Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 4-23-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for April 23, 2026

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

Duck River Wins in Legislature (WPLN)

Doug Jones watches wood ducks fly across the clear, greenish waters of the Duck River. 

“A lot of the time the mamas will fly real low to drag you away from the little ones,” Jones explains. 

The river is part of his backyard. Jones lives on a 150-acre farm in Hickman County, where his property borders about a mile of the Duck River. The land traverses rolling forests, meadows of wildflowers and springs. 

Watching the wildlife is a favorite pastime of Jones, and he is in one of the best spots in the world to do it: the Duck River is considered the most biodiverse river in North America.

“This is sort of wild country, what’s left of Middle Tennessee’s wild country,” Jones says. “We have mountain lions come through occasionally. We have big real rattlesnakes.”

Jones has been advocating for the river’s protection for decades. Two years ago, he founded a group called the Duck River Conservancy. 

Jones identifies as a conservative, like many of the folks in his group. 

“We’re not tree huggers. We’re farmers, we’re hunters, we’re landowners. Everybody just wants what’s best for the river,” he said. 

The group is now celebrating its biggest legislative win to date. 

The Tennessee General Assembly passed HB1510 / SB1590 to protect the entire Duck River and its tributaries from landfill construction. 

The legislation creates a two-mile buffer around the river and the creeks and rivers that flow into it across nine counties in Middle Tennessee. The only segment of the river not protected under the legislation is under federal management as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s 17-mile Normandy Reservoir. 

“So much of the Duck River is the Duck River watershed, and there are so many other communities who have fought hard to protect the Piney; to protect Lick Creek,” said Grace Stranch, director of the Harpeth Conservancy. 

Landfills have been proposed across the state, including in the Duck River watershed, in recent years. 

In 2022, a company proposed a landfill near the Duck River in Maury County on land once owned by Monsanto, which created chemical weapons and buried waste there for decades. That proposal, now effectively defunct, sparked a lot of pushback. 

Landfills pose danger to rivers. Digging pits destroys habitat, leaks pollution and harms animals. 

The new legislation aims to curb impacts by siting landfills away from water, according to Rep. Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, who sponsored the bill with another Republican. 

Marsh represents Bedford County, where the Duck River winds through 90 miles of land. With the strip of land now protected under the legislation, the majority of land remains open to development. 

“That basically leaves 75% of the rest of the acres that we can do whatever we want to,” Marsh told a committee last month. “Whatever the citizens of Bedford County and of the area want.”

The Duck River is considered the most biologically diverse river in North America and a global “hotspot.” 

The Duck boasts about 650 aquatic species. The roughly 150 fish species found here reflects more diversity of fish than in all of the rivers of Europe combined. The Duck also provides habitat to 56 different mussels, 22 aquatic snails and resplendent critters like the “Linear Cobalt Crayfish.”

The water attracts animal life on dry land, too, throughout the floodplain and in its wetlands: ducks, eagles, bats, river otters, dragonflies and more.

Water runs through limestone, shale and sandstone, each sustaining terrestrial habitats of limestone glades, oak forests, prairie and barrens, karst features like caves and springs, and wetland ecosystems like scrub-shrubs and bottomland hardwood forests.

The river is largely considered “free flowing” as it remains unchannelized and contains only one non-hydroelectric dam. It is the longest river winding entirely within Tennessee.

An estimated 150,000 anglers, paddlers, and boaters recreate on the Duck River each year. The watershed includes two state parks and the Yanahli Wildlife Management Area and provides drinking water to 250,000 Tennesseans. 

All sorts of people rallied together to protect the Duck this year, according to Stranch, of the Harpeth Conservancy.

“It gives me a lot of hope that we can — even though we’re separated in so many ways — that we can come together to protect our drinking water source,” Stranch said. 

Some folks like Jones consider the move a rare environmental win at the statehouse. 

In the past five years, the state legislature has passed measures to preempt local governments from blocking fossil fuel projects, boycott banks that divest from fossil fuels, increase felony charges for people protesting pipelines, refineries or plants and preempt bans on gas stoves. The state also legally defined methane gas as “renewable energy” and, last week, Gov. Bill Lee signed a law to shield oil and gas companies from climate lawsuits. 

But Tennessee also has a history of conservation, and many residents remain passionate about the forests, grasslands, swamps and riverine systems — especially the Duck. 

Two years ago, the nonprofit American Rivers named the Duck as one of the nation’s endangered rivers due to development and heavy water withdrawals. 

State officials have since been taking action. In late 2024, the governor signed an executive order to create the “Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership,” a group to coordinate state agencies and develop initiatives around water management and conservation.

Jones thinks the state has a long way to go in protecting waterways, and he hopes this latest effort will show that conservation can be nonpartisan. 

