Clear skies. Low 28F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies. Low 28F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: January 3, 2026 @ 10:16 pm
Forty county positions, including mayor and all 24 County Commission seats, will appear on the ballot during the Aug. 6 general election. Statewide, voters will elect a new governor on Nov. 3 and decide whether state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson will serve a sixth term in office.
A Franklin photographer is marking the completion of a project that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Friends of the Williamson County Animal Center.
FRANKLIN – Plenty of hammers from the wrestling mats joined a few basketball players in the latest Tim Thompson Premier Performers list for the holiday week ending Dec. 29.
FRANKLIN – The Nolensville High School girls basketball team overcame a slow start to pickup a 49-42 victory over Tullahoma Monday in the first round of the Music City Hoopfest hosted this week at both Page Middle and High School.
Columbia State Community College has been awarded a $2 million Rural Health Care Pathways Expansion Grant by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The “Rural RNs Rise (R3): Growing Caregivers” project focuses on creating clear educational pathways to high-demand healthcare careers, incl…
Sawsan Ahmed, a 16-year-old scholar from Brentwood, has recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and cell science from the University of Florida making her one of the youngest—if not the youngest—graduates in the university’s history.
The Franklin Police Department proudly swore in seven new police officers on Monday, marking another milestone from the department’s largest recruiting class in its history.
Sawsan Ahmed, a 16-year-old scholar from Brentwood, has recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and cell science from the University of Florida making her one of the youngest—if not the youngest—graduates in the university’s history.
I’m a friendly, sociable guy. Until I sit down in an airline seat. The polite and courteous thing to do when your shoulder and knee will be an inch away from your neighbor’s shoulder and knee (along with the occasional accidental touch) for the duration of a 4-hour flight would be to introdu…
A new year arrives, 2026. Let me start by wishing all Williamson Herald readers a Very Happy and prosperous New Year! While it is traditional in some quarters to look back at the year that just passed, this year I want to focus on our prospects for 2026.
Len Serafino is a Nolensville resident and serves on the Nolensville Planning Commission. His email is lserafino@comcast.net
Len Serafino is a Nolensville resident and serves on the Nolensville Planning Commission. His email is lserafino@comcast.net
A new year arrives, 2026. Let me start by wishing all Williamson Herald readers a Very Happy and prosperous New Year! While it is traditional in some quarters to look back at the year that just passed, this year I want to focus on our prospects for 2026.
It’s impossible not to consider where our political fortunes will take us this year. Congressional elections will get a great deal of attention. Many pundits are quite certain, based on November’s election results, that this year could mark a very solid comeback for Democrats. Of course, in 2022, there were similar predictions that Republicans would do very well in midterms that year.
As it turned out, results were mixed. Democrats held onto the Senate and Republicans took control of the house, but not by much. In 2022, the economy was considered the key factor that would drive voters’ choices. The same seems to hold true for 2026. International relations, immigration and the attendant policing of those residing here illegally, will also get some attention. But the economy, including the cost of groceries and health care expenses, is certainly going to be a key factor this year. However, there are other issues, very likely to affect the economy long term, that voters should demand candidates’ address.
The implications of artificial intelligence (AI) are profound. Some states are legislating controls on AI, including transparency and disclosure requirements and efforts to protect workers from displacement caused by AI. While some experts in the field have posited some dystopian views of our future should AI not be carefully monitored, the Trump administration opposes state regulation of the technology, arguing such regulations could stifle innovation. However, some observers believe that the Administration’s resistance is more about the critical impact AI is having on our overall economy. Regardless of where you stand on this issue it’s important to ask questions. Our lives will surely be affected for better or worse by AI.
On another front, an issue I’ve written about before, the housing crisis is still a major concern. Little has been done to address the issue. Current estimates indicate that we need from 1.5 million to 8 million more homes. The cost of housing, including homeowner’s insurance has become a worrisome burden for millions of Americans. And, affordability, especially for low-income people, is another worrisome issue. Currently, 12.1 million people in the U.S. spend over 50% of their income on rent and utilities. Candidates for office should be quizzed about their ideas and plans to address this issue. Even those of us who are not personally burdened have been affected by the housing problem. How many people have you heard say their children can’t afford to live nearby because of housing costs?
I am also concerned about the surge in online gambling and its impact on sports and the people who bet on games. We have already seen several examples of professional athletes allegedly cheating to affect the outcome of a pitch or a shot that gamblers have bet on. Even college athletes have complained that they have received death threats because they blew a play. Worse, however, is the 24/7 availability of opportunities to place bets on our mobile phones, which can lead to a gambling addiction. The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that 2.5 million U.S. adults have a severe gambling problem. They also reported that the overall risk for gambling addiction grew by 30% from 2018 to 2021. More than $155 billion was spent this year on sports betting alone. Men and women running for office need to examine the impact of permitting essentially unfettered gambling.
The health and wellbeing of problem gamblers in terms of relationships, finances and mental health are at stake. The lives of otherwise valuable, productive citizens and their families are being affected.
All of these issues affect our nation’s economy. Potential job losses resulting from the potentially widespread growth of AI, the need to spend substantial amounts of our income simply to put a roof over our heads, and the money lost on wagers could surely be put to better use, bolstering our economy.
There are, of course, many other issues and challenges we will have to face in our personal and business lives in 2026. Whether you make resolutions or set goals every year, I hope you will consider making kindness a priority. I’m sure many of you do this now. We need the kindness that gives another person the benefit of the doubt. Kindness that puts others first. Kindness that welcomes other opinions and ideas even when they differ from ours.
In an era when we are constantly and instantly bombarded with tragedies often made worse by responses that don’t reflect a charitable, empathetic heart, we must resolve to focus on being kind.
I’m going to try harder to be mindful of the need to be more considerate of others this year. I can forgo the snappy response to a social media post that annoys me. The truth is I have no way of knowing what might be going on in someone’s life that might cause them to write something that seems unproductive. Perhaps if we can put kindness uppermost in our minds, 2026 will be a better year for all of us.
Len Serafino is a Nolensville resident and serves on the Nolensville Planning Commission. His email is lserafino@comcast.net
Your comment has been submitted.
Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
