Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 8-9-24

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Daily News from MuleTown to Music City and beyond. Listen to Tom Price read the news of the day from Kennedy Broadcasting, WKOM & WKRM Radio.

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for August 9, 2024

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Shots Fired in Spring Hill (MauryCountySource)
On August 7th at 10 PM, officers were dispatched to the Wades Grove subdivision off Buckner Lane to the area of Lequire Lane and Keene Circle to a call of someone hearing multiple gunshots.
Officers arrived on the scene and located several empty handgun shell casings on the street in the 2000 block of Keene Circle. Officers spoke to several people in the area to determine if the gunfire hit anyone or structure.
No damage or persons injured were located at the time of the report. If you have information about this incident, you can submit an anonymous crime tip at www.springhilltn.org/.

Stalking Subject Wanted (MauryCountySource)
The Columbia Police Department is seeking assistance in locating a suspect.
Police say 25-year-old Keiontrez Troup is wanted for aggravated stalking. A photo of Troup is available to see at MauryCountySource.com.
Any person with additional information that may assist in this or any other investigation is encouraged to contact Columbia Police Department Dispatch (24 hours) at 931-388-2727, Maury County Crime stoppers at 931-381-4900, or Columbia Police SAFE Tip Email to [e-mail]

Ogles Under FBI Investigation (TheNewsTN)
U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles has confirmed his cellphone was confiscated by the FBI last week after he won the Republican nomination for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District once again.
NewsChannel 5 was the first to report that the FBI issued a search warrant for Ogles, who has received attention for changes in his campaign financial filings.
G. Kline Preston, the lawyer representing Ogles, initially told the media organization he would not confirm or deny the search warrant. Later, the lawyer told the Washington Post the warrant was issued by a court order and was limited in asking only for Ogles' cellphone.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Ogles said, "It has been widely reported for months that my campaign made mistakes in our initial financial filings. We have worked diligently with attorneys and reporting experts to correct the errors and ensure compliance going forward.
"Last Friday, the FBI took possession of my cell phone. It is my understanding that they are investigating the same well-known facts surrounding these filings."
The FBI declined to comment to NewsChannel 5 and instead referred the media outlet to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, which also gave no comment.
Maryam Abolfazli, Ogles' Democratic opponent in the forthcoming general election for the 5th Congressional District, issued the following statement on Tuesday: "The FBI’s execution of a search warrant and confiscation of Andy Ogles’ cell phone is deeply upsetting, especially given an ongoing pattern of misappropriated funds and falsehoods regarding his education and work history. Congressman Ogles continues to bring scandal and embarrassment to the 5th (District), and he needs to go."
Ogles amended nearly a dozen past campaign finance reports in May to show a personal loan of $320,000 to his campaign in 2022 never happened. The amended filings instead reported Ogles loaned his campaign $20,000. He also made significant changes to his contributions and disbursements for the first quarter of 2024. His original report showed he raised nearly $86,000 but the amended filing reported no money was raised in the first quarter.
Campaign finance watchdog group the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics and included information from Ogles' personal financial disclosures to back up its accusations that a personal loan of several thousand was not possible. The complaint stated Ogles' financial reports contained discrepancies worth more than $1 million.
Ogles has said he will "fully cooperate" with the FBI and has been doing the same with the Federal Election Commission.
"I am confident all involved will conclude that the reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes, and nothing more," Ogles said.

