Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 8-29-25

WKOM/WKRM Radio

Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for August 29, 2025

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

We start with local news…

Teen Dies in Auto Accident (WSMV)

A teenager is dead after crashing on a Maury County highway this week.

On Wednesday afternoon, on U.S. Route 412, just a quarter mile east of Hampshire, a 16-year-old was involved in a fatal wreck.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s preliminary report, the teen was driving a Ford Fusion west on US Route 412 when the Fusion crossed into the eastbound lane and continued off the south side of the roadway.

The car eventually hit a tree, according to THP.

The report said the driver was wearing a seatbelt.

Missing Teens Return Home (MSM)

Through the combined efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Lynnville Police Department, two missing adolescents have been returned home.

“This case is an example of what can be accomplished when multiple agencies come together with a shared goal,” Lynnville Police Chief Sam Barnes said in a statement. “We are grateful for the teamwork and dedication of everyone involved, and most importantly, we are thankful these children are now safe.”

Barnes said the juveniles were found Aug. 25 in Lawrenceburg after being missing from Columbia for almost three months.

The recovery was a joint effort between various departments including Linville PD, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Lawrence County Constable’s Office and Constables Nathan Self and Randy Tucker, Barnes said.

Barnes, who is a Maury County Constable in addition to his role as Lynnville Chief of Police, recently took an active role in the investigation in Columbia after the parents of one of the missing teens reached out to him, the statement said.

Columbia Police Department was the initial investigating agency.

“Through information gathering, fieldwork and collaboration with partner agencies, Barnes and officers identified locations and persons of interest involving the juveniles in Lawrenceburg,” the statement said. “Long hours and hard work ended the months-long absence of the children when they were located.”

The adult suspect involved was known to have strong ties to Giles County, which made LPD’s involvement significant in the case, the statement noted.

Barnes identified Zolieth Ofelia Cuarezma as the suspect. Cuarezma is charged with concealing, harboring or hiding a minor and is scheduled to appear Sept. 9 at 9 a.m. in Lawrence County General Sessions Court.

“The Lynnville Police Department and Maury County Constable extend appreciation to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, the Lawrence County Constable’s Office, Constables Nathan Self and Randy Tucker, and all others who assisted in this successful operation,” the statement concluded.

Lawrence County Schools Change Absence Policy (CDH)

The Lawrence County School System has adjusted its controversial attendance policy which previously barred students from using doctor's notes to excuse absences.

The former policy, announced in June, aimed to address high rates of "chronic" absenteeism among students and allow the school system to take control" of student attendance, said Director of Schools Michael Adkins.

The policy outlined penalties for families after a student missed three days of school and stated that students would be referred to juvenile court after eight absences, even if those absences were supported by doctors’ notes confirming illness.

The policy drew significant backlash and sparked outrage among parents, many of whom denounced it and even called for changes in school administration.

On Aug. 21, the school board heard arguments from parents outlining their concerns over the policy and were presented a petition with nearly 3,000 signatures calling for the policy’s revocation.

According to school officials, doctor’s notes are now accepted, but chronic absenteeism still counts.

“We have listened to the community and made adjustments to the attendance policies,” said Board Chairman John Daniel, who added that the board has separated the truancy policy from the chronic absenteeism policy.

Lawrence County Schools have received nearly 900 doctor’s notes since the beginning of the school year, Adkins said. While those absences have been excused, they still count toward chronic absenteeism, which continue to rise year after year, he added.

“They’re still missing school. No matter what you call it — excused, unexcused, truant, chronically absent,” he said. “They’re not in the seat, they’re falling behind. That’s what we’re addressing.”

Although doctor’s notes are now accepted, the school system aims to intervene when they begin to accumulate, he added.

“A doctor’s note will excuse truancy, but it does not excuse chronic absenteeism,” Daniel said.

Intervention will be key to preventing students’ absences from piling up, Adkins said, and it will be up to school administrators to ensure that no child is left behind due to repeated absences.

“We have homebound services that we can bring in to help a child avoid issues related to chronic absenteeism,” Adkins said. “They can still receive instruction, it’s just at a different level and pace. But we don’t know that unless we’re intervening, finding out, and the parents are communicating with us.”

Spring Hill Whataburger Stalled Again (CDH)

Hate making the lengthy drive to Brentwood or Nolensville to indulge in Whataburger? Spring Hill is hoping to change that. 

The city originally pitched the idea for the Texas-based fast food chain to open a Spring Hill location in 2022 at an old Burger King site on Highway 31, but it was not approved. 

