Front Porch Radio - Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price
Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 6-25-24
(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 Tuesday, June 25th, and we start with Local News. 11 members of a drug trafficking conspiracy pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances in middle Tennessee. According to United States Attorney, Henry C. LaVentez for the Middle District of Tennessee. Seven of the 11 hail from Columbia. The seven are Devontae Holt, age 30, who pled guilty on April 8th. Kyrie McLean, 21, who pled guilty on May 17th. Ethan Kimes, 22, who pled guilty on May 29th. Johari Armstrong, 22, who pled guilty on May 29th. Jaden Armstrong, 22, who pled guilty on May 29th. And Tristan Orr, who pled guilty on June 17th. And Cortez Duncan, 36. Also of Columbia, pled guilty on June 18th. The remaining four hailed from California. According to charging and plea documents, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, we're investigating the distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana, and counterfeit fentanyl-laced oxycodone tablets with the inscription M30, which were being shipped from the Santa Rosa, California area to Tennessee and more than a dozen other states. Subsequent investigation, including surveillance and the review of social media sites and mobile payment records, identified members of the Drug Distribution Network, law enforcement officers in Columbia, Tennessee, executed several search warrants of the defendant's residences, and recovered loaded firearms and blue tablets inscribed M30. On July 25th of 2022, Homeland Security agents seized a package from a UPS door in Sebastopol, California, which was destined for Nashville. This package contained thousands of counterfeit fentanyl-laced oxycodone M30 tablets weighing over two kilograms. The package also contained more than eight pounds of methamphetamine. On August 9th of 2022, HSI agents intercepted two additional packages from the Santa Rosa area, which were destined for residences in Nashville. One package contained 472 grams of the counterfeit fentanyl-laced oxycodone M30 tablets, and the other package contained approximately four pounds of methamphetamine. The defendants will be sentenced before a United States District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. in the spring of 2025, four of the Californian, and two from Columbia, McLean and Duncan, face up to life imprisonment and a $10 million fine. Holt, Orr, Kimes, Johari Armstrong, and Jaden Armstrong face up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the US Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency, and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant US attorneys Ahmed Safioula and Rachel Stevens are prosecuting the case. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter and OP Mobility, formerly Plastic Omnium, officials announced on Monday that the company will undergo a $3 million expansion at its Spring Hill plant. The Sustainable Mobility Company's expansion will create 186 new jobs, up from just 18, currently in Murray County and 568 across the state, contributing to the automotive industry, according to the announcement. OP Mobility, headquartered in France, is a global family-led group with 152 plants across 28 countries. The company has operated in Tennessee since 2015 with locations in Chattanooga, Smyrna, Spring Hill, and Hendersonville. Officials say the project is a new opportunity for OP mobility to expand its product offerings for customers and further support electric vehicle production lines, according to the announcement. Tennessee has earned a worldwide reputation for being one of the best places to do business, not just in the US, but across the globe. I'm grateful that OP Mobility has chosen to expand its operations and welcome more jobs and greater opportunity for Tennesseans, said Governor Bill Lee. Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said, "We're excited for OP Mobility to expand its Spring Hill plant. It's clear that the automotive industry is booming in Tennessee, and today's announcement is the latest example. We always appreciate foreign investment in the state, and brands like OP Mobility help strengthen our reputation for being a state-friendly to those businesses outside our borders," he said. Since 2020, the Tennessee Economic and Community Development Department has supported approximately 15 economic development projects in Murray County, resulting in more than 3,500 job commitments and nearly $5 billion in capital investments. Commissioner McWhorter said the expansion is further evidence of the automotive boom in Tennessee. Murray County alone is home to the largest General Motors plant in North America located in Spring Hill, which is also the location of the multi-billion dollar Altium cells battery plant, which supplies batteries for the Cadillac SUV Lyric, manufactured at GM Spring Hill. OP Mobility is excited by the new challenges given by the overall mobility transformation in the automotive industry. "We are proud to pursue our engagement and industrial excellence in Tennessee with one of the top OEM in-vehicle electrification," said Xavier Morrie, OP Mobility Operations Director. "I am proud to help announce that OP Mobility is expanding its operations into Murray County," said Senator Joey Hensley. "The 186 jobs will be a great boost to the local economy, and I look forward to seeing the company succeed," he said. "Whether to support state-funded scholarships for students to attend private schools has become a pivotal issue on the campaign trail, as Republican primaries for the Tennessee legislature kick into high gear. Governor Bill Lee has pledged to bring back a school choice bill during the next legislative session, despite a failure to coalesce support around the idea this year." With campaigning for the August 1 primary underway, high-ranking Republicans in the state continue a push to build