Top 10 stories of 2025

Take a look back on 2025 with us as we break down the top 10 stories of the year – chosen by you, our readers. 

These 10 stories were your most loved – well, maybe not loved, but definitely most read! From the Rural Resort Saga to the town’s sewer system to new businesses on Main Street and everything in between, we were honored to be your trusted, local news source from the heart of the Harpeth. Happy New Year! We look forward to being your go-to source for all things Kingston Springs and Pegram in 2026 and beyond.

#1 The Rural Resort Saga

It’s no surprise that the Kingston Springs “Rural Resort Saga” is coming in as the Gazette’s top story of 2025. If you haven’t heard of this developing story, were you living under a rock this year? Kidding! But, you do need to subscribe to the Gazette ASAP so you can stay up to date on the most important things happening in your back yard. 

TLDR: In May, the Gazette broke a story that Nashville developer Michael Hayes, CEO of C.B. Ragland, has his sights set on a property of more than 500 acres near the Narrows of the Harpeth in Kingston Springs to build a luxury resort inspired by Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee. In July, Hayes presented an initial presentation of the resort to the Cheatham County Commission. According to Hayes, the development will feature 80 “cottage style,” single bedroom units and 40 two to four bedroom “branded residences.” Hayes said he plans to only utilize 100 of the 560 acres on the property, which will also feature two small restaurants, a spa and fitness center, a farmstead and barn, outdoor recreation areas like a lake and spaces for hiking, biking, fishing, archery, horseback riding, kayaking and swimming. Following Hayes’ presentation, Narrows of the Harpeth resident Linda Ryder presented an opposition to the County Commission in August. “They say we won’t see it from [the river], but we’re going to feel it for years to come,” Ryder said. 

In September, Hayes and his team held a community meeting where they yielded questions from 100 residents who voiced concerns about congestion on Cedar Hill Road, flooding risks along the Harpeth River and the impact of increased development on the county’s rural character. Following this meeting, Kingston Springs resident Michael Hayes wrote an op-ed in favor of the resort and Ryder wrote an op-ed opposing the resort. In October, Hayes and his team presented the Cheatham County Planning Commission with an amendment to the county’s zoning ordinance that would allow for the resort in rural areas. The Planning Commission ultimately voted to recommend a denial of the amendment, noting that it was unprecedented for a developer to provide an amendment to the county. “What we’re seeing is super tailor-made, and it doesn’t fit the area at all … It smells foul,” said Brian McCain, 6th District (Kingston Springs) Planning Commission member. “I’m 6th District and I don’t want it either. If it comes back it needs to be super specific and it needs to have some input by the people.” 

After a six-week hiatus, Cheatham County’s Planning Commission revisited the idea of creating a “Rural Resort District” at its December meeting. The discussion involved a review of a draft zoning amendment prepared by the Greater Nashville Regional Council. Hayes and several members of his team were present. No vote was taken on the draft amendment. 

This fight will go well into 2026 and beyond, with Planning Commission members deciding to continue discussion at their next meeting on Jan. 8, giving them more time to review the proposed Rural Resort District and its potential impact on the county.

#2 Jake Owen’s new restaurant on Main Street

In October, country music star and Kingston Springs resident Jake Owen presented a concept plan to the city Planning Commission for a new bar and restaurant for the property at 417 N. Main Street, which he purchased at the end of 2024. 

Working alongside local residents Courtney and Wesley Haines and architect Jason Hitchcock of Dryden Studio in Nashville, Owen outlined plans to transform the site into a community gathering place serving burgers, sandwiches, shakes and more — complete with live music and family-friendly outdoor seating.

“[This is a] dream that I’ve had since I’ve driven past that place in all the years that I’ve lived here,” Owen said. “It’s a major responsibility to take something like that, in a town like this, and make it into something great … [Kingston Springs] is a place that I look forward to raising [my daughter] and bringing her to a community spot, and bringing back the nostalgia that I believe this community really has.”

Owen emphasized that the project is designed to be “more restaurant than bar,” blending Kingston Springs’ small-town charm with an elevated but approachable dining experience. Owen also teased that the restaurant will be open all day – for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant’s proposed layout features an indoor-outdoor flow with covered patio seating, a small stage for performances and space for roughly 60 indoor seats with a total capacity of about 200 people for larger community events.

Read the whole story here, and be sure to subscribe to the Gazette for all future updates on the country music star’s newest venture in our small town.

#3 New (but failed) campground development

In April, the Town of Kingston Springs Planning Commission heard an initial concept for a new commercial development at the empty lot along East Kingston Springs Road between Harpeth High School and Tyler Technologies.

The Retreat at Buffalo Gap was a 37-acre recreational development designed to offer a diverse outdoor experience. The project was planned to feature two distinct properties: The 9-acre site was designed to serve as the primary access point and feature a 75-room lodge, 12 cabins, 5 campsites and 27 RV/camper slips. The larger 28-acre area was designed to focus on recreational activities, including a 3-acre lake, 20 campsites, walking trails and a large activity center/barn with boat/kayak storage. 

Despite members of the commission noting that this is “hands-down the best thing that anyone’s proposed [for this lot] yet,” the project never came to fruition and the lot is still up for sale. I can only assume it's from the negative attention the developers got on social media after the Gazette broke this story. We cover the town’s monthly Planning Commission meetings. Subscribe today so you never miss a beat on upcoming potential developments.

