WKOM/WKRM Radio
Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for January 15, 2025
All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
City Swears in New Councilmen, Judge (CDH)
Columbia City Council welcomed two new members, Charlie Huffman and Cheryl Secrest, who were sworn in alongside new City Attorney Jake Hubbell this month to begin their first terms of office.
Huffman took his seat representing Ward 2, while Secrest will represent Ward 3. Council members DaVena Hardison and Kenny Marshall, who were re-elected to Wards 1 and 4, were also sworn in Tuesday.
"This is a very important meeting, a historic meeting and what will be a good meeting for the trajectory of our city for the years to come," Mayor Chaz Molder said.
Huffman and Secrest were sworn in to their respective positions as part of a special-called meeting, which was followed by the council's study session.
"I'm looking to learn, because this is my first time ever running for anything in the city of Columbia," Secrest said. "The thing I want to do well in the third ward, as well as the city of Columbia, is help get information out there, to make sure everyone is aware. That's what I ran on, to be the voice so they know what's going on, and how to ask for help."
Secrest added that she is also looking forward to having discussions among different voices and perspectives, while finding solutions that are best for all.
"That's the way it should be, because you are always going to have different opinions," Secrest said. "You listen to everybody. You work together and make it happen together. That's how it happens."
Huffman, a retired foreman at Columbia Power & Water Systems, as well as a longtime grocery businessman, said of all the years he has lived and worked in Columbia, this is also his first try at local office.
"I worked at Columbia Power System for 41 years, and so I've known a lot of people in Maury County," Huffman said. "I want to help the people of Maury County. That's what I'd done for 41 years, and being up here I can talk to the people and listen."
It also helps that representing the people as a public servant runs in the family.
"My wife is on the Maury County Commission, and that's what she does as a county commissioner," Huffman said. "She goes out and talks to people in the community and who she represents, asks them what they need or what they want. That's what I plan to do too."
The vacancy left in Ward 5 by the resignation of Curry Andrew Hart has been filled by former County Commissioner Brian McKelvy who will be sworn in in February.
Spring Hill News (MSM)
Spring Hill’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved appointments to the city’s Industrial Development Board and Parks and Recreation Commission during a brief meeting on Monday, Jan. 6.
Eight applications were received by the city for two spots on the IDB, and so members of the BOMA individually voted for their top two choices.
Sean Mayer, a vice president with CONSOR Engineers out of Brentwood, and Sydney Wilhelm, a project manager with Barton Malow, were selected by the BOMA members.
A similar procedure was used for three spots on the Parks and Recreation Commission, as the city received eight applications. Tim Hidley, Emily Shell and Patrick Severs were selected and approved by the BOMA. Shell and Severs will serve four-year terms while Hidley will serve a two-year term.
A budget amendment to the city’s 2024-25 budget related to a SAFER grant for the fire department was also approved on first reading and will come back at the next meeting.
Mayor Jim Hagaman signed a proclamation designating Jan. 20-26, 2025, as Community Risk Reduction Week, which is a grassroots effort by fire safety professionals from across the nation. The idea is to help promote awareness of CRR through programs and to demonstrate its importance to the fire service.
Spring Hill Fire Department Capt. Lisa Burns heads the city’s Community Risk Reduction program and accepted the proclamation on behalf of the department.
Maury Regional Heart Failure Support Group (MauryCountySource)
Maury Regional Health is launching a new monthly support group designed for individuals managing heart failure and their caregivers. This group aims to provide education, emotional support and practical tools to improve quality of life and reduce hospitalizations.
“Heart failure management goes beyond medical treatment — it’s about education, support and empowerment,” said Theresa Harris, RN, MSN, CCRN, ACCNS-AG, post-acute care network coordinator at Maury Regional Medical Center. “Our goal with this support group is to bring hope and a healthier lifestyle to individuals living with heart failure and their families.”
