A Vote Monday Night Will Shape the Duck River's Future for Generations

The Maury County Commission takes up the Crosswaters Reserve rezoning request June 15, the third major development attempt on the old Monsanto campus in four years.

COLUMBIA, On Monday evening, June 15, the Maury County Commission will convene at the Tom Primm Meeting Room at 6 Courthouse Square and take up one of the most consequential land use decisions in the county's recent history. The item on the agenda is listed as a rezoning request. What it actually represents, depending on who you ask, is either the county's best shot at economic revival or the most reckless gamble anyone has proposed with the Duck River since Monsanto itself left town in 1989.

The applicant is Crosswaters Reserve LLC, represented by the engineering firm Barge Design Solutions. The firm is seeking to rezone approximately 1,339 acres at 2200 New Highway 7 in Santa Fe, on the former Monsanto Chemical Company campus five miles northwest of downtown Columbia, between the Duck River and Williamsport Highway. The proposed development would include 1,313 residential units (975 single-family homes, 188 townhomes, and 150 multi-family units), along with 150,000 square feet of commercial space, a 36-hole golf course with a 25,000-square-foot clubhouse, and a 400-room hotel. The centerpiece would be Tailings Pond 15, a 325-acre body of water locals have long called Monsanto Lake, rebranded in the development plans as a recreational reservoir. The developer estimates a 20-year economic impact of $5.1 billion, the creation of 1,500 jobs, and tens of millions in development fees and tax revenue.

To understand what is being proposed, you have to understand what was here before. The Monsanto Chemical Company operated on this site for decades, mining phosphorus, manufacturing fertilizer, and for a period producing chemical warfare agents for the federal government. The plant closed in 1989 and left behind a federally designated Superfund site. Generations of Maury County families grew up with the stories: dead fish floating downstream, livestock that would not drink from the Duck, a river so polluted it took decades to recover. The properties remain subject to land use restrictions to this day. That the Duck River has since become one of the most biodiverse waterways in North America, home to roughly 50 native mussel species, is a testament to how hard that recovery was. The question before commissioners Monday is whether the land beside that river is ready for what Crosswaters is proposing.

This is the third major attempt to develop the old Monsanto site in recent years, and the same engineering firm now designing Crosswaters Reserve previously sought to put a landfill on the same property. In 2022, a Louisiana-based company called Trinity Business Group proposed a large-scale waste processing plant, tire shredding facility, and incinerator on the campus. Maury County residents packed the courthouse in unified opposition, and the commission voted 21-0 to adopt the Jackson Law, giving local government authority to block such facilities. Trinity's subsidiary Remedial Holdings sued the Marshall and Maury Municipal Solid Waste Planning Region Board in 2023, arguing the board rejected its landfill application without proper deliberation. Both parties presented final arguments to Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea L. Myles in Nashville in February 2026, and that case remains unresolved as commissioners prepare to vote Monday. The Crosswaters proposal arrives, in other words, not on cleared ground but on contested ground, with an active lawsuit still pending over the same acreage.

Maury County residents who want to make their voices heard should plan to attend Monday's meeting at 6 Courthouse Square. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. The Muletown Journal will publish a full follow-up report on what happens in that room.

Maury County Led Tennessee in Unemployment in April. The Number Is Temporary. The Vulnerability Is Not.

New state data puts Maury County's April unemployment rate at 6.1%, driven by the Ultium Cells shutdown, but the deeper story is about what happens when one employer can move an entire county's numbers.

COLUMBIA, The headline spread fast across social media last Thursday. Maury County recorded the highest unemployment rate in Tennessee in April at 6.1%, up a full percentage point from March, according to new data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Eighty-nine of the state's 95 counties reported rates below 5% for the same month. Lewis County came in second at 5.8%, followed by Perry County at 5.3%.

The cause is not a mystery. In January 2026, the Ultium Cells plant on Donald F. Ephlin Parkway in Spring Hill, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, paused battery cell production and laid off 710 workers. The shutdown was part of a broader GM retrenchment affecting facilities in Ohio and Michigan as well, triggered in large part by the elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicle purchases, which expired in the fall of 2025. An economics professor at Middle Tennessee State University noted at the time that the tax credit had created a rush of manufacturers to build in the United States, and when the incentive disappeared, EV demand softened and production schedules collapsed. The good news is that Spring Hill's chapter did not follow Ohio's: in March 2026, GM and LG announced a $70 million retooling of the Spring Hill facility to produce lithium-iron phosphate batteries for stationary energy storage systems, and recalled all 700 laid-off workers to begin the new production line in the second quarter. The April unemployment figure is a snapshot of the gap between those two chapters.

County Mayor Sheila Butt responded to the data by calling the rate temporary, pointing to a renegotiated agreement with GM in 2023 that she says holds the company to greater accountability and brings more revenue to the county. She also cited a broader three-year effort to diversify the economic base and attract higher-paying employers, noting that median household income has risen as a result. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual unemployment figure for Maury County in 2025 was 3.6%, close to the county's historical norm. The monthly figure is not seasonally adjusted, which makes it read harder than the annual picture. Her point is not wrong. But temporary does not mean unimportant.

