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Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for March 7, 2025
All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Mule Day is Coming! (CDH)
Mule Day will return for its 51st year in 2025, continuing one of Columbia's most celebrated annual traditions, which promises to include many old favorites, as well as popular returning events.
The annual festival will kick off Thursday, April 3 and conclude Sunday, April 6.
The Mule Day Wagon Train, which many consider Mule Day's "true start" begins with its multi-day trek on March 31.
"The Wagon Train typically gets here at the same time every year on Wednesday, about 2-3 p.m. most of the time," said Mule Day Committee Chairman Harv Spann, whose involvement with Mule Day dates back to its pre-revival in 1973.
Now more than half a century since Mule Day's 1974 renaissance re-established the iconic long-eared equine hybrid, much of this year's focus has been on the event's history, which can be found in the 2025 Mule Day magazine carrying the tagline, "Ears through the years."
The current Mule Day magazine features daily schedules, event highlights and sketches of Mule Days past. It is also a how-to guide on ways to explore various Columbia and Maury County hotspots, whether you are a local or an out-of-towner.
"You can read a lot about just about everything in there," Spann said.
For more information, such as a full schedule of Mule Day events, as well as a copy of this year's Mule Day reader, visit www.MuleDay.com or stop by the Mule Day Office at Maury County Park, 1018 Maury County Park Drive.
As a festival steeped in tradition, many of Mule Day's main events will be returning, although there will be a few new things to expect.
"We don't change it a whole lot because then it wouldn't be Mule Day," Spann said. "We have to have our traditional mule shows, like Mule Pulling, the Gaited Mule Show, which is actually the state championship Mule Show. There are several around the country, but this is Tennessee's."
Organizers have made a bigger push to include activities like arts and crafts, as a way to provide fun hands-on opportunities for visitors.
"That's one of our biggest assets for Mule Day, the ladies especially love going through the arts and crafts, since mules aren't necessarily everyone's bag, so to speak," Spann said. "We concentrate on that area to have a variety of different things."
Other newer events have now become annual traditions, such as the popular Mule Day Dog Show and Little Miss Mule Day Pageant.
"The dog show is very popular, where everyone gets to bring their little pooch out and there is no pressure," Spann said. "I've tried to get them to have the ugliest pooch, but nobody wants to have the ugliest pooch in there. It's a fun show."
This year's festival also welcomes world-renowned mule trainer, Steve Edwards, whom Spann said will conduct multiple clinics throughout the weekend.
"Steve will be coming from Arizona and will be putting on demonstrations on how to handle mules with bad habits, saddle fitting, things like that," Spann said.
Bridle & Saddle Club member Tommy Boyd was also named this year's Mule Man.
Each night will also feature much of the same fun and entertainment Mule Day veterans have come to know and love, such as the Bluegrass Music Fest or the popular Liar's Contest at Central High School, as well as the Mule Town Stompers & Urban Cowboy Line Dancing at the Ridley 4-H Center.
"Square dancing at the 4-H Center is always a big hit with people," Spann said. "You don't have to know how to dance to go, just go. Somebody will jump in line and teach you how."
Mule Day's highest attended event is the beloved Mule Day Parade on Saturday, which will make its traditional route starting north on U.S. Highway 31 before making its way down West 7th Street.
Spann said this year's parade will feature "more entries than we've ever had."
In the past, Mule Day parades have been led by a grand marshal, often somebody local who has made an impact on Columbia and Maury County.
However, the Bridle & Saddle Club and Mule Day Committee chose to do something a little different, and it comes with a familiar set of crooked ears.
"In my opinion, this year has the best Grand Marshal we've ever had, and it is the owners of the mules who packed into North Carolina and East Tennessee after the storms," Spann, a former Grand Marshal in 2017, said. "They are going to be our Grand Marshals this year and are true heroes. That's certainly a plus for us to have them here.
In addition to leading the parade as this year's Grand Marshal, Mountain Mule Packers trainers Mike and Michelle Toberer will also be at Maury County Park on Friday and Saturday. There, visitors can get an up-close look at these animals, hear their story, as well as see how the mule remains a steadfast tool for saving lives during a disastrous time.
"People can look at and take pictures with those mules if they want to," Spann said. "It's a shame we had the storms, but the mules were very 'Johnny on the spot' helping a lot of people during their times of need," Spann said.
While Mule Day is an event that attracts thousands of people to Maury County each year, it sure isn't an easy feat to pull off, nor is it cheap.
Mule Day organizers are also still feeling some remaining effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the event to cancel in 2020 and 2021. Not only did the pandemic cause an unexpected break in tradition but was also very damaging financially.
"We had a really hard time during COVID and had to find another revenue source to help with the cost of things, which is why we've started to reach out to other sponsors," Span said.
Some of these bigger sponsors include Hiller and Ascend Federal Credit Union, though Spann said the vast majority of sponsorships are given by local businesses, which will remain an annual tradition.
"We have always had sponsors from out of town, but almost 90-plus percent of our sponsors are local businesses," Spann said. "Most of them are local, and that hasn't changed a whole lot."
