Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 8-4-25

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for August 4, 2025

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

We start with local news…

Morton Funeral Home Added to National Network (CDH)

The historic Mrs. A.J. Morton & Son Funeral Home in Columbia is now a member of the African American Civil Rights Network.

The recognition was achieved in 2024 and announced at the annual African American Heritage Society of Maury County meeting.

“The Morton property was placed on the AACRN because of its history during the modern-day civil rights movement (1939-1968)," said JoAnn McClellan, president of the county AAHS.

McClellan called the structure a "cultural institution," representing the impact of early Black business owners in Columbia and throughout the nation.

"But this family business is historic because it started during the Reconstruction Era (1861-1900)," she said. "Black-owned and operated funeral homes have a rich heritage, not only as businesses, but also cultural institutions. They were among the first family businesses established by Blacks after the abolition of slavery. Entrepreneurs entered this field often rising to leadership positions within their communities.”

The AACRN, a national organization, established through the African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017, was created to serve as official recognition for the events, people and places with a verifiable connection to the Civil Rights Movement.

The Morton funeral home, located on East 8th Street, is where a portion of the "Columbia Race Riot of 1946" took place, a landmark incident that turned the nation's eyes to Columbia, laying an early foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.

The events that led to what is known as the Columbia Race Riot of 1946 started with a disagreement, turned altercation at a downtown Columbia repair shop over a radio.

A 19-year-old African American Navy veteran James Stephenson and his mother were accused of attacking a radio repairman, a white Army veteran, when they expressed dissatisfaction with the repairman's work. A fist fight ensued, and the Stephensons were arrested.

Later that day when tensions about the issue spread around town, police officers were wounded when they tried to enter the African American business district. The next morning, the Tennessee Highway Patrol took matters into their own hands when they violently invaded the business district, arrested and beat many Black men and business owners without warrants and destroyed properties, including the Mrs. A. J. Morton & Son Funeral. 

Then dubbed as the 1946 Columbia Race Riot, the incident was the first major outbreak of violence against African American veterans in the U.S. since the end of World War II.

McClellan described the events as an uprising of the Black community.

Almost 100 men from the Black business district in Columbia were arrested that day. Many were let go and later 27 were acquitted.

"The contradiction between fighting to sustain democracy throughout the world [during the war] and experiencing the humiliation of Jim Crow Laws at home was very troubling and called attention to the need for full civil rights for all Americans," McClellan said about the political climate of the time period in Columbia and the nation.

It was Mary Morton, co-proprietor of the Mrs. A .J. Morton & Son Funeral Home with husband James, who contacted, Z. Alexander Looby, a Nashville attorney and member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People national legal committee about the happenings in Columbia, according to McClellan.

Looby contacted Walter White, the executive secretary of the NAACP, informing him of the situation in Columbia. Looby, White, and Maurice Weaver, a white attorney and World War II veteran, were the first to arrive in Columbia to help with the case.

Later, Thurgood Marshall, the head of the NAACP Education and Legal Defense Fund, and Leon Ransom, Dean of the Howard University Law School, joined the team. With Looby serving as the lead attorney, 27 of 28 men charged with crimes were acquitted.

In September 1946, Walter White, with representatives from educational institutions, various church denominations, and labor unions met with President Harry Truman to discuss the violence against veterans and civil rights issues, McClellan said.

The political pressure to act led Truman to issue Executive Order 9808, creating the President’s Committee on Civil Rights. The committee’s report, “To Secure These Rights,” directly challenged all discriminatory practices in education, employment, housing, military and voting, setting a precedent for broader societal changes.

In 1948, Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which led to the integration of previously segregated military units and the federal workforce and paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"In addition to the civil rights history, the history of this building is crucial to understanding the role of African American women in creating commercial institutions in the challenging times of segregation," McClellan said.

"After the deaths of three generations of Morton men, their widows ran the family funerary business until their sons could take the lead. These women virtually dominated the African American funerary business in Maury County for almost 100 years."

The Mrs. A.J. Morton & Son Funeral Home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its contribution to the historical significance of the Columbia Commercial Historic District.

