Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 6-11-26

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for June 11, 2026

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

Water Main Break (MSM)

Columbia Fire & Rescue reported last week that a water main broke near the intersection of Barrel Oak Pass and Cleburne Road. Emergency response personnel went to the scene to guarantee public safety.

Upon arriving at the scene Friday morning (June 5), CPWS workers shut off the main valve and worked to flush sediment from the affected lines.

“The incident occurred when a third-party utility company, operating with an expired 811 permit, accidentally struck and broke an 8-inch CPWS water main while performing underground boring operations,” CPWS announced in a statement. “The breach resulted in the loss of approximately 400,000 gallons of water from CPWS’s largest storage tank before the system could be isolated.”

Some Facebook commenters reported that their tap water turned brown or yellow after the main broke, which CPWS attributed to the stirring-up of “harmless sediment that had settled in the pipes.”

The discoloration also affected some customers of Spring Hill Water.

“Through coordinated flushing efforts, all sediment was successfully cleared from the lines, and normal water quality was fully restored by Saturday morning,” CPWS reported, after taking samples to confirm that the water quality was acceptable to state regulators. “CPWS appreciates the patience of our customers and neighboring communities as our crews worked diligently to resolve this third-party disruption.

County Restarts Ethics Committee (MSM)

The Maury County Ethics Committee elected its officers on May 27 and, for the first time since 2015, is now open for business.

The committee will hold its first meeting to judge outstanding ethical complaints at 4:30 p.m. on June 16.

The current committee was unable to take official action until County Commission Chairman Danny Grooms led a meeting, allowing them to finally appoint officials. Complainants who want their charges reviewed this month must have submitted one week in advance of a meeting.

District 4 County Commissioner Mike Kuzawinski was elected the new chairman of the Ethics Committee, and District 6 Commissioner Cindy Hestla was elected as both vice-chair and meeting secretary. The other members of the committee are County Sheriff Bucky Rowland, District 4 Commissioner Connie Green, and District 1 Commissioner Pam Huffman.

Kuzawinski thanked his colleagues for electing him and pledged to investigate ethical complaints fully and fairly.

“I do not take this lightly. Rules… and ethics are very important… and I want the people’s voices to be heard,” he said. “This is not a secret committee… about power. This is about trying to be transparent and earn the trust of the people.”

The task of the Ethics Committee is to look into ethical complaints brought against officials and employees of the county government. The chairman reviews complaints for relevance and actionability before forwarding them to the Ethics Committee, who then investigate the complaints in public meetings.

If the committee finds that the defendant committed an actionable offense, they can refer it to County Attorney Mark Dobies for advice and legal opinions. For censure or discipline, the Ethics Committee can forward the vindicated complaint to the supervisor of an offending county employee, or to the full Maury County Commission if the offender is a county official. Criminal conduct would be forwarded to the 22nd Judicial District Attorney for prosecution.

The County Technical Advisory Service empowers the commission to investigate allegations of various kinds of misconduct. The CTAS short sheet on ethics mostly deals with various kinds of conflicts of interest — voting in one’s personal or household interest, accepting or not disclosing gifts or fees, privately use or self-dealing of county property — but it also highlights “abuse” or “unauthorized exercise of official power” as ethical offenses.

CTAS recommends that officials get familiar and comply with the original ethical laws on the books, so that they can entirely avoid committing violations and getting investigated. During public comment, Teresa Sparks recommended that the Ethics Committee take the lead on this by “educating the commission” about their ethical and fiduciary responsibilities, and by making regular reports on pending ethics complaints to the County Commission, as other subcommittees do.

Ed Commissioner Visits Maury (WKOM Audio 1:55)

Yesterday, Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lizette Reynolds paid a visit to Riverside Elementary school. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy joined the commissioner and had a chance to talk to her about the state of education on the Volunteer State…

True Life Clinic Offers Free Health Care (MSM)

Dr. James “Jace” Dean gave Main Street Maury a tour of Lifehouse Church’s new True Life Clinic in Spring Hill, where they hope to help people who need care for free or at a reduced cost.

