Front Porch Radio - Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price
Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 9-19-24
(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to Southern Middle Tennessee today on WKOM and WKRM Radio. Your hometown news broadcasting from the Debbie Matthews Nashville Realty Newsroom in Columbia, Tennessee. I'm your host, Tom Price. Today is Thursday, September 19th, and we start with local news. Tourism has once again demonstrated its significant economic impact on the region, according to new data released recently by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. The second largest industry in the state continues a steady increase, as the latest tourism data for 2023 reveals that visitors to Columbia and Murray County contributed a substantial $136.8 million in direct visitor spending to the local economy, representing a 7.96% increase over the previous year. This impressive growth is a testament to the area's thriving tourism industry, which continues to attract visitors from far and wide. Columbia's diverse offerings, including the historic downtown district and main street, the arts district, historic sites, natural attractions, recreation, and vibrant cultural events have made it a popular destination for travelers. Visitors spending injects real money into the local economy, supporting small businesses while generating sales and lodging tax revenue. This economic impact is crucial for the overall health and prosperity of Columbia and Murray County. The local tourism industry supported 955 jobs in Columbia and Murray County during 2023 and generated approximately $13.9 million in state and local taxes. Additionally, visitors spending contributed approximately $34.3 million in labor income. "I'm thrilled to see that our community's investment in tourism is paying off," said Columbia Mayor Chas Mulder. The positive economic impact report highlights the significant contributions of visitors to our local businesses and economy. "This data confirms that tourism is a crucial driver of growth and prosperity for our town," he said. Columbia and Murray County's strong tourism performance has solidified its position among the top 20 counties in a leading destination in Tennessee. The county maintains its ranking at number 20 in visitors spending among all 95 Tennessee counties, demonstrating its continued success in attracting visitors and driving economic growth. "Tourism is a vital industry for Columbia, providing jobs, generating tax revenue and enhancing our quality of life," said Kelly Murphy, tourism director for Visit Columbia. "The continued growth in visitors spending demonstrates the vibrancy of our local businesses and attractions, as well as the dedication and effectiveness of our Visit Columbia marketing team to attract visitors and showcase our unique city," she said. And looking at the broader economic impact of tourism across the state, Tennessee welcomed 144 million visitors in 2023, which generated an impressive $30.6 billion in direct visitor spending, supporting 191,522 jobs, and generating $3.15 billion in state and local tax revenue. The economic impact of visitor spending is a direct benefit to the citizens of Columbia and Murray County because it translates to approximately $352 in tax savings for every household in the county. And the positive impacts of visitor spending extend beyond economic benefits to include the thriving economy of local businesses, the preservation of local heritage, cultural heritage, and the enrichment of the overall community experience. Columbia's Municipal Planning Commission tended to be approved on September 11th, plans for a wah-wah chain gas station and convenience store at the corner of Napa Valley Way and Nashville Highway next to the new village at Carter Station Residential Development. Meghan Salvador Wawa's representative requested that the city grant the store some minor deviations from normal planned unit development requirements. The deviations included glazing only 21 to 29% of the storefront, about a third of the legal requirement, having a one-story facade instead of a required two, putting the fuel station in front of the store and moving the building back into the parking lot, reversing the usual planned unit development arrangement, granting wider exits to a larger than code parking lot and installing elevated signage. The wah-wah advocates justified these deviations by appealing to the store's location between a busy intersection and a new neighborhood and to wah-wah's branding and visual standards. City planning officials represented by principal planner Austin Brass were not fully convinced. Brass emphasized respect for the city building codes, which are grounded in the same concerns for safety and visual appeal to which the wah-wah advocates were appealing. Planning commission members questioned Brass at length on the specific problems posed by the deviations and ultimately