Local News

A police perimeter was set up around a Clarksville hotel Wednesday afternoon amid an hours-long barricade. The Clarksville Police Department said it received a 911 call just after 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 about an unwanted guest in one of the rooms at Country Inn & Suites in the 3000 block of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. When officers approached the room, knocked on the door, and announced their presence, the occupant shot through the door with a firearm. No one was hurt. After extensive negotiations, the suspect — identified by police as 61-year-old Keith L. Smith of Clarksville — surrendered. He was charged with aggravated assault, adding that he will be taken to Tennova Healthcare to be medically cleared before being transferred to the Montgomery County Jail.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office is sending a clear message after a teenager was arrested following a mid-September bomb threat against Barry Tatum Academy: “Enough is enough.” This news comes after the Wilson County director of schools joined 14 Middle Tennessee superintendents in signing a joint statement about reporting school threats. On Sept. 12, a Mt. Juliet Middle School student was taken into custody in connection with a threat made on TikTok. That same day, a bomb threat was made against Barry Tatum Academy causing the school to be evacuated while K-9 units swept the inside and outside of the building. authorities said they could track the calls back to a BTA student. the student — whose age and identity have not been released — was taken into custody on Monday, Sept. 30, and charged with making threats of mass violence and initiating false reports.

Movies are returning to Clarksville, Tennessee at Governor’s Square Mall with a luxury twist. On Wednesday, city officials announced a new partnership with Phoenix Theatres. The independently-owned movie theater signed a long-term lease to offer newly released movies and high-quality amenities at Governor’s Square Mall as soon as the summer of 2025. Phoenix Theatres, a Michigan-based company, has plans to invest $5 million to renovate the existing theater in Clarksville which has already been submitted.