The new proposed 4,990-square-foot drive-thru at 3004 Belshire Village Drive has gone through a series of improvements in the hopes of the company giving the city the green light. 

During a recent Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, elected officials gave an update on what was happening with the project. 

“The applicant [Whataburger] met with staff to discuss the application,” said senior planner Gilles Morin. “There are several things that require revision and further discussion prior to the next voting meeting.” 

At that meeting, representatives for Whatburger were a no-show so the discussion was pushed back until September. 

There are 19 Whataburger restaurants operating throughout Middle Tennessee. The latest opened in Brentwood on May 12. 

“We’re so glad to have you here and welcome to our neighborhood,” Brentwood Mayor Nelson Andrews said during those opening ceremonies. 

A proposed opening date has not yet been announced for the Spring Hill location. 

Ashwood Hall Development (MSM)

The Mt. Pleasant City Commission turned in a split 3-2 vote to move forward with the John Maher Builders development on the Columbia Pike. The vote gave first-reading approval to annexing and rezoning the 106-acre Armstrong field at the intersection of Zion Road and Columbia Pike; second-reading passage would allow Maher to build 247 housing units and a wastewater treatment facility there.

Public comment will be heard at Mt. Pleasant City Hall at 5 p.m. on Sept. 11, before the City Commission’s next monthly study session. Because of the expected number of attendees, Mt. Pleasant Mayor Bill White advised would-be public commenters to get together and assign their talking points to a smaller number of speakers. Opponents of the development have created a Facebook group, “Mt. Pleasant Neighbors for Sustainable Growth,” to connect and share information.

The Mt. Pleasant Planning Commission voted 2-3 against the zoning request at its July meeting, after hearing a great deal of public comment opposing an R3 zoning — the densest possible residential zoning, which normally requires proximity to a city downtown district. To overrule the planning commission’s recommendation, the city commission had to publish its own rationales for why the R3 zoning fulfills the four bylaws that govern rezoning.

“We had a good… conversation concerning this property, and heard a lot of good things,” White said about the August study session, before he delivered the city’s reasoning at the voting session. “We’re going to have to talk through this extensively, to make sure we followed this as we should.”

Rezoning Reasoning

The first rezoning bylaw dictates that the new R3 zoning must agree with the land-use plan for the area. The mayor justified it by pointing to the developments already surrounding the field, which are now Mt. Pleasant city territory and weren’t built or zoned to conform with the city’s land use plan.

“In the vicinity you’ve got a dollar store… a convenience store, two restaurants [and a trailer park],” White said.

Some public commenters argued that the preservation of silence at the Polk Memorial Gardens cemetery across the highway, and of the view from the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church next to it, were reason enough to leave the Armstrong field undeveloped.

City Commissioner Pam Johnston, who serves on the planning commission and initially cast one of the “no” votes, came to agree with the mayor after she drove up to the area and saw that the adjacent properties were developed.

The second bylaw forbids developments that cause “adverse effects for nearby property owners,” unless they can be justified by the “overwhelming public good or welfare.” White argued that the public welfare was adequately served by the increased income to the city from the development’s property taxes, sales taxes, and building permits. The other two “yes” voters on the commission agreed with him.

“We could use the money. We have streets and other things that could get fixed,” said Commissioner Willie Alderson, who added that she hadn’t received any phone calls from her constituents asking her to vote against the neighborhood. “I have to do what’s best for Mt. Pleasant.”

“If we have the opportunity to have quality homes that represent… and benefit Mt. Pleasant, I think that’s actually a help to the surrounding environment,” said Johnston.

Commissioner Loree Knowles countered that she had been asked by both Mt. Pleasant citizens and outsiders, especially residents of the rural county around the planned neighborhood, to vote the development down.

“Most of the calls that I’ve received are not in favor of the zoning,” she said, “which puts me in quite a pickle, but… the citizens of Mt. Pleasant… have spoken.”

The third bylaw requires the city to verify that “no small group of property owners will benefit materially, to the detriment of the general public.” White cast the incoming residents as the beneficiaries.

“The owners would be people buying the homes,” he said, “so I don’t see how it would materially benefit them, other than having a roof over their head.”

No commissioners disagreed with him, though some public commenters fingered John Maher Builders or the city’s own coffers as the real winners at the public’s expense.

Finally, the city commission agreed that the area had changed enough to warrant a change to the land-use plan and zoning.

“You’re gonna have [more than] 700 homes right up the street. There is sufficient [growth] to warrant an amendment… It’s here, whether we want it or not,” White explained.

The commission also agreed in the study session that other R3 and light industrial zoning already exists nearby, including a rail yard.

