Legacy Pointe Project To Proceed Without Tennis Facility (Release/MSM)
SouthStar, LLC, the Franklin-based real estate development company behind the Legacy Pointe project in Spring Hill, Tennessee, has been informed by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) of their withdrawal from the project due to fundraising issues.
“We’ve been working with the USTA for almost three years to bring the regional tennis facility to fruition,” said Glenn McGehee, president of SouthStar. “Unfortunately, it’s a tough fundraising environment out there right now and the organization was unable to secure the funds necessary to move forward with the project. We are all disappointed as this project would have been a great addition to Legacy Pointe and the Spring Hill community.”
In a letter to Spring Hill mayor Jim Hagaman, USTA Tennessee executive director Michael Chamberlain wrote, "After two and a half years of dedicated effort, extensive planning, and collaboration, USTA Tennessee has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Spring Hill tennis complex project at Legacy Pointe. This decision follows countless hours of meetings, reports, analysis, and travel, as well as an exhaustive exploration of all possible avenues to bring a state-of-the-art tennis center to the heart of Spring Hill."
In 2022, SouthStar, at the city’s request, agreed to provide the opportunity for a USTA tennis facility in its proposed development in Spring Hill. As part of this opportunity, SouthStar agreed to provide a location in the Legacy Pointe development to construct a USTA tennis facility. This would allow USTA to bring local, regional and national tournaments to the area, significantly impacting the development and community. In return, and in order to construct and support operations for the project, USTA had to raise several million dollars.
“While this outcome is not what we had envisioned, we want to express our sincere gratitude to SouthStar and the city of Spring Hill for their support and partnership throughout the process,” said Carol Wrinn, USTA Tennessee President. “USTA remains committed to promoting and developing the game of tennis, and we look forward to finding new ways to work together in the future.”
Chamberlain's letter praised the city's leadership and enthusiasm, and did not rule out a future project in the city.
"The enthusiasm from your administration and the community reinforced our belief that Spring Hill would be an ideal location for expanded tennis facilities," he wrote. "While we are disappointed that we cannot bring this particular tennis complex to fruition, USTA Tennessee remains committed to promoting and developing the game of tennis throughout Tennessee. Should alternative funding models, public-private partnerships, or phased development approaches emerge that might make a tennis facility viable in Spring Hill, we would enthusiastically welcome those conversations."
With the withdrawal of the USTA from the project, SouthStar is exploring replacement options that would be beneficial to the community.
“We have already had positive conversations with several entities that are very interested in having a presence in Spring Hill,” said McGehee. “Our main priority is identifying potential partners and tenants that would bring unique value, services and amenities for the entire community. From family recreational opportunities to major retailers and restaurants, we have some great options we hope to announce soon.”
SouthStar broke ground on the 213-acre mixed use development in Maury County in May 2024. The development will feature residential, commercial, office, green space and community amenities, and also includes a critical four lane road connecting Crossings Boulevard to Kedron Road that is scheduled for completion in 2025.
As new tenants are signed, SouthStar will provide additional information.
Mule Kick 5K set to return in April (Release)
Hosted by the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation and presented by First Farmers and Merchants Bank, the annual Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot will take place Saturday, April 5, at Riverwalk Park in Columbia.
Proceeds from the 2025 Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot provide funding for Maury Regional Health’s mobile medical unit, which delivers health care services to at-risk and underserved individuals throughout southern Middle Tennessee by providing basic health screenings, education and resources. A portion of the proceeds from the Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot will also support the Foundation’s Wellness and Aquatics Center Healthy Living Endowment and the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. In addition, the Maury County school with the most participation in the event will receive a donation to their P.E. program from the Foundation.
“We’re proud to continue the tradition of the Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot, which helps deliver vital health services to individuals and communities in need. Events like this showcase the power of community and the role we all play in ensuring access to quality care,” said Courtney Lewandowski, development specialist at the Foundation. “We look forward to seeing runners, walkers and community members come together for another memorable day.”
On Saturday, April 5, the race will begin at Riverwalk Park in Columbia with an 8 a.m. start time for the 5K and a 9:15 a.m. start time for the 1-Mile Trot. Both runners and walkers are encouraged to participate. Participants may register for the race online at runsignup.com/MuleKick5K.