June Lake Expands (MSM)
An applicant is seeking approval from the Spring Hill Municipal Planning Commission for a preliminary plan that consists of 57 townhome lots, 63 single family lots, open spaces and a possible greenway connection.
The request for approval by CSDG for June Lake, Pod E, Section Two, that is located at Marston Avenue and Deep Lake Drive contains about 4.16 acres.
The commission heard the final plat did meet the outlined requirements but there was a revision that needed to be made prior to the voting meeting, and there are four planning conditions of approval and 12 engineering ones.
“I think we agree with all the comments and conditions,” Ryan Lovelace with CSDG said.
“I understand you’re a pod or section of the larger June Lake,” commission member Johnathan Duda said. “But periodically, as we’re getting additional sections in, I’ve made requests to see if we can get our master plan updated based on the as built environment or as approved plats, it would be very helpful.
“It was very difficult to try to figure out where this was, how this integrated with the existing plan, and so I’m not suggesting that’s part of this plat approval, but I’m suggesting that we need to get that for the planning commission in the future.”
Barge Civil Associates is requesting a site plan approval for Spring Hill Industrial Park Phase 3, located on Cleburne Road that consists of three buildings totaling 542,000 square feet. The property is zoned I-1 and contains approximately 85.35 acres.
The plan includes passenger car and semi-trailer, loading and unloading docks, access roads, stormwater facilities and utilities.
Louis Agnew with Charles Hawkins Company, the developers of the project, said that the commission had “asked for better alignment with the connectivity” the last time they met with them.
“So, we rotated the building down, reduced the square footage, removed the roundabout, replaced it with a four-way stop that’s between the buildings on the far right and then the center of what we’re talking about,” Agnew said. “And then that better aligned the connection between building one and the truck court, between buildings four and five.
“We’ve added a substantial amount of new signs, stripes, wayfinding to the traffic control measures, and we’ve done everything we can to make it work.”
The commission also discussed an applicant request for a final plot approval for Maebry Subdivision, formerly known as Charter Oaks Estates. It consists of 14 dwelling units, two open space lots and a new public roadway right-of-way. The site contains 7.59 acres and is located at 2893 Duplex Rd.
The property was zoned R-2 in November 2023, and the preliminary plat was approved with four planning conditions of approval and 18 engineering conditions of approval.
After meeting with staff, “staff did request a construction timetable showing the timeline of progress with construction on the property,” Spring Hill Associate Planner Jackson Reid said. “This was requested based on existing site conditions, and at the time of application of submittal, work had not commenced, and staff had asked for assurances through the submittal of a project scheduled of infrastructure installation prior to final action on the final plat.”
There are now four planning conditions of approval and one engineering condition of approval.

Maury County Schools Athletics Upgrades (MSM)
Bids will be opened during the next Maury County Public Schools School Board meeting for part of the $28 million athletic upgrades that will include athletic projects and a concession building at Cox Middle and Spring Hill High School.
Recommendations will include bids for a concession stand and restrooms at Cox Middle School, which will also be the main entry gate into that facility.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Eric Perryman said that this is the last item in its completion.
Other recommendations are for Spring Hill High School’s softball field to be moved out of the flood area, which would include the construction of a new field.
“It is converting that area that floods into a retention pond, then also into a parking lot that would serve as handicap parking for the football stadium,” Perryman said. “So new entry into the stadium, along with a new concession stand and restrooms for Spring Hill High School stadium.”
Perryman said that the old facilities will be demolished, and this project will also complete these upgrades for the SHHS campus.
“But they’re pretty large projects,” Perryman said. “We bid them together with the ability to separate if need be.
“So, I could be bringing you one bid that would complete both projects, or two bids, one for Cox and one for Spring Hill High School.”
The board also heard during its July work session that Battle Creek High School’s baseball field was being started mid-July and its softball field was finished; turf started going down on the Mount Pleasant football field around the same time and excavating the softball field was to begin the week after; and excavation at Central’s softball field was already in progress as well as the grade change at the baseball field.

First Responders Fundraiser (MSM)
The first responders of Maury County will come together this weekend to compete in the second annual James Bess Foundation basketball game fundraiser. The Spring Hill Fire Department will face off against the Columbia Fire & Rescue Department in a basketball game showdown.
During halftime, there will be a live auction with 100 percent of proceeds going to the Maury County Long Term Recovery Group to assist with disaster relief.
The event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Spring Hill High School gymnasium. The event is open to the public and tickets are $5 each, with children five years old and under admitted free.
The James Bess Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that grants wishes to adults battling terminal illness. James Bess, an Apopka area resident, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 38 and died at age 42. James’ wish was a meet and greet with the Garth Brooks. However, due to the lack of resources, James died without having his wish fulfilled. The James Bess Foundation was formed in response to that situation. It began granting wishes in August 2017; as of Aug. 1, 2024, they have granted 39 wishes.
“Although this tournament benefits the James Bess Foundation, it is our honor and privilege to work with first responders from Maury County to put on a competitive and fun-filled event for the entire family,” organizers said in a press release.

