Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 7-21-26

Middle Tennessee volunteer fire departments awarded $1.35M in state grants (CDH)

More than two dozen volunteer fire departments in Lawrence, Wayne, Maury and Hardin counties have been awarded a total of $1.35 million in state grant funding.

"Volunteer firefighters are often the backbone of emergency response in rural communities, answering the call day or night," said Rep. Kip Capley, R-Summertown, who announced the recipients July 16. "These significant grants will help local departments purchase essential equipment to ensure they are prepared to respond quickly and effectively. I'm incredibly grateful to the men and women who selflessly give their time to serve their neighbors."

Volunteer firefighters play a crucial role in Tennessee's emergency response network. A recent survey found that 71% of Tennessee fire departments are staffed entirely by volunteers, with an estimated 12,460 of the state’s 21,075 active firefighters serving as volunteers, according to the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.

The program is administered by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to purchase critical firefighting equipment, improving emergency response and enhancing firefighter safety.

Out of the 27 grants awarded in Lawrence, Wayne, Maury and Hardin counties, Maury County received three grants:

• Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Department: $14,228

• Maury County Fire Department: $41,184

• Columbia Fire & Rescue: $9,450

Lawrence County departments received 15 grants, Wayne County seven and Hardin County, two.

How much did Maury County grow? (FPR)

Maury County’s population surged by 3.2% between 2024 and 2025, driven heavily by thousands of people moving into the region from other parts of the United States, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by USAFacts.

The county added approximately 3,700 residents over the one-year period, continuing a decade-long stretch of rapid expansion. Between 2015 and 2025, the local population ballooned by 34.9%.

Domestic migration — people moving to Maury County from other U.S. counties — served as the primary catalyst for the boom. The county saw a net influx of roughly 3,000 domestic movers between 2024 and 2025.

Other factors also tipped positive. The county recorded 515 more births than deaths over the year, while international migration brought in a net increase of about 143 people from outside the country.

The growth follows a 25-year trend of steady development for the Middle Tennessee county. Since 2000, Maury County's population has increased in 24 out of 25 years. The sole exception occurred during the Great Recession period between 2009 and 2010, when the county lost nearly 3,000 residents.

Conversely, the county's single largest growth year occurred between 2019 and 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it gained just over 5,000 residents in a single year.

Demographic experts note that such shifts are often tied to local economic health, regional employment opportunities, and cost-of-living adjustments that draw residents away from larger metropolitan hubs.

Andy Ogles Takes on Challengers Hatcher, Molder as Tennessee’s 5th District Takes on New Borders (Nashville Banner)

Andy Ogles is confident he can win reelection in a 5th Congressional District that looks little like the one he won in 2022 and 2024.

In a June interview with ABC24, Ogles claimed he is “way ahead, quite frankly.”

“The chances of flipping Tennessee-5 were more likely as currently drawn versus this new district,” he said. “The math just is what it is.”

Those new borders were hurriedly drawn by Republican state lawmakers at the request of President Donald Trump, hoping for an advantage in this year’s midterms. The effort allowed Tennessee Republicans to craft a map that gives their party an advantage in all nine Tennessee congressional districts by divvying up Memphis, long encompassed by the 9th District.

The 5th District, formerly dominated by Democratic Nashville, faced a similar fate after the 2020 census, allowing Ogles to win a GOP-friendly seat.

The new lines barely excluded the homes of Ogles’ most prominent challengers, Republican Charlie Hatcher and Democrat Chaz Molder, but both opted to continue their campaigns in the 5th.

Hatcher is the latest well-connected Republican to take on Ogles. In 2024, some traditional Republicans, donors and former prominent elected officials rallied behind Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston as she unsuccessfully challenged Ogles in the GOP primary.

Now many, like former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and former Gov. Bill Haslam, are doing the same for Hatcher.

Andy Marshall, likely the next mayor of Williamson County, told the Banner at a Hatcher campaign event this week that Ogles “did a great job” as mayor of Maury County, especially in his opposition to COVID-19 restrictions.

“I will always be indebted to him for that, but I think it’s a new day, and I think Charlie’s the right man for us up there,” Marshall said. “Charlie will represent us well here at home and there. He’ll stay connected with our community.”

But Ogles has the endorsement that matters most in the GOP primary: Trump’s. The representative plays up the relationship in public appearances, telling ABC24 of his ability to call Trump whenever he wants.

“I do carry a lot of, if not most of, the legislation for the White House,” Ogles said at a Farm Bureau forum in June.

The people around Hatcher argue that Trump would support the challenger if he knew him.

“If he knew Charlie Hatcher like I knew Charlie Hatcher, he would be doing backflips to endorse Charlie Hatcher for Congress,” Sonny Perdue, who was Trump’s secretary of agriculture and a Georgia governor, said at a Hatcher event this week.