A few local sponsors featured this year include Columbia Academy, Maury Regional Heath and Tenn Pin Alley, as well as other small businesses like The Trailor Store, Bobcat of Maury County and Lynch Equipment Sales. There are also local tourism sponsorships from Visit Columbia and the Maury County Visitors Bureau.
Prime & Pint also played host to the 2024 Mule Day WORKS Recipients Luncheon, which recognizes the need to not only honor Mule Day's legacy but also recognizing the shortage of trades people in Maury County.
The program offers "blue collar" sponsorships to young people in the community seeking careers in a wide range of skills, such as welding, auto mechanics, HVAC and medical certification, just to name a few. Emma Parks received Mule Day WORKS first scholarship in 2024 and is now studying medical sonography at Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas.
"If you are one of those who may not be a Mule Day fan, we get it — but please remember the bigger the crowd, the longer the lines, the more times you must sit through that stoplight equal more young people we can impact," Mule Day WORKS Committee Chairman Brady Carr wrote in the 2025 Mule Day reader.
Columbia State Receives Grant (Press Release)
Columbia State Community College has recently received $49,000 in funding for two separate grant projects involving instructors from three Tennessee Board of Regents colleges.
The funding has helped launch pilot courses for two TBR Open Educational Resources, or OER grants during the Spring 2025 semester.
The OER grant program provides opportunities for teams of faculty members to convert courses currently using commercially published textbooks to courses using OER. In addition to increasing access through the affordability that OER provides, faculty have the opportunity to maximize student engagement and success by aligning materials with learning outcomes and customizing tools to support their unique educational approaches.
Yvonne Mills, a Columbia State English instructor, leads a team that curates English as a Second Language materials designed for easy integration into any course to support English Language Learners. The team also includes Columbia State Reading and English instructor Scott Beard and Caroline Froc, a humanities instructor from Northeast State Community College.
“While there is an abundance of ESL-specific OER materials available, many require significant adaptation to meet the needs of diverse student demographics and institutional objectives,” Mills said. “Tailoring these resources to align with my students’ academic and cultural backgrounds meant modifying existing examples and developing supplementary exercises to ensure accessibility and relevance. This project also reinforced the critical role of collaboration in curriculum development. Working closely with colleagues, particularly Caroline, highlighted the importance of a shared understanding of student needs and the value of cross-disciplinary feedback. This teamwork not only strengthened my own instructional strategies but also underscored the power of adaptable, student-centered materials in maximizing learning outcomes.”
In a separate project, Dale Hobbs, Columbia State assistant professor of mathematics and Charles McCauley, an instructor of mathematics at Volunteer State Community College, co-led the development of a Math 1530 (Introductory Statistics) course. This course utilizes GeoGebra — an interactive application designed to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics and science as the primary tool for managing data and performing calculations.
“This project provided valuable insights into my academic discipline, instructional approach and course content,” Hobbs said. “Integrating interactive GeoGebra applets has proven to be a powerful way to make abstract concepts more accessible and enhance student engagement. The experience also reinforced the importance of accessibility in content creation. Ensuring that all materials are inclusive remains a challenge, but this project has helped me develop a stronger awareness of how to approach accessibility in course design. Moving forward, I’m eager to expand the use of OER and advocate for their adoption to help reduce cost barriers and enrich student learning.”
Around 80 students are enrolled in multiple pilot courses which began in the Spring 2025 semester. After the pilot courses are completed, teams will review and update the materials and courses using feedback from students and instructors.
Homestretch Opening (WKOM Audio 1:52)
Yesterday, Homestretch, a new home preparation services company held their grand opening in Spring Hill. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy attended the ribbon cutting and spoke to Homestretch proprietor Maura Feeny to learn more about what services they can provide home sellers…
CPWS Offers Online Billing Help (MSM)
Columbia Power & Water Systems is offering customers in-person assistance with signing up for the company’s new SmartHub online portal during three sessions during March.
Sessions will be held on March 12, 19 and 26 at the CPWS Service Center, located at 201 Pickens Lane in Columbia. Customers must make an appointment ahead of time and can do so online at www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44ADAB22A4F9C25-54719417-cpws.
Sessions are for residential customers only and to make a reservation, your name must be on the account. Customers must bring their photo ID and account number (located on your CPWS bill) with them on the day of the appointment.
Customers registering must do so by noon Monday for that week’s session and must have an email address that can be accessed to verify registration during the appointment. CPWS recommends using an email account on your mobile device that can be accessed.
Those who want assistance with setting up Autopay can also do so at these sessions, provided they have their payment information available with them.
CPWS staff will not be able to look up account information, take payments or answer billing questions at these appointments.
Accessing the SmartHub portal is necessary to set up Variable Billing for customers, which has replaced its previous Budget Billing policy. According to CPWS, Variable Billing averages your last 12 months of bills, each month, and helps your bill be more consistent month-to-month.
To sign up for Variable Billing, customers can login to their SmartHub account, select Variable Billing from the Bill & Pay menu, and enroll or call CPWS Customer Service. Customers with an outstanding bill will need to pay that bill prior to enrolling in Variable Billing.