Columbia Academy Lecture (Press Release)
– Columbia Academy will host an event detailing the history and architecture of the Columbia Arsenal and details found from the recently discovered blueprints housed at the National Archives in College Park, Md.
The presentation will consist of a panel including: architect Justin Lowe of Centric Architecture, Columbia Academy President Dr. James A. Thomas, and County Archivist Tom Price.
Built in 1890 by the United States Government, the 67-acre campus was an active military installation known as the Columbia Arsenal and originally consisted of 10 buildings, six of which remain today. The arsenal closed shortly after the Spanish-American War in 1901 and transitioned into Columbia Military Academy in 1904. In 1979, the academy was turned over to a board from local Churches of Christ as they established Columbia Academy, a now PreK-12th grade private Christian school.
The lecture will take place in the Polk Hall (Upper School) Auditorium on Thursday, September 5th from 7:00-8:30 p.m. This free event is open to the public, and no tickets are necessary for admittance.
OPMobility to Expand (MSM)
OPMobility will receive a $558,000 incentive grant from Tennessee toward a $3 million expansion of its Spring Hill plant, which is expected to lead to 186 new jobs in Maury County.
The France-based company was renamed OPMobility from Plastic Omnium in March. It will then have 568 employees in Tennessee and more than 200 in Spring Hill after expanding from its 18 current employees in Maury County.
OPMobility will expand its product offerings and “further support electric vehicle production lines” with the expansion, it says.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced the project in late June without revealing the incentive amount.
Economists question whether economic incentives such as the TNECD FastTrack grants are necessary to recruit new businesses or have businesses expand in the state.
FastTrack grants are state grants sent to companies to help offset the costs of expanding or moving into the state with the goal of increasing the number of full-time jobs and the average wages of jobs available in an area.
Tennessee recently approved nearly $1 million in FastTrack Job Training Grants for Walmart Associates e-commerce fulfillment center in Lebanon and Hyla Mobile in Mt. Juliet.
Tennessee also pledged $218,750 to Synergy Magnetics for its planned $5.6 million startup in Jackson County that will employ 35 people in Gainesboro. The company manufactures transformers.
TNECD now has a balance of more than $139 million in uncommitted funds for FastTrack incentives. The state reported $13.2 million in newly deobligated funds toward that balance from companies that will no longer be receiving the promised grant totals, often due to not fulfilling the promised investment or new job requirements.

City Announces Exhibit Opening (Press Release)
The Visit Columbia Welcome Center is pleased to announce the opening of a new art exhibit featuring esteemed artist, musician, and author Ron York. The exhibition will be on display now through the end of September. Admission is free, and all of York’s artwork is available for purchase.
Ron York, a respected local artist with an acclaimed career, has put together a compelling collection of his works for this exhibit. York, who began his artistic journey after transitioning from a career in interior design, has had his pieces displayed in galleries both nationally and internationally. His work is part of prestigious collections at Belmont University, Tom Collins Music, First Baptist Church, Renasant Bank, and the Nashville City Club. Notable figures such as Vince Gill, Keb’ Mo’, and Kelly Clarkson also own pieces of his art.
Beyond his achievements in visual art, York is a celebrated musician with eight CDs of original compositions and an award-winning author with two non-fiction books and eight novels published under St. Broadway Press LLC. Although he retired from operating his art gallery in 2023, York continues to actively engage in his creative endeavors.
The public is encouraged to experience this exceptional exhibition at the Visit Columbia Welcome Center located at 713 N Main Street. For further details about Ron York and his body of work, follow him on Instagram @ronyorkartist and Facebook.