Hatcher and Molder both contend that the redistricting helps them against Ogles. Hatcher told the Banner that “a lot of people in the new counties don’t know Andy Ogles or myself, but in these ag communities, if they know anybody, they know Charlie Hatcher from my almost seven years as commissioner of agriculture.”

Molder’s father-in-law is Craig Fitzhugh, the former Democratic leader in the state House and the current mayor of Ripley in rural West Tennessee. Adding Ripley, where Molder said he has spent two-plus decades of holidays and family gatherings, to the 5th District “was like a gift.”

“That’s like home to us almost as much as this is home,” Molder said at a Columbia campaign event in late May. “We have an opportunity to run in a district that we know and love.”

Molder’s entry into the race prior to redistricting was welcomed by Democrats, hopeful that his success outside of Nashville could translate into flipping the seat. The national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed Molder and included his race as one of its priority campaigns across the country. The group is sticking with him despite the changed boundaries and odds.

“This was a slap in the face to voters all across Tennessee,” Molder told the Banner in a late-May interview. “I try to teach my own kids, you don’t change the rules after the game has already started, and that’s what Tennessee politicians just did, and I think Tennessee voters are going to be upset with that.”

He added that the new lines do not affect his message: that prices, including for healthcare, are too high and that there’s nothing wrong with “a little bit of decency and kindness in Washington, D.C.”

Molder isn’t the only Democrat in the Aug. 6 primary.

Rachel Hurley of Memphis jumped in the race following redistricting. She told the Banner she would focus on more structural issues if elected, like corruption, stock trading by members of Congress and more transparency in the legislative branch.

Of Molder, she said: “I’ve read his website, and I’ve spoken on a forum with him, and mostly he talked about his family and being in some clubs in high school, but he didn’t really lay out a lot of plans. If you just stick to the regular Democratic ticket plans, well, how do you push anything through?”

Other Democrats in the race include DeVante Hill of Bartlett, Yolanda Cooper-Sutton of Memphis and Carrie Ann Iacomini of Memphis. James Johnson of Memphis and Micheál O’Leary of Nashville are running as independents.

Ultium Cells Spring Hill begins production of LFP battery cells for energy storage (PRESS RELEASE)

Ultium Cells Spring Hill has officially begun production of LG Energy Solution’s JF2 LFP battery cells for energy storage systems (ESS), marking a significant step in the facility’s expansion into the growing energy storage market. The facility is a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution.

With the strong demand for ESS in the U.S., launching LFP production at Ultium Cells Spring Hill positions the facility for future growth in emerging energy markets alongside its EV battery business. Ultium Cells Spring Hill completed the conversion of some of its existing capacity to LFP production in less than five months, demonstrating both the flexibility of the facility and the dedication of its workforce to help meet near-term ESS demand while also expanding its overall business.

LFP cells manufactured at Ultium Cells Spring Hill will be used by LG Energy Solution Vertech in complete, U.S.-made storage systems that meet domestic content requirements.

“The start of LFP production for ESS at Ultium Cells Spring Hill shows our expanded capabilities,” said Injae Pahk, President of Ultium Cells. “By leveraging LG Energy Solution’s advanced battery technology and the outstanding dedication of our Tennessee team, we’ve successfully established ESS production capability with speed, flexibility, and a strong commitment to safety, quality, and productivity.”

“Launching LFP production reflects the strength of the partnership between LG Energy Solution and GM and reinforces our confidence in the long-term growth potential of advanced battery manufacturing across the broader Ultium Cells network,” said Chris Desautels, plant director of Ultium Cells Spring Hill. “Ultium Cells is playing a key role in helping companies deploy ESS in support of the power grid and a variety of strategic technology applications.”

Traditional energy generation and renewables create electricity at specific locations, which is then transmitted across the grid to the end user. Energy storage plays a critical role in making the grid more efficient – storing energy after it has been produced but before users need it, enabling energy use to shift and smoothing energy use peaks.

Energy storage systems also create resiliency in the grid by storing energy for emergency use. Notably, energy storage systems help mitigate the volatile load patterns of AI training data centers in a way that the conventional grid can’t, helping to efficiently integrate them into the larger energy ecosystem.

As production ramps up, all Ultium Cells Spring Hill team members have returned, helping support continued growth and day-to-day operations. The launch of JF2-ESS production establishes a strong foundation for future expansion and further reinforces Spring Hill’s role in supporting North America’s growing demand for ESS.

Ultium Cells is a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution that produces Ultium battery cells to advance the push for a zero-emissions, all-electric future. Ultium Cells provides battery cell capacity to support GM’s North American electric vehicle assembly, while supporting other automotive companies and battery business opportunities. For more information about Ultium Cells, please visit www.ultiumcell.com.

Early voting begins today, here’s what you need to know (Release)

Early voting in Maury County-level elections starts this Friday, July 17. Accordingly, the county Election Commission and the candidates themselves have helpfully provided the following information to Main Street Maury and Maury Alliance.