support for a statewide universal school choice program, and stump for pro voucher allies. Meanwhile, special interest groups are knocking doors in an effort to move them needle among voters and bolster support for pro voucher candidates. But a set of challengers, seeking to topple pro voucher incumbents, demonstrates that the idea of publicly funded private school vouchers is not universally accepted among Republicans, particularly in rural areas of the state. The upcoming Republican primary is likely to become a referendum on the issue, as dissatisfaction with incumbent positions on school choice, whether in support or opposition, is among the issues that have driven several challengers to run. "We've got to stand up to them now," said Justin Spurlock, a history teacher and father of two from Burns, Tennessee, who is challenging six term incumbent representative Mary Littleton, a Republican from Dixon. As a teacher, Spurlock said he has heard from many people in the district, from school board members to his neighbors, who don't support the voucher proposal, and he feels Littleton's support for the measure didn't represent the wishes of his district. Knowing Governor Lee would likely be supporting Littleton, Spurlock decided to launch a bid, quote, "before it's too late," unquote. Lee's proposal this year did not come to any committee on which Littleton sits, she voted for the governor's education savings accounts school choice voucher program in 2019, Americans for Prosperity Action, a group that engaged heavily on the issue last spring, has endorsed Littleton. And earlier this month, House Speaker Cameron Sexton named Littleton a legislator of the year at the Tennessee Republican Party's annual statesman's dinner fundraiser. In announcing her re-election bid, Littleton touted her support for children and parents votes to raise teacher pay and improve school safety. "I'm seeking re-election to promote public safety, strengthen our economic our economy rather, and improve education," she said in announcing her bid for another two-year term. Littleton did not respond to a request for comments specifically on the voucher issue. Instead of funding a voucher program, Spurlock said the state should invest those dollars into public schools and boost teacher pay. "I would never say somebody can't opt the kid out of public school. I'm just saying why do I, as a taxpayer, have to pay for two systems? It just seems like we're paying for something twice. It seems like it's a burden on taxpayers," Spurlock told the Tennessean. "I'm a person who believes in fiscal responsibility, limited government, and low taxes," he said. In his experience as a teacher, Spurlock said no matter how a proposed voucher program may be funded, students leaving the public school system will erode funding for existing schools and programs, which is allocated at the state level on a per-student basis. "I work at a school, so I kind of know how this works. You have general education, the things that you have to take to be able to get a high school diploma in Tennessee, and then you have electives. And some people may like, maybe, may feel like maybe they're not all that important. Music classes, drama, criminal justice is a big one in our school," Spurlock said. "Those kind of programs are not required for graduation, so if we start losing funding at $100,000 per 10 or 15 students and enough students, we might not be able to provide those extras," he said. He said that could eventually separate the rich from the poor, creating a two-tiered system, separating families who can afford private schools from those who can't, even with a voucher. "Now my kids who don't have the opportunity to go to a private school, they're stuck at a public school, but now they don't do choir. They can't do band. They can't do criminal justice. All these programs that they could have been doing before they started taking our tax dollars out," he said. Here in Murray County, Ray Jeter, who runs a construction company in Columbia, is challenging Representative Scott Sapicki, who co-sponsored Lee's voucher bill in the house and played a key role in shepherding it through the legislature this spring. Alongside Sapicki's advocacy for school choice, he has championed autonomy for homeschool students, who turned out in droves at the state Capitol to oppose Lee's voucher proposal. Sapicki was caught in a recording this spring saying that his goal with the public school system is to quote, "throw the whole freaking system in the trash," unquote. Sapicki said he will continue to support expanding school choice options next year. "I have spoken to many parents in my district and most parents want the option of being able to remove their kids from a public school that is not meeting their students' needs and put them into another alternative," Representative Sapicki told the Tennessean in a text message. Representative Sapicki noted the house version would have reduced testing and evaluation for teachers and increased maintenance funding and insurance benefits for teachers in order to allow it to go back to the way it used to be of teachers' teaching and students' learning, he said. "We are very close to creating the system that we all want in K through 12 education in Tennessee," Sapicki said. "The system we currently have is failing our teachers and our students." While it wasn't a primary issue that spurred his candidacy, Jeter said he supports the concept of school choice, himself a product of both public and private schools, but any expansion of choice programs Jeter said would need to keep private and homeschoolers protected from government involvement. "I am fundamentally for school choice," Jeter said, noting the high number of students in Murray County are not enrolled in public schools, "but I think private education has to remain private. My only fear is that if we start moving funds from public education into private, that soon thereafter, government regulations are coming," he said. The