Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 7-10-25

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for July 10, 2025

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

We start with local news…

Toddler Drowns in Duck (MauryCountySource)

A young child drowned Monday afternoon in Maury County.

The incident took place near Blue Springs when Maury County authorities were called around 4:11 p.m. for reports of a missing child. Responders included Maury County EMS, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Emergency Management Agency.

Following a short search, deputies located the body of a toddler, believed to be about 2 years old, in the Duck River. The Sheriff’s Office said several adults and children were at the recreation site when the tragedy occurred.

The incident remains under investigation.

Car Accident (MauryCountySource)

Emergency crews were called to Rock Springs Road around 8 p.m. Tuesday night after a vehicle left the roadway and plunged down a steep embankment.

Crews arrived on the scene to find a person trapped inside the wrecked vehicle.

Firefighters worked quickly to remove a door and free the patient, then rigged a rope system to safely haul them back up to the roadway in a stokes basket. Despite the dramatic rescue, officials say the driver sustained only minor injuries.

Crews remained on site for some time to secure the area and clear the scene. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Junior Main Street (CDH)

A new volunteer program is being created to give local students first-hand experience in the world of running a small business, as well as local tourism and promoting the Columbia community.

Columbia Main Street Manager Kelli Johnson presented the new Columbia Junior Main Street Program at Columbia City Council's July 8 study session, explaining it as "a fun and exciting way for local youth to get more involved with the community," while also providing an added benefit to local businesses.

"The goal for the program is in two parts, with the first being that Columbia Main Street is in need of volunteers for First Fridays, Fall Fest, the Christmas Parade and all of the downtown events that we host," Johnson said. "The second part is that they are going to host their own downtown community event, and that is going to look like whatever they choose for it to look like. It is an opportunity for them to plan and execute another event for the community."

The program will involve public and private school students in the 9th-12th grade located within the city limits. Johnson said she hopes to recruit 20-25 students total for the program's first year, and that it includes a variety of participants in all grade levels.

"I want it to be 9th-12th and not just seniors, because when you go into the workforce you aren't working with somebody your age," Johnson said. "So, my seniors will work with freshmen."

When it comes to the students' involvement with local small businesses, Johnson said much of it will be geared towards social media advertising, decorating store fronts and other ways to better market the establishments.

The program will also involve a minimum of four hours of volunteer work per month, but Johnson said this could expand to up to 15-20 hours if the student chooses to participate at multiple Columbia Main Street events.

"Most of my small business owners are doing social media themselves, and don't have the means to hire out their marketing," Johnson said.

"Students will be partnered together and placed with one small downtown business, and they are going to be helping them with social media, posting reels, stories and marketing. It is an opportunity for them to build community pride through the volunteering of downtown events, but it also builds their social media small business love and see when they go into professions if they want to get into marketing and communications."

Johnson added that the program has already received partnerships and support from Maury County Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Club. The program is set to start in September.

"Everybody has been extremely excited for a hands-on volunteer program for the students," Johnson said. "You are going to see the results in real time with the downtown event and social media."

For more information about the new Columbia Junior Main Street Program, stop by the Visit Columbia, TN Welcome Center at 714 N. Main St. or call (931) 560-1506.

Habitat for Humanity to Build Sixteen Houses (MSM)

Habitat for Humanity of Williamson-Maury (HFHWM) is hard at work planning a new full-size subdivision in northwest Columbia: 16 new single-family homes off Hiwassee Drive, built by and for those who need the most help finding housing.

It’s the first Habitat-exclusive development in Maury County — though they’ve built houses in the gaps in the mixed-income Fairview neighborhood — and they hope it will be the first of several. HFHWM is looking to build more large subdivisions if they can: Columbia has approved a 27-lot subdivision called Fieldstone Farms, but utility expenses are prohibitive, and they’re trying to learn all the lessons they can from the Hiwassee development first.