“Our partnership with the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation reflects our commitment to supporting healthier and stronger communities,” said Brian K. Williams, chairman and CEO of First Farmers. “We are excited to support this event once again, knowing it helps provide essential resources and care for those who need it most.”
In addition to presenting sponsor First Farmers and Merchants Bank, sponsorships ranging from $350 to $2,500 are still available for those who are interested in marketing exposure at this event. For additional information, contact the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation at (931) 381-1111, ext. 1012.
To learn more about the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation, the Mule Kick 5K & 1-Mile Trot or to make a donation to the community health fund, which supports the mobile medical unit, visit MauryRegional.com/Foundation
United takes the lead as Middle Tennessee’s largest fiber broadband provider (Release)
.United Communications announced last week that its rapidly expanding fiber broadband network has reached 100,000 total locations. This milestone makes United the dominant fiber broadband provider across an 11-county service area that includes the Greater Nashville area.
Since reaching the milestone of 50,000 locations served at the end of 2022, United has accelerated its buildout, adding more than 1,100 route miles to its regional infrastructure. This growth has not only increased the network’s reach but also enhanced its speed and reliability.
Building on this momentum, in November 2024 the company announced the launch of its 8 Gig fiber internet, the fastest residential broadband connection available in Middle Tennessee. With symmetrical upload and download speeds, rock-solid reliability and no data caps, contracts or hidden fees, it delivers the ultimate online experience.
“The urgency of our work is driven by our commitment to making connections possible for every person living, learning, and working in Middle Tennessee,” said William Bradford, President and CEO of United Communications. “This is only the latest milestone on our journey to serve everyone who lives and works in Middle Tennessee, and we’re not slowing down. Over the next two years, we plan to double our reach once again, expanding our fiber network to 200,000 internet connections across the region.”
Bradford credited United's long-standing relationships with local governments and its cooperative utility partners at Middle Tennessee Electric and Duck River Electric for the rapid doubling of the fiber network.
Last year, the company announced an infrastructure-sharing agreement that enables it to rapidly deploy fiber broadband service to a majority of Middle Tennessee Electric customers through existing underground conduit. Called “Stealth Fiber,” this innovative new construction method is speeding up United’s ability to expand its network into existing and developing communities while minimizing the need for crews to dig, trench or drill into the earth.
“United’s fiber network is growing in a different direction — from our rural communities into our major population centers,” added Bradford. “As a result, our network is larger and reaches much further than any other network in the region to deliver light-speed connectivity to all our customers.”
To experience the fastest, most reliable internet in Middle Tennessee backed by world-class, local customer service, check your address for service at United.net.
Tennessee UAW Workers Ratify Historic Union Contract with GM Joint Venture (Auto Body News)
Nearly 1,000 members of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1853 have voted to ratify their first local agreement with Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, marking a major milestone in the growing push for unionization in electric vehicle (EV) battery production.
The agreement builds on the national contract that Ultium workers secured as a key victory of the 2023 Stand Up Strike, ensuring that employees manufacturing EV batteries receive wages, health care and job protections comparable to their counterparts in traditional auto manufacturing.
“When we voted to join UAW, I knew it would be a big deal. Now, I don’t have to worry about losing my job out of nowhere or going broke from a medical emergency,” said Derrick Kinzer, a worker at the Spring Hill, TN, plant and bargaining team member.
The contract establishes a new standard for battery plant workers, a sector that is rapidly expanding alongside the automotive industry’s transition to electric vehicles.
“We now have our healthcare costs covered, just like General Motors workers,” said Barry Hope, another bargaining team member. “My benefits are guaranteed in writing, ensuring financial security for my family and access to necessary care when we need it most.”
UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith called on other major automakers, including Volkswagen, to follow suit.
“Building EV batteries is just as risky as working with combustion engines, and these workers deserve the best wages, health care and safety protections as they have in the Big Three,” Smith said. “Ultium workers stood strong and won their fight. Now it’s time for Volkswagen -- an even bigger, richer company -- to quit dragging its feet and do right by its workers in Chattanooga with fair pay and fully paid health insurance.”