“This isn’t about liberals and conservatives,” Jones said. “This is about protecting natural resources. From all the different sides, people are going to have to give up something maybe.” 

Kiwanis Celebrates $100,000 Milestone (Press Release)

The Kiwanis Club of Columbia, TN, met on Friday, April 17, for its regular membership meeting to celebrate a historic achievement in its 21-year partnership with the Imagination Library. During the meeting, the club announced it has officially reached a fundraising milestone of $100,216.62 to provide books for the children of Maury County.

The meeting, featuring keynote speakers Jan McKeel and Dwaine Beck, served as a powerful testament to the club's "Young Children: Priority One" mission. The event opened with a spirited rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," a cherished club tradition led by members Tommy Vann, Chris Sockwell, Dwaine Beck, Bob Morgan, and Jerry Bridenbaugh. Traditionally sung midway through the club's annual yard sale fundraiser to provide a "second wind" for volunteers, the song has become a symbol of the club's long-term commitment to childhood literacy.

Maury County Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Ventura shared a moving personal testimony during the meeting, emphasizing the high stakes of early literacy. "As a child who grew up in poverty, books were my escape from everything," Ventura said. "You are impacting lives in ways you cannot imagine. Without people giving books and instilling the importance of literacy, our homeless population would be greater, our abuse rates would go up, and our prison numbers would go up."

Ventura further noted that the impact extends beyond the classroom. "You aren't just impacting the children; you are impacting the adults in their circle. Many kids bring books home, and adults learn to read through that access. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for what you do in this most important forum of literacy."

Dwaine Beck illustrated this impact with a story about Dawson Dykes. Years ago, Dawson was the "little red-headed kid" across the street with a basket overflowing with well-loved Imagination Library books. Seeing the boy receive his graduation book, Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!, Beck noted, "I think he’s ready. Almost all that credit goes to a loving mom and dad, but I think we helped a little."

This story served as the introduction to a featured video: Tennessee's Imagination Library's 10th Anniversary Celebration with Dolly!

The partnership began in 2005 under the leadership of Dwaine Beck, then-chair of the Young Children: Priority One committee. Today, Maury County leads the state with a 76% enrollment rate in the Imagination Library. Rachel Ellis, representing the program, noted that over 17,500 local five-year-olds have graduated from the program in Maury County, and nearly 1 million books have been delivered to local doorsteps. Jan McKeel shared that the club was honored to have Alice Jennings, a member of the original fundraising team that helped get the program off the ground, in attendance.

Celebrating the milestone on Friday were club members and guests, including Annette Dykes, Delaney Dykes, Dawson Dykes, and Dwaine Beck.

City Takes Data-Driven Approach to Road Construction (Press Release)

The City of Columbia is advancing a comprehensive Pavement Management and Preservation Program to improve road infrastructure. This proactive effort focuses on enhancing roadway conditions, strengthening long-term planning, and maximizing infrastructure investments across the city.

The City has partnered with Alfred Benesch and Company and its subconsultant, Citylogix, to collect high-resolution roadway data, analyze pavement performance, and develop a long-term, prioritized maintenance and improvement strategy.

“Investing in our infrastructure is investing in the future of Columbia,” said Mayor Chaz Molder. “We’re putting the right tools in place to better understand our road system and make informed decisions that will benefit the city for years to come.”

This program introduces a data-driven approach to managing the City’s 235 centerline miles of roadway. Using advanced imaging, LiDAR, and 360-degree high-definition data collection, roadway conditions will be assessed with precision, allowing the City to better visualize needs and prioritize repairs.

A key component of the program is pavement preservation—techniques designed to extend the life of roadways. The City will work with Alfred Benesch and Company to implement cost-effective methods that prolong pavement life and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

The initiative also includes standardized plans and specifications for future projects, community education materials, budget scenarios, and a comprehensive Pavement Management Plan to guide future investments.

“With reliable data and advanced analytics, we can prioritize projects more effectively and extend the life of our roadway system,” said City Manager Tony Massey.

Work is scheduled to begin in April, with data collection, analysis, and program development continuing through December. The final Pavement Management Plan is expected to be completed by December 2026.

Upstairs Downtown Tour (Press Release)

Columbia Main Street is excited to announce the return of its highly anticipated 4th Annual Upstairs Downtown Tour on April 30 from 5:30 to 8 PM. This self-guided, ticketed experience invites residents to explore downtown through a curated selection of properties, showcasing both upstairs and downstairs spaces.

Along the way, attendees will sample locally sourced food and non-alcoholic beverages, enjoy live music performances, an interactive photo booth, and learn about the history behind each location. Every stop offers something new, from unique flavors to a variety of musical styles, creating a lively and immersive evening experience.

Participants will begin their journey at the Columbia Main Street office, located inside the Visit Columbia Welcome Center, where they will receive their official tour map and instructions. From there, guests will have two and a half hours to explore all featured locations at their own pace.