Sixteen families who live in Maury or Williamson counties will be selected from among their client pool, for houses ranging in size from 3-bedroom/2-bathroom to 5-bed/2-bath, depending on family size. After being selected, the families will be educated in the ins and outs of homeownership and help to build the development, before moving into their homes in approximately a year and a half. The houses will be built in spring and summer, to avoid subjecting the workers to the worst extremes of seasonal weather.

“They go through a very rigorous program [of] sweat equity: they help build their homes, they help build everyone else’s homes in the area, they do financial literacy classes,” said Lexi Bolinski, HFHWM’s Director of Operations. “There’s a ton of work that they put in.”

For this development, HFHWM received a great deal of monetary support from sponsoring businesses and volunteer work from local businesses and nonprofits. Publix Supermarket Charities and Nissan Motors each donated $70,000 to the project, and State Farm gave $10,000, while other corporate sponsors send their employees to work on Habitat homes for “team-building volunteer days.”

Meanwhile Barlow Builders, Inc. and Gray’s Mulching and Excavating, two regional grading companies, blasted rocks and graded the soil without charge to develop the lot into buildable land. Barlow estimated the value of their services at $198,000.

“They’ve been great through the process at giving back when they can, donating work, material, time,” HFHWM’s Senior Construction Manager Zach York said in praise of Gray’s Excavating. “They’ve taken it from trees to what you see now. They also dig our footings, do all of our utility work, all of our grading — anything that has to do with dirt, these guys take care of for us.”

Other utilities and corporations worked with HFHWM to improve the homes in key ways. Atmos struck a deal with them on gas utilities, and TC Energy provided an offsetting grant to make the homes energy efficient (maybe even net zero), which will also save the owners on bills. The city of Columbia and CPWS have also worked with them to make the development happen.

These organizations’ help was not only greatly appreciated: it was necessary to make the homes happen. The greatest cash-sinks that Habitat faces with each project are the price and development of land, and they accept all the gifts they can to be able to afford more.

“Land is the most expensive part of what we do, unless a tract is donated or comes in at a really affordab[le price]” Bolinski said. “We [build on] a lot of infill lots in pre-existing neighborhoods, or help to repair homes that are in Columbia already, and from there it’s either financially in-house, we cover it, or we offset it with our sponsors. It’s very community-driven, we wouldn’t be able to do it without the community.”

Habitat for Humanity also thanked their smaller community partners, which include the Rotary Club, First Presbyterian Church and other civic and religious nonprofits. Volunteers from these organizations work on the construction proper: siding, trim, painting and other tasks.

“If people are interested in getting more involved with Habitat, especially in Maury County, we’re always looking to get people plugged in,” said Bree DeMoss, the nonprofit’s marketing and events manager. “Whether it’s churches, civic groups, or just people looking to come out and lay their hands on the house, we’re always in need of that kind of support.

For more information about HFHWM or to get involved, visit hfhwm.org.

Spring Hill Names New Manager (Press Release)

On Monday, July 7, 2025, the City of Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen reached a deal with Carter Napier to name him the new City Administrator. Napier was selected following a nationwide search that concluded with in-person interviews on June 13-14.

Napier comes to Tennessee by way of Wyoming. He has served as the City Manager for Casper, Wyoming since 2017. 

Casper has an estimated population of nearly 60,000, similar to Spring Hill. During his tenure, Napier oversaw an aggressive capital improvement program, planned upgrades to a wastewater treatment plant, and facilitated public-private partnerships through development agreements — mirroring major issues and opportunities currently being discussed and acted upon here in Spring Hill.

"Mr. Napier brings exactly the kind of proven leadership and infrastructure expertise that Spring Hill needs as we continue to grow," said Mayor Matt Fitterer. "His track record of managing aggressive capital improvement programs and facilitating public-private partnerships in Casper directly aligns with our priorities in Spring Hill. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen are excited to work with him to deliver the infrastructure wins our citizens deserve."

Napier is also a Credentialed Manager through the International City County Management Association — the highest level of recognition through the most respected local government organization in the country.

Previously, Napier served as City Administrator for Gillette, Wyoming from 2011-2017 and City Administrator for Riverton, Wyoming from 2003-2011.

