Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 7-29-24

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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.

WKOM/WKRM Radio
Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for July 29, 2024

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Road Closure (MauryCountySource)
Twin Lakes Drive in Spring Hill will be closed until August 30 as crews continue the Buckner Lane Widening Project.
Buckner Lane will be fully open during this time.
This closure has been extended one month due to unforeseen underground conditions found once the improvements were started.
While Twin Lakes Drive will be closed to thru traffic, access to Summit High School and the surrounding area will still be available via Spring Station Drive.

Applications Open (Press Release)
Applications for the 2024-25 Columbia Mayor’s Youth Council (CMYC) term will open on August 1st. The CMYC is open to all high school students located within Maury County, including those attending public, private, and home schools. The 2024-25 term will begin in September 2024 and conclude in May 2025.
Mayor Chaz Molder stated, “The Columbia Mayor’s Youth Council is an excellent opportunity for our young people to gain firsthand experience in local government and develop their leadership skills. By participating in CMYC, students will not only learn about the inner workings of our city but also have the chance to make a real impact on their community. I strongly encourage all eligible students to apply and be part of this incredible educational experience.”
The CMYC aims to educate students about local government, foster leadership skills, and encourage community involvement among Columbia’s diverse high school population. The CMYC is composed of Maury County high school students who value academic excellence, community involvement, and leadership. Selected students will have an opportunity to actively participate in various activities and programs, addressing issues affecting youth and the community, leading and volunteering in community projects, and learning about city departments.
The CMYC selection committee will review all completed applications to select this year’s youth council members. Applications will be open from August 1st through August 23rd, and applicants will be notified of their acceptance by September 3rd. CMYC meetings will be held monthly, in addition to community and volunteer projects.
CMYC applications can be found on the City of Columbia’s website at columbiatn.gov or at your high school’s administrative office. Follow the Columbia Mayor’s Youth Council on Facebook and Instagram at @cmyctn. For questions, please contact Hanna Miller at [e-mail] or [phone].

Salad Works Opening (WKOM Audio 1:48)
On Friday, a new eatery, Salad Works, opened in Spring Hill. Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy attended the ribbon cutting and spoke to owner Paul Goldsmith to learn about what the new restaurant will be offering its patrons…

