Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 5-26-26

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for May 26, 2026

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

Two Arrested in Arson Investigation (WSMV)

 Two people are facing charges following an arson investigation into a January house fire in Maury County, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The TBI was requested to assist in the investigation of a house fire in Mount Pleasant, joining the Mount Pleasant Fire Department and Mount Pleasant Police Department.

The fire happened at a home that was under construction on Wall Street on Jan. 28.

During the investigation, the TBI said evidence collected and presented allege that Amos Wall, 32, with help from Nashlee Mitchell, 30, intentionally set the fire.

A Maury County Grand Jury indicted Wall and Mitchell on Wednesday.

Wall was charged with two counts of aggravated arson, one count of arson and two counts of aggravated burglary. He was booked into the Maury County Jail where he is being held on a $500,000 bond.

Mitchell was charged with two counts of criminal facilitation of aggravated arson. She is being held at the Giles County Jail on unrelated charges, but the TBI said she will be transferred to the Maury County Jail where she will be booked on a $200,000 bond.

The investigation is ongoing.

Commission Asks for $3M for Dam Feasibility Study (MSM)

The Maury County Commission voted 16-1 to ask the State of Tennessee to appropriate $3 million for a feasibility study of the Columbia Dam proposal.

It’s the third resolution of support that Maury County has passed for the project and the study of the dam, along with those passed by the cities of Columbia, Lewisburg and Chapel Hill and the governing commissions of the surrounding Lewis, Marshall and Lincoln Counties.

Jason Gilliam and Rick Williams, the main spokesmen for the organization Columbia Dam Now (columbiadamnow.org), restated their pitch for the project at the meeting. Gilliam, a Maury County Water System board member, argued that a Columbia Dam would amass the greatest supply of water by far: even a small 8,000-acre reservoir could hold 65 billion gallons of water, capture additional rain and floodwater, and prevent both floods and droughts.

“A reservoir actually does add water to a river,” he said. “It sits behind the dam in the form of a reservoir, so that that water can be managed [for] release throughout the year.”

Unlike any pipeline, an artificial lake would also create enormous economic potential, proponents noted.

Gilliam cited a UT Institute of Agriculture study which found that in 2017, lakes across the state generated an average of $1 million per mile of shoreline. Tims Ford, the nearest and most similar artificial lake to the Columbia Dam concept, generated more than $276 million the year of the study; Gilliam projected that a Columbia Reservoir could add $400 million to the local economy each year.

Gilliam and Williams also criticized the decision-making process of the Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership, which left the Columbia Dam off of its published list of recommendations for the Duck River Watershed’s long-term water supply.

Williams, who manages Congressman Andy Ogles’s campaigns, testified that the dam was dropped by the Partnership’s Regionalization subcommittee and never came before the full DRWPP for a vote. The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers have also made clear to the DRWPP that they’re not interested in building or maintaining a Columbia Dam, which is why Columbia Dam Now wants an independent entity — preferably, Williams told the Commission, a private firm with dam-construction experience — to complete a feasibility study.

“All we’re asking [the state] to do is to spend $3 million to do a legitimate feasibility study. If the feasibility study tells me that it can’t be done, fine,” he said at the May 4 meeting of the Health & Environment Committee. “But we haven’t even explored it.”

April Grippo, Director of Water Resources for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, explained that the government environmental, infrastructural and resource agencies consulted by the DRWPP, all rejected a dam outright.

“This was not an oversight. The Partnership was intentionally, deliberately silent on the Columbia Dam concept,” she said. “This is a heavy, heavy lift… [if not] fundamentally flawed and not feasible.”

Gilliam and Williams presented the project to the Partnership in October 2025, in Grippo’s words, as “the best long-term, [most] affordable and least damaging solution.”

At the state’s request, Grippo recalled, the infrastructure firm Gresham Smith & Partners performed a quick study and told the DRWPP in December that a dam could cost $2.4 billion. The TVA and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency felt that even this left out huge costs, including environmental remediation, replacing flooded conservation acreage, and possibly eminent-domaining even more property for the reservoir. Using these factors, Gresham Smith re-estimated the dam at $3-$7 billion.

“Impounding the Duck River or rebuilding the Columbia Dam is… the most expensive, the least likely, and the most damaging water-supply alternative of the dozens that have been considered,” Grippo testified.

During public comment, Stephanie Sparks Newland warned the commissioners that should the Army Corps take up the study, Maury County is the most likely entity to be signed up as the mandatory “non-federal sponsor,” which involves paying for up to half of the feasibility study and 35 percent of pre-construction.

Jan Seufert, who co-owns Higher Pursuits Canoe Rental, said that a recent scientific paper identified the stretch from Lillard’s Mill in Marshall County to Columbia as the home of the densest mussel population in the whole Duck River — the very stretch that would be impounded.

“The 50 most species-rich miles of our river, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, would be changed forever… with irreversible consequences,” agreed Gale Moore. “If we do it, we will never get it back.”

All of the county commissioners who spoke at the meetings favored the idea of the dam and reservoir.

“I appreciate everyone’s passion. We’ve got some fierce advocates for the Duck River in this room,” said Commissioner Gabe Howard, the author of the resolution. “I think we can all love the Duck River… [while] also still supporting the dam.”

“We don’t have the option or the time to eliminate any possibilities… [when] Maury County is growing and is going to continue to grow, and is going to need more and more water,” said County Commission Chairman Danny Grooms.

