Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 8-13-26

Spring Hill approves paving, striping projects (MSM)

Spring Hill is set to invest nearly $3.2 million in road improvements after the city’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved two resolutions Aug. 3 outlining fiscal year 2027 paving and striping projects.

Under Resolution 26-232, Public Works staff identified streets in need of repaving following physical inspections of road conditions. Staff evaluated the asphalt on each street and assigned a rating — from very poor to very good — with the lowest-rated streets prioritized for paving.

City staff worked with Roger Group to obtain project quotes and develop recommendations for the board.

The proposed paving projects include:

Deerfield: $207,957

Golf View Estates: $324,738.50

Augusta Trace Drive: $117,015

Jacob Drive: $123,306

Stewart Campbell Point: $150,078

Loudenslager Drive: $30,023.50

Derryberry Lane: $75,208

Hunters Point: $67,575

N. Old Port Royal Road: $124,002.50

Kedron Road No. 1, Interstate to Princeton Road: $300,303.50

Kedron Road No. 2, Princeton Road to Main Street: $383,863

Kedron Road No. 3, Main Street to 396: $440,197.50

Prescott Way: $96,314.75

Buckner Place: $198,885.50

Estimated asphalt/construction adjustments: $143,435

The paving projects are estimated to cost approximately $2.9 million. Of that amount, $862,443 will come from State Street Aid funds, while $2,048,932 will be allocated from the city’s General Fund.

The board also approved Resolution 26-233, which addresses pavement striping on several roads throughout Spring Hill. Public Works staff received a quote from Kerr Bros. for the striping work.

The proposed striping projects include:

Cleburne Road, from Beechcroft Road to Petty Lane: $22,150

Derryberry Lane, from Port Royal Road to Rice Lane: $51,880

Old Port Royal Road, from Port Royal Road to the cul-de-sac: $15,147

Kedron Parkway, from State Route 31 to Town Center Parkway: $20,462

Kedron Road, from Saturn Parkway to the interstate bridge: $170,805

The striping project is estimated to cost $280,444 and will be funded through the General Fund.

Battle Creek High FFA chapter receives highest national ranking

The Battle Creek FFA chapter of Spring Hill has been recognized in 2026 National Chapter Award Program from the National FFA Organization. They were given a three-star ranking, the highest possible ranking, from the National FFA Organization. Less than 10% of chapters nationwide are given a ranking from the National FFA Organization, which marks the Battle Creek chapter as a truly exceptional one.

Throughout the country, the program recognizes outstanding FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization. These chapters improve their operations using the National Quality FFA Chapter Standards and a program of activities that emphasizes growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership.

Chapters that received star ratings during judging this summer and will be recognized at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo, Oct. 21-24. Anyone individual interested in supporting these outstanding students for their travel to the National Convention may contact Chris Martin, the official advisor to the Battle Creek High School FFA chapter.

All-star-rated FFA chapters receive honors made possible by corporate sponsors Bayer, Cargill Protein, John Deere, New Holland, Rabobank and Syngenta.

Busy week for MCFD rescue teams (FPR)

It has been an exceptionally busy few days for Maury County Fire Department rescue teams, who responded to a rapid succession of serious incidents across the area.

The heavy workload began Friday night around 11:00, when crews rushed to a house fire on Steve Drive with reports of people possibly trapped inside. Firefighters pushed through heavy flames to search the home, but thankfully, no occupants were inside. Columbia Fire assisted at the scene, and one firefighter was transported to the hospital with a leg injury. The cause of that fire remains under investigation.

The emergency calls continued into the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, crews were dispatched to a severe head-on collision on Pulaski Highway near the Giles County line. Responders arrived to find seven people injured across two vehicles, with one driver pinned inside. Rescue 21 popped a door and rolled the dashboard to free the driver. Officials extended special thanks to Maury EMS for their rapid patient transport, as well as a helpful bystander who assisted at the scene. Firefighters then used a staff vehicle to clear the wreckage and unblock a two-mile traffic backup.