The ratification comes amid a wave of unionization efforts in the South, with more than 5,000 autoworkers in Tennessee joining the UAW in the past year.
“Ultium workers are setting the bar for Southern workers and charting a brighter future,” Smith said. “From Georgia to Kentucky to Texas, folks in these new EV plants know they deserve fair pay and benefits, just like union workers before them. And you can bet the UAW is going to stand with them to make sure they get their fair share and a collective voice on the job.
And now a look at your hometown memorials, brought to you by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Mr. William Paul Nance, 79, resident of Williamsport, passed away Sunday, March 9 at Maury Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 2:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Wednesday from 12:00 PM until the service time at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.
Mr. Duane Thomas “Turkey” Jones, 78, of Lynnville, Tennessee passed away at his home on February 27th, 2025. A celebration of Duane’s life will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The family will receive friends in the Parish Hall from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.
Mrs. Shirley Elnora Chandler Wills, 84, wife of Gene Wills, and resident of Columbia, passed away Thursday, March 6 at her residence. Funeral services will be conducted Friday at 1:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Thursday, from 4:00 PM till 8:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.
Mrs. Rosetta Edwards Thomas, age 90, longtime former resident of Columbia, passed away Tuesday, March 4 at Adams Place Rehab Care in Murfreesboro. Funeral services will be conducted Saturday at 12:30 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 10:00 AM till 12:00 PM at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.
Mrs. Stacey Renee Burkins Lampley, 51, wife of Jeremy Lampley, and resident of Columbia, passed away Monday, March 10 at her residence. Graveside services will be conducted Saturday at 4:00 PM at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Mr. John William Harris Jr., 86, retired professor, and resident of Franklin, died Monday, March 10 at Vitality Living Franklin. Funeral services will be conducted Sunday at 3:00 PM at West Seventh Church of Christ. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Sunday, from 1:00 PM till 3:00 PM at West Seventh Church of Christ.
And now news from around the state…
School residency legislation takes another step (The Center Square)
Rep. William Lamberth told the Tennessee House of Representatives K-12 subcommittee his bill is simple.
The Portland Republican's proposal allows Tennessee's local school districts and charter schools to ask for proof of U.S. residency before a child can attend school. Opponents who spoke to the committee before a packed room Tuesday said they viewed the legislation as an assault on children's rights.
"It would take away their freedom to learn simply because of who they are and where they were born," said Jean Myers, a Tennessee teacher. "To put it in clear terms, this bill is an attack on our values as Tennesseans and upon our children."
Lamberth said there is a legal immigration system that has been broken for a couple of decades.
"To the children that are here and the parents that are here and to those that are watching, it is false hope to give children the best education available in the world and then tell them that they can be licensed professionals, they can be doctors, they can be lawyers, they can be accountants, they can run for office, because it is not true," Lambeth said. "If they are illegally present, their dreams at some point will have a ceiling and that is inappropriate. The federal government must fix the immigration process."
The Plyer vs. Doe ruling handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court said in a 5-4 1982 U.S. public schools must allow undocumented immigrants to attend unless "a substantial state interest is involved."
William Mendoza of Knoxville said he believes lawmakers are hoping to set a national precedent.
"I think we are wasting taxpayers money," Mendoza said. "We have seen how this bill that is trying to be passed is just a game because they just want to bring it up all the way to the Supreme Court to be able to challenge it."
The bill's fiscal note said it could jeopardize federal funding if passed. The Tennessee Department of Education receives $1.1 billion in federal education funding.
The number of people illegally in the country that are enrolled in Tennessee's schools is not known. A reduction in enrollment because of the bill could be reflected in the state school funding formula, according to the bill's fiscal note.
Lamberth said the bill just gives schools a choice to check for documentation and he does not expect all school systems to ask for proof of citizenship if it passes.
The subcommittee passed the bill 5-3, moving it to the full House Education Committee. The Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, passed the chamber's Education Committee and is assigned to Finance, Ways, and Means.
Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt adds Labrador Velour to staff (Release)
With only a few weeks on the job, Velour is already in high demand and quickly adapting to her work environment as a facility service dog at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
The 2-year-old, 52-pound yellow Labrador has been described as bubbly, peppy and energetic. But it’s her keen sense of awareness that is one of her more important qualities, according to her co-workers in a news release.