“This is our wet season; we have not had much wet,” observed Commissioner Kevin Markham. The state drought monitor currently confirms that Tennessee, including Maury County, is officially in a drought.

After the vote, Gilliam thanked the county commission for their support, and hinted that the political willpower exists to make a dam happen. He pointed out that the Trump administration has waived environmental requirements for three similar reservoir studies, and said his dam discussions with Tennessee’s Congressmen were going well.

“There are ways around issues that present themselves as obstacles, and we… continue to have these conversations,” Gilliam told the commissioners. “There’s a lot of people that are pushing for us to have water… I think this conversation has just begun.”

Chamber Membership (WKOM Audio 2:30)

On Friday, the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance announced the recipients of the Farm City Scholarship for 2026. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy attended the event and spoke to the three recipients of the scholarships given in honor of Mary Susan Kennedy.

Cancer Center Earns ACR Accreditation (Press Release)

The Maury Regional Cancer Center has received a three-year term of accreditation for radiation oncology following a review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

Radiation oncology, also known as radiation therapy, is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to cure cancer or to relieve a cancer patient’s pain.

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific requirements based on ACR’s practice guidelines and technical standards following a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

“Achieving reaccreditation in radiation oncology reflects our continued commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care close to home,” said Director of Imaging Dana Salters. “This recognition highlights the expertise and dedication of our team as well as our ongoing focus on delivering advanced treatment services and compassionate support to the patients and families we serve.”

Located at the Columbia Mall at 808 S. James Campbell Blvd., the Maury Regional Cancer Center is a comprehensive treatment center that includes clinical specialists, treatment technologies and support services needed by cancer patients and their family members.

Radiation treatments at the Cancer Center are delivered by a sophisticated team utilizing advanced technology to deliver precise radiation while sparing healthy tissues. Radiation oncologists Joel Kochanski, MD and Michael Sattasiri, MD are complemented by a team that includes simulation technologists, dosimetrists, physicists, radiation therapists and nurses. Physicians on Maury Regional Health's medical staff specializing in radiation oncology are associated with Columbia Cancer Institute, Inc.

For more information on the cancer services offered at Maury Regional Health, including medical and radiation oncology, navigation services, screening options, support services and more, visit MauryRegional.com/Cancer.

Charlie Hatcher Visits Columbia (WKOM Audio 3:53)

On Friday, Congressional Candidate Charlie Hatcher made several stops in Columbia as he campaigns in the 5th District. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy caught up with Mr. Hatcher at Jumbo House in and spoke to him about his campaign…

Maury County Clerk Satellite Office (Press Release)

The Maury County Clerk’s office can now help residents with renewals of license plates or placards each Wednesday from 8am to 3:30pm at the Maury County Senior Center located at 1020 Maury County Park Dr.

Please drive around to the back of the building and look for the car tag renewal sign near the back door.

Forms of payment include credit/debit card or check – no cash.

Any Maury County Resident can use this office.

All other transactions will still need to be done through the main office located at 10 Public Square.

Also, you can renew online at TNCountyClerk.com or at kiosks in Spring Hill City Hall or Mt. Pleasant Courthouse.

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

Mr. Gilliam Cecil “Gil” Ellis III, 70, resident of Mt. Pleasant, died Thursday at Maury Regional Medical Center.

Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 2:00 P.M. at Main Street Church of Christ. Burial will follow in Spencer Hill Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Tuesday from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Marlane Soldner, passed away on April 24 at the age of 71.

A family service will be held to honor her memory in Tennessee at Santa Fe Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. on May 29, 2026.

And now, news from around the state…

Fire At Franklin Assisted Living (Tennessean)

Emergency personnel evacuated a resident from a senior living facility in Franklin early May 24 after a fire in the resident's room, according to the Franklin Fire Department.

The resident, who lived in a memory care room at Somerby Franklin, was evaluated as a precaution but didn't sustain serious injuries and none of the more than 200 residents and staff was injured, according to a fire department post.

Nursing staff called 911 to report the fire at 7:15 a.m. in the resident's first-floor room at the four-story independent living facility located at 870 Oak Meadow Drive. The facility's sprinkler system activated while a fire crew was on the way and the one sprinkler head in the resident's room contained the fire to the resident's room.

Firefighters arrived on scene and quickly extinguished the fire.

Firefighters confirmed that a single sprinkler head had successfully contained the fire to the room of origin near the HVAC window unit until crews arrived and completed extinguishment operations. The room’s self-closing door also helped limit the spread of fire and smoke damage.

The resident was evaluated by EMS personnel as a precaution. No serious injuries were reported.

Due to the building’s fire protection and compartmentalization features, most residents were able to safely shelter in place during the incident. Staff relocated residents in the memory care unit to another safe area within the building while firefighters operated on scene.

Damage was primarily limited to the room of origin, although minor water damage affected approximately four rooms. Estimated damage is between $50,000 and $60,000.

Captain Jonathan Gill said only one resident, the occupant of the room where the fire originated, is expected to be temporarily displaced while cleanup and repairs are completed. Facility management is working with the resident’s family to make arrangements.

"The sprinkler system helped prevent this fire from becoming a much more serious tragedy," Gill said.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Journey announced it is extending its “Final Frontier” tour with a stop in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, October 21st. 

The “Final Frontier Tour” launched on February 28 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and has continued to deliver packed arenas, explosive performances celebrating JOURNEY’s legendary career. Fans will be able to experience timeless classics, including “Don’t Stop Believin'”, “Any Way You Want It”, “Faithfully”, and “Lights”.

Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.com.