decided they weren't serious enough to warrant holding up the project. Mayor Chaz Mulder pointing out that almost every approved building project has received a few deviations. He implied that the implications would have to include an aesthetic landscape buffer between the restaurant and the neighborhood in order to get approved by city council. After an hour and a half of discussion, the commission voted to approve the wah-wah location with only one dissenting vote. The vote is not a final approval, but it moves the plan along to the city council docket for approval in October. Public comment on the proposed store was very favorable. Two native Northeasterners who now live in Columbia spoke of their home state experiences with wah-wah and said the brand would improve Columbia. Kimmy Williams compared wah-wah to twice daily in buckies, but emphasized that it's much more than a convenience store. "I drink their coffee every single morning here in Tennessee "because it's that good," she said. Andrew Banister told the commission that a wah-wah would absorb some of the business traffic from students, Altium workers, and commuters, easing the strain on other convenience stores and restaurants on the Nashville highway. He also said that the chains reputed cleanliness and food quality would improve the area, including the neighborhood within walking distance. Kalioka's Eclipse Show Choir and Blue Knights Drill Team made history this summer with a six-day trip to Hawaii. In June, the Eclipse Show Choir led by Kim Sutton and the Blue Knights Drill Team directed by Butch Sutton were selected through auditions to perform at the USS Missouri and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Honolulu. These talented groups have performed across the United States, including Washington, Pennsylvania, New York, and Orlando. Their performance has graced the decks of the aircraft carrier's USS Intrepid and USS Yorktown, while also entertaining leaders from 28 foreign countries at the NATO Parade of Nations in Virginia. The trip dubbed the Paradise Performance Tour was a whirlwind of activities for the students. In addition to performing, they enjoyed a Pearl Harbor and city highlights tour, a visit to the Dole Plantation, a hike-up diamond head, and a Polynesian cultural center experience. They also went on a catamaran snorkel cruise, attended a beach barbecue, and took part in a sunset dinner cruise. After months of preparation, rehearsals, and fundraising, the students were greeted at the airport with a traditional flower lay welcome. Special thanks go to performing arts consultants and paradise found Hawaii tours for organizing the island excursions, as well as coordinating the travel arrangements. Kalyoka Principal Penny Love, the Murray County Board of Education and Superintendent Lisa Ventura were also instrumental in making the trip happen, approving the plans. A huge thank you is extended to the Kalyoka community, including parents, grandparents, family members, friends, teachers, and local businesses for their financial support. These spring tours are more than just performance trips. They're transformative, unforgettable, and life-changing, stated Kim and Butch Sutton. Whether it cultivates a love for travel, entertainment, patriotism, or leadership, we are empowering young minds to step into their destiny. The desire, discipline, and determination they exhibit will shape their future and the world around them. Observing the impact these trips have had over the past 10 plus years is awe-inspiring and incredibly rewarding as teachers and directors. We are blessed beyond measure, they said. On Thursday, September 5, Mackie Kaler, Brenda Lynn Allen, and Jack Plant collaborated with Reverend Jeff Caine to put on a benefit concert for Room at the Inn. The Swanky Southern Nights concert was a success by any standard, taking in $13,000 for Room at the Inn and filling the venue almost to its 500-person capacity. Room at the Inn has a decades-long history in middle Tennessee. It was founded by then-priest Father Charlie Strobel, pastor of St. Anne's Catholic Church in Nashville. Father Strobel allowed people living in the parking lot to sleep inside his parish. When word got around to other Nashville churches, 31 of them signed up within nine months to offer their facilities, and they took turns every week hosting homeless people. Reverend Caine, the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church at the time, was a friend of Father Strobel and was inspired by his project. In 2015, he said, "I asked God, "what do you want to do with me and this church?" And he said, "God said, walk down 9th Street, "see the people in the streets." Caine followed the command, but when he tried to send the people he met to a homeless shelter, he wished a grin to find that Columbia didn't have one, and still doesn't, though plans are being made. Caine couldn't get other churches to agree to host Columbia's homeless