Online Gripes Put Tennessee in the Pothole Spotlight

Issue #010

27 Feb

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

📆 List of Upcoming Events

⛈ Columbia Weather - Scattered thunderstorms with a high of 76

⚠️ Online Gripes Put Tennessee in the Pothole Spotlight

📰 Maury County Legislators Tackle Education & Taxes at Annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast

⚾️ Tennessee Baseball Secures Sweep with Victory over UAlbany

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details! 

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

February 27th

February 28th

February 29th

March 1st

March 2nd

March 9th

March 12th

Online Gripes Put Tennessee in the Pothole Spotlight

Credit: City Bred

City Bred, a travel design brand, utilized geotagged Twitter data to develop a map that revealed Tennessee as the state with the highest number of online complaints about potholes. The comprehensive analysis covered over 200,000 tweets to identify patterns and trends in online discussions about potholes.

The construction of the map involved monitoring tweets, hashtags, and specific keywords or phrases associated with potholes and road condition issues linked to potholes. Examples of tracked terms include "potholes," "#potholes," "pothole problem," "too many potholes," and "huge pothole," among others. 

The top 10 states with the most complaints:

  1. Tennessee

  2. Indiana

  3. Arkansas

  4. Kansas

  5. Vermont

  6. Nebraska

  7. Kentucky

  8. Iowa

  9. New Hampshire

  10. Missouri

Maury County Legislators Tackle Education & Taxes at Annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast

Credit: Columbia Breakfast Rotary FB page

Education and taxes took center stage at this year's State Eggs & Issues breakfast, an annual event hosted by the Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance. Elected officials, including State Sen. Joey Hensley and State Rep. Scott Cepicky, engaged in discussions about bills, tax policies, and the progress of the General Assembly.

With Maury County's ongoing growth, the discussion touched on the pressing need for infrastructure development and funding sources. Cepicky highlighted progress, securing $200 million for widening U.S. Highway 31 in Spring Hill, while other projects, like Bear Creek Pike in Columbia, await funding approval. An initiative to allocate half of the real estate transfer tax to Maury County, potentially generating $7-$8 million annually, was proposed to support schools and infrastructure. Additionally, there's a push for an impact fee on new construction to fund county projects.

A proposed legislation capping annual property tax increases at 2% raised concerns about its potential impact on high-growth counties like Maury. Cepicky emphasized that if needed, the County Commission could present a case to the public for exceeding the 2% limit, subject to a referendum.

The discussion delved into education, focusing on the state's literacy rate and the effects of the third-grade retention law. Despite improvements, concerns remain as Tennessee's literacy rate stands at 40%. Cepicky emphasized the urgency of addressing literacy issues, highlighting the need for hard data to measure growth.

Governor Bill Lee's proposed Education Freedom Scholarship Act, aiming to provide school vouchers to low-income households, sparked debate. The proposal includes potential impacts on school funding, with 10,000 vouchers open to students regardless of household income. Both Hensley and Cepicky stressed the importance of parental choice but acknowledged the need for thorough debate and committee evaluation.

To address concerns, Cepicky proposed a system where participating private schools must submit grades and test results to a third party, ensuring accountability and tracking academic progress. For public schools, efforts are underway to limit testing in grades K-12, freeing up instructional time.

The overarching goal, according to Cepicky, is to fight for what's best for Maury County, focusing on education, infrastructure, and responsible fiscal policies.

Tennessee Baseball Secures Series Sweep with Victory over UAlbany

Tennessee's No. 7/9 baseball team wrapped up an undefeated week with a dominant 12-0 run-rule victory over UAlbany, completing a series sweep at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Sunday. The Vols (7-1) showcased their pitching prowess by allowing only one hit for the second time in the week. Employing a rotation of five different pitchers, Tennessee recorded its second shutout of the season.

Pitcher Zander Sechrist set a positive tone for the Vols with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings. He was succeeded by sophomore right-hander Nate Snead, who continued the impressive pitching performance with three strikeouts in 2.2 shutout, hitless innings, securing his second win of the season.

The trio of Kirby Connell, Andrew Behnke, and Derek Schaefer closed out the game, combining for the final 2.1 innings to maintain the shutout. Tennessee's relief pitchers demonstrated their effectiveness by retiring the first 13 batters they faced and an impressive 15 of 16 overall in the game.