Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 8-23-24

What is Front Porch Radio - Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price?

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.

WKOM/WKRM Radio
Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for August 23, 2024

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Two Fugitives Arrested (MSM)
Columbia police arrested two apparently unrelated fugitives from Polk County, Florida, three days apart last week.
Cory Ayers was arrested in Columbia on the morning of Monday, Aug. 5, for reportedly violating his probation. He had failed to appear in Polk County court on March 13.
Destiny Robbins was apprehended on Bear Creek Pike on Thursday night, Aug. 8, after allegedly failing to appear in Polk County court. She was scheduled to be tried there on charges of burglary and theft.
No reason is known for why Robbins and Ayers were in Columbia in the same week. The police department has found no connection between the two fugitives and officials said they do not expect to find any.

Maury County Ed Score Trend Up (CDH)
Maury County Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Ventura praised improvements in the district’s state achievement TCAP scores, recently released by the Tennessee Department of Education.
The district experienced improvements in reading, math and science scores with a slight dip in social studies, Ventura announced at a Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance education forum Wednesday at Mule Town Lumberyard in Columbia's Arts District.
"We are still trending up," Ventura said.
According to the 2024 State Report Card, students in grades 3-5 in MCPS scored 31% proficient in English and Language Arts and 33.2% proficient in math, which is up from 2023 scores.
In 2023, the same batch of students scored 28.4% proficient in reading (ELA) and 28.2% proficient in math.
In 2018, MCPS students scored 24.8% proficient in reading and 21.6% proficient in math on TCAP, which landed the district in the bottom 5% lowest performing districts in the state designating the district as "In Need of Improvement." However, an improvement in scores over the years has buoyed the district to its current designation of "Satisfactory," according to the 2024 State Report Card.
Even though district scores have inched ahead each year, MCPS still lags behind the state average of 38.9% proficiency in reading and 39.7% proficiency in math.
"Some don't realize that it takes a lot of students improving to move a percentage point," Ventura said. "That's a large number of students that had to make gains to bring up the aggregate average. That's something to be proud of."
A panel of education professionals from Maury County Public Schools joined Ventura in discussing key issues at the Maury Alliance education forum Wednesday. Panelists included Amy Roberts Supervisor of College, Career & Technical Education, Michelle Gilbert director of Director of Teaching, Learning & Assessment and county finance director Doug Lukonen, who talked about school funding.
President of Maury Alliance Wil Evans moderated the event and also unveiled the MCPS annual Education Report generated by Maury Alliance crammed with statistics and facts about the district's enrollment, demographics, funding, academic performance and other trends during the 2022-23 school year.
Ventura attributes the steady increase in achievement to the district's "laser focus" on reading and reading interventions. Students undergo benchmark assessments throughout the year and receive reading interventions such as visiting a reading specialist and attending intensive reading summer camp instruction if they fall behind.
Ventura also said that she supports limiting the amount of testing teachers are required to perform that could hinder their time spent on instruction.
"We have to have some testing, but we need to decrease the amount of assessments," Ventura said.
She also pointed out that although the district still has a ways to go to catch up to the state average in reading proficiency, TCAP is only a "snapshot" of a student's performance.
"This [achievement test] is just a snapshot of one day of a child's life on one academic test," Ventura said. "I think that gets lost in the vernacular in our state and in our nation."
Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder who attended the forum said the progress is encouraging.
"I am pleased to see the progress reported in the Maury Alliance public-ed scorecard, and even more pleased to have heard district leadership in promoting the progress and successes, while also articulating a vision that will work towards improvements for the system as a whole," Molder said.
"I appreciate the Maury Alliance for recognizing the importance of public education in our community. So goes our public school system, so goes our community. And, we must all work together to improve our local school district at every opportunity."
Ventura also addressed the problem of chronic absenteeism among students across the school district at a rate of 21% absenteeism during the 2023-24 school year, according to the 2023 State Report Card, significantly up from 13.9% in 2018.
"At one time, parents used to plan according to the school calendar, but now parents do not plan according to the school calendar. If they have a deal on a condo in Destin, they pull their child out for a week. School is important. You don't want your child out for five days," Ventura said. "I don't want to shame or guilt parents, but we need them in school."
Ventura said "schools are the heart of our community," containing the future parents, leaders and workers in the community.
"I wish you could see what happens in schools every day," Ventura said to the group of business professionals. "They are magical places. It's amazing how hard teachers work for your child and grandchildren."
Ventura praised the innovative programs occurring within school buildings each day, specifically citing Mt. Pleasant STEM High School's farm equipment simulators along with other CTE programs across the district. From reading in the classroom to hands-on-activities and dual enrollment programs with colleges, Ventura said, "It's a lot to do. Your child should be tired at the end of the day."
Roberts also discussed how MCPS prepares students for the workforce by offering many skill training programs in CTE from recording music, to building robots, to operating farm equipment, to building and creating products. She highlighted the large number of students who are able to participate in dual enrollment at Columbia State Community College and receive their Associate's degree upon graduation.
However, Roberts said her dream would be for the district to house a centralized facility where all students can have the chance to participate in STEM, CTE and entrepreneurial endeavors in an equal way across the district much like surrounding districts like Williamson County Schools.
Ventura also highlighted the importance of a dedicated staff in the district's upward trajectory to higher achievement.
"We have a staff who loves kids as much as I love kids and who look at the whole child," Ventura said.

