Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 6-8-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for June 8, 2026

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

CSCC Gets Grant (Press Release)

Columbia State Community College has been awarded a $198,000 grant to expand the certified clinical medical assistant and phlebotomy short-term credential training programs in Maury and Marshall counties.  

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Rural Healthcare Workforce Initiatives Grant will serve a total of 56 students across five cohorts during the 2026-2027 academic year, including two 14-week CCMA cohorts at the Columbia Campus and three 6-week phlebotomy cohorts at both the Columbia and Lewisburg campuses. 

With the grant funding, participants will have nearly all of their tuition covered. This includes 87% of CCMA tuition and 90% of phlebotomy tuition, all certification exam fees and required initial employment expenses, including background checks, immunizations and uniforms.

“Columbia State is committed to expanding access to healthcare career pathways in our rural communities,” said Patrick McElhiney, Columbia State director of grants. “This grant removes financial barriers for students pursuing high-demand healthcare careers while addressing critical workforce shortages in our rural communities.”

Through partnerships with Maury Regional Health, the Southern Middle Local Workforce Development Board and South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance, the grant initiative will provide comprehensive training and wraparound support services, including transportation and childcare assistance through the American Job Centers, creating direct pathways to employment with regional healthcare employers.

“Our students are stepping into high-demand healthcare roles and bringing skilled, compassionate care back to the neighbors and communities that need them most,” said Dr. Kevin Ratliff, Columbia State vice president for partnerships, Workforce and southern campuses. “This grant ensures more of them can answer that call without financial barriers standing in the way.”

Recent cohorts of the CCMA program have a 100% completion rate, with the phlebotomy cohort at a 92.9% certification pass rate, showcasing the college's capacity to prepare qualified healthcare professionals for high-demand positions in rural communities.

Columbia State’s Office of Workforce and Continuing Education offers training online, virtually, on campus and in workplaces, serving nine counties in southern Middle Tennessee. To contact the Columbia State Office of Workforce and Continuing Education, email WorkforceDev@ColumbiaState.edu or call 931.540.2688. 

Wooden Bat Vol League Starts (MSM)

Summer collegiate wood bat baseball introduced itself to Columbia in dramatic fashion Thursday night.

Sebastian Gonzalez’s third-inning grand slam put the Columbia Jumpin’ Jacks on the scoreboard, and Alex Bedford’s 10th-inning infield grounder plated Colby Angel with the winning run in a 7-6 victory over the Tullahoma Test Pilots to open Volunteer State League play at Columbia State’s Dave Hall Field.

“A win is a win, however you get it,” Bedford said. “There were a bunch of fans out here. The Columbia community came to represent and they stayed most of the game.

“I thought we put on a pretty good show, and we got the win.”

Bedford, a former Lawrence County High School standout, redshirted this spring at Middle Tennessee State after initially signing with the University of Tennessee and transferring at the Christmas break.

“I played a little last fall (at UT), but this was really my first game environment since high school,” said Bedford, who reached on an error ahead of Gonzalez’s bomb over the scoreboard in left field that offset Tullahoma’s early 3-0 lead.

The Jumpin’ Jacks tacked on a run in the seventh with a Layth Holliday RBI single, but their bullpen couldn’t hold Tullahoma down the stretch. The Test Pilots scored twice in the ninth on a Columbia error, a double and a wild pitch, then went ahead in the top of the 10th. Placing a runner at second to open extra-inning at-bats, Tullahoma pushed that one run across for a lead.

That was all former Independence pitcher Colton Montgomery allowed in the inning, though, striking out a pair and keeping the hosts close enough for Angel’s single to drive in the game-tying run before Bedford’s one-out grounder for the win in their debut.

“We got to see the tiebreaker rule. It was fun to get ‘extra’ baseball,” Jumpin’ Jacks coach Noah Baughman said. “Two games in, it’s been fun. It’s challenging, but it’s fun, for sure.”

Montgomery, who sat out the past season after undergoing ‘Tommy John’ surgery during his freshman year at Northeast Mississippi Community College, made his return to the mound. He struck out a pair, allowed a hit and a run and earned the victory.