The clinic is located in the annex of 5083 Main Street in north Spring Hill, underneath the Keller Williams office and next door to its sponsoring Lifehouse Church, which Dean has attended since 2011. Its facilities include two clinic rooms, two exam rooms and a meeting room where they pray with patients.

“One of the things we really wanted to be able to offer, since we’re a faith-based clinic, is we want them to be able to receive prayer,” Dean said. “We want to extend the love of Jesus to people, if they want to hear it.”

True Life has a few nurses or medical technicians who serve in-house, a full-time administrator, and some physicians who can fill in for Dean, but right now he’s the medical director and only doctor. Donations helped to launch the facility and they’re hoping to get some grant funding to hire a full-time nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant. Dean staffs True Life from 12-6 p.m. every Monday except for holidays, taking both walk-ins and appointments, which can be scheduled at (615) 752-4880 or www.truelifeclinic.org.

“We’re just starting small, one day a week, to see how it grows,” he said.

True Life has been open a month and is planning a grand opening with the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce, probably in July.

“The market we’re looking for is uninsured or underinsured patients that can’t afford [necessary and urgent care], either because their deductible’s so high [or for some other reason],” Dean said, adding that True Life’s mission is to meet the needs of those who really can’t afford care, not to take away the clientele of primary care. “Patients that have Medicare or primary care, or VA benefits, we’d probably just encourage them to follow back up with their primary, but if we can help them out urgently, we’re happy to do that.

“I can hopefully keep people out of the ER that don’t need to be there,” Dean continued, by performing services that urgent care facilities can’t provide or hesitate to, from minor procedures like cyst removal to EKG scanning.

He can also write refill prescriptions for non-scheduled and non-pain medications. By negotiating with facilities for lower cash prices, True Life can also get patients basic Labcorp testing for $20-30, specialty labs for well under $100 and relatively cheap imaging and examinations. Dean got one patient’s knee MRI’d for less than $370, plans to collaborate with Maury Regional for $800 colonoscopies and can screen patients for diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer, not to mention minor conditions like COVID, flu, RSV, strep throat, abnormal blood glucose and pregnancy. All visits are free; all the patient has to pay for is testing, and True Life may someday solicit enough money to cover those too.

“We can get some of those prices for patients that may not have insurance.”

Dean has worked in Maury Regional’s Emergency Room since 2010 and is now the most senior doctor there.

“I’ve been the team doc for our church [and] one of the elders… at Lifehouse, so I’ve been taking care of people for about 10, 12 years. Stitching up people, pulling rocks out of kids’ ears, calling in meds, whatever comes up,” he said.

The head pastor, after studying St. John’s Gospel and attending a Church Health workshop, took note of the medical talent in his church, which included some nurses as well as Dean, and told him, “Jace, you need to open a clinic.”

“We just started sitting on it, praying about it, and here we are… I just felt like ‘God was speaking to me,'” Dean said.

True Life isn’t Lifehouse’s only outreach or charity project. On Monday nights they also teach English to immigrants who don’t speak it, which has reportedly attracted people from up to 14 countries.

“We just want to be an extension of God’s love to us… We would want patients to be cared for, listened to, and if they want to receive prayer, we’d love to pray with them,” Dean concluded. “Hopefully we can help meet some of their healthcare needs, get them pointed in the right direction.”

Spring Hill Advances Budget (MSM)

The City of Spring Hill’s $151.7 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget moved one step closer to adoption last week, as the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved its first reading following months of preparation, review and financial planning. 

City Administrator J. Carter Napier, department heads and city staff have been developing and refining the city’s financial and operational plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, since January. 

With the budget process now entering its final stage, several major funds show varying levels of stability, growth and planned investment heading into FY2027. 

