Looking back at 2022

Dec. 29—As time goes by, we look back at the events that have taken place and how that they have shaped us.

In the looking back, it helps us to better be able to move forward, learning from the successes and failures that have occurred.

We also often have a greater appreciation for the place that we're currently at due to seeing what we've been able to experience and endure.

So, we hope that you — our readers — enjoy our glance back at some of the top events that took place in Wilson County over the past year. We'll begin in this edition by looking at the months of January through March, followed by each of the following three months in our ensuing three editions.

JANUARY

COVID-19 closes Lebanon schools for a week

The Lebanon Special School District closed for a week in early January in response to the high number of positive COVID-19 cases reported after the 2021 holidays.

Announced on Jan. 4, the schools closed until Jan. 10. This was the highest seven-day average of new cases in the county since March of 2020.

There were 32,000 positive cases confirmed at the time of the early 2022 spike.

Staffing crisis significantly impacts WEMA

More than 20 Wilson County Emergency Management Agency (WEMA) personnel, mostly paramedics and advanced emergency medical technicians, vacated positions over the course of 2021.

As a result of the shortages, WEMA administration had to get creative to improvise coverage in the county's emergency stations. At times, that led to some stations being closed as resources were consolidated in an attempt to meet the demands on the county.

According to the agency director (Joey Cooper), 41 individuals are needed for each shift to be considered fully-staffed. In reality, the shifts were running at that time with 28 individuals, and which included 3-6 weekly overtime requests. The county's 48-hour overtime rule means that any additional overtime had to be approved by the agency director.

Stations in Statesville and Norene were closed during periods of time, but WEMA Deputy Director and Fire Chief Jeremy Hobbs indicated that all areas were covered at all times by other stations.

Organizations were awaiting a pay study at the time to figure out their next course of action in an attempt to acquire and retain staff.

REI Co-op announces distribution center in Lebanon

It was announced that REI Co-op was planning to build a 400,000-square-foot distribution center on 41 acres of land in Lebanon, which is expected to result in 280 jobs.

It will be the fourth distribution center for REI, along with centers in Bedford, Pennsylvania; Goodyear, Arizona; and Sumner, Washington.

The Lebanon distribution facility is expected to be operational by the fall of 2023, and it is being built to provide for and replenish 70 stores on the East Coast, in the Midwest and in the South and to fulfill online purchases as well.

REI — which is based in Seattle, Washington — was established in 1938 and has 174 stores across 41 states and the District of Columbia.

REI arrived in Tennessee when the Brentwood store opened in 1999, and at that time, it had more than 267,000 lifetime members in Tennessee. The other retail locations in-state include Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Pigeon Forge, with REI currently employing more than 300 individuals in Tennessee.

Lead election official retires

Phillip Warren retired from the Wilson County Election Commission after more than 11 years as its lead official. His assistant, Tammy Smith took over as Wilson County Administrator of Elections after his departure.

Since Warren began his tenure with the commission, 30,000 new voters registered in Wilson County, and ballots transitioned from paper to electronic.

Before Warren's departure, Wilson County was the only county in Tennessee with two certified election administrators running its department.

Former WCHS, LHS assistant football coach found dead

Maurice Grooms — a former long-time assistant coach at Wilson Central High School and Lebanon High — was found dead near his vehicle in the parking lot at Stewarts Creek High School, where he worked as strength coach, assistant football coach and physical education teacher.

It is believed he was at the Smyrna school to work out, according to reports, and that his death was the result of a medical incident, pending the results of a routine exam.

Grooms, 50, was a Lebanon native who played in the defensive line for the Mark Medley-coached Blue Devil teams of the late 1980s. Following his 1989 graduation, he played collegiately at Lambuth University and Western Kentucky University.

Grooms coached the defensive line at Lebanon from 2002-04 prior to serving as the defensive line/strength coach for six seasons at Wilson Central.

FCS girls bowling repeats as state champions

The Friendship Christian School girls bowling team rolled to its second consecutive Division II state title with a 20-3 victory over Boyd-Buchanan at Smyrna Bowling Center.

It was the Lady Commanders fourth state title over five seasons.

FCS finished 17-0, which was also its second consecutive unbeaten campaign. The program has reached the state tournament for eight consecutive seasons and has reached the final six straight years.

The win gave Friendship's three seniors a five-year record (including eighth grade) of 73-5 record and four state titles.

Four of the Lady Commanders six starters will return, including junior Olivia VanHooser (who had a 208 average for the three-match tournament).

Legendary coach moves to broadcast booth

It was announced that former Cumberland University head baseball coach Woody Hunt Hunt would serve as a color analyst alongside play-by-play man Randy Sallis for some of the 47 Phoenix games.

Hunt's son, Ryan Hunt, succeeded Woody Hunt as the Cumberland head coach after Hunt retired following the 2021 season.

