Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 7-20-26

City of Columbia to Host Community Information Session on Strategic Branding Initiative (Release)

The City of Columbia is inviting residents, business owners and community stakeholders to a public informational session on Tuesday, July 21, to discuss the city’s new comprehensive branding initiative.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia City Hall Council Chambers, located at 700 N. Garden St.

Officials said the session will provide an overview of the branding process and explain how community members can participate in shaping the city's future identity.

The city has partnered with Chandlerthinks, a strategic communications firm, to lead the project. The firm plans to gather community input through stakeholder interviews, focus groups and online surveys. That data will be combined with market research to develop a brand identity intended to help the city compete for investment, tourism and talent.

"A strong community brand serves as an important economic development tool," city officials said in a statement. "It influences how residents, visitors, businesses, entrepreneurs and industries perceive Columbia."

Records and complaints paint a frustrating picture of Maury County's courthouse parking problem (NC5)

Every Monday at the Maury County Courthouse starts the same way: a scramble for a place to park.

With more than 100 cases on the docket sometimes, the Maury County Judicial Center's 86 visitor spots are not enough.

Since the courthouse opened at the end of 2024, the parking shortage has been a persistent problem — one that attorney and county commissioner Jerry Bridenbaugh says has not gotten much attention.

"If you can imagine general sessions, juvenile, the regular chancery or circuit docket, and jury pools for a trial, you have cars from here to downtown," said Jerry Bridenbaugh.

Bridenbaugh, who took office just before construction started, says the nature of courthouse visits makes the problem easy to overlook.

"You get sued, you have a divorce, you come, you leave and never come back — so you don't see it on a daily basis like you do if you go to a retail establishment. But for those of us who are here, it is a consistent problem," Bridenbaugh said.

The overflow has pushed drivers to find creative solutions. Visitors have parked on grass and sidewalks along Main Street.

Nearby residents on E. 10th Street have had mail skipped because vehicles were blocking their mailboxes. One homeowner described trying to get help — and getting nowhere.

At the corner of Main Street and East 10th Street, The Ridge Butcher Shop and Fresh Market sits directly across from the courthouse. Store manager Daniel Lilley says overflow parking regularly spills into the surrounding area, including the store's private lot.

"We have signs, professional ones, but also we've handwritten a sign that we put in the center of the driveway. That way if anyone drives past, it's obvious you weren't supposed to park here," Lilley said.

Lilley says he has contacted more than 20 officials seeking a resolution and has not received a callback. He does not believe businesses should be forced to tow people.

The county has made small changes, including allowing district attorneys and public defenders — who are present nearly every day — access to the secure parking lot used by court employees. But Daniel Lilley, the butcher shop manager who first brought the issue to my attention, says the problem is far from solved.

"It's just frustrating that it's not getting resolved," Lilley said.

Parking enforcement records show just 5 citations and 7 warnings have been issued since the courthouse opened. Lilley said police are not the root cause of the problem, but there may be room for more enforcement.

"I don't think it's necessarily the police's fault, but maybe there should be some sort of process if you knew that their parking was an issue," Lilley said. "And you've now relegated that to somebody else's problem."

The county also passed on an opportunity to buy the vacant bookstore next door, which could have been used for additional parking. Bridenbaugh backed the idea and now worries a solution may be harder to find.

"There's all kinds of obstacles you would have to go through in order to find this solution," Bridenbaugh said.

‘SOS’: Every kennel full at Maury County Animal Services, shelter begging for adoptions (WSMV)

Maury County Animal Services is issuing an urgent SOS to the community as the local shelter reaches a critical capacity.

Officials report that every single kennel in the facility is now full, leaving them with absolutely no available space for incoming stray or surrendered animals.

Shelter staff are begging local residents to consider pet adoptions or foster opportunities immediately to help alleviate the severe overcrowding.

If you have been thinking about adding a four-legged member to your family, shelter workers say now is the time to act. Adoptable dogs and cats have already received their necessary vaccinations and are spayed or neutered before leaving the facility.

The Maury County Animal Services facility is located at 1233 Mapleash Avenue in Columbia.

For more information on current adoption fees, available pets, or fostering applications, you can call the adoption center directly at 931-375-1402, or visit maurycounty-tn.gov.

2 men hurt relighting burn pile in Maury County (WKRN)

Two men were injured when they attempted to reignite a burn pile this week, according to Maury County fire officials.

The Maury County Fire Department said units were dispatched Friday morning to a construction site along Highway 431 for two adult males with “significant burn injuries.”

MCFD said the two were attempting to relight a burn pile, but the pile had hot coals still inside from previous days’ burning.

The accelerant the two men used reportedly created a “flash fire,” per MCFD.

Maury EMS requested an air medical response for one of the men due to his injuries. Two more units operated on the scene along with two EMS units and a supervisor, according to MCFD.

No further information was immediately released.

Data center moratorium to be evaluated by county commission (FPR)

The Maury County Commission will vote Monday night on a proposed temporary moratorium that would halt all new approvals for data center facilities in the county's unincorporated areas.

The resolution, which passed with a favorable recommendation from the Maury County Regional Planning Commission on June 30, would enact a pause on accepting, reviewing, or approving data center applications for up to 12 months. If adopted, the moratorium would expire once the county completes an update to its zoning regulations or on July 19, 2027, whichever comes first.

County officials say the measure is a proactive attempt to manage infrastructure demands before a project is officially proposed. No technology companies have yet applied to build a data center in Maury County.