Launching in February of 2025 in recognition of Heart Month, the Heart Failure Support Group will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, February 25, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Maury Regional Annex at 1223 Trotwood Avenue in Columbia (located across from the hospital and in between McDonald’s and Dairy Queen). Ongoing meetings will take place on the last Tuesday of every month from 5 to 6 p.m.
The inaugural session will feature Darshini Patel, DO, a board-certified cardiologist at Vanderbilt Heart in Columbia, who will discuss “what is heart failure” from a provider perspective that emphasizes the need for follow-up appointments, medication adherence, maintaining a healthy weight and making healthy dietary choices.
“Managing heart failure involves more than just medication; it requires education, support and practical tools,” said Dr. Patel. “I’m honored to speak at the inaugural Heart Failure Support Group meeting to help patients and caregivers better understand heart failure and make informed choices for a healthier future.”
Monthly support group highlights:
Emotional and educational support for patients and caregivers
Guidance on living a healthy lifestyle
Tips for reducing stress
Strategies to improve quality of life
Guest speakers from the medical field
Advance registration is optional but encouraged. Registration can be completed online at MauryRegional.com/HeartFailureSupport or by calling 931.381.1111, ext. 2089.
As southern Middle Tennessee’s only Heart Center, Maury Regional Medical Center provides a vast array of cardiac services that include interventional procedures as well as pacemaker and defibrillator implants. Physicians are members of Vanderbilt Heart-Columbia and Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Columbia who are complemented by a highly skilled and experienced team that strives to achieve the best possible outcomes.
For more information, visit MauryRegional.com/Heart.
Spring Hill Election (MauryCountySource)
The City of Spring Hill Local Election will be on Thursday, April 10, 2025, with early voting beginning on March 21 and ending on April 5.
The purpose of this election is to elect a Mayor to serve a term of four years and one Alderman from each of the four wards to be elected at large.
The qualifying deadline is January 16th. For more information, please visit:
Archives to Re-Open (WKOM)
The Maury County Archives, which has been undergoing a major expansion over the last sixteen months, will hold their grand re-opening on Thursday, January 16th at 1:00pm.
The archives, which originally opened in 2001 in the old Maury County Jail, has been greatly expanded. The original 8500 square feet has been renovated and an additional 18,500 square feet added.
The project was overseen by the county’s owner-advocate Hewlett-Spencer, with Bell Construction as the main contractor. Both companies also oversaw the construction of the recently opened Maury County Judicial Center.
Funding for the archives expansion came from fee money collected by the county clerk’s office, building and zoning office, and the county courts. By state law, these archives fees can only be used by the county archives through the Public Record’s Commission. The fee money will pay the entire debt service on the $9.6 million project, with no tax dollars spent on the project.
“We needed the space desperately,” said Cindy Grimmitt, one of the four archivists on staff. “We have every document that Maury County has ever generated,” she said. “Millions of records that tell the history of this place. We will be migrating all the documents from the old Courthouse to the new archives in a few weeks. That will put every record under one roof for the first time in our history. We are one of the very few counties that has all of its records,” Grimmitt said.
Besides offering a research facility that will cater to genealogists, historians, and students, the expanded facility has room for public programming and education
“We are especially excited about bringing some educational outreach to our facility,” said archivist Amy Egnew. “We will be offering workshops on genealogy, delve into genetic genealogy, and offer classes on primary document research to school kids across the county,” she said.
The Maury County Archives also features a full paper conservation lab that will allow for the cleaning and repair of documents. “We are excited to bring the science of paper conservation into the facility, where a paper conservator will be able to repair our most damaged documents, and offer that service to other county archives’ and private collectors, on a fee basis,” said archivist Michelle Cannon. “Not many archives facilities can boast that service,” she said.
The archives will host an open house of the new facility following the ribbon cutting on Thursday. Tours of the entire facility will be conducted by the archives staff.
The Maury County Archives will be open Monday-Thursday 8am-6pm starting on Tuesday, January 21st.