Early voting locations

Voters can cast their 2026 ballots at one of the two early-voting precincts, which will be open from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays.

The two precincts are:

Maury County Election Commission office

1207 Tradewinds Drive

Columbia, TN 38401

Early voting dates: July 17-Aug. 1

Spring Hill Community Center — Winchester Building

563 Maury Hill Street

Spring Hill, TN 37174

Early voting dates: July 22-25, 2026

With early voting getting underway, the Maury County NAACP is making sure local voters have a way to get to the polls.

The organization is offering free, nonpartisan transportation assistance to anyone in Maury County who needs a ride to an early voting location. The service is completely free of charge and open to all voters, regardless of political affiliation. They are also welcoming accessibility and accommodation requests.

If you need a ride, organizers ask that you submit your request as early as possible. Rides are provided based on volunteer and driver availability, so filling out a request form does not automatically guarantee a ride.

To sign up, you can find the transportation request form online or by scanning the QR code on the Maury County NAACP's official flyer. You will need to provide your name, phone number, pickup address, preferred date and time, and any accessibility needs.

For more information, or if you have questions, you can contact Joseph Brown directly at 931-350-9861, or email jbrown93079@gmail.com.

As relocations rise, Nashville ranks among top HQ markets: report (CDH/Tennessean)

A long list of companies in 2025 relocated their headquarters to cities in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee, according to a comprehensive analysis by real estate services firm CBRE. Many of them left behind previous HQ cities in California.

Tennessee's recent attempt to persuade Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to relocate company operations to the Volunteer State underscores an accelerating pattern of major companies opting to expand to Southern states in lieu of coastal metros. In June, Texas officially dethroned California as the state with the most Fortune 500 companies.

According to the CBRE report, HQ relocation activity picked up in 2025, with 164 total moves, more than any other year since 2018. Some of those deals were HQ moves within the same metro area or state, while others were high-profile relocations from coastal business powerhouse cities.

What companies have moved to Nashville?

The Nashville metro area was ranked No. 6 for cities that gained net new HQs from interstate and international moves in 2025. Since 2018, the Middle Tennessee area has seen an influx in major corporate relocations and expansions, including AllianceBernstein, Amazon, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Oracle, In-N-Out Burger and Starbucks. Many of those moves involved hefty incentive packages from the state's Department of Economic and Community Development.

Tennessee recently approved a $30 million FastTrack grant for Starbucks to relocate to Nashville, and the announcement has become a hot button issue in Tennessee's governor's race, with both GOP primary candidates sounding off on the topic.

Dallas, Texas, emerges as powerhouse corporate magnet

The strongest corporate magnets overall were metro areas in Texas, specifically Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin. DFW received more than 100 HQ relocations since 2018, the most of any U.S. metro area during that period. In 2025 alone, the area gained 11 new companies from higher cost cities like Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York and Chicago.

Miami's metro area gained eight relocations, Austin gained seven and Charlotte, North Carolina, gained seven.

Why are companies leaving California?

According to the CBRE report, Los Angeles lost 10 HQs; New York lost nine; San Francisco lost seven and San Jose lost five.

A few key drivers motivated businesses to retool, expand or relocate their corporate headquarter operations in 2025, according to the report. The top reason cited by executives was to consolidate operations, optimize real estate portfolios, and mergers and aquisitions.

The second most cited reason for a move was a more favorable overall business climate, which included aspects like lower taxes, business incentives and lower cost of living for employees.

Other reasons for a company to move included better access to a consumer base, lower real estate costs, the availability of workforce and opportunities for growth.

CPWS hosting ‘Stuff the Bucket’ as part of school supply drive for Highland Park Elementary School (Release)

Columbia Power & Water Systems (CPWS) is proud to announce the "Stuff the Bucket" School Supply Drive & Cook-Out, a community event dedicated to supporting the students at Highland Park Elementary School as they prepare for the new school year.

The toy drive is ongoing now through July 24, but community members can “drive-thru” the parking lot next to the main Highland Ave. entrance on Thursday, July 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to drop off the essential school supplies for local children, and — in a unique twist on a traditional donation drive —help "stuff the bucket" of a CPWS utility truck.

"We recognize that starting the school year with the necessary tools is vital for a student's confidence and success," said CPWS CEO Jack Baxter. "In fact, Highland Park Elementary is just a couple of blocks down the street from our office and CPWS trucks pass by the school often, allowing us to see the impact made to our closest neighbors on a daily basis.”

CPWS is asking the community to donate new school supplies, including: backpacks, No. 2 pencils, erasers, crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, bottles of glue, scissors, washable markers, EXPO dry-erase markers, tissues, sanitizing wipes and highlighters.

As a token of appreciation, any community member who donates during the event will receive a complimentary sack lunch, complete with an all-beef hot dog and bag of chips, served in a fun cook-out atmosphere. For those who choose to donate outside of the event, a donation drop box is located in the CPWS office lobby.