Historic Marker Unveiling (Press Release)
The community is invited to attend an unveiling ceremony for a historical marker honoring the Columbia Female Institute, an educational institution that featured a castle that was built in the 1830’s that significantly contributed to women's educational history in Columbia. The building burned in a tragic fire in 1959.
When: March 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Where: Columbia Plaza, 425 W 7th Street, Columbia, TN
Farm City Breakfast (Press Release)
The Maury Alliance Agribusiness Committee invites you to the annual Farm City Breakfast honoring the agriculture and agribusiness industry of Maury County.
This year's Farm City Breakfast will be held on Friday, March 28th, at the Ridley 4-H Center. The breakfast line opens at 6:45 am with the program beginning at 7:00 am and concluding by 8:30 am.
The Keynote Speaker is Mr. Andy Holt, Deputy Commissioner, TN Department of Agriculture. This year’s honoree is the Fox Farm of Santa Fe as a Century Farm.
There is no charge to attend the breakfast, however we will be collecting donations during the event for our 2025 Farm City Scholarship Memorial Fund. This year scholarships will be given in memory of Sam Whiteside.
Scholarships are currently available for Maury County Seniors pursuing degrees in an Agriculture related field of study. The deadline to apply is March 14th.
Learn more by visiting www.mauryalliance.com/
And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Mr. James Wayne Malugin, 76, retired employee of L & N Railroad and lifelong resident of Columbia, died Thursday, February 20 at his residence. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 8th, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home, with military honors provided by the Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. The Family will visit with friends Saturday, March 8th, 2025 from 12:00 PM until the service time at the funeral home.
Duane Thomas “Turkey” Jones, 78, of Lynnville, Tennessee passed away at his home on February 27th, 2025.
A celebration of Duane’s life will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, March 13, 2025 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The family will receive friends in the Parish Hall from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. St. Peter’s is located at 311 W 7th St, Columbia, TN.
Interment will take place in Shreveport, Louisiana at a later date.
Chance Harding Luna, 33, died unexpectedly Saturday, March 1, 2025 at his residence in Columbia.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Lynnwood Cemetery in Lynnville. The family will visit with friends Friday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.
Jana Gail Wyrick Robertson, 64, died on March 1. Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 8, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:45 PM with the Memorial Service following at 2:00 PM at The Columbia Academy Vest Hall.
Rosetta Edwards Thomas, age 90, longtime former resident of Columbia, passed away Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at Adams Place Rehab Care in Murfreesboro.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home with Andrew Phillips officiating. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 10:00 AM till 12:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.
And now, news from around the state…
Reps Call for Green’s Censure (Tennessean)
Texas Rep. Al Green was removed from President Donald Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday night and has now been censured by his fellow lawmakers.
On Wednesday, Republicans on the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus posted on X, that their fellow lawmakers were "on notice that the heckler's veto will not be tolerated" and threatened to censure people who would do a "heckler's veto."
Along with the members of the Caucus, Republicans Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, have similar censure efforts underway.
On Thursday, Newhouse introduced a resolution to censure Green and it passed largely along party lines by a vote of 224-198, with 10 Democrats siding with Republicans and two members voting present.
The resolution stated that Green's actions were a "breach of proper conduct."
Tennessee Republican and member of the ultraconservative caucus Rep. Andy Ogles went after Green's conduct on Tuesday night and called for his censure.
“His complete lack of decorum and refusal to follow the direction of the Speaker last night was beyond unacceptable,” Ogles wrote on X.
On Tuesday, the Democratic representative interrupted Trump after the president claimed "the presidential election of Nov. 5 was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades." Green rose from his feet, interrupted the president and started saying, “You don’t have a mandate,” before he was drowned out by GOP members.
House leader Rep. Mike Johnson told Green to sit down, and when the Texas representative declined, Johnson had him escorted out.
Gas Prices (MSM)
Gas prices continued to fluctuate over last week, however, we are starting the week off with the same gas price average as last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.75 which is five cents less expensive than one month ago and 26 cents less than one year ago.
“Last week, the state gas price average rose as high as $2.81, but began declining late last week and ultimately fell to the same price as we saw one week ago,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Given the time of year, drivers can likely expect more fluctuation to come for pump prices. The good news, is that Tennessee drivers are seeing pump prices 26 cents cheaper than they were at this time last year.”
Tennessee is seventh least-expensive state in nation for gas prices
National News
BREAK 3 at:57
Let’s take one last break. When we come back, we’ll cover the final story of the day. You’re listening to Southern Middle Tennessee Today.
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Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
The S. E. Hinton literary classic we all read in school makes its way to the stage this weekend as Building Block School for The Arts debuts "The Outsiders."
The school, located at 1309 S. Main St. in Columbia, will host three performances at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday.
Join classic characters like Ponyboy, Johnny, Dallas and the whole gang of greasers for a timeless story of youth empowerment and leadership.
What makes this teen production special is that it not only features a top cast of young actors, but is directed by Milly Johnson, a local senior.
Tickets are $12 and are available at the door or online at www.BuildingBlockArts.com.
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