population, like other churches had in Nashville, so he and his congregants blew up some air mattresses in the Westminster basement and invited people to sleep there. "We had no strategies and a few dollars," he said, "but we decided to go for it." The Westminster location was a stunning success. "No one ever broke anything. "There were no fights," Caine said proudly. "They were able to get and continue their jobs, "get out of the hot summer, get out of guilt and shame "and the feeling that they were losers "with nowhere else to go," he said. They renovated Westminster's unused upstairs rooms into pleasant sleeping quarters, intending this as an upgrade from the basement, but word got around to the fire marshal who closed down the operation at Westminster for having insufficient fire protection systems. "Caine wasn't resentful of the shutdown. "God came to the rescue. "We found some rental units," he recalled. In 2019, they moved into the Columbia Inn and stayed there for a few years with the help of Inn Manager, Parrish Patel. The Columbia Inn turned out to be transitional too, however, as the cost of boarding rose to $10,000 each month. Month, the hotel's clientele became more disreputable and the difficulties of helping childless homeless people became more apparent. Caine and other organizers decided to focus exclusively on transitioning homeless families into housing and stable lifestyle. The Westminster room at the Inn greeted its first homeless family on Memorial Day weekend in 2016 and they soon noticed the drive and grit of the homeless parents, most of them nine out of every 10 by Reverend Caine's estimate, Single Mothers. The most ferocious creature on earth is a single mother with babies. They obeyed the rules, they got jobs, they got working, he said appreciatively. Still, having a father figure in the picture, like perhaps 10% of room in the Inn's client families, always makes a big difference in family outcomes. Caine praised fathers and stepfathers who stayed in the picture. To prioritize helping families room at the Inn bought the Grace House, a former church on Maple Lash Avenue in rural Northeast Columbia with the approval and support of its neighbors. It's interesting how God works, Caine Mused. We began at a church and now we're back at a church, he said. There were plans to have a benefit concert for the new Grace House around Easter, but Mule House's bankruptcy proceedings canceled that. When Caine told Brenda Linale and a longtime volunteer for local causes, she and Mackie Kaler decided to organize another benefit show. Swanky Southernites raised money to refurbish the building into a kind of quadriplex where four families will have private bedrooms and closet space in a larger shared area which includes a kitchen, a laundry room, a living room and a yard with a playground. The goal is for families to transition into a stable living situation and self-support. We try to get them back on their feet for as long as we need to, within reason, said room at the Inn worker, Stephanie Hearst, to get them to where they need to be on their own in their own place where they can take care of themselves and their families. Room in the Inn tends to board a family for six to eight months before they achieve self-sufficiency. Constance Granberry, one of the mothers now being helped, spoke on stage with Jack Plant during Swanky Southernites. She and her husband, with her new baby and her older children, have lived at room at the Inn for several months. He made that possible, she said, of Reverend Caine, for me to complete school comfortably and safely and for us to have a place to get back on her feet, she said. Constance didn't brag enough, Caine joked. She landed with us while going to college and because she had a quiet place she could study, she didn't have to worry about that 18-month-old baby and those beautiful high school students, she could study and graduate with honors and now is taking a course to become an LPN, he said. Before the event, Stephanie Adlington and Erin Lissard entertained guests in the cocktail lounge while Reverend Caine greeted those he knew. The musical show itself was entertaining and heartfelt. Alan and Kaylar led his band, the Swanky South Players, playing classic country music and jazz with country politics and sacred material. Between songs, they bounced off one another on their stage, patter and joked with Plant, who respectfully allowed his guest to do most of the speaking. The guest star was Marty Rabin, singer for the country band Shenandoah. Rabin was in fine entertainment form, telling jokes and stories and warming up a slightly stiff and polite audience. For 40 odd minutes, he sang some of Shenandoah's hits and a couple of his favorite hymns and bluegrass songs. Afterwards, Alan and Kaylar closed out the evening with a few more songs. Bethany Torino, director of the Friend Foundation made the most important point during her time on stage that the