Maury Regional Hybrid Vascular Operating Room (Press Release)
Maury Regional Medical Center (MRMC) recently announced the launch of a newly renovated hybrid vascular operating room, an investment of nearly $2.5 million. This surgical suite combines advanced imaging and surgical capabilities in one space.
“This operating suite was specifically designed to do two things. First, enhance vascular surgeries through the implementation of new state-of-the-art imaging capabilities and, second, provide additional operating space for other growing service lines, such as general surgery,” said CEO Martin Chaney, MD. “Building this surgical suite is a significant investment toward meeting the surgical needs of patients from Maury and surrounding counties.”
Minimally invasive surgical procedures are complex and technically demanding, requiring high-quality, flexible imaging capabilities. A clinical trend toward minimally invasive procedures is driving demand for hybrid operating rooms. Vascular procedures are a type of surgery that treats blood vessel and heart flow complications – such as aortic aneurysm, stroke or blood clots. More specifically, vascular procedures that can be accomplished in the new space include endovascular, laparoscopic, aortic, carotid, dialysis access, vascular fistula creation, transcarotid artery revascularization and percutaneous nephrostomy surgeries. However, this space is not limited to vascular surgeries and can be leveraged for many other operations.
“The operating room incorporates sophisticated technology from floor to ceiling,” said Brian Kendrick, MD, a board-certified vascular surgeon on the medical staff. “It’s a game-changer in our field, enhancing our capabilities to treat even the most complex vascular conditions.”
The advanced Azurion imaging system from Philips supplies high-quality imaging, achieving excellent visibility at low X-ray dose levels for patients of all sizes. Specializing in hybrid operating rooms, Getinge’s state-of-the-art operating tables work seamlessly with Philips’ imaging systems and support a wide variety of patient positions that are suitable for any imaging and surgery.
The hybrid vascular operating room also includes Ten Medical’s Skytron Indigo-Clean ceiling light system. Essentially, Indigo-Clean leverages the visible light spectrum to transmit a wavelength (405nm) that kills harmful bacteria and viruses, such as C. diff, MRSA and SARS-CoV-2. The Skytron lights are top performers for brightness and shadow control, giving every angle optimal viewability.
“As a vascular surgeon, safety is paramount in every procedure we perform,” said Patrick Yu, MD, a board-certified vascular surgeon on the medical staff. “Our new hybrid vascular operating room offers greater precision and visibility, ensuring we can deliver the highest standard of care to our patients.”
All these technologies in one room make MRMC’s new surgical suite one of the most advanced and safest in the state of Tennessee. MRMC is the only hospital in Tennessee to receive the excellence in patient safety and outstanding patient experience awards from Healthgrades® in 2024. Maury Regional Health also has invested in four da Vinci robotic surgical systems, which enhances surgical vision, precision, dexterity and control.
MRMC offers 16 surgical suites, on-site pathology capabilities, an endovascular lab and a digital imaging system that enables physicians to view diagnostic images such as MRIs during the surgical procedure. In addition to surgical services available at MRMC, convenient locations for surgery are in Lewisburg, Spring Hill and Waynesboro. Maury Regional Health recently held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 30 to launch construction of the Orthopedic Surgical Institute on the MRMC campus. More than 50 physicians on the medical staff perform surgical procedures and all the anesthesiologists on the medical staff are board-certified.
Eighth and Main Opens (CDH)
When Big Shake's Hot Nashville Chicken announced it would be closing its franchise in Columbia earlier this year, it came as a great disappointment for many Nashville Hot Chicken fanatics.
At Columbia's downtown location at 822 S. Main St., which first opened in late 2021, co-owners Belinda Corken and Amy McGee were faced with two decisions — close up shop or push on, whatever that might entail.
There was suddenly an opportunity to create something better, something to provide more options and with its own identity. And above all, it would be something truly local.
"It was basically do it or die, and we had to do something," Corken said. "Now it is as good as it has ever been, and we haven't taken any kind of a hit."
After a brief period of reducing menu items and services, while also discovering early that this would be no small job, the two went to work. By June, they opened what is now Eight & Main Burger Co.
"We have a great customer base, but one of the biggest complaints was that there wasn't enough diversity on the menu, and everything was fried," Corken said.
Business picked up immediately upon reopening and continues to grow every week, with many regulars and newcomers wishing to see the new spot, along with an order of catfish and loaded ghost fries.
It was also a team effort that they say could not be accomplished without the help of others.
"It was all of our family, like Amy's brother did all of our branding stuff. My son, who is the main front of house person and her sister helped us pick the colors," Corken said. "And Amy and I are here everyday, and so this is now truly a family-owned and run business."
"That's the fun part about it," McGee added.
With a new identity and a fresh start, creating a wider range of foods, with new ideas being created all the time.
McGee, who is also the head chef, said this has been a great way to attract more customers, many now already regulars, with more options. As a chef, it has also been an opportunity to broaden herself to different cooking styles, as well as lighter items.
"I can experiment more now, because before we had to stick with the main menu," McGee said. "Now, I can just be like, "Let's throw a salad together," and get some peach preserves, some goat cheese and top it with a deviled egg, and sold! It's so much fun."
That doesn't mean customers can't still enjoy the classic Big Shake's favorites like chicken, catfish fillets and tacos.
"We still have some of the favorites, but we don't have all of the options and heat level," Corker said.
A few of the new menu's top sellers include the classic smash burger with American cheese, caramelized onions and signature sauce on a toasted bun. Eighth & Main also now offers pork tenderloin cutlets, such as the Muleshoe with lettuce, pickles, onion and stone-ground Aioli on a toasted bun.
Eighth & Main also offers gluten-free buns on any burger or sandwich.
For starters, Corken and McGee said one of the new items that's caught on quickly in popularity is the Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts cooked crispy and topped with hot pepper bacon jam.
Other popular starters include the pretzel bites, Wisconsin cheese curds, as well as Piggy Nachos with pork rinds, queso, diced jalapenos, bacon crumbles, sour cream, Pico de Gallo and a smoky chipotle sauce.
"Our burgers are ready to go, and our food is good," Corken said. "The best seller is without a doubt the classic smash, and people love the Pepper Popper. What we would like to do is some kind of special, like a hot plate, but we still need to coordinate some things in our kitchen, but I think people will respond to it."
While Eighth & Main continues to build its customer base, broaden its menu and make a name for itself as a go-to downtown eatery, this is only the beginning.
As an "ongoing work in progress," Corken and McGee say this is only the beginning of what they envision to create now that Eighth & Main is officially theirs to run.
"We do plan a lot," Corken said. "One of the things we hope to get soon is our liquor license, probably in 2-3 months, but we do have beer."
McGee added that Eighth and Main also plans to reopen its main stage for live music.
"We are bringing some music back, but we still need to do some redecorating." she said.
Most of all, having their own place to serve food, work alongside family and build a greater downtown presence is the greatest joy.
"We are a real local restaurant," Corken said. "We really are family run and owned. When we put this thing together, we had so little capital to start with. This is unheard of in the restaurant industry."
Eighth & Main's main business hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For online ordering, visit www.EighthNMain.com.