Each year features a completely new lineup of properties, ensuring even returning guests enjoy a fresh experience. Locations remain a surprise until the day of the event, when attendees receive their tour map at the Welcome Center.

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026

Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Start Location: Visit Columbia Welcome Center (713 North Main Street, Columbia, TN 38401)

Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at ColumbiaMainStreet.com. Availability is limited, and the event typically sells out.

All proceeds from the Upstairs Downtown Tour will support Columbia Main Street’s downtown beautification projects, helping enhance and preserve the charm of the district. For more information, visit ColumbiaMainStreet.com or follow @columbiatnmainstreet on social media.

County Recommends Ethics Policy (MSM)

The Maury County Commission’s Administrative Committee recently voted unanimously to recommend that the full commission adopt the state’s updated 2022 ethics policy.

The County Technical Advisory Service’s (CTAS) short sheet on ethics explains that the state is primarily concerned with the financial dimension of “ethics.”

Maury County operates under the Financial Management Act of 2014, which also deals with ethics concerning county officials standing to financially profit from an act or piece of legislation in such a way that a “reasonable” observer could surmise a conflict of interest in the situation, then the county official or employee must disclose the conflict, and abstain from voting if they vote on it.

County officials must also abstain from accepting gifts that either affect the outcome of a vote, or are perceived to be by a “reasonable” observer. Asked how far this prohibition on gifts should be observed, Maury County’s CTAS representative Melissa Kelton said, “One of our attorneys… literally says, ‘Don’t eat the chicken,'” i.e., the safest practice is to refrain from accepting any gifts from people or organizations who might someday stand to gain from a county vote. However, she said, “ethical” censure comes only upon the reality of a gift or conflict, not on personal “morals” or popular “perceptions” of people’s conduct.

“When I was chairman of this commission, I had persons coming up to me complaining about [the] behavior of certain people, and they wanted to file ethics charges,” corroborated Administrative Committee Chairman Eric Previti. “And I had to tell them that bad behavior, or behavior you don’t like, is not an ethics violation in the eyes of the state of Tennessee. It’s got to have monetary gain from something that a commissioner [voted upon].”

Violations of this code are to be directed to the county’s Ethics Board, which is currently composed of Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland and county commissioners Pam Huffman, Cindy Hestla, Connie Green and Mike Kuzawinski. The board currently lacks a chairperson to perform essential executive functions; an ethics chair needs to be appointed by the county commission chairman. The ethics board can investigate the propriety of actions and votes and recommend that the County Commission censure the person who did them, but they can’t impose penalties or subpoena anyone.

Commissioner and ethics board member Mike Kuzawinski said he found in his study of CTAS requirements and the Tennessee Code that “some TCA code [on ethics]… does not deal with financial [misconduct].”

“T.C.A. 39-16-402 says [a charge of official misconduct] applies to public servants or candidates for office [for committing] ‘unauthorized exercise of official power’… [and] T.C.A. 39-16-403 [says the same of] abuse of power by a public servant,” Kuzawinski pointed out, noting that both laws appear under the list of “applicable state laws” in CTAS’s short sheet. “It restricts transparency in government when a constituent has an issue that they feel is an ethics violation, [but the Ethics Board] says, ‘Oh, there’s no money involved, so we don’t even have to look at it’… I feel like we owe it to our constituents to look into it.”

“That would have to be answered by an attorney, whether or not [that’s in] the scope, because when I reached out to our attorney, he said it only covers those two things,” Kelton responded. “We get so many questions on conflict of interest that we have to wait and have our attorneys answer them.”

Road Project Update from State (MSM)

State Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, last week outlined the progress of several infrastructure projects impacting Maury County.

“Our community has experienced a population boom in recent years, and I’m excited to announce these important updates to reduce congestion and strengthen roadway safety,” Cepicky said. “These critical transportation projects will improve traffic flow and help ensure Middle Tennessee’s infrastructure can keep up with our ongoing growth. Investments like these are essential to supporting the long-term success of the Volunteer State.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) recently announced an estimated $190 million to widen Bear Creek Pike (State Route 99) in Maury County from State Route 6 to Interstate 65 through the Statewide Partnership Program. Preliminary engineering is expected to begin in 2032, right-of-way acquisition in 2034, and construction in 2037.

Additional transportation updates include:

• State Route 6 widening from State Route 247, or Duplex Road, to north of Thompson’s Ridge Road/Buckner Road in Spring Hill. The project will cost an estimated $133.9 million, with construction beginning in 2033.

• State Route 6 widening from north of Thompson’s Ridge Road/Buckner Road to north of Tollgate Boulevard in Thompson’s Station. The project will cost an estimated $157.8 million, with construction beginning in 2033.