work of helping Murray County's homeless population is not by any means finished, even if the lives of four families at a time will be greatly improved. Torino was aware of more than 200 homeless individuals in Columbia alone, only a few of whom appear at times on its streets. Most live under bridges, in the woods, in abandoned houses or on the couches of friends and family members. "The face of homelessness is not what it used to be," she told the audience. "It's children, it's moms, it's dads, it's families. "It's not a dependency. "The number one cause of homelessness in Murray County "is generational poverty," she said. Torino's Friend Foundation, run with her husband Jim, helps them take advantage of government services, freeing up room at the end to focus on families. She thanked the audience one last time for having a heart for the homeless. Reverend Kayne, along with all the guests and performers, brought the whole event back to his Christian convictions about helping one's fellow man. The resulting room at the end is meant not only to house, but to humanize with church attendance, friendly and charitable interactions, and regular celebrations of the high points of life, graduations, birthdays, and holidays. What we try to do is a 360 wrap around with shelter, love, Christian spirituality, and worship, Kayne smiled. On stage and off, he emphasized that room at the end was a work of God. "We've not had to beg the government "or be in a desperate situation," he said proudly. "Thank you and God bless you for this privilege. "I've never had so much honor and privilege "at seeing Jesus in my 47 years. "He's sad." St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Columbia is holding a Tise prayer service on Sunday, September 29th at 5 p.m. in the sanctuary. St. Peter's is located at 311 West 7 Street in downtown Columbia next door to the POCOM. This type of service is comprised of meditative worship, periods of silence, and sung prayers by the congregation inside a candle lit sanctuary. The service originates from the Tise community in France that is home to a brotherhood of Christian monks. Dr. Peter Douglas, director of music at St. Peter's and organizer of the service, describes it as a contemplative service in which all are invited to take a purposeful pause in our busy lives to sing together, listen to the word of God and experience the power of silence. According to the Tise community, singing is one of the most essential elements of worship. Short songs repeated again and again give it a meditative character. Another key element of a Tise prayer service is silence. The Tise community writes, when we try to express communion with God in words, our minds quickly come up short. But in the depths of our being through the Holy Spirit, Christ is praying far more than we imagine. Remaining in silence in God's presence, open to the Holy Spirit, is already prayer. The service is open to the public. And now your hometown memorials sponsored by Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. Wanda Faye Crow Nix, 75, a lifelong resident of Columbia, died Tuesday, September 17th at NHC Marie Regional Transitional Care, following an extended illness. Funeral services will be conducted on Friday, September 20th at 3 p.m. at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Poke Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends on Friday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the funeral home. Home Town Memorials is sponsored by Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home, serving with dignity and consideration for over 150 years. As years go by, people may tend to forget just what a funeral is really all about. At Oakes and Nichols, we believe it's first at always a special remembrance of someone you love. We start by listening to your needs and desires. If you're unsure, we can help gently, professionally. At Oakes and Nichols Funeral Directors, we haven't lost sight of why we're here to serve Murray County families in the ways they prefer. And why your satisfaction is so important to Jeff Hargrove and Susie Sowell. There's a great deal of satisfaction in serving a family and serving them well. It's an eye for detail and thoughtfulness and taking the time to see that things are done right. We do have nice facilities and good people and we work hard to do things well, but we don't want that to intimidate people as to what they think it will cost. - Taking care of you is our primary concern. - Oakes and Nichols Funeral Directors, 320 West 7th Street in Columbia, since 1856, people you can rely on. - For your Southern Middle Tennessee weather, we will have sunny skies early that turn into cloudy skies as the day progresses. The high will be 88 degrees with light and variable winds. Tonight, we can expect mainly clear skies and a low of 63. Let's take a break. When we come back, we'll cover state and national news that affect you. You're listening to Southern Middle