County Commission Nixes Admin Building (MSM)
At its Aug. 12 meeting, the Maury County Budget Committee amended a motion to fund the planned administrative building at the site of the old McDowell Elementary School, effectively canceling the current plans for the building and sending the Building Committee back to the drawing board.
Budget Committee member Gabe Howard led a motion to amend the resolution to essentially kill the project, saying that the Budget Committee ought to scrap the project for now and possibly reallocate its $4.824 million budget at future meetings.
“My intent, when we voted to postpone this a couple months ago, was to get some questions answered. I think the school board really answered those questions for us last week,” Howard said. “I felt like we’ve got a lot of commissioners who are not on the same page about the building itself… the school board is not at all on board with the project.”
On the previous Tuesday, the Maury County School Board voted to not build an administrative office until the County Commission agreed to build a new elementary school. Howard said that the office clearly wasn’t the school board’s top priority, and it couldn’t be built without their consent since they own part of the old McDowell campus. He further argued that the County Commission didn’t fully agree on the project’s details.
Committee member Kathey Grodi clarified that the school board’s intent was to protest the County Commission’s apparent prioritizing of an administrative building over badly needed teaching space. Commissioner Ray Jeter brought up the fact that a majority of the school board would be leaving office after its Aug. 19 meeting, and the new majority might have different ideas about the administrative building.
“What happens if this new school board that takes office in September changes its mind? I believe this commission has voted twice on this unanimously. If they change their mind because they have huge turnover on Sept. 1, perhaps we can we bring this back up?” Jeter said.
Another topic of discussion was the resolution to add $746,000 to the Highway Department’s budget, to finish fixing the bridge over the Duck River on Tom J. Hitch Parkway. Commissioner Howard moved to add the $443,000 needed to repave Mt. Olivet Road to the budget too, since Mt. Olivet would be taking the diverted traffic from Tom J. Hitch. Since attaching this amendment to the Tom J. Hitch project would defer the vote on both to the next month, the Budget Committee kept them separate, passing the Tom J. Hitch budget addition and calling upon the Building Committee to make a plan to repave Mt. Olivet.
The Budget Committee voted to pay back $15 million in school-improvement bonds out of the 151 debt service fund. County Finance Director Doug Lukonen said that the debt service fund has profited so much that it currently holds 130 percent of a year’s worth of debt payments. Paying these bonds back would also free up the county to take on up to $26 million in debt for other projects. Several other funds are also running at a surplus.
The committee also voted to bring over unfinished and unpaid budget items into 2024 that weren’t completed in the previous fiscal year, and to add block grants to the county budget and the Mount Pleasant city budget.