“Plans are underway to renovate and repurpose this historic property for use as an African American museum and cultural center," McClellan said.

"The museum and cultural center will offer visitors an opportunity to learn how major historical milestones affected local history; and learn about the contributions of the 'hidden figures of Maury County,' or those untold inspirational stories of the challenges, resilience and accomplishments of the people who called Maury County home and fought for civil rights from the 1860s-1960s."

McClellan said the AAHS would also work to place the building on the Civil Rights Trail in the future.

The Civil Rights Trail is a collection of landmarks across 15 states that played a pivotal role in advancing social justice in the 1950s and 1960s.

"It will also provide economic opportunities for Columbia and local businesses,” McClellan said.

Founded in 2012, the African American Heritage Society of Maury County is a nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve the heritage and history of African Americans of Maury County.  

Williamson Mayor Will Not Seek Reelection (MauryCountySource)

Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson will not seek reelection in 2026.

Anderson announced his decision to his staff on Thursday, and on Friday he told the Williamson Scene that while he is retiring from his political and government career, he will still be involved in the community, while prioritizing time with his family.

“In everything I have done, I have tried to be a public servant,” Anderson said. “I love this county. I love to see the successes this county's had, and it's not just Rogers Anderson, it is the employees, it is the community, it is our other municipalities of six cities, all of us working together, not always agreeing, but always working to improve and make it a better place for people to live and move here.”

Anderson was first elected to the county commission in 1986 before later chairing the commission and then being elected as county mayor, a position he’s held since 2002. He is the longest-serving county mayor (a leadership role which has had several titles over the years) in Williamson County’s history.

In 2024, Anderson was named the “County Mayor of the Year” by the Tennessee County Services Association, and last month, he addressed the challenges and opportunities with growth during the 2025 State of the County address.

He will continue to serve in his role throughout August 2026, when the next county mayor is elected in the 2026 general election.

“What makes a successful county mayor is a good listener, realizing [that] you have to work through people, [being] a good communicator, being very principled, very honest and trustworthy, and being visible in the community,” Anderson said.

“I would think the next mayor would want to continue on with the successes we've had, and then look at some individual things that they think that are important to this community.”

Spring Hill Police Officer Honored (MSM)

The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) meeting began last week with a moment of recognition as Capt. Justin Whitwell was awarded the Police Star, presented by the Columbia Police Department, for his heroic actions during the shooting event on May 31. 

Whitwell, an off-duty Spring Hill Police officer, responded to a shooting that occurred in his neighborhood in northern Columbia. He was able to take into custody a suspect who had killed two people and injured a third, holding him until Columbia police arrived, preventing him from harming others.

“I can assure you, I can’t get into everything that was found in this individual’s home, but he was able to keep him from getting back into his home and safely into custody,” Columbia Chief of Police Jeremy Alsup said. “No doubt in our minds, he saved lives, not only first responders, but members of his neighborhood as well.”

The Police Star Award is reserved for bravery or heroism beyond the normal demands of duty, particularly in high-stress situations requiring exceptional judgment and skill.

Starlink Offers Arrow Mines as Park (MSM)

At the July meeting of the Maury County Commission, Chris Habel presented an offer from Starlink Logistics to donate their Arrow Mines property for public use. Many county commissioners were favorable to the proposition.

Habel, a partner-in-charge with Starlink’s legal firm Frost, Brown and Todd, explained that Starlink had acquired several properties in a portfolio it purchased in 2001, including Arrow Mines, a 1,425-acre tract near Mt. Pleasant where phosphate mining, ore processing, aluminum smelting and other operations took place since the 1890s.

Habel reported that a century of near-constant industrial chemical activity had left the place in awful environmental shape. Under the supervision of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Starlink spent $20 million of their own money on surveys, environmental evaluations and clean-up for Arrow Mines, bringing it almost all the way up to TDEC’s recreational-use standards.

“We had the vision that someday this might make a great recreational park space,” Habel told the commission. “There’s no real use for this property from the company’s perspective, but [the public could] use it.”

He presented ground-level photographs of the park, showing wetlands, forests, ponds and walking trails where grass has grown on top of the “berm” which walls in the old industrial ponds.