City of Columbia has announced that the free parking lot directly behind City Hall will reopen to the public on Monday, July 1. A small handful of parking spaces near the Columbia Police Department will remain closed temporarily to allow for the completion of additional repairs. The City of Columbia downtown parking garage remains under construction after the completion date originally set for June was delayed by one month. The three-hour parking enforcement downtown will also resume on July 1. The Athenaeum, one of Columbia's premier historic sites, will be hosting the annual membership meeting and Bean Supper and Auction this Saturday, June 29. At the Athenaeum Rectory, located at 808 Athenaeum Street in Columbia. Supper begins at five, followed by the meeting and auction. There will be many items to choose from, so please join us and help with the upkeep of the historic Athenaeum Rectory. Join the well outreach on July 4 at Summit High School on in Spring Hill for an action-packed day of fun in support of your local food pantry. Lace up your shoes and choose from a timed 5k or color fun run complete with a foam pit. There is a one-mile turnaround option for those young ones who still want to get in on the fun. Not a runner but still want to support the well? Hop for the sleep-in option and still grab some awesome event merchandise. Plus don't miss the bicycle stroller parade, hosted by Spring Hill Parks and Recreation, which is perfect for the whole family. Come and be a part of this unforgettable event as we run for hunger in Middle Tennessee. Sign up today as spots will fill up fast. You can sign up at www.thewelloutreach.org. Your participation can make a difference to help feed families in need in Middle Tennessee. Join the breakfast rotary, noon rotary and Kiwanis of Columbia for the 10th anniversary of the club's 4th of July celebration. The clubs will be sponsoring this free event on Thursday July 4th at the Kiwanis Shelter located in Murray County Park. We honor citizens that day that have done just an outstanding job for our community. noon rotary member George Vrylis said, adding that three such citizens will be receiving a great American service above self-award. The honoring ceremony will be at 8.30 a.m. and the kids bike parade will follow at 9.15 a.m. Everyone comes out in their colors red, white and blue and decorations and just has a good time, Vrylis said. He said that everyone is welcome. Bikes are for the younger children like elementary school kids and if they need help decorating their bikes, decorating their bikes, ribbons will be provided. In years past, along with the bikes, Vrylis said that children have been in wagons and strollers and dogs have also been in a parade that begins at the Kiwanis Shelter located next to the kids kingdom and goes around the back of the playground and ends back where it started. Along with the ceremony and parade, there will also be a children's essay contest on what the 4th of July means to them, Vrylis said. There will be free drinks and snacks for children and they are also invited to participate in other activities like face painting and caricatures as well. Vrylis included that the event is intended to give honor to our veterans and local community heroes that have served our community well and to inspire patriotism in our youth. The celebration is expected to wrap up by 1130. The Murray County Democratic Party announced there will be a debate on Monday, July 8th at 6 p.m. between two Democratic candidates running for the Tennessee State House of Representatives in District 64. The event will be held at Macedonia Recreation Center located at 501 Armstrong Street in Columbia and is open to the public. It will begin at 6 p.m. and will last approximately one hour. Eileen Longstreet and Alex Pierce will participate with Justin Knue of the Tennessee Haller Moderating. Alex Pierce is from Columbia and Eileen Longstreet is from Spring Hill. House District 64 includes the eastern part of Murray County. The seat is currently held by Representative Scott Sippicki. James Dallas, the Murray County Democratic Party Chair said, "We are excited to offer voters in House District 64 an opportunity to learn more about our candidates," he said. And now your hometown memorials sponsored by Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. Mrs. Kathleen Fay Aiken Coates, born in Columbia, passed away on May 20th at the age of 85. A memorial service will be held at Riverside United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. on June 29th. The family will visit with friends prior to the service at the church. A private internment will be held at Pope Memorial Gardens, Mausoleum. Gary Oliver of Columbia and a native of West Virginia passed away at the age of 80. Gary was a member of the Grand Mayor Church of Christ. No services are scheduled at this time. Oakes and Nichols Funeral Directors are assisting the family with arrangements. Barbara Ann Head Duvall, 76, retired educator for Murray County Schools in a resident of Columbia, died Thursday, June 21st at her residence. Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, June 29th at 2 p.m. at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home, with James Anderson and her son, Jason Duvall, officiating. Barry will follow in Hardison Cemetery on Joe Brown Road. The family will visit with friends on Saturday from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. at the Funeral Home. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. hometown 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 and 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 offer 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 weather today. Then a few clouds will roll in later in the day. It's going to be a hot one with a high of 96 degrees. Winds will be light and variable. Tonight we can expect a few clouds and a low of 71. 