Kedron Retail Center Development Discussed (MSM)
A request for a concept review for Kedron Retail Center, located at 3919 Kedron Rd., that is zoned C-3 and contains approximately 2.55 acres brought comments from the community during the Aug. 12 Spring Hill Municipal Planning Commission meeting.
Development Director Dara Sanders discussed the proposed development with the commission.
“So here the applicant is proposing the building to the multi-tenant mixed use building to be located at the street anchoring the corner,” Sanders said. “They are proposing tuck-under parking here along the rear of the proposed building with surface parking to the sides and rear.”
Sanders said that the applicant had received feedback from the commission during its June meeting and has since made modifications.
“The applicant is seeking feedback from the planning commission in response or to help inform a site plan application that may come in the future,” Sanders said. “That site plan application would potentially convey entitlement rights if approved by the planning commission.”
One concern Sanders discussed was the solid waste dumpsters that the commission had asked to be moved farther away from the connected property. The new concern involves the garbage truck not being able to adequately access the dumpsters.
Previous concerns Sanders shared was that the proposed three-story building possibly exceeding the height limit and the appropriateness of the building materials and design.
“And I think that the change in the material application since you last saw this gives it more of a residential feel,” Sanders said. “It’s still very much contemporary, still reading as a contemporary design.”
Jeff Rosiak with Gamble Design, the representative for the request, informed the commission that he has scheduled a meeting with residents of the neighborhood.
“It’s our intent to, as best we can, address those concerns in any application coming forward,” Rosiak said, adding that he did not expect to bring the application back until October.
“But I do think that we anticipate needing some time to address some comments from the neighborhood and potentially from planning commission as well,” Rosiak added.
He said that architectural materials and colors had been changed as they hoped to make “strides” in the “correct direction.”
The residents who spoke to the commission about the proposed development expressed concerns about traffic and wanted a tree study of the buffer zone as well.
“We’re worried about drops in our home value, worried about intrusions, light, sound, other foot traffic…,” Kings Creek resident Lee Smith said.
Smith showed pictures of traffic in front of his home.
“This is our situation right now on Kedron,” Smith said as he described the traffic during school rush hours. “Kedron, at the light of Mahlon Moore, is backed up all the way past the start of our subdivision to the point where they’re already taking trips around to beat that light.”
Rosiak said that a traffic study would be conducted in the next few weeks.
“We are also aware of some of the traffic issues and some of the changes related to the traffic issues with the high school opening,” Rosiak said. “And so, we know that at our site plan submittal, that’ll require a full traffic study, and we anticipate doing that. We couldn’t count traffic up to now because school wasn’t in session.”

City Short-Term Rental Policies to Change (MSM)
Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder and City Planner Kevin McCarthy spoke to Main Street Maury to clarify the nature of existing city regulations on short-term rentals. Last week, city officials served notice to the owners of some short-term rental properties that such use of their properties was not permitted under existing laws. The notice caused a stir online among the owners of such properties and the community at large.
There may be a widespread misconception that the city is taking action based on new laws, according to city officials.
“Right now, the same regulations apply which have been in effect since July of 2022,” said McCarthy; the laws are just being enforced consistently now. “The previous zoning ordinance did not permit zoning rentals. The current Zoning Ordinance permits them in some locations subject to limited use standards.”
Short-term vacation rentals are allowed in “mixed-use character districts,” but not in “character districts” or neighborhoods zoned for single-family occupancy.
Recent enforcement of the law, which regulates vacation rentals booked through popular apps like Airbnb and VRBO, seems to have been prompted by incidents over the last few years. Partying vacation renters were reported as disrupting the neighborhoods in which they were staying.
The law that the city cites is zoning ordinance 4400, passed in July 2022. The relevant section, on pages 255-6 of the ordinance, mandates that the owner be the primary occupant of a short-term rental property in a single-family zone. Therefore under current city law, no properties can be dedicated solely or primarily to vacation rental in a single-family residential zone. The law also defines a short-term rental “unit” as each room or plex used for that purpose (page 257), not whole properties (258).
None of the regulations are written in stone, however, and the city of Columbia is seeking community comment on the laws.
“We are currently in the process of reevaluating the STR regulations,” McCarthy explained. “The upcoming community forum is part of that process.”
He added that a planned public forum about vacation rentals, scheduled at City Hall at 5 p.m. on Oct. 23, might result in their legalization in the areas where they’re now prohibited.
Mayor Molder was optimistic about the outcome of the upcoming forum. When food trucks came to Columbia, a discussion with the community led to laws that he believed pleased all stakeholders.
“We held public forums on this topic. We heard from interested parties. And, we ultimately passed an update… to… regulations which we’ve seen work quite well,” Molder said. “This [was] government at its best.”
Molder said that the initial law was intended to preserve the famous charm of Columbia’s residential districts, but that doesn’t automatically rule out vacation rentals. The issue is nationwide and it would arise whether or not the local government chose to respond to it.
“Cities across the country are dealing with the dynamics, if not dilemmas, that short term rentals create. We are not alone in this regard,” he said. “But, perhaps we are unique in… working towards finding common ground and solutions to this dilemma.”