Hunt was with the program for 43 years, 41 as the head coach, and compiled a 1,630-774-5 overall record, including 1,569-748-5 as a four-year institution. Cumberland won three national championships (2004, 2010, 2014) and finished as the national runner-up in 1995 and 2006.

Hunt was named the Rawlings National Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2010 and has been elected to six halls of fame, including the Cumberland Sports Hall of Fame, the Boyle County (Kentucky) Baseball Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and the American Baseball Coaches' Association Hall of Fame.

Mt. Juliet officer involved in fatal standoff

A standoff that brought traffic to a halt in both directions ended in with a man shot and killed on Jan. 27 on Interstate 65.

An off-duty Mt. Juliet police officer, Fabian Llukaj, was involved in the standoff and shooting and was placed on administrative leave alongside six Nashville officers.

Officers pleaded with Landon Eastep, 37, of Nashville, who can be seen in released body-cam footage holding an object reported to be a box cutter.

After Eastep didn't respond to police requests for surrender, nine of the officers who surrounded him at gunpoint opened fire.

Former lead election official runs for Wilson County mayor

A month after Wilson County Administrator of Elections Phillip Warren retired from the election commission, he announced his intention to run for county mayor.

Warren said that his retirement had "nothing to do" with his decision to run against incumbent Randall Hutto.

Warren ran as a Republican candidate.

Pickler returns to lead Lebanon High volleyball program

Watertown High assistant coach Brooke Pickler was hired in late January as the head volleyball coach at Lebanon High.

Pickler played four seasons for the Lady Devils under Adrienne Dotson, who resigned last fall to go into administration with Metro Nashville Public Schools. After her 2015 graduation from LHS, Pickler played two years at Gulf Coast (Florida) State before transferring to and playing at the University of Pikeville (Kentucky), where she obtained an accounting degree in 2019.

She returned to Lebanon as an assistant to Dotson for a year before going to Watertown as an assistant to Stephanie Harman in 2020.

Pickler led the Lady Devils to a 21-10 record, district and regional tournament titles, and a berth in the Class AAA State Tournament in October.

FEBRUARY

Former Mt. Juliet Principal passes away

Former Mt. Juliet High School Principal Mel Brown died on Feb. 7 and left behind a legacy that touched many lives throughout the community.

Brown was a Tennessee State Hall of Fame baseball coach from years at McGavock High School in Nashville before he began his time at Mt. Juliet High School in 2004.

Before he retired, Brown travelled to Washington D.C. to represent Tennessee as principal of the year.

The current MJHS principal, Beverly Sharpe, was hired as an assistant principal by Brown, and said that he was beloved by members of the student body, who Sharpe said called his expressions "Brown-isms."

Manufacturing facility to bring jobs to Wilson County

Tritium, a leader in electric vehicle-charging industry, announced that its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility will be in Lebanon.

The new plant is slated to bring more than 500 jobs to Wilson County.

Over the previous five years, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has supported more than 15 economic development projects in Wilson County, resulting in approximately 5,000 job commitments and $1 billion in capital investment.

The plant will be located on Toshiba Drive in Lebanon and is expected to house up to six production lines. Estimates for created jobs indicate a five-year timetable to fulfill.

Vacant principal positions filled

Wilson County Schools announced the addition of two new principals to the district on Feb. 11 after principals of West Wilson Middle School and Elzie Patton Elementary School tendered resignation in January.

To fill those vacancies, Wilson County Schools hired Dr. Deante Alexander to lead WWMS and Dr. Mary Holland to take over at EPES.

Alexander has been an educator since 2009 and worked in the Metro Nashville Public School system, where he served as freshman academy principal and as academy principal for Antioch High School's Academy of Engineering and Automotive Technology.

Holland's educational background stretches across multiple continents and curriculum. She's worked in private schools, public schools, Title 1 schools and English-learner (EL) schools.

Green Hill, Wilson Central have girls basketball coaches depart

Two girls basketball coaches — Green Hill's Cherie Abner and Wilson Central's Erica Wilson — were no longer with their programs after their seasons ended.

Abner — who was the Lady Hawks' first head coach — resigned after her team fell to Station Camp in the first round of the region. She led Green Hill to its first district championship with upsets of Lebanon and then-unbeaten Cookeville in the District 9-4A Tournament.

Wilson was relieved of her duties following a 3-22 campaign and a first-round loss to Mt. Juliet in the District 9-4A Tournament.

Wilson compiled a 22-53 record in three years at the helm of the Lady Wildcat program, with her first team finishing 16-13 and reaching the Region 5-AAA Tournament.

Lawsuit filed against judicial commission director

For the second time in less than four months, Wilson County faced a lawsuit concerning its judicial commission director, Lisa Coltogirone.

A complaint was filed in February on behalf of Christopher Miller, who served as a judicial commissioner. The plaintiff alleged a series of instances that created a toxic work environment, which also compromised the services of the judicial commissioner's office.