Napier will begin his new role on or before August 20, 2025.

Cancer Survivor Mentors Others (MSM)

Harvey Church was at the height of his powers in May 2021: 58 years old, earning good money, surrounded by loving family and the friends he never had trouble making. (He uses the word “connect” a lot in conversation and describes himself as a born networker.) All he had to complain about was some bodily pain, especially in his leg, which he assumed was just the normal aches and pains that come with aging. It got worse, however, and eventually prevented him from walking.

His initial misjudgment was understandable, especially because of the rarity of the diagnosis he received: multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood, which had grown an especially large tumor on his femur.

“It’s such a rare cancer, literally only 1.8% percent of the cancers diagnosed annually,” he explained.

“I’ve been battling this disease for a little over four years,” Church said, and the surgery that successfully removed the femoral tumor was only the first step of treatment.

After doing “a lot of research” he chose to commute regularly to the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock, a hospital that excels at fighting myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia, the three kinds of blood cancer. For nine months on and off he received their “initial treatment protocol” and later different types of chemotherapy, which relieved his symptoms but didn’t make the dent in the cancer that his doctors hoped they would.

A new drug has changed that since last August: Tecvayli (the Johnson & Johnson-brand version of teclistamab-cqyv), a “bispecific antibody” treatment which uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. The treatment causes antibodies to attach to both cancer cells and immune T-cells, which brings them together and prompts the immune system to attack cancer cells like it would normal germs and viruses.

“It’s had really good results keeping my cancer at bay,” Church said enthusiastically. “The bispecific drugs are starting to have a big impact on fighting other cancers.”

The human element

His cancer couldn’t have been brought under control without advanced medical technology, but for keeping him sane through the process, Mr. Church credits his friends and family, the other patients he met at infusion appointments, and the mostly online community of cancer patients and survivors. It started after the tumor surgery, when he leveraged his old and new friendships to find the university hospital where he was treated. There he met one of the most important people in his story: a lymphoma survivor named Drexel Jordan.

When he was diagnosed, Jordan’s doctor had given him 6-12 months to live — in 2005. He lived another 16 years before meeting Harvey Church at UAMS. Jordan took it upon himself to be Church’s “mentor” through blood-cancer treatment.

“He’s been a great mentor these four years,” said Church. “He said, ‘I’m gonna take you around to these visits, show you what’s going on.'”

The calming effect of Jordan’s mentorship was striking and surprising to Church. The scariest parts of treatment, he realized, were just the ones that he didn’t know anything about, which allowed him to imagine or fear the worst. Learning about them from a veteran of the process filled the vacuum in his mind with facts instead of fears, which greatly decreased his suffering.

“When you’ve got an illness like multiple myeloma, there are so many [unknown] things that you fear,” he said. “The solution is to find out more information. I’ve found that the anxiety goes away when you can sit down and talk to somebody.”

Sometimes the cancer “battle” became more than metaphorical, and one time during the early stage of treatment, Church called his wife to his side to help him deal with his interior struggle.

“I was feeling down, I didn’t feel good from the impact of the surgery and all the treatments,” he recalled. “I remember her saying to me, ‘Harvey, you’ve got about 10-15 minutes to feel sorry for yourself, but after that you need to go do something for somebody else.'”

It worked, he said: “Changing my focus from myself to somebody else immediately transformed my disposition.”

He still practices this rule of setting a strict time limit to self-pity; afterwards he writes a note or text message to another patient, which helps both them and him.

Later, after he had developed a feel for cancer and its treatment process, he sat down again with his wife to discuss the next steps, how he could “give back” to others the benefits he had received from his predecessors.

“What can I do to make a positive impact on people that have had this disease?” Church wondered.

They concluded that he should find other new cancer patients and mentor them through the process, to help them like Jordan had helped him.