Tennessee today. - Debbie Matthews-Rilter and her husband, Jason, who is a pro songwriter, also own a music publishing company. They live in historic downtown Columbia with their dogs. Dog rescue work is their passion project. They consider Middle Tennessee their backyard and their lives are full of all things Tennessee. Debbie says there is no greater honor than to help someone find a home. To be trusted with that job, there is no greater privilege to call Debbie at the Nashville Realty Group, 615-476-3224, 615-476-3224. - Family First. My dad used to tell us that all the time. But Family First wasn't just something he'd say to us. It was how he lived every day of his life. And it's how I try to live mine too. - At Shelter Insurance, our agents are dedicated to helping provide personalized auto home and life protection that puts your family first. - For auto home, life or business insurance, Sea Shelter Agent Tommy Hyde Jr. at 388-2009. - For 40 years, the jewelers bench has worked hard for their customers and provided the highest quality jewelry at the best price. They keep going back. Recent renovations have allowed them to expand their inventory. More high quality jewelry, custom vintage and estate pieces, and professional jewelry and watch repairs. They also buy gold. The jewelers bench, still here, still great service. 808, Trotwood Avenue, Columbia. - Hi, I'm Matt Peralis, Manager of Murray County Equipment. We help you with all your agricultural and construction equipment needs. We carry a full line of new hauling tractors from compacts to high horsepower. We have a full line of gravely mowing equipment. We also have new hauling construction equipment, attachments and accessories for your tractors and a complete parts department. We are locally owned and operated. Come see us at 1075, North James Campbell Boulevard or learn about us on Facebook. Our contact is at 931-490-8183. - One of our goals at Caledonian is to impact our clients and friends in a positive manner. Whether it's a friendly voice, a smile and a wave as you walk past our office or supporting our community, the Caledonian team is actively involved. Through our memberships in Kiwanis, Rotary, Murray Alliance Circle of Excellence, volunteering in Boy Scouts in 4-H, serving on a variety of boards and more, we stay connected to Murray County. This is Perry Beaumont, a Caledonian financial and historic downtown Columbia. - Securities and investment advisory services offered through NBC Securities Incorporated, member FINRA and SIPC. - Hello, my name is Connor Mims. My wife, Bradley and I live in Columbia, Tennessee and Riverside. I am a deck and porch builder and my wife is a second grade teacher at Riverside Elementary. My specialty is designing and building elegant and comfortable porches and decks. Let me work with you to design and build the portrait deck of your dreams. Give us a call today from our website, mimsmodernlanscape.com. That's mimsmodernlanscape.com and check out what we have to offer. Thanks. - This is Bob Kessel with Pat Ryan. It's a beautiful day for digging. The vacuole operator has the engine running and is moving into position. He's heading for the ground. He's in there. - Wait, there's a flag on the play. Let's go down to the field for the call from our official. - A legal procedure on the digging team. - Oh, that penalty could cause a costly accident. - That's right, Bob. He needs to call before he digs. There's underground utility lines that could be hiding just below the surface. Water, sewer, electrical, communication lines and even natural gas. - Avoid a penalty by first calling 8-1-1 to have any underground public utility lines located at marked with flags or paint. It's free, it's easy and it's the law. For more tips, visit pipesafety.org. This message brought to you by the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and the Tennessee Gas Association, funded in part by a grant from the Underground Utility Damage Enforcement Board. (upbeat music) - Welcome back to Southern Middle Tennessee today on WKOM 101.7 and WKRM 103.7, your hometown source for news and information. I'm Tom Price. And no news from around the state. Democratic candidate for Congress, Miriam Abel Fosley says she wants to be a voice for the voters who don't fit neatly into the box of a political party platform. A native Nashvilleian with a background in international economic development, she's challenging income at Republican U.S. Representative Andy Ogles to represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District because she wants to offer what she says is a more faithful, honorable representation. We have been neglected by everybody by both sides for at least 10 years, Abel Fosley said. "What we're trying to do here is talk to each other "and offer real representation for the first time "in a long time, especially in the gerrymandered parts "of the district," she said. The 5th Congressional District was once