Gabe Howard, who is running for county mayor, framed the concern this way: when one employer or one industry can move a countywide unemployment rate by a full percentage point in a single month, what the county needs is a broader and stronger economic strategy. A 2022 Oxford Economics report found that GM's operations in Maury County, including wages, supplier spending, and investment, supported more than 21,000 jobs and contributed a $3.3 billion GDP impact across Tennessee. That is a staggering number for a county of roughly 118,000 people, and it is both a blessing and a structural fragility. Maury County appeared at or near the top of Tennessee's unemployment rankings in December 2025 as well, a pattern that predates this particular retooling and will outlast it unless the county's economic foundation broadens. Both candidates are talking about that. The voters will decide this fall who they trust to do it.

Faith, Family, and Farming: Southern Ridge Farm Brings It All to the Counter

The Cannon family's multi-generational operation and Ridge butcher shop offer Maury County something increasingly rare: food you can trace back to the pasture and the people who tended it.

COLUMBIA, Walk into The Ridge butcher shop and the first thing that hits you is the smell. That clean, cold scent of a properly run meat counter, threaded with the faint sweetness of hickory smoke. Behind the glass case, cuts of beef and pork are arranged with the kind of care that only comes from people who raised the animals themselves, who know every pasture and every feed ration that went into what is now wrapped in butcher paper and ready for your Sunday table.

The Ridge is the retail face of Southern Ridge Farm, a multi-generational operation where the Cannon family has been working Maury County land and living out their faith for years. The farm runs on principles that predate industrial agriculture: rotational grazing, careful animal husbandry, and the conviction that stewardship of God's creation means doing things right even when shortcuts are available. When the family opened The Ridge, it was a natural extension of that mission. Locals will tell you the difference in flavor is undeniable, but what sets the operation apart goes deeper than the beef. It is the traceability. It is knowing that the person behind the counter will answer any question about where your food came from, and actually know the answer.

Southern Ridge offers custom butchering, a full range of cuts that rival any specialty grocer in Nashville, and the kind of personal attention where the staff remembers your family's preferences and might throw in a recipe suggestion on the way out. Whether you are picking up ground beef for a weeknight dinner or a roast for a holiday table, you are not simply a transaction. The Cannons have woven themselves into the fabric of Columbia and the surrounding community, treating every sale as an opportunity to love their neighbor in the most practical way possible: by providing honest food and honest service.

In a county where farming heritage runs deep but family farms grow scarcer with each passing season, Southern Ridge Farm stands as a reminder of what is still possible when faith meets hard work and a commitment to the land. Grandparents, parents, and children working side by side, each generation teaching the next not just how to raise livestock but why it matters. For Maury County residents who want to know their food came from good soil and good people, Southern Ridge is proof that the best things are still grown close to home. Find them and The Ridge butcher shop in Columbia.

Columbia Has a Baseball Team Again, and Dave Hall Field Is Ready

The Columbia Jumpin' Jacks opened their first season on June 4 with a win, bringing collegiate summer wood bat baseball back to the Columbia State campus.

COLUMBIA, There is a baseball team playing at Dave Hall Field this summer. College players, wood bats, evening light falling across the Columbia State campus, and tickets that cost less than a pizza. The Columbia Jumpin' Jacks are in their first season, and if you have not been out yet, you are missing something that does not come around every year.

The Jacks are part of the Volunteer State League, a collegiate summer wood bat league that places college players in communities across Tennessee while they develop their game between seasons. The name is new. The field is not. Dave Hall Field has seen plenty of baseball over the years, and this summer it has a team again, playing home games through the end of July. The Jacks opened on June 4 with a 7-6 win. Tickets run from five to twelve dollars. You can bring a blanket and a child and not spend much more than that.

The league's CEO, Alec Allred, said the organization looks for communities that value baseball, support local events, and take pride in their hometown identity. Columbia fit. It usually does. There is something about this county, about the kind of people who gather on a warm June evening with nowhere they have to be, that makes a baseball game feel like exactly the right use of a Tuesday night or a Saturday afternoon.

This is summer baseball the way it is supposed to work: young men far from home, playing for the love of it, in a town that has agreed to root for them. The Sandlot had a monster. Field of Dreams had a cornfield. Columbia has Hampshire Pike and the Duck River and a few legends still waiting to be written. All it needs is people in the bleachers. Home games run through July. Tickets and the full schedule are available at columbiajumpinjacks.com.

19 Vet Tech Graduates Pinned at Columbia State

Columbia State Community College honored its Spring 2026 veterinary technology class in a pinning ceremony, sending graduates into clinics, research centers, and beyond.

COLUMBIA, Columbia State Community College recently honored 19 veterinary technology program graduates in a pinning ceremony, marking the completion of one of only six accredited vet tech programs in the state of Tennessee. The ceremony celebrates students who have completed the full spectrum of veterinary clinical training, including pathology, radiology, surgical assisting, and hospital management.