• I-65 widening from State Route 396, or Saturn Parkway, to near the I-65/I-840 interchange. The project will cost an estimated $150 million, with construction expected to begin in 2028.

These projects are part of TDOT’s updated Ten-Year Plan, funded in part by a $1 billion allocation by the General Assembly last year to expedite road projects in the Transportation Modernization Act. This historic legislation, passed in 2023, invested $3.3 billion to fund critical infrastructure projects in rural and urban areas of Tennessee.

Tennessee uses a pay-as-you-go model for roads, using cash on hand. The state has not borrowed money for transportation projects since 1977.

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

John Thomas “Bud” Haskin, 94, resident of Culleoka, passed away Friday, April 17, 2026 at his home in Culleoka.

Graveside services will be conducted Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 2:30 PM at Scribner’s Mill Cemetery with Randy Sprouse officiating. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. 

Susannah Patrick “Susie” Maddux passed away April 7th at her home in Columbia. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM at Bigbyville Methodist Church. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the church. 

Frances A. Domenico, 99, of Columbia, passed away on Thursday, April 16th. A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Dennis Michael LeMay, 60, resident of Columbia, passed away on April 11, 2026 at Magnolia Healthcare and Rehabilitation.

Graveside services will be conducted on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 1:00 PM at Pisgah Cemetery. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com

And now, news from around the state…

Longest Tenured Teacher in Williamson Honored (WilliamsonScene)

Around 100 people gathered in Brentwood High School’s Library on Sunday to celebrate the retirement of Williamson County Schools’ longest-tenured teacher, Harriet Medlin.

Medlin had taught at Brentwood High School for 43 of her 57-year career. On Sunday, she spent hours greeting a seemingly never-ending line of people, including some of her first students and former colleagues, some of whom traveled across the nation to offer a hug, memories and congratulations.

“You impacted generations of students and colleagues with grace and class, modeling professionalism, integrity and kindness every single day. Your students felt known, respected and inspired to think deeply and encouraged to express themselves with confidence, both in and outside of the classroom,” BHS Assistant Principal Wendy Hart said on behalf of Principal Kevin Keidel. “You are a master teacher in every sense of the word.”

Medlin said that the advancements in technology have been the biggest change throughout her career, which began at Franklin High School in 1968 before working at Northside Junior High School in 1972, and later Brentwood High School starting in 1982. Additionally, she has more than a year of service at Yates Vocational School and two years working with former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander’s (1979-1987) Career Ladder program.

“The legacy you've left can't be counted,” Williamson County Schools Superintendent Jason Golden said. 

Along with those changes came more regulations on how to teach students.

“It's gotten much tighter as far as controls, and what we can do and what we can't do and what we can say and what we can't say, and you can feel that tension even among the students that they seem so much more stressed. There's a lot more stress,” Medlin said. “There's a lot going on with teenagers, but yet, they're still teenagers, and pretty much they're still kids, and that's good, but I see a lot more stressed teenagers than I used to see.”

Her advice to tomorrow’s teachers?

“Just hang in there, persevere,” Medlin said, recalling her experience teaching in just the second year after Franklin High School was integrated and combined with students from Natchez High School.

“It was those lessons that I learned on how to deal with all kinds of students, and the lesson of just persevering. You have to have a sense of humor,” she continued. “In a lot of ways, we've lost our sense of humor because everything is so so so stressful and so serious, but you can't make it as a teacher if you don't find something funny every day to keep you going.”

Medlin has taught numerous English courses and launched BHS’ nationally-ranked forensics (speech and debate) program, which was the first in the district.

While Medlin won’t be teaching any formal class after this school year, she’ll still be giving back to the BHS community in retirement as she will continue to coach the forensic team.

“I have testimonials from former students who say that they learned more from debate than they did in any class that they took in high school, and they have used those skills. They're not all lawyers. They are business people, they are doctors. Whatever they do, the analysis, the ability to look at both sides of an issue, is crucial." 

Medlin said that there have been many good moments in her 57-year career, but Sunday may be hard to top.

“Today was probably one of the best moments, because it was overwhelming and very humbling to me,” she said. “It was just amazing and very, very gratifying to me. So I'll have to say that today probably tops everything.”

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 55th Annual Spring Tennessee Craft Fair returns to Centennial Parkin Nashville May 1–3, 2026, transforming the grounds surrounding the iconic Parthenon into a vibrant outdoor marketplace celebrating the best of handmade art and fine craft.

More than 200 juried artists from across Tennessee and seven states that border Tennessee will showcase and sell their original work. 

Recognized as one of the region’s premier fine craft events, the fair offers visitors a unique opportunity to meet artists, learn about their creative processes, and purchase one-of-a-kind work directly from the makers.

Learn more at www.tennesseecraft.org.