Passing it on

With his networker’s personality, Harvey Church dove headfirst into the work of “filling gaps” mentoring cancer patients to cure their fear of the unknown future, and connecting them to one another and to helpful resources. He now spends a good amount of his time with them both in person and through the online cancer-patient groups where he first got advice and sympathy. Occasionally his patients tell him that the notes he sends them bring relief and diminish fear.

“They say, ‘Thank you, Harvey, for filling in the gap,'” he reported.

He also promotes programs like J&J’s Janssen SHARE Network and the BlueCross-BlueShield program, which contact patients regularly to ask about their overall well-being.

“Those are great resources that I didn’t have at the beginning,” he said of the programs.

Church has mentored 30-40 people who have contacted him over Facebook, asking him to advise and encourage them or their relatives who have been diagnosed with blood cancer. Despite the rarity of the disease, he’s met four other myeloma sufferers in the Columbia area.

“We’re very good friends, we get together all the time,” he chuckled. “We’re always talking and texting… just to keep up and give each other support.”

His relationships with his old friends and family have continued and even improved, and to his surprise, new and deep ones have sprouted from the soil of his cancer treatment.

“[I received] all kinds of support through the networks I’ve been blessed to connect with over my life. And those have gotten better with time — I think this illness has helped those relationships to develop. It’s amazing,” he reminisced. “When you… [get] diagnosed with an incurable cancer… [you think,] ‘This is it, I’m not going to be making any more connections’… [but] I’ve begun lifelong friendships.”

“There’s always a chance that this will reoccur, so I continue to be on treatment,” he warned.

But he sees the benefits of his own struggle all the same: the cancer patients before and after him have both helped him on his way, and if he hadn’t suffered, he couldn’t have helped them in turn.

“It’s really been a blessing to me.”

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

Amy Mae Ingram, 80, died Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at Levine and Dickson Hospice House in Charlotte, North Carolina after a brief battle with cancer.

A graveside service will be conducted Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Bryant Cemetery in Mooresville, Tennessee. Oakes & Nichols is in charge of arrangements and online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

And now, news from around the state…

FEMA Approves Money for Flooded Counties (TNLookout)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $1.8 million in aid for individual Tennesseans affected by severe storms that happened in April, according to the agency.

As of last week, FEMA approved 206 individual assistance applications, totaling around $948,000 in housing assistance and $871,000 in assistance for other needs.

The individual assistance funding is in addition to public assistance funds approved to help local governments pay for repairs to public property and infrastructure.

President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for some Tennessee counties on June 20, more than two months after Gov. Bill Lee requested federal assistance to recover from destructive tornadoes and once-in-a-generation flooding.

The early April storms severely damaged an estimated 300 homes and 14 businesses or nonprofits and killed 10 people. McNairy County’s emergency management agency estimated that an EF-3 tornado that hit Selmer, the county seat, caused around $27.6 million in private property damage alone. 

Trump approved individual assistance for eligible applicants in Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Dyer, Hardeman, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion and Wilson counties. 

This type of assistance can include grants for temporary housing or home repairs, post-disaster support services and low-cost loans to cover uninsured losses. FEMA aid does not apply to losses already covered by insurance, according to the agency’s website.

FEMA recommends affected individuals file a claim with their insurance company immediately, before applying for FEMA aid.

Affected individuals can apply for individual assistance through DisasterAssistance.gov, through FEMA’s mobile app or by calling 800-621-3362. Help with applications is also available at Disaster Recovery Centers set up in each eligible county. Centers offer assistance information from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Hours for each center as well as additional resources can be found at fema.gov/disaster/4878.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

Following a triumphant return to the stage with shows across North America in 2024 and an electrifying run through the first half of 2025, the band HEART is set to carry their momentum into the fall with a continuation of their acclaimed Royal Flush Tour.

With a legendary career spanning more than five decades, HEART has cemented their place in music history, selling over 35 million albums worldwide and delivering 20 electrifying Top 40 singles, while racking up a well-deserved array of accolades and awards including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honor and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

More dates have been added for 2025, with Heart scheduled to perform at The Pinnacle on December 21st. Tickets go on sale on July 11th. Find tickets at www.thepinnaclenashville.com.