CPJI Sponsoring Civil Rights Attorney Fred Gray (Press Release)
The Columbia Peace and Justice Initiative (CPJI) will be hosting an evening with Civil Rights activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient attorney Fred Gray on Thursday, September 19 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at Maury Hills Church, located at 101 Unity Drive in Columbia.
Fred D. Gray is a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. Mr. Gray’s life mission has been to destroy racial segregation wherever he finds it, and that is what he continues to do. He has practiced law since 1954, specializing in civil rights litigation, and continues to practice today at the age of 93.
He has been a cooperating attorney with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Legal Defense Fund Inc. since 1956. He represented many civil rights icons and organizations, including the victims of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin, Congressman John Lewis, the Freedom Riders and Walkers, Selma to Montgomery Marchers, NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and others.
Attorney Gray is the recipient of many honorary degrees and awards. On July 7, 2022, President Joe Biden awarded Mr. Gray the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest award a civilian can receive. In 2023, he received the American Bar Association’s Medal, which is its highest award given and was also awarded the Legal Defense Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as president of the National Bar Association and Alabama Bar Association and is the current president of the Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center.
Proceeds from this CPJI Legacy Fundraiser, which will replace the traditional Legacy Luncheon in 2024, will support the completion of the Thurgood Marshall Roundabout coming in 2025 in partnership with the City of Columbia. The roundabout will feature a sculpture of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall created by renowned sculptor David Alan Clark. It will be located at the intersection of South Main Street and East 8th Street, a gateway to the historic Black business district and the epicenter of the 1946 Columbia Race Riot, a pivotal moment in Columbia’s history that sent shockwaves across the nation. Marshall played a role in the subsequent trial.
Marshall’s dedication to protecting the rights of all citizens earned him the nickname “Mr. Civil Rights.” His distinguished career included successfully having the Supreme Court declare segregation in public schools unconstitutional (Brown v Board of Education, 1954),
President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Marshall as the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967.
Sponsorship opportunities are currently available. For more information, contact Russ Adcox at [e-mail] or 931.628.0736. Individual tickets are $55 and may be purchased at cpji.org.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…   
Ray Fisher Davis, 86, retired Director of the South Central Health Agency,and resident of Columbia, died Thursday, July 25, 2024 at his residence. Visitation will be conducted Tuesday, July 30, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home.

Patricia Anderson, 75, resident of Columbia, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at her residence. A graveside service will be conducted Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Woodlawn Memorial Park, family and friends are welcome.

Now, news from around the state…
Trump on Bitcoin (Tennessean)
Former President Donald Trump pitched his plan to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world,” pledging to establish the nation's first strategic Bitcoin stockpile, if elected.
Trump is the first presidential candidate from a major political party to make Bitcoin and cryptocurrency a campaign issue, and the first American president to speak at a Bitcoin event, addressing an enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd at the Bitcoin 2024 conference at the Music City Center in Nashville, two weeks after surviving an assassination attempt.
“If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted, and made in the USA,” Trump said. “If Bitcoin is going to the moon, as they say, ‘it’s going to the moon,’ I want America to be the nation that leads the way.”
A cornerstone of his plan to make that happen is the first-ever Strategic National Bitcoin Stockpile, seeded with about 210,000 Bitcoins ― valued at about $13 billion ― that the federal government has already obtained through legal law enforcement seizures. The U.S. government is among the largest holders of Bitcoin in the world.
“For too long, our government has violated a cardinal rule that every Bitcoiner knows by heart: never sell your Bitcoin,” he said. “If I am elected, it will be the policy of my administration for the United States of America to keep 100% of all the Bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds or acquires.”
While Trump has voiced skepticism about Bitcoin in the past, even calling it “a disaster waiting to happen,” on Saturday he pledged to be a “pro-Bitcoin president.”
Trump has made moves in recent months that signal his policy reversal on crypto goes deeper than rhetoric. Earlier this year, Trump’s became the first presidential campaign to accept donations in Bitcoin and crypto. Since doing so in May, Trump announced Saturday, his camp has raised $25 million in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. He also picked a running mate in Ohio Sen. JD Vance who has been supportive of cryptocurrencies and revealed in 2022 that he holds Bitcoin.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Every summer, the Earth passes through a cloud of space debris that brings a meteor shower, and this summer is no different.
The Perseid Meteor Shower comes around in mid-summer every year is back again until the end of August. The comet, which the debris that forms Persides comes from, last visited the Earth's atmosphere in 1992, but we still get to observe the cloud of dust and pebbles left in its wake each summer. And it is usually one of the most plentiful celestial light shows that we get to witness on Earth.
The shower is typically active from mid-July to the end of August. This year, the show takes place from now to Sunday, Sept. 1.
Most of the Perseids are tiny and close in size to a grain of sand. They can reach temperatures of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, a Perseid meteoroid moves at 133,200 miles per hour when it hits Earth's atmosphere.
Most fragments of debris are visible when they are about 60 miles from the ground.
The Perseids are debris caused by the Earth passing through debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle which last passed close to Earth in 1992. They are named the Perseids as they come from the direction of the constellation Perseus.