Velour joins Squid, the hospital’s first facility dog who was introduced in 2020. Both dogs are part of the Canine Clinicians Facility Dog Program at Monroe Carell and are members of the Patient and Family-Centered Care team that supports, comforts and provides care to patients and families.
“She is doing a really good job,” Kaylor Glassman, MS, facility dog program coordinator and Velour’s primary handler, said in a news release. “She is quick to adjust her personality to the vibe in each room she enters. She does this naturally. It’s amazing how intuitive she is and how she meets patients’ needs just by being herself.
“She wants to do activities, go on walks with patients and get them motivated for movement and play. But when we are in the (Emergency Department) during a trauma situation, for example, which is one of the areas we have been able to expand our services to, she is very calm and present. She has been able to use her strengths to engage patients depending on their needs. It’s really neat to see.”
Glassman said that facility dogs support patients “through play, comfort and creativity.” She said that Velour, who works about 25 hours per week, has assisted medical staff treating children for trauma with her presence.
“The stories I hear about how they engage our patients to support healing are amazing, further reinforcing our ongoing commitment to provide comprehensive, compassionate health care across all programs,” Monroe Carell President Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, said in the news release.
Velour is funded by a grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves and Amazon.
“On behalf of my fellow area franchisees, we are thrilled to support the Joy in Childhood Foundation in their mission to bring the simplest joys of childhood to children battling illness through the Dogs for Joy Program,” Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation Board of Directors Chairman Victor Carvalho said in the news release.
Nashville Zoo welcomes new clouded leopard cub (WKRN-2)
The Nashville Zoo is celebrating another new addition in the form of a baby clouded leopard.
The zoo announced a female cub was born the evening of Feb. 25, and is currently “about the size of a small baguette,” weighing in around 244 grams and measuring about 13 inches long from nose to tip of tail. The birth marks the 44th clouded leopard born at Nashville Zoo since 1991 and is the first cub to be born at a zoo accredited by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) this year.
According to the Zoo, the new cub is the third litter for the mated pair of Niran and Ron and is the fourth female cub to be born to Niran. Since this is the first and only clouded leopard cub born in an AZA-accredited Zoo this year, the cub’s survivability is “critical.” Aligning with the AZA Species Survival Plan’s recommendation, Zoo staff have elected to hand-rear the cub.
Guests can now view the cub at the Zoo’s HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center. A naming contest will be announced in full detail for the cub on Thursday, according to the Zoo.
“We are thrilled to see the success of natural breeding between Niran and Ron,” said Nashville Zoo Director of Veterinary Services Heather Schwartz. “The birth of this new clouded leopard cub is a huge accomplishment in our conservation efforts for the species and a testament to the work we have been doing with Clouded Leopards the last 34 years.”
According to the Zoo, the AZA has 64 clouded leopards in its collection, with Nashville Zoo housing 15 of them. The success of the Zoo’s clouded leopard breeding program is due in part to hand-rearing them. This technique prevents parental predation or neglect—which is common for clouded leopards—reduces the cub’s stress, and allows this normally nervous species to become acclimated to the sights and sounds of human interaction typical in an exhibit environment, according to the zoo.
Hand-raising also allows the Zoo to pair cubs at an early age, according to Zoo officials. The Zoo’s research with breeding clouded leopards has revealed that pairing at an early age significantly reduces aggression and allows for more successful breeding pairs.
Spring Hill PZ votes on changes to zoning rights (WKOM)
Two rezoning recommendations went in front of the Spring Hill Planning Commission Monday night and one deferral.
June Lake was approved in 2017 with “Medical Offices or Clinics” to be a use on appeal. The developer, Southeast Venture, asked the commission for “Medical Offices or Clinics” to be a use by right. No specific end user or potential site plan was included with the request, but was approved unanimously by the commission.
Additionally, a 33-acre industrial site on Cleburne Road requested a change to a zoning condition from 2015 that required a western buffer of 150 feet with only landscaping allowed within the buffer. The applicant requested that earth berms and stormwater management also be allowed within the buffer area, but the motion was denied by the commission.
The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen will make the final decision on both of these proposals, with the Cleburne Road development requiring a two-thirds vote to pass.