“That was my first outing since (April 2025),” he said. “I had no expectations. It felt good. I’m blessed to be still playing. It’s good to be getting comfortable again, to compete again.”

Montgomery was the fifth pitcher to take the mound for Columbia in Thursday’s win, after the Jacks used four in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Gallatin.

“Ideally we’d use three or four ‘arms’ a night,” Baughman said. “If we hadn’t walked it off there, we would have had to go to a position player.

“We want to take care of these guys’ arms. We don’t want their (college) coaches mad at us. We’ve got 36 games in two months. We have to be creative with it.”

Columbia’s play in the four-team Volunteer State League – a fifth team, the Pulaski Pop Tops, announced Monday it would not begin play until the 2027 season – continues June 12 against Gallatin. All game times are 7 p.m.

Learn more about the new wood bat baseball league at www.volunteerstateleague.com.

Mid-South Gastroenterology Celebrates Expansion (Press Release)

 Maury Regional Medical Group (MRMG) physicians, employees and leaders gathered June 4 for a blessing ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new and significantly larger home of MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology.

The practice has relocated to a new suite on the second floor of the Outpatient Pavilion, which is located on the Maury Regional Medical Center campus. While the relocation keeps the practice close to its previous office — moving just one building over — the completely transformed space offers a much larger footprint and a premium environment designed to enhance patient comfort and increase access.

“With a substantial increase in the number of exam rooms, this modern new space allows MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology to elevate our patients’ experience while meeting a growing regional demand for specialized digestive health services,” said MRMG President Nathan Miller. “By transitioning to this new location, we’re able to care for more patients in an environment that prioritizes their comfort and ease of access, while giving our top-tier team of gastroenterology specialists the advanced tools they need to maintain clinical excellence.”

The move to the Outpatient Pavilion, also known as Building C, ensures continuity of care for existing patients, who will continue to see their trusted care team on the familiar Columbia campus. This expansion also represents the latest milestone in Maury Regional’s broader campus-wide modernization strategy, focused on upgrading facilities, enhancing parking and thoroughfares and streamlining the patient journey for the hundreds of daily visitors.

“Relocating and expanding MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology directly supports our ongoing mission to make high-caliber, specialized medical services more accessible to our region,” said CEO Martin Chaney, MD. “As we continue to grow our campus to meet the needs of our community, our blessing ceremonies remain a deeply meaningful tradition. They allow us to formally dedicate these new spaces to the patients we serve and the exceptional care our teams will deliver here for years to come — recognizing that truly meaningful moments of healing and comfort happen within these walls.”

The clinical team at MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology includes board-certified gastroenterologists Michael Blanco, MD, Lucas Buchanan, DO, Amit Choksi, MD, Dayaker Mallipeddi, MD, Robert McClure, MD, and Srikar Reddy, MD, as well as advanced practice professionals Timothy Dickey, FNP, Sharon Gibson, FNP-BC, and Kelly Taylor, FNP-C.

This highly skilled team provides comprehensive care for a wide range of complex digestive health issues. Utilizing advanced diagnostic technology and minimally invasive techniques, the physicians perform essential procedures on the medical center’s campus, including colonoscopies, upper endoscopies, flexible sigmoidoscopies and more. These advanced capabilities enable the team to evaluate the digestive tract, perform vital cancer screenings and deliver targeted treatments.

From common digestive discomforts and abdominal pain to more complex chronic illnesses, MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology is equipped to manage a broad spectrum of gastrointestinal conditions, such as acid reflux, chronic heartburn (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease and more.

Beyond their primary suite in Columbia, the practice’s specialists also offer outpatient care and consultation at secondary locations throughout the region. Depending on the patient’s needs, procedures may be scheduled at Maury Regional Medical Center, the Maury Regional Mid-South Endoscopy Center, Marshall Medical Center, Wayne Medical Center or Maury Regional Spring Hill.

Appointments may be made at MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology with a physician’s referral. To schedule, call 931.388.8302. Additional information about the practice and its care team and services is available at MauryRegional.com/Gastro. The new suite is located at 1220 Trotwood Avenue in Columbia on the second floor of Building C (the Outpatient Pavilion), accessible via parking in Lot C.

