WKOM/WKRM Radio
Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for January 17, 2025
All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Bear Creek Fire Department Causes Stir (CDH)
Discussions about constructing a new Maury County fire station off Bear Creek Pike were brought before the county's budget committee this week, with concerns stemming from its potential cost.
The proposed fire hall, which would be located at the site of the former Marcy Jo's Mealhouse near the intersection of Bear Creek and Highway 431, appeared Monday on the committee's agenda regarding a $147,700 contract with 906 Studio, PLLC for architectural design.
However, much of the discussion focused on the entirety of the project itself with the proposed funding being a little more than originally anticipated.
"I support the idea of a new fire station there, but I don't support the idea of a $5 million or $6 million fire station there," said District 8 Commissioner Gabe Howard, who represents the district in which the fire hall will be located. "We were presented a range of $3 million to $6 million. I wouldn't support spending $147,000 if the number that's going to come back is $5 million or $6 million."
According to 906 Studio's proposal, the new fire hall would consist of a two-story wood frame "fire house" with a separate 6,420 square-foot pre-engineered metal apparatus bay.
Howard added that other fire stations at Carters Creek Pike and Hampshire Pike, both also designed by 906 Studio and completed within the last five years, only cost roughly half the amount.
"One of the things I heard about Hampshire was that it was $1.8 million," Howard said. "I get that the land and setup is different, but we were presented $3 million to $6 million, and I don't think I can support this tonight if that's the thought process moving forward."
Maury County Finance Director Douglas Lukonen responded.
"If it's the same footprint, I don't see how it would be $5-$6 million," he said.
Although there could be other issues county leaders haven't been made aware of yet.
"I don't know if the fire department has a specific plan, a larger building, or if in geotechnical studies they found major issues with the land that are going to cost a lot more in site work," Lukonen said. "There are more details to really determine."
Howard later corrected himself, saying the estimate was actually closer to $4-$6 million. He also made a motion for the item be sent to the Maury County Building Committee for further research and information gathering, which was seconded by District 10 Commissioner Tommy Wolaver.
"It appears to me you are spending $147,000 for the architectural drawings on a building we've already got, folks," Wolaver said. "That's ridiculous, and I'm sorry, but we need to be better stewards of people's money than that. We need to tell them how much money they've got, tell them how to build it and that's it."
The resolution was ultimately voted to be sent back to the building committee.
Maury County Archives Opening (WKOM Audio 3:15)
Yesterday, the Maury County Archives held their grand re-opening. I was there to welcome the public and our own Delk Kennedy was also on hand to hear more about what the archives has to offer the community…
Maury Regional Airport to Undergo Upgrades (MSM)
When Maury County’s leaders had finished building their new Regional Medical Center in 1953, they found themselves with a pile of leftover bricks and no idea what to do with them. The bricks ended up in an unusual project: a general aviation terminal just north of Mount Pleasant, the first in the state of Tennessee, which opened in the late 1960s. For airport chairman Tom Apker, that terminal helped establish Mount Pleasant as an air-traffic hub, but it hasn’t been updated since 1974 and doesn’t do justice to the airport’s importance for the county.
“[T]he terminal [has] received only the minimum investment to keep the doors open,” Apker stated. “It presents a tired, outdated image; a reminder of the long-gone days of the heavy chemical industry… which used to dominate the county.”
When structural engineers finally judged the old terminal too dilapidated and out of code to renovate, Apker’s Mount Pleasant Airport Authority resolved to build one that would inspire municipal pride and attract more commercial air traffic.
The Mount Pleasant Airport renovations will begin on Feb. 1, last until March 2026 if the current schedule holds out, and cost $4.5 million according to the architects. The Tennessee Aeronautics Division will give the airport a $500,000 grant for the project after it passes a five-year review, and bonds issued by the County Commission will pay for the rest.
“The Airport Authority is most grateful to Maury County for including approximately $4-4.5M for the Airport’s terminal in their last bond issuance,” Apker said, and his agency will pay the county back “with interest” out of their yearly FAA disbursements.
The changes to the new terminal will be pretty minor, all things considered. It will be ADA-compliant, especially the bathrooms and walkways, and comply with current regulations that separate high-voltage power junctions from other parts of the facility. The parking lot will be expanded and updated for security, vehicle maneuvering, and ADA access.
“Other than the ADA and code deficiencies of the existing terminal building, the airport has done an excellent job of meeting our obligations as the federal and state requirements have changed over the years,” Apker said.
Even with its aged terminal, the Mount Pleasant Airport still attracts high traffic volumes and even higher revenues. It boasts the only runway more than 6,000 feet long, capable of landing a Boeing 737, in the territory between Nashville and Huntsville and west of I-65. General Motors, Ultium Cells and more than 30 other local employers fly their cargo into the airport, and company executives and entertainers look more and more to avoid the hassles of BNA by taking private flights into Mount Pleasant. The airport sold a quarter-million gallons of fuel in 2024, making it one of the busiest in Tennessee after those in the four major cities.