According to the resolution, Maury County’s existing zoning ordinance lacks comprehensive rules to address the intense utility footprints required by modern data centers. Current local guidelines were written years ago for small-scale computer facilities and are inadequate for today's industrial-sized tech campuses. Modern high-density computer facilities require massive amounts of electricity and water for cooling, and can cause significant noise and heat discharge.

Maury County is part of a broader wave of Tennessee communities reevaluating tech infrastructure. Approximately 60 data centers are currently operating or under construction statewide, fueled by a sharp rise in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cryptocurrency mining.

If the commission approves the pause, county staff will use the yearlong window to establish strict boundaries regarding facility sizes, water consumption, power grid strains, noise limits, and appropriate zoning districts.

The Maury County Commission meeting is open to the public and begins tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. at the Barner-Primm Commission Meeting Room.

Patrick Carter elected chair of State Bar Foundation (RELEASE)

Patrick Carter, an attorney with Wolaver, Carter & Hogan and the city attorney for both Fairview and Spring Hill, has been confirmed as chair-elect of the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, following the foundation’s annual meeting in Knoxville in June.

Carter is active in numerous legal and civic organizations throughout Tennessee. His election to the foundation’s leadership reflects his longstanding commitment to the legal profession and to public service. He will serve a one-year term as chair-elect before assuming the role of chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees in June 2027.

“It is an honor to serve the Tennessee Bar Foundation and its mission of promoting equal access to justice,” Carter said. “The Foundation’s work has a meaningful impact on communities across Tennessee by supporting organizations that provide vital legal services to those who otherwise could not afford them. I look forward to helping further that mission.”

Established in 1982, the Tennessee Bar Foundation is one of the state’s leading legal organizations dedicated to advancing equal access to justice. The Foundation administers Tennessee’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, recognizes distinguished attorneys as Fellows — an honor bestowed upon fewer than 5 percent of Tennessee lawyers — and provides financial support for law-related public interest initiatives across the state.

Through the IOLTA program, the Foundation expands access to legal services for Tennesseans in need. In 2025, the Foundation announced grants totaling $3 million to support Tennessee’s legal aid organizations and nonprofit groups that provide legal assistance to low-income residents and work to improve the administration of justice throughout the state.

Delk Special Report on Sterling Marlin Commemoration

Now a look at your hometown memorials…

Marie Cummins Wilson, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose greatest joy in life was caring for her family, passed away peacefully on Friday at the home of her daughter Lisa in Culleoka, Tennessee.

Funeral services will be conducted Monday at 3:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Pastor Shannon Whipp officiating. Burial will follow in Glenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends Monday from 1:00 p.m. until the service time at 3:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Charles Sloan Delk Sr., 87, a Maury County native, longtime resident of Blue Ridge Road, and retired engineer with L&N Railroad/CSX Transportation, passed away peacefully at his residence on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Graveside services were conducted Saturday at Polk Memorial Mausoleum with Rusty Colvett officiating.

Weather is brought to you by Workout Anytime Columbia. Join at Workout Anytime.com/Columbia or at the gym on 125 Bear Creek Pike.

Expect a hot and humid start to the workweek, beginning with areas of fog out on the roads before 9 a.m.

Once that fog burns off, it will be mostly sunny, with an afternoon high near 91 degrees. However, the humidity will make it feel much hotter, pushing heat index values up as high as 103 degrees. Winds will remain calm throughout the day.

Keep your umbrella close by for the afternoon commute. We have a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms popping up after 1 p.m. Some of those storms could bring heavier downpours, with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch possible.

Looking ahead to Monday night, skies will turn mostly clear, dropping down to a muggy low around 73 degrees with calm winds. Watch out for a little patchy fog developing again late tomorrow night, especially after 5 a.m.

Now a look at news from around the state…

Minnie’s back home, and looking better than ever (Hickman Co. Times)

That’s right, Minnie is back – looking a little different – but better than ever!

The Centerville Garden Club was excited to announce the Minnie Pearl bust statue was triumphantly restored to her rightful throne on the bluff overlooking Bluff Garden and River Park on July 1, and just in time for the Independence 250 in River Park celebration.

The Minnie Pearl statue was originally created by local artist Ricky Pittman to pay homage to Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, better known to the world as Minnie Pearl, the beloved American comedian and country singer. Statue details included her signature frilly dress and straw hat with the dangling price tag. The statue was initially on proud display in the town square in Centerville, the birthplace of Minnie Pearl.

In 2020, the decision was made to move the statue, which is created out of chicken wire, to the rocky bluff above Bluff Garden where she perched proudly – until the unthinkable happened.

In May 2025, the artistic masterpiece was found laying at the base of the Centerville Bluff Garden – upon further investigation, it was determined Minnie’s fall was no accident, but rather a clear act of vandalism.

Thankfully, Pittman agreed to skillfully restore Minnie over the last year, and even gave her a slight facelift of sorts which includes a more beautiful smile.

The Centerville Garden Club shared via their social media page, “Heartfelt gratitude is extended to Ricky Pittman for his exceptional and meticulous craftsmanship on the statue.”

Special accolades are also expressed to Steven Willis for masterfully designing the base and spearheading the project’s successful completion, and also to Mason Ward for his invaluable assistance, Tim Thompson for tending to the weeds, and Eric Blystad for generously supplying and operating the boom truck that returned Minnie to her rightful spot on the bluff.

The Centerville Garden Club said, “We are profoundly grateful to each of you for your outstanding contributions,” – and Centerville is equally proud to have Minnie back where she belongs.

Final story of the day …

Delk Special Report on Fire Truck Push In