The relocation and expansion of MRMG Mid-South Gastroenterology is among several strategic projects underway or in the planning phases at Maury Regional Health. Improvements at the main campus in Columbia include the opening of the new Orthopedic Surgical Institute to accommodate the growing number of joint replacements, renovation of the Emergency Department at Maury Regional Medical Center, parking and thoroughfare improvements and expansion of the front entry to relocate key patient and visitor services toward the main entrance. To learn more about this strategic plan for the future, visit MauryRegional.com/StrategicPlan.

CA Hires New AD (MSM)

After hiring a football coach a couple of months ago, the hope for Columbia Academy was that he and the yet-to-be-named athletics director would mesh well.

Box checked.

Drew Pirtle, a 2006 CA graduate, was announced Friday as the successor to Pernell Knox in the AD role, following Knox’s February dismissal and May departure.

Pirtle spent the past two years as boys basketball coach at South Gibson, after working alongside newly named Bulldogs coach Rob Phillips for five years at Jackson Christian – Phillips as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, Pirtle as middle school boys basketball coach and associate AD.

“When he got this job, I was super excited for him, one, because I knew how hard he’s worked for this opportunity, spending five years with him, and then, two, I knew how special a place Columbia Academy is,” Pirtle said.

“For my wife and I, our goal at some point has been to get back to Columbia, get back to Middle Tennessee, and if that was Columbia Academy, that would be ideal. We’ve been hoping for an opportunity to come about for that to happen. We just did not expect God to open that door for our family right now. We feel very blessed for the chance to come back.”

The move home comes at the expense of a successful career on the court. Pirtle guided South Gibson to a Class 3A state tournament berth and a 23-10 record this year, after the Hornets went 19-13 in his first season.

“We were fortunate in my second year to make it to Murfreesboro. That’s where all my focus was,” said Pirtle, who has a master’s degree in athletic administration. “Trying to think about anything outside my group of guys and our program during that time would be unfair.

“As I continued to think about the opportunity, I knew this was somewhere I eventually wanted to go. I think part of it was just me coming to terms with if I’m ready right now to stop coaching, which is something I’ve worked for and waited to step into that role as a head coach. ‘Are you ready to transition into the administrative side of athletics?’ I just prayed about that for a while and finally determined, this is a move I want to make and something I think could be good for my family.”

Once he and CA officials connected last month, the process moved quickly.

“We’ve had Drew’s name on our mind for a while for different roles,” president James Thomas said. “He did not initially reach out to us when the position was made open. We reached out to him, more recently. Once the end of the school year came, we got a lot more activity going pretty quickly.

“It did take longer than anticipated, but when we go into a hire for a position like that, the focus is on getting the right fit instead of making sure it’s done quickly, so the board was supportive of that approach and that’s how we wanted to do it – make sure we found the right person and take the time to do that.”

A three-sport athlete at Columbia Academy, Pirtle’s experience as a student and since were impactful during the selection process.

“Drew has a long history with the school and strong feelings for the school and that should help him,” Thomas said.

“Jackson Christian is a very similar school to us. He’s seen it from the inside, the challenges and the opportunities that are there in that kind of school. I think it helps him tremendously because he understands the intricacies of private, Christian education.”

The connection between Pirtle and Phillips, Thomas said, can’t be overstated.

“They have a really good relationship and they’re both excited to get to work together in this role,” he said. “That certainly helps. It wasn’t the No. 1 thing we were looking for. We hired a football coach without an AD. We expected the AD to work well with this person, but it’s a bonus that these two know each other and have a great relationship.”

It’s also a bonus for Pirtle – along with his wife, Andrea, and 2-year-old son Miller – to be back in the town where he grew up.

“There’s very few places I would leave the situation we were in, the program we’re building … But home is one of those places,” he said. “Columbia Academy has always been special to me. To be able to bring my family back to experience a place that helped shape me into who I am today, it was just one of those situations. 

“There were too many things that made sense for me and my family to not take this opportunity.”

Pure Water Spring Hill Plans Move Forward (MSM)

Architectural rendering concepts for the Pure Water Spring Hill Pilot building has been presented to city leaders, showcasing a range of exterior and interior design options aimed at blending the facility into the character of the community. 