“[T]he airport makes the first impression for Maury County on the travelers mentioned,” Apker explained. “The new terminal will not be ornate or flashy. It will be modern, clean and solid, while honoring the county’s historical presidential homes with a rotunda lobby with pillars displaying the history of Maury County.”
The FAA has recognized the airport’s importance by investing about $15 million in its runway, taxiways and ramp over the last seven years. That may sound like a lot, but Apker says it generated $13.5 million in commercial impact one year in the early 2020s. Since then its traffic has doubled, owing to growth in and outside the county, and he expects it to double again by 2030. He praised the Industrial Development Board and Maury Alliance for wisely fostering local businesses, with whom the airport is doing 50 percent more business now than at the beginning of the decade. To accommodate all this air traffic, the Airport Authority just bought 8.2 acres next to its current campus, where they plan in the next three years to build 12,000 square feet of hangars to accommodate corporate and private jets.
This may sound extravagant, but Maury County is just beginning to wake up to its potential as a commercial hub. “Maury County is on fire,” said Greg Martin when he informed the County Health and Environment Committee of the renovation in November.
Martin, who used to serve as chairman of the Airport Authority and is now its liaison to Columbia, said he was proud to watch the area grow into its natural lineaments. Spring Hill is also planning to build an airport to service its own industrial demands, but Apker expects the approval and construction of that airport to take at least ten years, by which time the new Mount Pleasant Airport will be – so to speak – well off the ground.
“Should the Spring Hill airport ever get built, the Maury County Regional Airport does not expect it to affect our operations,” he said.
Vive Cycle and Fitness (WKOM Audio 2:15)
On Wednesday, Vive Cycle and Fitness held their grand opening in downtown Columbia. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy stopped by and spoke to proprietors Caleb and Morgan Creeno…
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.
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.
And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Sally Sowell Pennington, 94, former longtime resident of the Cross Bridges Community and Santa Fe community and most recently Hendersonville TN, died Monday, January 13, 2025 at TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center, Hendersonville, TN.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, January 18, at 11:00a.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Rev. Mike Pennington, and Rev. Mark Pennington officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday, January 17, from 4 - 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Pauline Lydia Korpela Taylor, 72, and resident of Columbia, passed away Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at Maury Regional Medical Center.
A funeral service will be conducted Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM at West 7th Street Church of Christ. The family will visit with friends Sunday at 1:00 PM till time of services at the church. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.
And now, news from around the state…
Murfreesboro Band at Inaugural (CDH)
You might spot some familiar faces in the crowd during Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Rutherford County's Stewarts Creek High School marching band will be headed to Washington D.C. for the 60th Presidential Inaugural Parade after being selected by the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, along with select groups from across the nation.
The Stewarts Creek marching band will be the only band to represent Tennessee.
“This invitation is a true testament to the hard work, passion, and dedication of our students,” said Clark Harrell, principal of Stewarts Creek High School in a statement. “We’re thrilled to showcase our students at such a prominent national performance and grateful for the ongoing support from the school and community."
Band director Michael Chester said they felt a combination of excitement, pride and gratitude, upon being informed of the news. The entire thing felt surreal, he said in an email to the Tennessean on Tuesday.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for our students," said Chester. "We are humbled by the magnitude of the event and proud of how our students’ dedication and hard work brought them to this opportunity to represent the Town of Smyrna and serve our nation."
Jan. 20 will mark the first time Stewarts Creek High School will perform during a Presidential Inauguration Parade. Chester said they look forward to sharing the moment with the community and representing the legacy of musical excellence in Tennessee.
House Rules on Protests (Tennessean)
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton can now ban a spectator from the public House gallery for up to two years under a new rules package adopted Thursday that Republicans designed to curtail vocal protests in the chamber.
The rule implements a two-strike procedure for spectators in the public gallery whose behavior Sexton, R-Crossville, deems "detrimental to the orderly business of the House." A first ejection would lead to a ban for the remainder of the day and the next legislative day.
A second ejection could then lead to up to a two-year ban. A spectator could also be banned outright immediately for "especially egregious conduct."
The rule gives broad discretion to Sexton to determine what is objectionable conduct and the length of any ban. Democrats have criticized Sexton and the GOP in the past for wielding their supermajority power to inqueitably apply rules to the minority party and their supporters in the past.
Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Mt. Pleasant Parks & Recreation will host a fun, family-friendly night at the movies Saturday.
Movie Night at The Center will take place at the Mt. Pleasant Community Center, 501 Gray Lane, starting at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The evening's film will be Dreamwork's "Orion and The Dark" from 2024 all about a young boy with an active imagination and his journey in facing his fears one night with his new friend, Dark.
Attendance is free, with pizza provided by VLS Solutions, as well as popcorn drinks, hot chocolate and coffee.