Action picked back up Monday morning at 8:00 AM on Interstate 65 North, where an overturned semi blocked the left lane near mile marker 40, requiring a multi-hour lane closure for vehicle recovery.

Just hours later at 10:45 AM Monday, crews responded to a rollover crash on New Lewisburg Highway near Seavy Hight Road. Responders stabilized the vehicle and used hydraulic cutters to slice through the roof, freeing the trapped driver in under nine minutes. That driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Heliograph Events produces first ‘5’r Show’ in Columbia

Heliograph Events produced its first all-ages “5’r Show” on July 31 at the Journey 2 Jericho garage in downtown Columbia. Promoter Jerry Fee hopes it’s the first of many $5 scene-building shows in the area, and the next one is already scheduled for August 22.

“I saw, after looking around, that there was nowhere to go to see original bands that wouldn’t cost you a small fortune… where you could hang out with each other and try to build a scene,” Fee told Main Street Maury. “[Here, you can] expect to come on a regular basis and hear great live music… any form of rock.”

“I think there’s only two or three spots in Nashville where you can have an all-ages show, and they’re not $5,” agreed Zac Myatt, the bassist and vocalist for the alt-metal duo Novel Problem.

His band performed for the first time by opening the 5’r Show and can be followed via social media or email list at novelproblem@gmail.com. “When I spoke to Jerry a couple months back, I got excited about it, because I thought it’s perfect for Columbia and the greater Nashville area.”

Over a career of more than 25 years, Fee has “been in more bands than [he] can count” and served six years as a tour leader with the Extreme Tour, which travels to depressed areas in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland to play free shows and deliver uplifting messages to the locals.

“When I got off the road in January, I was like, ‘I haven’t thought much about the town I live in, because it’s home base and I’m always gone. What is the town I live in missing?'” Fee asked himself. “I hear all the time, ‘There’s nothing to do, there’s nowhere to hang out’… Well, why not build something… [where you can] hang out, meet friends, meet bands, maybe get inspired to play music, know you’re loved, and know you matter to people, and expect that on a regular basis?”

“I feel like there is [an audience and potential scene],” said Cooper Hughes, the vocalist for the teenage Spring Hill punk band Un-Redacted, which has played four shows and has music on Spotify.

“We like the Spring Hill, Columbia, maybe Murfreesboro and Franklin… opportunities for us,” said his brother Jason, the bass player. “We’re trying to keep it pretty low-key for now, until we’re ready to hit stuff like Nashville.”

The program lines up well with the mission of Journey 2 Jericho, a young men’s mentorship program run by Joshua Thomasec out of the garage on East Sixth Street where the show took place.

“[Some] young men or young adults in this community might not be accepted, they don’t have a place to go, ‘This is where I belong,'” Thomasec told Main Street Maury. “The whole point of what we do here at Journey 2 Jericho is for the younger culture to be seen, to be known, and [have] a place where it’s safe: Come be, come as you are, [where] you don’t have to wash up or put on a mask.”

Novel Problem opened the show on Friday night, then its members backed Fee under the band name “Colonsay,” and Un-Redacted closed out the set. All acts played their own songs for an audience of a couple dozen, and former scene kids Fee and Thomasec led the skanking and pogo dancing.

“No covers. No filler. Just artists who mean it,” says Fee, who stretched his own rule by singing crowd-pleasing quotes from “Wonderwall,” “Fix You,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Goodness of God.”

After the show was “built-in hang time” with the bands and audience, to foster the community spirit that Fee wants to grow in Columbia’s music scene. The turnout encouraged the organizers, who have already scheduled shows every month through January, except for December, and Fee expects no trouble finding bands to fill out each roster.

“Everyone’s been excited, they’ve been like, ‘Yeah, we’ve talked about it, but nobody’s done anything about it,'” he reported of his conversations with local bands. “I’m excited, they’re excited.”