The city’s General Fund is projected to rebound following significant reserve use in FY2026. It will open the fiscal year with $27.4 million and is expected to close at $28.3 million, representing 42.9 percent of annual expenditures. Revenues are projected at $66.9 million against $60 million in appropriations, resulting in an estimated surplus of approximately $918,000. 

The Water and Sewer Fund is expected to generate approximately $36.2 million in operating revenues. While operations are projected to produce an income of roughly $11.3 million, the fund’s net position is expected to decline by about $4.8 million due to more than $16 million in capital investments and ongoing debt service obligations. The fund will begin the year with $160 million and is projected to end at $156 million. 

Capital project funds, which support major infrastructure and construction initiatives, are projected to begin with $48.7 million and end with $47.7 million. Staff anticipates expenditures will overtake revenues by $960,247. 

Key projects funded in this cycle include $6.6 million in capital financing, $3 million for the Community Service Annex (CSA) Project and $1.5 million for the new library project. Additional planned work includes improvements to Buckner Lane and Port Royal intersection, the Harvey Greenway, City Hall basement renovations and Jim Warren Road. 

The State Street Aid Fund is projected to begin with $1.5 million and finish the fiscal year in a stronger position, with revenues expected to exceed expenditures by $338,533. The fund balance could rise to approximately $1.85 million, representing about 92 percent of one year’s expenditure. 

During the meeting, the board also approved a resolution acknowledging the certified tax rate required under Tennessee law following property reappraisal. The certified rate is intended to keep property tax revenue from existing properties roughly level with the year prior.

A two-step process will follow, including introduction of an ordinance to be incorporated into the FY2027 budget establishing a property tax rate of $0.739 per $100 of assessed value. The adjustment is expected to generate an additional $2 million for the General Fund and $1.2 million for the capital projects funds. 

With minor adjustments across several funds and final discussions, the second reading of the budget ordinance is scheduled for June 15.

(Mayoral Forum (Press Release)

Join Maury Alliance on July 9th at 5:30pm to hear from the two Maury County Mayoral candidates: Sheila Butt and Gabe Howard. This moderated Q&A session with the candidates will give attendees an opportunity to learn more about each candidate and their vision for the future of Maury County. If you would like to submit a question for consideration, please send them to Alyssa at atate@mauryalliance.com. This event is open to the public and free to attend!

Doors open at 5pm, and the program will begin promptly at 5:30pm.

Down the Duck Documentary (Press Release)

A special community screening of the Nashville PBS’ documentary Down the Duck with John Guider will take place on Friday, June 12, at 6:00 p.m. at The Mulehouse, in downtown Columbia. Tickets are free by visiting: https://weblink.donorperfect.com/dtd-columbia.

Co-hosted by Friends of the Duck and Harpeth Conservancy, the event aims to bring together community members, conservation advocates, outdoor enthusiasts, and supporters of the Duck River for an evening centered around storytelling, environmental awareness, and connection. Food trucks will be on-site ahead of the screening, creating a casual community atmosphere for attendees to gather and enjoy the evening together.

The documentary, a film by Archaea Productions, follows acclaimed photographer, conservationist, and adventurer John Guider, as he canoes 270 miles of Tennessee’s Duck River, documenting its ecological significance, natural beauty, and the communities connected to it along the way.

Recognized as the most biodiverse river in North America, the Duck River provides drinking water to communities across Middle Tennessee while supporting hundreds of species of fish, mussels, birds, and wildlife.

“This film captures the wonder of the Duck River and the communities it sustains at a critical time when planning is underway to ensure long-term sustainability,” said Grace Stranch, CEO of Harpeth Conservancy.

As conversations continue across the watershed about the river’s future, the film offers both a celebration of the Duck River’s extraordinary significance and an invitation for communities to engage more deeply in its protection.