Commissioners Split

“This is the toughest thing any of us have had to deal with since I’ve been on the commission,” Johnston admitted. “I have gone backwards and forwards, and I didn’t come to my conclusion… until last night.”

On one of her evening walks, Johnston was inspired by the civic life she saw around town: youth practicing sports, businesses opening on the renovated Main Street and elsewhere and friendships among newcomers, lifetimers and multi-generational residents of Mt. Pleasant. These signs of life, and the build quality of John Maher Builders’ other homes, prompted her to vote for the development.

“People are excited,” she said. “They see what’s happening at the airport… with our main street… in our business community at Cherry Glen. We’re getting some amazing things happening there.”

“I’ve struggled with this, I’m not going to tell anybody any stories about it… I’m going to tell you just exactly how I feel,” White said. “I’ve [driven] up there, I can’t tell you how many times to look at it, and you look down the street and you’ve got apartments… [and] a trailer park. You look at the financial benefit… [and] the development this could add to this community, what it could do for the downtown that we have just spent a fortune on.”

“When you look over the high-density residential [definition]… it says ‘it should be located adjacent to downtown.’ It doesn’t say ‘must’ or ‘shall,’ so there’s a little leeway,” conceded Commissioner Mike Davis.

Still, he cast one of the two “no” votes, along with Commissioner Loree Knowles, because he couldn’t bring himself to incorporate an area for which the city couldn’t provide all services.

“It’s hard for me to vote for it. ‘It’s money for the city’ — I realize that. But money’s not everything,” he explained. “I hate to be a negative person, but… when you can’t provide the services, it’s all about money.”

Road Named for Marlin (MSM)

The Maury County Commission honored the NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin at its August meeting, by asking the state to name a stretch of Highway 31 after him, from Carters Creek Pike to Raider Lane.

Marlin grew up in Maury County, the son of the regionally famous NASCAR driver Clifton “Coo Coo” Marlin. He graduated from the gyms and gridirons of Spring Hill High School to driving in NASCAR from 1976-2010. He made the NASCAR all-time list of the “75 Greatest Drivers” and won consecutive Daytona 500 races in 1994 and 1995 — an accomplishment shared by only four other drivers, winning him Tennessee Professional Athlete of the Year in both years.

Jimmy Campbell, a family friend of the Marlins, once asked the young driver why he became a racer.

“He said, ‘Well, you go out in a tobacco patch and work a couple years, you’ll find another vocation,'” Campbell chuckled.

Marlin himself took the podium and said a few words, in a low voice impacted by Parkinson’s disease. He talked fondly about his first practice car, a 1957 Nash Metropolitan that cost his father $50, which he drove up and down his family’s driveway at age 12.

“In the world of sports, you put Maury County, Tennessee on the map,” County Clerk Joey Allen told him. “Thank you very much.”

Maury County Fair Returns (CDH)

The Maury County Fair & Expo Livestock Show returns this week with a full weekend of rides, events, a rodeo and more.

In addition to popular events like motocross and beef shows, the rodeo will return to Maury County Fair Aug. 28, Bulls, Broncs and Barrels starting at 7 p.m. in the back arena.

According to fair representatives, the annual weekend of fun will be bigger, bring more food and more activities, including a 5k run.

Maury County Fair President Randy Zeigler said this year will be bigger, better and more expansive in all areas.

"We have a lot of new things this year and have expanded the fairgrounds for the first time ever," Zeigler said.

"We've added more rides, and even have a few dragons that will be coming, and these are some pretty realistic dragons, which we are excited about. We've also got a huge petting zoo, and our food court has almost doubled in size, as well as our non-food vendors. They have expanded quite a bit."

The 2025 Maury County Fair will also introduce the first My Day 5K and one-mile trot starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, with proceeds benefiting the King's Daughters' School, Maury County Special Olympics and Best Buddies of Tennessee.

"Last year we had 1,200 kids show up for My Day, and we've already got 1,200 pre-registered," Zeigler said. "We are pretty excited and are expecting record numbers. We are busting at the seems here at the park right now."

Also, don't miss goat, beef and other livestock shows, a tractor pull and a hot pepper eating contest.

For more information, visit www.MauryCountyFair.org.

Midstate Classic to Return (Press Release)

The City of Columbia is proud to announce the return of the Midstate Classic to Ridley Sports Complex on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. The 2026 event will be headlined by a marquee matchup at 5:30 PM, as the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers face off against the Austin Peay Governors. This highly anticipated game will once again place Columbia in the spotlight, offering fans the chance to experience elite-level collegiate softball right here at home.

