Local News

Cheatham County authorities arrested a man with a violent past after he reportedly drowned his dog. According to the Cheatham County arrest report, 29-year-old John Russell Johnson threatened his family with a baseball bat and then drowned the family pet in a nearby body of water. While searching in the wooded area for Johnson, authorities discovered a car that was completely burned. Investigators learned the vehicle belonged to Johnson, who admitted to burning it. Law enforcement said they found a baseball bat Johnson allegedly used to threaten his family near the smoking remains of the vehicle in the woods.

State wildlife officers will be out in full force this 4th of July weekend. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency will be across Tennessee waterways watching for drunk boaters and other safety violations like the number of life vests on board.

Today is the Fourth of July and there will be festivities on both ends of Cheatham County. From 7 a.m.-9 a.m., Pegram United Methodist Church, located at 479 Thompson Road, will host its annual Fourth of July breakfast. Breakfast plates start at $5. Pegram will then have its annual Fourth of July parade at 10 a.m., then will host its annual Fourth of July celebration at Pegram Park, at the intersection of Highway 70 and Thompson Road, all day, with live music, kids activities, food trucks with food for purchase, and a fireworks display at nightfall.

Summer is underway, meaning the state’s sales tax holiday on clothing, school supplies, and computers is near. From 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 26, Tennesseans can get some shopping relief until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 28. Clothing, school supplies, and computers will be available for purchase free of tax. Certain restrictions do apply. Don’t forget that items sold online are also eligible.

Triple A (AAA) projects nearly 71 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period. For the first time, Triple A looked at the entire July 4th week, plus the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday. This year’s projected number of travelers for that period is a 5 percent increase compared to 2023 and an 8 percent increase over 2019. The best time to travel today is before Noon and the worst travel time is between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.