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 grew up and lives in beautiful Coolumbia, Tennessee. As a realtor, she is well versed in homes, neighborhoods, development, and schools. She wants to share her love of her home state with others to help them find just the right place to raise a family, open a business, or develop a dream. From luxury listings to land, she can handle it all. She is the current leading producer, Nashville Realty Group contact Debbie Matthews Realtor at 615-476-3224. That's 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. Are you thinking about a new fence? Maybe you need a pole bar. Then you should give Sands Fence Company a call that's 931-309-1644. Will Sands has built his business based on the principles of honesty, quality, and integrity. Sands Fence Company has been in business for over 20 years, providing a community with farm, residential, and commercial fencing, as well as pole barns and buildings. Call today for a free estimate. Sands Fence Company 931-309-1644, 931-309-1644. 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. This is Trey Hancock with Dixie Equipment, Sales and Rental. We sell ASV and Wacker Nordstrom equipment. We also rent a wide variety of compact equipment in the Middle Tennessee area. Come see us. We are located in Columbia, Tennessee at 200 East 16th Street. You can call us at 615-969-01-18 or visit our website at www.dixiediesel.com. We have been in business for over 42 years and we would love to help you turn your project into reality. 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 or contact us at 931-490-8183. This is Bob Kessel with Pat Ryan. It's a beautiful day for digging. The backhoe 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 plane. Let's get out of 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. 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 now news from around the state. Dale McInnity has been turning over rocks in Mill Creek to study the endangered Nashville crayfish for a decade. He hopes to learn whether this little crustacean that makes its home mainly in the urbanized area around its namesake city is being harmed by all the developments surrounding it. "The results are encouraging. Things are looking good so far," said McInnity, who works at the Nashville Zoo as curator of ectotherms or cold-blooded creatures. "It's been really nice, maybe steady or slightly increasing population over those 10 years," he said. But that good news is also potentially bad news. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the Nashville crayfish from the endangered species list in 2019. And that proposal is still being considered. A healthy and robust population could add to the pressure to remove it. But some biologists argue the Nashville crayfish still needs protection because species with very small ranges are more vulnerable to extinction for a variety of reasons. McInnity credits the current healthy population to recent changes in stormwater regulations, runoff from parking lots, building and other hard services now drains to bioretention areas where it is slowly reabsorbed into the ground. The old guidelines, it was just all a whole bunch of impervious services that ran to the storm drains that went right to the creek. So that means there's huge flooding. There's huge amounts of oil and other toxins that get into the water," he said. On Tuesday, McInnity and a crew from the zoo were at Mill Creek for their annual population survey. Sycamores and maple trees shaded the shallow rippling water filled with the flat limestone rocks that crayfish loved to hide under. It did not take long before the group began spotting them. One of the things that makes the Nashville crayfish unique, McInnity said is that they will hang out in areas in broad daylight during the summer months. Most crayfish, also called crawfish or crawdads, depending on the region, are primarily active at night. The behavior seems as though it would make them vulnerable to predators and why they do it is one of the many mysteries scientists have yet to study, he said. The Nashville crayfish is also unusually sociable, he said, noting that he has found upwards of 60 together under a single rock. There's still a lot to be learned about Nashville crayfish and actually all crayfish, McInnity 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. Good will 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 and Osborne.com. That's Turner and Osborne.com. Looking for a physician? Choosing a health care 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. Have you ever wondered if your insurance needs can be personalized? This is Hunter Carey. Our team specializes in planning your insurance needs to get you the best possible solution. State Farm is the largest home and auto insurer in the country. I love bringing that to my hometown. Born and raised in Columbia, I'm grateful for our close community ties. We offer help with home, auto, and life insurance for everyone in our community. Our office is located at 909 South Garden Tree across from the fire station. We're also in line at huntercarry.com. That's Hunter C-A-R-Y dot com. Welcome back to Southern Middle Tennessee today and our final story. It's race week in Wilson County as the National Super Speedway plays host of three action-packed events on the 1.33 mile D-shaped oval. Temperatures figure to be hot as the race is hot as the racing while fans take in the Craftsman Truck Series, Rackley Roofing 200 on Friday. The Examinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250 on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 Sunday afternoon. The largest concrete only track in NASCAR, National Super Speedway, is owned by Speedway Motorsports. You can learn more by visiting www.nationalsuperspeedway.com. That's all for this edition of Southern Middle Tennessee today on WKOM, WKRM radio. If you ever miss a part or all of this broadcast, you can listen to it anytime or read the transcript online by visiting frontportsradiotn.com. 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. [Music]