For more information, follow the Maury County Archives on social media and on their website: https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/202/Archives
Columbia State Pryor Art Gallery Exhibit (Press Release)
Visit Columbia State Community College’s Pryor Art Gallery for their new exhibition, “Admiral Radio: Echoes of the Past,” supported in party by Columbia Antique Marketplace.
Step back in time and discover the fascinating history of radios, from the sleek Art Deco designs of the 1930s to today’s digital devices. This exhibition highlights how radios shaped communication, culture and technology across decades.
Explore iconic radios, vintage ads, and more—each piece tells a unique story of its era. Don’t miss this visual journey through sound, history, and innovation January 16 through February 13!
Pryor Art Gallery hours:
Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This exhibit will coincide with the February 13 concert featuring Admiral Radio!
Inspired by their 1941 wooden Admiral radio, and an inspiration to Columbia State to design their Admiral Radio exhibition in the gallery, this South Carolina-based husband and wife duo creates an Americana sound rooted in tradition that touches the heartstrings of the modern-day listener.
The concert will take place at Cherry Theater in the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus on Thurs., Feb. 13 @ 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 (includes all fees).
Learn more by visiting www.columbiastate.edu/pryor-gallery.
African American Heritage Society Lecture (Press Release)
The African American Heritage Society of Maury County announces that the theme for the 2025 Quarterly Lecture Series is “Hidden Figures of Maury County.”
The first lecture in this series is scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 10:00am at Maury County Archives, located at 201 East 6th Street in Columbia. It is free and open to the public.
The “hidden figures” of Maury County are African American men and women who were born in Maury County or called Maury County home and contributed to community-building or played major roles in events that had an impact in this city, county, state, or country. “The hidden figures of Maury County made significant contributions, but their roles and accomplishments are not widely known, and they are not recognized or credited for their work by the wider public, making them “hidden,” said Jo Ann McClellan, the president of African American Heritage Society of Maury County. “
The first speaker will be me, Tom Price, Director of the Maury County Archives, and I will be discussing fugitive slave-turned abolitionist and minister, Rev. Jermain Wesley Loguen.
Loguen escaped slavery in Maury County through the help of the Underground Railroad, a secret network of sites and people that aided the enslaved to get to freedom in the North and Canada. After making a harrowing escape, Loguen settled in New York, where he gained an education, was ordained a minister, and became one of the most vocal opponents of slavery. A gifted orator and intimate of abolitionist Frederick Douglas, Loguen even advertised his house in Syracuse as a stop on the Underground Railroad! He is credited with bringing more than one thousand runaway slaves to safety and freedom. Today he is remembered as the “King of the Underground Railroad.” I will be discussing this incredible story of one of Maury County and the nation’s greatest heroes.
Founded in 2012, the African American Heritage Society of Maury County is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to preserve the heritage and history of African Americans of Maury County, Tennessee.
Kids Place Gala (Press Release)
You are cordially invited to step into an evening of mystery, elegance, and purpose at the 6th Annual Kid’s Place Gala on January 31, 2025. This year’s event, “Beyond the Mask”, will take place at the exquisite Keestone Resort in Loretto, Tennessee, setting the perfect stage for a dazzling Masquerade Ball.
Behind the masks, abuse happens silently in our own communities; the children and families Kid’s Place serves are your neighbors, employees, family, and friends. Attendees will unite to illuminate a critical cause: the fight against child abuse. Together, we can ensure children and families in our community receive the hope, help, and healing they deserve.
All proceeds from the gala will support the vital work of the four Kid’s Place centers serving Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne counties. Last year alone, Kids Place served more than 600 victims of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse at no cost to the families, thanks to generous supporters like you.
As the largest fundraising and awareness event, the gala’s success depends on the support of compassionate individuals like yourself. Whether by attending, donating, or sponsoring, your involvement helps sustain the critical services we provide.
Kid’s Place works together with law enforcement, prosecution, mental health resources, and the community to combat the ever-growing epidemic. They cannot do this work alone; their biggest resource is YOU!
