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Students Help King’s Daughters’ School Secure $210,000 Energy Grant

Issue #727

May 13, 2026

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

☀️ Columbia’s Thursday Weather - Sunny w/ high of 74, low of 45

📰 Students Help King’s Daughters’ School Secure $210,000 Energy Grant

📰 TDOT to Accelerate 10-Year Plan with $400 Million State Investment

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

✨ Read This Week’s Local Spotlight 👉 For Women with Nowhere Left to Turn: How This Columbia Organization Is Changing Lives across Middle Tennessee

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

Students Help King’s Daughters’ School Secure $210,000 Energy Grant

Students at The King’s Daughters’ School turned everyday habits into a major win for their campus this year, helping secure a $210,000 energy-efficiency grant by lowering power use and reducing waste.

The Columbia school was awarded a top-level Building Energy Upgrade grant through the Tennessee Valley Authority’s School Uplift program, according to information released May 9 by Columbia Power & Water Systems. The funding will support significant improvements designed to make the campus more energy-efficient, comfortable and sustainable for students and staff.

Over the course of the school year, students participated in hands-on energy management training focused on reducing consumption and lowering utility costs. What started as a practical initiative grew into a schoolwide effort, complete with themed competitions, student-led awareness campaigns and creative reminders to conserve electricity. Their collective work ultimately helped earn the grant.

Programs like School Uplift are intended to help schools upgrade facilities without diverting resources away from the classroom. Since launching in 2021, TVA has distributed $13 million in grants across the region. Participating schools have seen average energy savings of nearly 10 percent annually through improved habits alone. Local utility leaders say the partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening schools while reducing long-term operating costs.

For KDS, the project provided more than financial support. It gave students a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the future of their own campus.

TDOT to Accelerate 10-Year Plan with $400 Million State Investment

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is thanking the General Assembly for dedicating $400 million in the state’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget to infrastructure improvements across the state.

State leaders say the investment will help modernize Tennessee’s transportation system, maintain existing infrastructure and move forward with long-planned road expansion projects. The new funding builds on billions already committed to transportation improvements in recent years and will be folded into TDOT’s updated 10-Year Plan.

Governor Bill Lee said the funding supports infrastructure improvements “all without raising taxes or new debt.” TDOT Commissioner Will Reid added that the department has delivered all promised projects in its 10-Year Plan for two consecutive years and will continue accelerating work across the state.

The $400 million one-time, non-recurring funds will be allocated as follows:

◦ $50 million for maintenance
◦ $150 million for Bridge Preservation Program
◦ Supporting 50 off-system (locally owned) bridge replacement projects named in the 2017 IMPROVE Act
◦ $200 million for capacity-adding projects

TDOT’s updated 10-Year Plan now includes 93 site-specific projects, including 22 newly added projects. Since the plan launched in FY24, the department has completed 48 capacity-adding projects totaling $2.73 billion in investment across Tennessee.

Each year, TDOT reevaluates the plan based on safety, congestion, preservation needs and economic impact to determine which projects move forward.

For more information about the plan and strategy, visit TDOT’s Build With Us website.

Upcoming Local Events

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

Thursday, May 14th

Friday, May 15th

Saturday, May 16th

Sunday, May 17th

👇 Click the Links to Learn About our Local Business Sponsors! 👇

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Thursday, May 14
Todd Ciprian - Tito’s, 6–9 PM
Austin Byrd - Whiskey Alley Saloon, 7:30–9 PM

Friday, May 15
Joey Sykes - The Spot Burgers & Beers, 5–8 PM
TBA - River Terrace, 6–8 PM
The Bird & The Bear - Buck & Board, 6–8 PM
Blue Velvet Jazz - American Barrel, 6–9 PM
Don McKinnon - Grinder’s Switch, 7–9 PM
Tom Saffell & Robert Johnson - McCreary’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 7–9 PM
Kenny & Bob Acoustic Duo - Puckett’s, 7:30–9 PM
Troy Castellano - Whiskey Alley Saloon, 7:30–9 PM
Glitz and Glory - Boondox, 8:00 PM
Black Hole Sons - Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 8–11 PM

Saturday, May 16
Grasskickers - Amber Falls Winery & Cellars, 3–7 PM
JanaRose & The DeadEnds - The Rebel Bar & Grill, 4 PM
TBA - River Terrace, 6–8 PM
Stevierock Acoustic Duo - McCreary’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 7–9 PM
Chris Fox - Twisted Copper, 7–8:30 PM
Curated Writers Round - The Bourbon Gospel, 7:30 PM
Melanie Dyer - Puckett’s, 7:30–9 PM
Down South Band - Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 8–11 PM
Chris Loggins - Twisted Copper, 8:30–10 PM

Sunday, May 17
The Cliftones - Amber Falls Winery & Cellars, 1–5 PM
Todd Ciprian - Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 2–5 PM
Maury County Community Band & Merchants of Cool - Ridley 4-H Center, 2 PM

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