“The Midstate Classic has become one of the signature events for our city, and we are thrilled to welcome the Lady Vols back to Ridley Sports Complex,” said Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder. “This day showcases not only world-class softball, but also the community spirit that defines Columbia.”

The full slate of action begins earlier in the day, starting at 10:00 AM with a local rivalry between the Columbia Central Lions and the Spring Hill Raiders. At 1:30 PM, the Columbia State Lady Chargers will take the field against an opponent to be announced, setting the stage for the evening’s feature game between the Lady Vols and the Governors.

Speaking to the tradition and excitement of the Classic, City Manager Tony Massey said, “It’s remarkable to see the energy and excitement the Midstate Classic generates every year, and 2026 will be no exception. By having Austin Peay as Tennessee’s opponent, it truly will be a Midstate Classic. We look forward to hosting the two universities in Columbia next Spring.”

The headlining matchup will feature not only two highly respected coaches but also two powerhouse programs in collegiate softball. The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, led by Karen Weekly in her 25th season and with more than 1,350 career wins, rank among the most successful programs in NCAA history. Across the diamond, the Austin Peay Governors, guided by Kassie Stanfill in her eighth season, have emerged as a rising force, compiling nearly 200 wins and producing dozens of all-conference athletes. Fans can expect a high-caliber contest showcasing both elite coaching and top-tier team talent.

University of Tennessee Head Coach Karen Weekly expressed her excitement, saying, “We are excited to once again bring the Lady Vol Softball team to Columbia for the Midstate Classic. Austin Peay is a tough opponent and Kassie Stanfill has done a tremendous job building that program. We know the fans will be treated to a great in-state matchup.”

Now entering its eleventh year, the Midstate Classic has become a cornerstone tradition in Columbia—uniting competitive softball, passionate fans, and community pride. With the Lady Vols and Governors headlining the 2026 tournament, anticipation is already building for one of the most exciting events yet.

“Events like the Midstate Classic highlight why Ridley Sports Complex is such a valuable community asset,” added Columbia Parks & Recreation Director Mack Reagan. “It is a privilege to host powerhouse programs like Tennessee while also providing our local athletes the opportunity to play on the same stage.”

Ticket details and additional information will be announced closer to the date. Fans are encouraged to follow the City of Columbia on Facebook and Instagram at @CityofColumbiaTN for the latest updates. Additional information will also be made available on the City’s official website.

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

Minnie Greenfield Morrow, 94, died Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at her residence in Columbia.

Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with John Thomas officiating. Burial will follow in Morrow Cemetery in Hampshire. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 12:00 noon until 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Mr. Roy Eugene White, 82, resident of Columbia, died Wednesday, August 27 at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care Center.

Graveside services will be conducted Sunday at 3:30 PM at Rose Hill Cemetery. The family will visit with friends on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Now, news from around the state…

Blackburn Threatened (Tennessean)

A Murfreesboro woman is facing a federal charge after she threatened to murder Tennessee gubernatorial candidate U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Penelope Convertino, 22, was arrested by FBI agents Aug. 28 on a charge of making a threat to murder a federal official with the intent to impede, intimidate and interfere with Blackburn's performance of her official duties, a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Convertino left a voicemail May 30 at Blackburn's Nashville office, the statement said. When a staffer listened to the voicemail the following Monday, the caller said they were going to kill Blackburn, according to the attorney's office.

"'I'm gonna shoot her with a gun. I'm gonna blow up her head on national TV,'" the caller said on the voicemail, according to the statement.

An indictment filed Aug. 20 and unsealed upon Convertino's arrest said FBI agents tracked the voicemail back to her by the phone number. The number used to make the call was registered to a "close family member" of Convertino, the indictment said.

Convertino faces 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Blackburn has represented Tennessee in the Senate since 2018.

She announced her candidacy for governor Aug. 6 to replace term-limited Gov. Bill Lee. U.S. Rep. John Rose is the only other declared Republican candidate for the position.

The primary election will be Aug. 6, 2026.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

This Saturday at The Mulehouse, come see Resurrection: A Journey Tribute

Saturday, Aug 30

8pm

The Mulehouse

812 S High St, Columbia

Experience the sensational return of an absolute crowd favorite! Secure your tickets for an unforgettable night with the phenomenal Journey Tribute band that consistently sells out. Prepare to be mesmerized by their flawless rendition of iconic Journey songs, leaving you astonished at how closely they capture the spirit of the original band. Act fast, and make memories that will last a lifetime!

Purchase tickets at www.themulehouse.com.