All of the bodies of water have apparently been tested and are no longer contaminated, except for the 60-acre Arrow Lake, the centerpiece of the tract and a regional fishing destination in the days when it was open to the public. Habel reassured commissioners that Arrow Lake isn’t permanently contaminated, but only has levels of salt and ammonia that are too high for aquatic life. Starlink has offered to take care of draining, dredging and re-filling the lake, which would make the park fully usable.

A private citizen who lives nearby has even served as an informal game warden for Arrow Mines, calling the police on squatters and vagrants in the empty property. One lawsuit also remains to be resolved, in which Starlink alleges that the Associated Commodities Corporation was polluting Arrow Mines.

Habel transmitted Starlink’s wish to turn Arrow Mines over to the state government, who will manage and maintain it in perpetuity for public recreational use. They’re in talks with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) to determine which activities would be feasible on the property, with hunting, horse-riding and recreational vehicle camping among those possibilities.

Some county commissioners seemed enthusiastic about the prospect, though others initially wondered why Starlink was willing to be so generous.

“We’re not looking to make money on this transaction, [just] to break even. The company is going to be very generous,” Habel explained. “We’d love to see [people] back on [Arrow] Lake… Everybody we’ve talked to wants to be back on the lake.”

“This could be a game-changer for Mt. Pleasant and Maury County as a whole,” said Mt. Pleasant’s Mayor Bill White, whose city has passed a resolution supporting the conversion to a state park. At the previous meeting where Mt. Pleasant’s City Commissioners voted to ask the state to take over Arrow Mines, Mayor White talked up the possible benefits of recreational tourism stemming from the park.

“Folks, this is a no-brainer,” said Danny Grooms, summing up the commission’s general sentiment.

The county commission voted in agreement with Mt. Pleasant’s resolution, which asked the state to look into an Arrow Mines state park and pledged to consider contributing county resources to the process.

New Docs at MRMC (MauryCountySource)

Saad Rehman, MD, has joined the medical staff at Maury Regional Medical Center. He is associated with Vanderbilt Heart-Columbia.

Dr. Rehman received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed a residency in the Massachusetts General Hospital system in Boston, Massachusetts. He also completed two fellowships at Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas —one in general cardiology and one in interventional cardiology. Dr. Rehman also completed training in peripheral vascular intervention.

Vanderbilt Heart-Columbia is located in Suite 401 of the Maury Regional Medical Center Pavilion at 1220 Trotwood Ave. in Columbia. For more information, call 931.388.8622 or visit MauryRegional.com/Heart.

With the addition of Dr. Rehman, the medical staff at Maury Regional Health includes 16 heart specialists with expertise in general cardiology, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology. The Heart Center offers a vast array of cardiac services ranging from diagnostic and interventional procedures to pacemaker and defibrillator implants.

The medical center has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain — MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2025, after previously earning gold in 2023 and 2024. MRMC is one of only 323 hospitals nationwide to receive the Platinum award.

Carly B. Young, MD, a specialist in general surgery, has joined the medical staff at Maury Regional Medical Center. She is associated with Columbia Surgical Partners.

Dr. Young received her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean in Cupecoy, Sint Maarten. She completed a residency at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Columbia Surgical Partners is located at 1708 Alpine Drive in Columbia. Dr. Young’s office hours are Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 931.283.6629 or visit MauryRegional.com.

Citizens’ Fire Academy (Press Release)

Columbia Fire & Rescue is now accepting applications for the 2025 Citizens Fire Academy—a free, hands-on learning experience for adults age 18 and older. More than just an educational program, the Citizens Fire Academy is a unique opportunity to build relationships, educate citizens, and showcase the outstanding work performed daily by Columbia Fire & Rescue personnel.

This six-week program offers participants a behind-the-scenes look at life in the fire service—providing firsthand insight into the operations, challenges, and teamwork that define the department’s commitment to protecting the Columbia community.

 Interactive activities include:

• Live equipment demonstrations

• CPR training

• Station tours

• Presentations from CFR’s Emergency Management, Fire Marshal, and Training divisions

• A hands-on mock fire scene drill featuring hose deployment, ladders, and search-and-rescue tactics

Led entirely by CFR personnel, the Citizens Fire Academy is designed to strengthen the department’s bond with the community through education, transparency, and engagement.