This will be the first in-person showing of the film in the Duck River Watershed. “This documentary offers a powerful reminder of how deeply connected we are to the Duck River,” said Sarah B. Gilliam, a member of Friends of the Duck River and who is featured in the film. “The screening is an opportunity for the community to come together, celebrate this incredible resource, and continue conversations about protecting it for future generations.”

The celebrations will continue with additional screenings throughout the Duck River Watershed this summer. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and guests are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy food trucks and conversation before the film begins.

Spring Hill License Kiosk (MauryCountySource)

The Spring Hill Police Department has introduced a new Driver License Self-Service Kiosk in the lobby of its headquarters at 800 Hathaway Blvd. The kiosk is open to all Tennessee residents—regardless of county—and offers a convenient alternative to visiting the DMV.

Available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the kiosk allows users to:

* Renew a driver license

* Obtain a duplicate license or state ID

* Change their address

* Pay reinstatement fees in full

The kiosk does not accept cash or checks; payment must be made using a credit or debit card.

No appointment is necessary. For more information about the service, visit www.tn.gov/content/tn.

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

Howard Cecil Whiteside, 104, lifelong resident of Hampshire, died Wednesday, June 10 at home.

Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, June 13 at 1:00 at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Harold Delk and Bill McDonald officiating. Burial will follow in Worley Cemetery with military honors provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. Visitation will be on Friday, June 12 from 5:00 to 8:00 at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Charles Matthew "Matt" Phillips, 49, of Hickman County, TN, passed away on June 4, 2026.

Graveside services will be conducted at a later date at Old Well Cemetery in Hickman County.

Online condolences may be extended to the family at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Monnette Fulcher Bruner, 62, passed away Thursday, June 4, 2026, at Camden General Hospital.

No services are scheduled at this time. Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Hal David Hall, age 82, retired journalist who wrote for the Nashville Tennessean, Chicago Daily News, Denver Post and the Chicago Sun Times, passed away on December 31, 2025.

Graveside services will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery on Friday, June 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM. The family will visit with friends on Friday, June 12, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.

Phyllis Lovell Maley, age 79, passed away on January 28, 2026.

Graveside services will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery on Friday, June 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM. The family will visit with friends on Friday, June 12, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.

And now, news from around the state…

Redistricting Cases Still Pending (WPLN)

Tennessee Democrats have voluntarily dismissed a federal lawsuit challenging a Republican-led redistricting process that carved majority-Black, majority Democratic Memphis into three U.S. House districts.

The now-dismissed challenge was brought by the Tennessee Democratic Party, four Democrats running for U.S. House seats and four voters. The plaintiffs included U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who represented District 9, encompassing Memphis, for 19 years before announcing his retirement as a result of the redrawn map. State Rep. Justin Pearson, who initially entered the race for Congress to challenge Cohen and is now running for Congress in the reconstituted 9th District, was also a plaintiff.

The brief notice of voluntary dismissal filed with the court Tuesday did not detail reasons for the dismissal. Pearson, in a statement, attributed the move to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v Callais, which gutted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act. On June 2, in a separate Alabama case, the Supreme Court upheld maps that divided Black voters who were a majority in one district, into three districts in which they are now minorities.  

Cohen said he was now throwing his support behind two other legal challenges to redistricting that remain in play in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee: One lawsuit brought by the ACLU and another by the NAACP and League of Women Voters. Both suits allege racial discrimination in the redrawing of maps that eliminated the sole majority-minority U.S.House district. 

A fourth lawsuit, filed separately by the NAACP in state court, was dismissed last month. 

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Making all things merry and bright, MULTI-PLATINUM and GRAMMY Award-winning group Lady A announced their THIS WINTER’S NIGHT TOUR 2026. The band will launch a limited trek on December 10 and visit a number of major cities before wrapping just in time for the holidays on December 21 with two shows at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. General tickets go on sale Friday (6/12) at 10 a.m. local time at LadyAMusic.com.