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Mildred Cox Grissim, 97, longtime resident of Columbia, died Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at Life Care Center of Columbia.
A private graveside service will be conducted Monday, August 26, 2024 at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Sunday, August 25, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. 

Now, news from around the state…
Poll Workers Needed (Press Release)
Ahead of the Nov. 5 State and Federal General Election, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is again encouraging Tennesseans to consider becoming poll workers later this fall.
“Our poll workers are critical to a successful election,” said Secretary Hargett. “We anticipate a robust voter turnout, and there is always a need for poll workers, especially during a presidential election cycle.”  
During early voting and on Election Day, poll workers conduct various tasks — including greeting voters, answering questions, explaining how to cast a ballot, and counting votes at their community locations. They are paid for their work and for attending required training sessions. 
Most citizens are eligible to work at polling locations, regardless of political affiliation. The minimum age is 16, and anyone over 18 must be a registered voter in the county where they desire to serve.
Other qualifications include:
1.       Be able to read and write in the English language.
2.       Cannot be a candidate or close relative of a candidate.
3.       Cannot be supervised by a county or municipal elected official on the ballot.
 
All City, County, and Metropolitan government employees (unless working directly under the supervision of an elected official on the ballot) are eligible, as are state employees. Federal employees should consult with their individual Human Resources Department to determine eligibility. 
“Poll workers are the backbone of elections,” said Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins. “These individuals and their efforts ensure all citizens know that Tennessee’s results are accurate and our elections remain secure.” 
Tennessee has been ranked number one in election integrity for three consecutive years; the Secretary of State’s office is also the trusted source for all election information. For more information about becoming a poll worker, please visit https://sos.tn.gov/pollworkers.

TVA Rate Raise (Tennessean)
The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors approved a 5.25% electric base rate increase − the second rate increase in two years − as the federal utility looks to meet growing demand by funding the construction of new power plants.
The increase will add an average of $4.35 to monthly electricity bills in the Tennessee Valley beginning Oct. 1, and is expected to generate around $500 million in additional annual revenue for TVA. It was approved at the board’s quarterly meeting on Aug. 22 in Florence, Alabama.
When combined with the 4.5% base rate increase approved in 2023, the rising rate falls just shy of a 10% increase that would allow local power companies like the Knoxville Utilities Board to modify longterm contracts with TVA.
If TVA raises rates by more than 10% over a consecutive five-year period, KUB told Knox News via email, the local utilities board is able to reduce the term of its power supply contract from 20 years to 10 years.
KUB buys nearly all its electricity from TVA through a wholesale contract and resells it to Knoxville customers at a marked-up rate that pays for its operations. It is one of 153 local power companies that purchase electricity from TVA, the nation's largest public power provider.
KUB passes TVA's rate increases and fuel costs directly to customers. Fuel costs can vary month to month.
“Once we implement these rate increases, we expect to be able to hold rates base rates steady for several years,” TVA CEO Jeff Lyash told Knox News. “We are very focused on keeping the impact on the customer as low as we possibly can.”
As the board approved its budget for the upcoming year, it raised the funding limit for TVA’s advanced nuclear program from $200 million to $350 million. The money will help the utility finalize design and submit a construction permit application for its potential small modular nuclear reactors to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission next year.
The board adopted a list of 19 “strategic elements,” including accelerating development of solar energy and becoming the nation’s top performing nuclear fleet by 2025.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
This weekend Muletown Mission Possible invites the community to come together, enjoy a few drinks and dinner before hitting the dance floor for a good cause.
Muletown Mission Possible returns Saturday to the Memorial Building, 308 W. 7th St. starting at 6:30 p.m.
The event is the annual fundraiser for On Mission Motorsports, a nonprofit that takes veterans off-road racing as a form of therapy, teambuilding and, above all, fun.
This year's event will also feature Classic Vinyl 931 performing live music, as well as live and silent auctions.
Tickets are $55 per person or $100 per couple and are available at www.TicketTailor.com.