SPARTAN Assistant General Manager Will Brasfield presented the renderings to the board, seeking feedback and consensus on the overall look and feel of the future facility. Brasfield said the goal is to create a building that not only serves a public utility purpose, but also complements the surrounding area aesthetically. 

Exterior concepts included styles such as gable forward, warm rustic gathering hall, hill country porch house, modern farmhouse shed porch, industrial agrarian and courtyard porch-inspired designs. 

Interior concepts featured modern country, warm contemporary, refined neutral and clubhouse-inspired themes. Plans for the interior include a water tasting area along with open gathering spaces designed for discussion and community engagement. 

During the discussion, Spring Hill Mayor Matt Fitterer described some of the exterior concepts as “boujee” adding that the modern farmhouse shed porch design appeared to be the most practical and fitting for a public utility building due to its simplicity. 

Following the discussion, the board expressed support for the proposed direction, giving developers approval to move forward with the design process and refine the concepts as they see fit.

(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.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by 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.

Joelene Goodwin Parks, 85, passed away on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at NHC Columbia.

Graveside services will be conducted Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Pleasant Mount Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery with Don McKee officiating. The family will visit with friends at the cemetery following the service. 

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…

Paisley Enters Zoo-Data Center Fight (Tennessean)

Country music star Brad Paisley has joined the growing opposition to a proposed data center next to the Nashville Zoo, urging residents to sign a petition against the project.

Speaking on a Facebook post, Paisley called the proposal "an absolute nightmare scenario" and argued the development would be an "enormous monstrosity" that would detract from both the zoo and the surrounding area.

"The zoo is one of the sources of joy in the city," Paisley said. "It's family memories. It is expanding itself. It's got all these plans to become even better as a resource for our city."

The comments come as opposition mounts to a proposal by DC BLOX to build a 69,220-square-foot data center on property adjacent to the zoo in South Nashville.

The Nashville Zoo launched a petition on June 4 that has surpassed 259,000 signatures in three days. Zoo officials have raised concerns about potential impacts on animals, visitors and future expansion plans, noting that no environmental studies have been conducted.

DC BLOX has said the project would be built in Grassmere Business Park and noted that a data center was previously permitted at the site.

The proposal has become part of a broader debate over data center growth in Nashville. Metro Council member Rollin Horton has introduced legislation that would place new restrictions on large-scale data centers, arguing the industry has expanded faster than local regulations.

UT Tuition Increase (Press Release)

In accordance with Tennessee law, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees is providing notice that it will consider proposals to increase in-state undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at certain UT campuses at the upcoming annual meeting on June 30.

“UT remains committed to keeping college affordable while delivering a high-quality education that prepares students for lifelong success,” said UT System President Randy Boyd. “We continue to expand access, strengthen the value of our degrees and keep a UT education within reach for Tennessee families.”

The UT Promise scholarship is available to nearly two-thirds of Tennessee residents and helps eligible students cover remaining tuition and mandatory fees after Pell Grants, HOPE Scholarships and other institutional aid are applied. Programs like UT Promise make a UT degree accessible, with 55% of students graduating debt free. The value of a UT degree extends beyond graduation, with 86% of graduates employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of earning their undergraduate degree.

The proposed increases to in-state undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees for the 2026-27 academic year are below the maximum range figure set by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) of 4.5%. More detailed information regarding the tuition and mandatory fee proposals (including an explanation of the increases, the purpose for which revenue derived from these increases will be used and a description of the efforts to mitigate the effect of these increases) and how to comment on any of the proposals, can be found at: https://tennessee.edu/about/leadership/board-of-trustees/tuition-and-fee-proposal/. The public comment period will end June 22 at 6 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. CDT.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and musician Zach Top will extend his massive “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour” through the fall, ending the tour at Bridgestone Arena on October 30th. 

The tour adds to another landmark year for Top, who won Best Traditional Country Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards for his sophomore album, Ain’t In It For My Health, making him the inaugural recipient of the newly introduced category.

Tickets for the new dates will be available for pre-sale starting Wednesday, June 10 at 10:00 am local time.

Registration for the pre-sale and details are available at www.zachtop.com.