Columbia State, TCATs to Host Southern Regional Technology Center Grand Opening and Drone Show

Columbia State Community College, alongside partners, Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology - Hohenwald and Pulaski, will host a grand opening and drone show for the new Southern Regional Technology Center on Friday, Aug. 21.

The community is invited to attend this celebration, which will be packed with innovation, live music and a spectacular 300-drone light show over the Columbia Campus.

“The SRTC reflects what can happen when communities come together around a shared purpose,” said Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State president. “This facility will serve students across southern Middle Tennessee while bringing together Columbia State and our TCAT partners under one roof to create unprecedented opportunities for technical and workforce education. The impact of this investment will be felt for generations through stronger families, stronger businesses and stronger communities.”

The new SRTC will serve as a regional hub for hands-on training and career education in high-demand fields like nursing, welding, HVAC, automotive technology, respiratory care, engineering systems technology and more.

“TCAT Hohenwald is delighted and honored to be joining the Columbia State SRTC to offer Automotive Technology and Practical Nursing to our region,” said Dr. Kelli Kea-Carroll, TCAT Hohenwald president. “Both TCAT programs are defined as ‘in-demand’ career occupations programs, which offer the competencies, certificates and industry credentialing necessary for student completion and student success to contribute to our southern Middle Tennessee workforce development needs associated with business and industry.”

Built through a partnership between Columbia State, TCAT Hohenwald and TCAT Pulaski, the center is designed to strengthen workforce development across the region.

“The SRTC represents a transformational partnership that expands access to workforce training where students need it most,” said Mike Whitehead, TCAT Pulaski president. “By bringing TCAT Pulaski's Welding and HVAC/R programs to Columbia, we're removing barriers to education while strengthening the skilled workforce across southern Middle Tennessee.”

The evening will feature:

• Live music by Merchants of Cool

• Open house tours of the new facility

• Celebratory drone light show

Event schedule:

• 6:30 p.m. — Grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting

• 7–8:15 p.m. — Explore the new center, enjoy live music and learn about the exciting career programs coming to our region through this partnership.

• 8:30 p.m. — Evening ends with a 300 drone light show celebrating the grand opening, Columbia State's 60th Anniversary and America's 250th birthday!

Guests should bring lawn chairs or blankets and are welcome to bring food, as they celebrate a special evening that marks a milestone for the region.

Duck River Partnership affirms Downstream Intake as cornerstone project for governor’s recommendations (Release)

The Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership formally affirmed the downstream intake and raw water transmission portions of the Columbia Power & Water Systems (CPWS) Long-Term Water Supply Program during its meeting Monday, August 10, marking a crucial step forward in securing reliable, sustainable water service for the region’s future.

Monday’s decision completes a two-part affirmation by the Partnership. The vote follows last month’s unanimous approval of the proposed CPWS water treatment facility, officially endorsing the comprehensive project as a vital initiative for the long-term health and preservation of the Duck River.

By endorsing both the infrastructure expansion and the overall supply strategy, the Partnership recognized CPWS’s proactive measures to balance growing municipal water demands with environmental stewardship.

"This full affirmation from the Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership validates years of diligent planning and science-based forecasting," said Jack Baxter, interim president and CEO of CPWS. "Securing our community's water future while safeguarding the Duck River's delicate ecosystem must go hand in hand. The Partnership’s support reinforces that this project is not only necessary for our region’s source water needs, but fundamentally right for the long-term health of our river."

The CPWS Long-Term Water Supply Program is designed to meet existing and expanding residential and industrial capacity needs across the service area while minimizing environmental impact on the river’s natural flow and biodiversity. With the Partnership’s formal backing, CPWS will continue to seek guidance and approval of parity from the Tennessee Local Development Authority for their two major funding sources — $75 million from the State Revolving Fund and $315 million from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan.

U.S. Bank plans renovation of former restaurant on Main Street (MSM)

Before long, the former fast-food restaurant at the Shops at Campbell Station could become a new U.S. Bank branch.