Dr. Julie Anderson, Columbia State program director and assistant professor of veterinary technology, said the ceremony recognizes the hard work, compassion, and dedication the students showed throughout the program, and that the college is proud to welcome them into the veterinary medical profession. Dr. Kae Fleming, Columbia State dean of the Health Sciences Division, noted that licensed vet techs work in a wide range of settings including clinics, emergency hospitals, research centers, universities, pharmaceutical companies, ranches, parks, zoos, and aquariums.

Maury County graduates from the Spring 2026 class include Ella Barton, Carmaine Alderson, Avery Boulton, Zoe Love, and Kristine Wentworth. Graduates also came from Williamson, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, Dickson, Bedford, Rutherford, Coffee, and Limestone counties, as well as one graduate from Limestone County, Alabama, reflecting the regional reach of Columbia State's health sciences programs.

The veterinary technology program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree. Columbia State's program has long served students across Middle Tennessee and southern Middle Tennessee who might not otherwise have access to a rigorous, accredited path into the veterinary field. For more information, visit ColumbiaState.edu/VetTech.

Highland Realm Farm Opens the Gates Saturday for Its 8th Annual Blueberry Festival

A 153-acre Hampshire Pike farm under permanent conservation easement invites the community in this Saturday for music, berries, and a summer evening the way Maury County does it best.

HAMPSHIRE, This Saturday, Highland Realm Farm hosts its eighth annual Blueberry Festival, a summer tradition out on Hampshire Pike in the rolling country southwest of Columbia. The 153-acre farm has been in continuous agricultural use since the early 1800s, when it was owned by the McClanahan family. The current owner, Dr. Deanna Naddy, purchased it in 1974 and in 2011 placed it under a conservation easement with the Tennessee Land Trust, protecting it permanently from development. That kind of stewardship is harder and harder to find as pressure on Middle Tennessee farmland intensifies with every passing year.

The blueberries are pick-your-own through June and July, and the festival each summer is the farm's way of opening the gates and letting the community in. This year's event includes live music from 422 West, pick-your-own blueberries, a blueberry baking competition, a lemonade stand, food trucks, local vendors, horseback riding, creek wading, face painting, a kids' zone, and a giant inflatable water slide. Admission is five dollars.

The festival runs from 3 in the afternoon to 8 in the evening. Bring shoes that can handle a farm, towels for the creek, and a little room in your schedule to slow down for a few hours. It is the kind of summer afternoon Maury County still does particularly well, and the kind of event that reminds residents what makes this corner of Tennessee worth protecting in the first place.

Highland Realm Farm is located at 4443 Hampshire Pike, Hampshire, TN 38461. Saturday, June 13, 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Admission is $5. Full details are available at visitcolumbiatn.com.

Commercial Fire Brings Long Night for Maury County and Columbia First Responders

Multiple agencies responded to a commercial structure fire at what the Maury County Fire Department called 'a staple in our community.'

COLUMBIA, Multiple fire and emergency response agencies worked through the night recently after Columbia Fire and Rescue responded to a reported commercial structure fire at a business the Maury County Fire Department described as a staple in the community. The Maury County Fire Department joined the response alongside other area agencies, and in a post following the incident praised the hard work of all agencies involved.

The department did not specify the exact location or name of the business, but its statement expressed hope that the affected establishment would be able to come back stronger than ever. The response involved coordinated effort across multiple agencies, reflecting the kind of mutual aid and professional commitment that Maury County's fire and emergency services bring to every call, regardless of the hour.

Maury County Fire Department personnel have been active on multiple fronts in recent weeks. Separately, members of the department recently traveled to North Carolina for a heavy vehicle stabilization and rescue class, training on assessing heavy loads and proper stabilization and lifting techniques based on load calculations. The department credited the Gary Simon organization for facilitating that training opportunity.

No injuries were reported in the department's public statement regarding the commercial fire. The Muletown Journal will continue to follow this story as more details become available. Residents with information are encouraged to follow the Maury County Fire Department's official Facebook page for updates.

Columbia State Announces Spring 2026 Honor Lists: 123 on President's List, 658 on Dean's List

Columbia State Community College recognizes hundreds of students for academic excellence during the Spring 2026 semester.

COLUMBIA, Columbia State Community College has announced its academic honor lists for the Spring 2026 semester, with 123 students named to the President's List and 658 students named to the Dean's List. The recognition spans students from across the college's service area, which stretches from Maury County through much of Middle Tennessee.

To qualify for the President's List, students must earn 15 credit hours in a semester with a grade point average between 3.90 and 4.00. The Dean's List requires 12 or more credit hours with a GPA of 3.50 or higher. Columbia State President Dr. Janet F. Smith said students who achieve academic excellence at this level deserve to be recognized, noting that many of them are maintaining a high level of performance while also managing jobs, families, and extracurricular obligations. She called that level of commitment outstanding.

The full lists include students from Maury County and surrounding communities, representing a broad cross-section of working adults, recent high school graduates, and career changers who have chosen Columbia State as their path forward. The college on Hampshire Pike has long served as the educational anchor for this region, offering pathways into health sciences, business, technology, and the trades without requiring students to leave the county.

The complete Spring 2026 President's and Dean's List rosters are available at ColumbiaState.edu.