for digging into John Randolph Jefferson’s grave.

“…[T]he disinterment of buried bodies is disfavored by the law and only allowed under very specific statutory circumstances. None of these circumstances include determining a person’s genealogy,” the city wrote in a motion filed Jan. 23 to dismiss Works' petition.

A hearing on that motion is scheduled for Feb. 20 before Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

The community is invited to a Valentine Dance Party, taking place on Saturday, February 21st, 2026, from 5:30–7:00 PM at the Mule Town Lumberyard (1104 South Garden Street, Columbia, TN)!

Grab your kiddo and get ready for a night full of laughter, dancing, and unforgettable memories!

Your ticket includes:

DJ & dancing

Photo booth

Refreshments

Balloon drop to end the night

Tickets:

$40 for one parent & one child

$15 for each additional parent or child

This is the perfect way to celebrate love, laughter, and quality time with your favorite little people. Don’t miss this sweet night of music, memories, and smiles!

For more information, visit the Valentines Dance Party Facebook page.