The proposed renovation was presented to the Spring Hill Planning Commission during its Monday night work session. The approximately 1.06-acre property at 4907 Main St. is zoned for General Commercial and would be converted into a bank with an ATM drive-thru.

The renovation would include interior and exterior improvements, restriping and sealing the existing parking lot, and reducing the number of parking spaces from 49 to 35 to accommodate future road expansion.

The project would also significantly reduce the site’s impact on the city’s sewer system. The former restaurant generated an estimated 2,380 gallons of wastewater per day, while the proposed bank is expected to generate 300 gallons per day, approximately an 85% reduction.

Planning staff also raised concerns about the proposed landscaping plan. Staff noted that the Anthony Waterer Spirea is considered an invasive species in Tennessee and recommended discussing if it’s appropriate for the site. Staff also requested that the proposed Lacebark Elm trees be replaced with species approved under the city’s Unified Development Code.

The applicant told the board that alternatives for each plant have been provided to address the staff's concerns. The potential proposal was moved to the consent agenda.

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

Mrs. Barbara Dey Horton Williams “Babs”, 78, of Columbia, TN passed away on August 8th, 2026 at Maury Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be conducted Thursday August 13 at 1:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Rock Springs Cemetery. The visitation will be held on Wednesday from 4-8pm and on Thursday between 12-1pm at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Ozella Denton Dugger, 94, died Monday, August 10, 2026, at Brookdale Assisted Living. Funeral services will be conducted Friday, August 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Friendship Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Thursday from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Mr. Kenneth Orman Knox Sr, 98, resident of Columbia passed away on Sunday August 9, 2026 at his home. Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday at 1:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends on Saturday from 11:00 AM till the time of service at the Funeral Home.

News from around the state…

AAA: Tennessee gas prices fall 11 cents (Release)

Gas prices across the state steadily declined over last week, falling 11 cents, on average. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.55 which is five cents more expensive than one month ago and 77 cents more expensive than one year ago.

“Lower crude oil prices continue to provide relief for Tennessee drivers by helping to push pump prices lower across the state,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “However, volatility in the global oil market remains a factor, and any significant shifts could place upward pressure on fuel costs. If crude oil prices remain stable, motorists may see additional savings at the pump this week.”

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell nine cents this past week to $4. Currently, drivers in half of the states are paying below $4 per gallon on average. Gas prices typically start going down this time of year, as many schools and universities begin fall semesters, and fewer people are taking road trips compared to earlier in the summer.

Tennessee Regional Prices

Most expensive metro markets – Jackson ($3.75), Memphis ($3.67), Kingsport ($3.56). Least expensive metro markets – Clarksville ($3.32), Chattanooga ($3.37), Cleveland ($3.47)

Final story of the day…

Hit the Trails for the Let’s Hike 5-Mile Challenge at Chickasaw Trace Park (MC Source)

Lace up your hiking boots and get ready to hit the trails! Maury County Parks and Rec is inviting you to take on the Let’s Hike 5-Mile Challenge at the beautiful Chickasaw Trace Park. This isn't just a stroll through the woods; we’re turning up the intensity with a moderate, five-mile trek around the park's perimeter. It’s the perfect opportunity to build your endurance and soak in the fresh air while tackling about 230 feet of elevation gain.

The adventure kicks off on Saturday morning, September 26th, 2026, at 8:00 AM. We’ll be meeting up at the trailhead near the boat ramp to begin our three-hour journey. Make sure to bring your day pack, plenty of water, a snack, and definitely wear some sturdy shoes. You might even want to pack a picnic to enjoy once we finish—you’ll certainly have earned it!

This program is completely free to the public, but we do need you to sign up in advance to secure your spot. To register or get more details, give them a call at 931-375-6106 or send an email over to jmiller@maurycounty-tn.gov. Don't miss out on a great morning of fitness and community—see you on the trail!