#4 Major housing development near Pegram moves forwards

In November, we filled you in on five major housing developments coming to McCrory Lane near Pegram. In short, the projects will add more than 500 new housing units along the Davidson–Cheatham border.

Metro Nashville planning documents show all five developments fall within Davidson County’s planning authority. No public infrastructure or school impacts have been identified for Cheatham County, though the new housing will increase activity along shared roadways connecting Pegram and Bellevue.

Read the full story here.

#5 New HMS Principal

In March, Harpeth Middle School Principal of six years, Audra Williams, announced she was stepping down from her leadership role. A homegrown product and an alumni of HMS (class of 1999), Williams joined the Cheatham County School District as a teacher in 2008. Williams said that since 2019, she is most proud of HMS becoming a National Unified Champion School. Williams joined Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School this year as a 4th grade teacher. 

Just two weeks after Williams announced she was stepping down, the district named Susie Kephart as her replacement. Kephart most recently served as the assistant principal at Cheatham Middle School. She is a 2008 graduate of Sycamore High School, and has been working in the Cheatham County School District since 2012.

During her career, she taught and coached at Cheatham County Central High School for six years, serving as a wellness and physical education teacher and softball and soccer coach. In 2018, she was named the dean of students at Cheatham Middle School and served in that role until 2022, when she was named the school’s assistant principal.

#6 The KS Sewer System Saga

I have to say I was surprised that the saga of the Kingston Springs sewer system fell so low on the top 10 stories of 2025 list, but maybe that’s because it really only concerns 750 of you. 

TLDR: In April, Town of Kingston Springs Mayor Todd Verhoven and City Manager John Lawless sat down with the Gazette to hash out the nitty gritty details of the town’s recent lawsuit regarding its failing sewer system. Essentially, officials found that the town’s sewer system, which serves 750 customers, has a myriad of problems, with the biggest being the inflow and infiltration problems caused by outdated manholes. Earlier this month, the City Commission voted to spend $560,000 to repair just over half of the town’s faulty manholes. 

As we head into 2026 (an election year – yikes!), the sewer system remains front and center. In October, commissioners held a town hall, allowing residents to ask questions about the sewer system and its potential sale to Central States Water Resources (CSWR). While we’re unsure what exactly the cost of sewer bills would look like under CSWR (other than them being a flat fee rather than usage based), we do know they will rise around $20 per month per customer if the system remains under the possession of the town. 

#7 Get to know Fairview’s newest restaurant: Uncle Lenny’s

Uncle Lenny’s Country Café in Fairview celebrated its one year anniversary in September, marking a successful first run at “gathering, eating and being happy.” 

When LynnMarie Rodick and her husband Eddie opened Uncle Lenny’s Country Café in September 2024, they wanted it to be more than a restaurant. “We wanted a gathering place for our local community, where people can eat good food and be happy. It’s that simple,” LynnMarie said. Uncle Lenny’s Country Café is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday for brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Read their full story here.

#8 Christmas on Main Street 2025

The Kingston Springs Gazette partnered with SKYKING Pizza and all Main Street businesses this year to present the community with the second annual Christmas on Main Street. The week of events featured a movie night, a visit from Santa, a benefit for The ARK, a wreath making class, a paint and sip and it was all topped off with an all-local holiday market. See a photo gallery from the week here.

What better way to spend your holiday season and start of 2026 than support hyper-local small businesses right here in Kingston Springs? Doing just that is at the heart of the Gazette’s mission (not to mention, we’re a hyper-local small business ourselves!) Subscribe today to help us keep the momentum going.

#9 District 7 congressional seat up for grabs

This year, Cheatham County was part of a special election that encompassed all of Tennessee’s District 7 following Representative Mark Green’s retirement from Congress. Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn and Republican candidate Matt Van Epps went head to head during the Dec. 2 special election after pulling ahead of their respective parties’ during a crowded primary special election. Van Epps ultimately came out on top, swearing in to serve the remainder of the term through 2026, when he will be required to run again in the regular election cycle.

Behn and Van Epps both made visits to Cheatham County during their campaign cycle. Behn stopped at SKYKING Pizza in Kingston Springs and Van Epps went to Que’d Up 615 in Pleasant View, bringing House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., along with him. 

2026 will be another election year for Cheatham County and the nation. Subscribe to the Gazette to stay up to date on all things local politics. 

#10 Jollifrogs takes residency on Main Street

In February, Fred & Mary’s – a sustainable homegoods store that became a collective of women-owned small businesses in 2024 – revealed that it was rebranding and transitioning into a fresh new space under the name Jollifrogs.

Fred & Mary’s has been an important part of the community since it opened in the fall of 2023, welcoming a variety of local women entrepreneurs under one roof – including Jollifrogs mother-daughter duo Rachel Taslimi and Karen Kloess. Jollifrogs has continued this legacy, expanding the space and adding updates that made it a “vibrant and fun shopping experience."

Jollifrogs originally operated in Nashville for five years until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. “We call it a family boutique,” Taslimi said. “A mom could come in and shop and knock off a birthday gift, a baby shower gift, hostess gift, and not have to go to three different places.” 

Jollifrogs has since expanded, adding more vendors to its woman-owned collective since it opened its doors in the spring. Fred & Mary’s recently announced it will officially be leaving the shop on Dec. 31. New vendors include Grounded Roots, Dear Delaney Boutique and Million’s Menagerie. 

Thank you for reading and supporting local news and businesses in 2025. We can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for our little river town!