a Democratic stronghold encompassing all of Davidson County. But in 2021, Tennessee's Republican majority and the state legislature split Nashville into three congressional districts, all favoring the GOP. The new W-shaped 5th District now spans from Lebanon to Wilson County through Southern Davidson County and South across Williamson, Murray, Marshall and Lewis counties. It's a wide mix of urban, suburban and rural communities and includes some of Nashville's most diverse neighborhoods. Abel Fosley is seeking to beat gerrymandering through conversations and through votes, she says. She's put 20,000 miles on her car, driving to every corner of the district in recent months, seeking to connect with voters who feel their voices have been ignored. Abel Fosley was born in what was then Baptist Hospital two months after her parents emigrated from Iran. "I felt very much like a translator of worlds," she said of her upbringing. "Inside my home was a very powerful Iranian family, "very warm and very family oriented community, "and then outside was Nashville in the 80s and 90s," she said. She attended Nashville local schools before going to the London School of Economics where she holds a master's degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She's also worked with the Eurasia Foundation to spur economic development and close societies and former Soviet states as well as Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Returning to Nashville to raise her son in 2018, Abel Fosley became involved in the nonprofit Awake Tennessee, which works on women's and children's issues and join the Metro Human Relations Commission. Abel Fosley's campaign phone banks every Thursday evening and knocks doors on Sunday. She raised nearly $175,000 in the last quarter and has about $54,000 on hand to Ogle's $296,000, according to federal campaign finance disclosures. While she knows it's impossible to translate, I'm sorry to legislate to every single constituent's preferences, Abel Fosley's goal is to listen to as many people as she can, especially people who might disagree with her, she said. Let's take one last break. When we come back, we'll cover the final story of the day. You're listening to Southern Middle Tennessee today. - Turner and Osborne Tire Company 1016 South Main Street in Columbia, give a call at 931-388-6822. They've been doing business since 1947 and in their current location since 1964. They provide the best tire and mechanical work at some of the best prices in middle Tennessee. Hey, they're official Michelin and Goodyear dealers and they've got all kinds of brands as well. Stop by and see Walker Vining and his professional staff or check them out online at turner@osburn.com that's turner@osburn.com. - Looking for a physician? Choosing a healthcare provider for your family is one of the most important decisions you will make. Murray Regional Medical Group delivers primary care for individuals of all ages from newborns to adults and has an array of specialists ranging from endocrinologists to urologists. With locations in Murray, Lewis, Marshall and Wayne counties, our experience team can provide you with quality care close to home. For more information, visit murrayregionalmedicalgroup.com, Murray Regional Medical Group. Your health is our primary care. - This is Howlanders, owner of Landers Insurance Agency. We are independent agency representing the famous Erie Insurance Group. Landers Insurance Agency has been committed to providing great rates and great service since 2002. Whether it's home and auto or business or life insurance, we've got you covered. 24/7 in-house claim service, we've got that too. Visit Landers Insurance at 514 North Garden Street, Columbia. Call us at 931-380-2003. Our website is landersinsuranceagency.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. - Welcome back to Southern Middle Tennessee today and now our final story. The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville's beloved historic icon has been awarded two Michelin Keys by the 2024 Michelin Guide. The list of the most memorable hotels throughout the world. These select destinations are recognized for their excellence in design, architecture, service, personality, value for the price and their significant contribution to the guest experience in their particular setting. As only one of two key hotels in the state of Tennessee, the Hermitage Hotel epitomizes excellence in all five Michelin categories. The Hermitage Hotel was built in 1910 and designed by architect J.E.R. Carpenter, a Columbia Tennessee native, who also designed the Murray County Courthouse, among many other impressive buildings. You can learn more by visiting www.thehermitagehotel.com. That's all for this edition of Southern Middle Tennessee today on Kennedy Broadcasting, WKOM, WKRM Radio. I'll be back tomorrow to update you with the latest news. I'm Tom Price. Thanks for listening. Be safe and have a great day. (upbeat music)