Breezeway Closure (Press Release)
Beginning this week, the breezeway providing access to downtown Columbia from the parking lot behind City Hall (beside Square Market) will be closed until further notice for structural assessment.
Downtown visitors parking in this lot are encouraged to use Bleu 32 Vintage Marketplace during business hours to access the square while the assessment is being conducted.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…   
Elizabeth “Bettye” Coffey Sharpton, 76, lifelong resident of Columbia, died Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at Maury Regional Medical Center.
Funeral services are incomplete and will be announced later by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Nancy Carol Eskew Pennington, 82, former courier for PCA Labs, and resident of Columbia, died Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at Maury Regional Medical Center.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. 

Now, news from around the state…
Arming Teachers (Tennessean)
As the new academic year gets underway, several public school districts around Middle Tennessee have said they won't allow teachers or staff to carry concealed handguns on campus, despite a recently enacted state law that would permit it.
However, a few districts have not responded to repeated questions about their stance.
The controversial law includes several requirements for K-12 teachers and staff who wish to carry, including a sign-off from their district director, principal and the head of their local law enforcement agency. They must also undergo training, background checks and a psychological evaluation. The law does not require districts or schools to disclose who is carrying.
In April, Maury County Public Schools spokesperson Jack Cobb said district officials were waiting until Lee signed the bill into law to decide on how to proceed. The governor signed the bill into law a few days after it passed in April. As of start of school, repeated follow-ups inquiring about the district's decision had gone unanswered.
In an email sent to district staff and families in April, Williamson County Schools Director Jason Golden said he talked the law over with Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Hughes.
"We have concluded that teachers and staff carrying handguns will not improve school safety on WCS campuses, so I will not authorize teachers or staff being armed at WCS schools," Golden wrote. "The sheriff’s school resource officers who are assigned to every WCS school are trained professionals and are a vital part of our comprehensive school safety plans. We appreciate our ongoing partnership with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office."

Williamson County May Remove Confederate Flag (TNLookout)
Williamson County may remove an image of the Confederate flag from its official county seal, a Davidson County Chancellor ruled Tuesday.
The decision comes after a years-long legal battle over plans to remove the flag from the so-called Great Seal of Williamson County, an official marker of public business displayed on public buildings and county records.
In May 2022, the Tennessee Historical Commission ruled that the seal is not an official historic memorial, and county officials could alter or replace it as they wished.
The Williamson County-based Major Nathaniel Cheairs Camp 2138 Sons of Confederate Veterans group, which seeks to promote Confederate-era history, filed a challenge citing the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act – a law that explicitly disfavors altering or removing monuments and markers of the “War Between the States.”
In her ruling, Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal affirmed the historical commission’s decision that the seal is not a historic monument and is not subject to the protection act, clearing the way for the county to update its seal.
The seal — a circle divided into four quadrants, each containing a different tableau — was first adopted in 1968 at the height of the civil rights movement. The Confederate flag and canon are in the upper left quadrant, while other quadrants depict a bible in front of a church window, a school house and a pasture with animals.
In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police, the seal drew increased public criticism. A task force convened by the county first recommended removing the Confederate flag image.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill has been added to the “Concert for Cumberland Heights: A Night of Stories & Song.”
The event is set for August 15, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the historic Ryman Auditorium.
The iconic artist joins Charles Kelley, Bob DiPiero, Victoria Shaw, Randy Montana, Ernest, Eric Paslay, Dylan Altman, and The Warren Brothers for an evening of music and inspiration. The evening will also feature Cumberland Height’s music therapist, John McAndrew.
Since its beginning in 1996, the Concert for Cumberland Heights has raised over $3.6 million for the John Hiatt Fund for Adolescent and Young Adult Treatment. This fund is essential in providing support for programs and patient scholarships at Cumberland Heights, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through addiction recovery.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.ryman.com.