The program begins Monday, August 11, 2025, and runs through Monday, October 13, 2025, with sessions hosted at various Columbia fire stations.

Applications are now available at www.ColumbiaTN.com through August 4, 2025. For more details and to view the full agenda, please visit the City’s website or contact Columbia Fire & Rescue directly at 931-560-1700.

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

Lindsey Brooke Marshall Terry, 36, of Spring Hill, passed away unexpectedly on July 30th.  

Funeral services will be conducted Monday, August 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. The family will visit with friends Monday, August 4, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Mr. William Franklin Tankersley, 98, a longtime resident of Columbia, died Saturday, August 2 at Marshall Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later. Oakes & Nichols Funeral Directors are assisting the family with arrangements.

Now, news from around the state…

Musk Tunnel to Hire (MauryCountySource)

Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has begun recruiting for its upcoming Music City Loop project in Nashville, which will feature an underground tunnel linking the airport to downtown.

The company is looking to build a founding team for the project and are currently hiring for roles such as engineers, operations coordinators, and electricians.

Governor Bill Lee announced that The Boring Company plans to build the Music City Loop—an underground tunnel connecting downtown Nashville and the Convention Center to Nashville International Airport. The 10-mile, all-electric transit system will be privately funded and is expected to cut travel time to about 8 minutes. Construction could begin after approvals, with the first segment opening as early as fall 2026. The project aims to reduce traffic congestion, emissions, and road wear while supporting economic growth and offering a safe, fast, and reliable transit option.

Allegiant Air Connecting to Gulf Shores (MauryCountySource)

Allegiant Travel Company has announced a new nonstop route connecting Nashville, Tennessee (BNA) to Gulf Shores, Alabama (GUF), beginning November 21, 2025. To celebrate the addition, one-way fares start as low as $49.*

The Gulf Shores route is part of Allegiant’s latest expansion aimed at connecting travelers to popular vacation destinations with affordable, nonstop service. Known for its budget-friendly model and leisure-focused network, Allegiant continues to offer low-cost options that reduce airport hassle and maximize time at the beach.

Flights are available for booking now at Allegiant.com.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Closes (TNLookout)

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will be shutting down.

The announcement came just one day after a major Senate appropriations bill omitted funding for the nonprofit that funds public media and a week after President Donald Trump signed a bill into law that yanked $1.1 billion in previously approved spending for CPB. 

CPB, which Congress authorized in 1967, provides funds for National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service and hundreds of local stations across the United States. President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans have criticized NPR and PBS of left-leaning bias, an accusation the public media organizations have rejected.

“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB, said in a statement Friday.

“CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care,” Harrison said.

She added that “public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country.”

CPB said employees were notified Friday that the majority of staff positions “will conclude with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025,” and a small transition team will stay through January 2026.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill for fiscal year 2026, which did not include any CPB funding.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the panel, expressed her disappointment over the lack of a CPB allocation in the bill during a committee markup. 

“It is a shameful reality and now communities across the country will suffer the consequences as over 1,500 stations lose critical funding,” Murray said.

In a win for the Trump administration, Congress passed a rescissions package in July that clawed back $9 billion in previously approved spending for public broadcasting and foreign aid, including $1.1 billion for CPB.

Trump signed the measure into law just days later. 

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

The Americana Music Association has announced a keynote interview at the AMERICANAFEST Business and Educational Conference between Academy, GRAMMY and Tony Award nominee John C. Reilly and GRAMMY-winning rock icon Jack White on September 11 in Nashville.

For over two decades, AMERICANAFEST has hosted its business conference in Nashville, providing a premier educational forum for discussions on cultural and industry-related topics among top professionals and artists from the Americana community. This year, AMERICANAFEST returns to The Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown, featuring over 60 insightful sessions, as well as its signature nighttime music showcases throughout notable venues in Music City, which will welcome over 200 electrifying artists and bands.

For more information about AMERICANAFEST 2025, please visit americanamusic.org.