Maury Alliance Annual Meeting
Join Maury Alliance on Thursday, January 30th for their annual meeting, their most anticipated event of the year as they celebrate their accomplishments for 2024 and recognize the transition of their volunteer leadership.
This will be a lively night of entertainment and networking celebrating business and industry in Maury County with a social hour, dinner and live music!
The event will take place at the Memorial Building, located at 308 W. 7th Street in Columbia. The event will begin at 5pm with a networking/cocktail hour and wrap up by 8pm. Purchase tickets now to guarantee a seat at Maury Alliance’s biggest event of the year! Get them by visiting www.mauryalliance.com.
Registration will close January 20 at 5:00 pm.
And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Blonnie Wilkes Dodson, Jr., 97, resident of Columbia and owner of Wilma’s Fashion, Died Saturday, January 11, 2025 at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Center.
Funeral services will be conducted Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Thursday, January 16, 2025 from 12:00 PM until the service time at Oakes & Nichols.
And now, news from around the state…
Education Bills to Watch (Tennessean)
A renewed effort to expand Tennessee's controversial school voucher program is one of the highest-profile issues as state lawmakers convened for their regular legislative session that started yesterday.
Gov. Bill Lee and his Republican allies appear unified in their approach to expanding a program for taxpayer-funded vouchers that families can use to pay for private K-12 schooling. The effort comes after a failed expansion attempt last year that left Senate and House members at odds over specifics. The new legislation, filed the day after the November election, is dubbed the Education Freedom Act of 2025.
Ahead of the session, dozens more bills that involve children, families and schools have also been filed. Here are some bills to watch as the session gets underway.
SB1 and HB1, identical bills filed in the House and Senate, carry the latest push to expand Tennessee's school vouchers. The bills propose offering yearly $7,075 vouchers to 20,000 families statewide, with family income restrictions in place for the first 10,000 vouchers. The bills also include state funding that would make up for any gaps school districts see in enrollment due to vouchers, a one-time $2,000 bonus for every teacher in the state and a new funding plan for school construction and maintenance.
Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, is the sponsor of the bill in the Senate, while Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, is the House sponsor.
HB47 would allow — but not require — the Ten Commandments, along with other texts, to be displayed in a "prominent" location in public schools across the state. The bill also includes allowances for the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution of Tennessee and "other historically significant documents" to be displayed in public schools and public charter schools.
Rep. Michael Hale, R-Smithville, is the House sponsor for the bill.
HB12 would require districts to establish a program that would provide free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students. It also requires the state to reimburse districts for the costs of providing the meals after available federal funds have been applied.
Rep. John Clemmons, D-Nashville, is the House sponsor for the bill.
HB30 would provide students who are English learners and receive language assistance in the classroom to also receive the same language assistance services for taking the standardized Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment test or end-of-course assessments.
Rep. John Clemmons, D-Nashville, is the House sponsor for the bill.
HB39, dubbed the "Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Act," requires — instead of authorizes — public school districts and public charter schools to provide free feminine hygiene products for students in all women's and girls' bathrooms and locker rooms, along with supplying them to every school nurse to give to students at public senior high schools.
Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, is the House sponsor for the bill.
Gas Prices (MSM)
Gas prices across the state fell a penny, on average, over last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.73 which is 10 cents more expensive than one month ago and the same price as one year ago.
“We’re still seeing some uncertainty in the oil market due to the recent winter weather and U.S. sanctions on Russian petroleum,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This could place upward pressure on oil prices, but for now, the full effect on the market is unknown. Drivers can likely expect continued fluctuation at the pump this week.”
Tennessee is eighth least-expensive state in nation for gas prices
Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration has booked a major country star to perform.
Carrie Underwood will sing "America the Beautiful" during Trump's inauguration next week, a Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesperson confirmed Monday.
She will be accompanied by the Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club.
"I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event," Underwood said in a statement. "I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future."