The lawsuit alleged that on March 19, 2021, Coltogirone held a meeting with judicial commissioners where she stated a new office policy prohibiting judicial commissioners from posting on social media, and where she expressed her expectation that all judicial commissioners will follow a "chain of command," in which any problems in the office must go through the director first.

Johnson named Mid-South Conference Player of the Year

Cumberland University senior guard Tyra Johnson was named Mid-South Conference Player of the Year.

Johnson was the first Cumberland player to earn Mid-South Conference Player of the Year since Chatica Hathaway did the same during the 1999-2000 season.

Johnson was just the second player in school history to score 500 points in a season.

She led the conference in scoring and three-point field goals made, which ranked nationally 35th and 28th, respectively. She averaged 17.5 points per game, shooting 38% from the field and 32% behind the three-point arc.

Johnson was also selected as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Second Team All-American, as was Cumberland University men's basketball standout Tavon King (an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American). King averaged 17.8 points per game.

Mt. Juliet's Pyron wins state wrestling title

Mt. Juliet High School senior Anthony Pyron won the 170-pound championship at the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association (TSSAA) State Wrestling Championships, which were held at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center in Franklin.

Pyron was 34-0, winning the Franklin Admiral Invitational before capturing the region, sectional and state titles.

Pyron was a Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State honoree, and he is continuing his career at Cumberland University.

MARCH

Wilson County approves raise for paramedics and EMTs

A 10% raise for Wilson County Emergency Management Agency paramedics and EMTs went into effect on March 1.

Its approval by the Wilson County Commission was a step in a months-long process that addressed the staffing shortages that plagued WEMA that forced multiple stations to be closed for intermittent periods of time.

The raise ran until the end of the fiscal year, in a move that county officials hoped would stop personnel from leaving the department. The estimated cost to the county was $185,000.

Cumberland's Smith claims national wrestling title

Cumberland University wrestler Cole Smith captured the national title thanks to a come-from-behind victory that resulted in a pin of No. 3-ranked Marty Margolis of Grand View (Iowa) University in the 165-pound weight class title at the 65th NAIA Wrestling National Championships.

Smith — a sophomore from Channohan, Illinois — trailed 8-0 in the first period.

It was the first time a Phoenix wrestler had won an individual national championship since Jake Williams won the 149-pound class in 2015. Smith is the fourth Phoenix wrestler to win an individual title.

Leading up to the national championship match, Smith won his first two matches of the tournament by pin and the next two by decision.

Two found dead in Lebanon motel

Staff at the Southland Motel in Lebanon found two individuals dead in one of its rooms on the morning of March 14.

It was reported that the individuals were long-term residents at the motel, which offers weekly and monthly rates. The two deceased had stayed in the room for approximately a year, according to Lebanon Police Department Public Information Officer P.J. Hardy.

Initial reports from the Lebanon Police Department indicated that drug paraphernalia was recovered from inside the room.

Phoenix returns to national tournament

The Cumberland University men's basketball program qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in 13 years before suffering a 67-49 loss at second-seeded Talladega (Alabama) College in the second round.

The Phoenix reached the round of 32 with a 79-65 win over West Virginia Tech in the opening round, the program's first national tournament victory in 18 years.

Cumberland finished with a 22-9 record.

Talladega finished as the national runner-up.

New LSSD director appointed

Coles Ferry Elementary School Principal Brian Hutto was appointed as the director of the Lebanon Special School District in March.

Hutto replaced outgoing director of schools, Scott Benson, who stepped down after 10 years at the helm. His final day was June 30.

The decision wrapped up a month-long search that began with a split board over the best method for selecting a new director.

Hutto became the director of schools after contract negotiation.

Lebanon boys basketball reaches state semifinals

Led by standouts Yarin Alexander and Jarred Hall, the Lebanon High School boys basketball team reached the Class 4A state semifinals before suffering a 62-44 loss to Bearden at Middle Tennessee State University's Murphy Center.

The Blue Devils won district (defeating Cookeville, 71-63) and regional (defeating previously-unbeaten Beech, 49-46) tournament titles and finished 29-7.

Lebanon handed Independence a 65-57 setback in the sectional round and then captured a 62-57 victory over Clarksville in its state opener.

Dobyns-Bennett won the state title with a 69-60 victory over Bearden.

Best bomber from long range

Former Wilson County High standout Kendall Spray won the 33rd annual College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Spray — who played at Florida Gulf Coast University — had the top two rounds for both the men's and women's competition before narrowly falling, 21-19, in the grand championship to the University of Iowa's Jordan Bohanon in an event televised live on ESPN.

Spray compiled a three-round total of 66, producing 23 in the championship round.

Spray concluded her collegiate career with the nationally-ranked FGCU women's basketball team — following stints at the University of Tennessee at Martin and Clemson (South Carolina) University — with more than 1,900 career points and ranks fourth all-time in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history with 466 made three-pointers over her 154 games between the three schools.