MLEC Short Story Contest Winners Selected

Hickman County Rescue Squad and Centerville VFD each receive $1500

Pictured above from left to right: Centerville Volunteer Firefighters Jonathan Dysinger, Ethan Shadowens, Matthew Wright, Ian Hammon, MLEC Board Director Johnnie Ruth Elrod, Board Director Wayne Qualls, Fire Chief Al Baltz, Board Director Zack Hutchens, Kyle Labore, Fire Captain Gregg Johnston, Greg Mobley, and Marvin Dorton.

(July 31, 2025) – At Meriwether Lewis, service goes beyond providing reliable power. It’s about empowering people and programs that make our communities stronger. That’s why MLEC has donated $1500 each to the Hickman County Rescue Squad and the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department to strengthen emergency readiness.

“In April, the MLEC Hilltop Substation caught fire, and our local emergency crews were first to arrive on scene, risking their safety to protect our employees and allowing us to restore service as quickly as possible,” MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan said.

“Their dedication is nothing short of heroic. Supporting the Hickman County Rescue Squad and Centerville Volunteer Fire Department is more than a donation. It is a way to say thank you for the countless hours they spend preparing for moments that matter most.”

Pictured above from left to right: MLEC Board Directors Johnnie Ruth Elrod, Zach Hutchens and Wayne Qualls with Hickman County Rescue Squad Chief David McMeen and Reporter Amy McMeen.

These individuals are more than volunteers. They are essential partners in community safety and emergency preparedness. Their commitment to training, maintaining equipment, and responding at a moment’s notice makes a measurable difference in critical situations.

Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative is proud to support the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department and Hickman Rescue Squad as they continue to protect and serve our communities with professionalism and dedication.

                                                                        ###

MLEC contributes funds to local 4-H organization

(July 8, 2025 – Erin, TN) – MLEC put co-op principle, concern for community, to action by supporting Houston County 4-H and the Houston County Beef Show. To aid in their efforts in serving area residents, each organization was presented with $500. Pictured: Houston County UT Extension Agent III Laurie Rollins (left) with MLEC Board Director Sam Fussell (right).

                                                                        ####

MLEC contributes funds to local service organizations

(July 8, 2025 – Hohenwald, TN) – MLEC put co-op principle, concern for community, to action by supporting local service organizations. To aid in their efforts in serving area residents, each organization was presented with $500.

Pictured left to right is MLEC Board Director Dr. Jeff Peery, Melinda Warren representing the Senior Center, Felicia Stewart representing Hope Hohenwald, Robbie Hooks with Hohenwald Order of Police, Jamie English representing the Lewis County Food Bank, and MLEC Board Director Bill Webb.

####

Six students spent a week in DC at the Washington Youth Tour

(July 9, 2025 – Centerville, TN) – Six high school juniors and one teacher from Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative’s service area recently represented their communities and the cooperative spirit during the 2025 Washington Youth Tour.

From June 14–20, these students joined over 130 of their peers from across Tennessee for a once-in-a-lifetime leadership and learning experience in the nation’s capital.

Representing MLEC were:

• Mary Mitra, Hickman County High School
• Fisher Sutton, Houston County High School
• Geena Caprio, Lewis County High School
• Ryan Lynch, McEwen High School
• Marian Callicott, Waverly Central High School
• Rhonda Ledbetter, Perry County High School (Overall winner of MLEC’s Washington Youth Tour Short Story Writing Contest)
• Kennedi Bates, Perry County High School English Teacher

Pictured from left to right: MLEC Communications Coordinator Benjamin Armstrong, Waverly Central High School delegate Marian Callicott, Houston County High School delegate Fisher Sutton, Hickman County High School delegate Mary Mitra, McEwen High School delegate Ryan Lynch, Perry County High School delegate, Rhonda Ledbetter, Perry County High School teacher Kennedi Bates, Lewis County High School delegate Geena Caprio and MLEC Employee and Member Services Assistant Holly McKennon.

---

MLEC Communications Coordinator Benjamin Armstrong and Employee and Member Services Assistant Holly McKennon served as chaperones during the weeklong trip. The students explored American history, government and the impact of rural electric cooperatives.

“At MLEC, we believe in investing in the next generation of leaders,” President and CEO Keith Carnahan said. “The Washington Youth Tour isn’t just a trip, but a powerful experience that helps young people understand the value of community, civic duty, and public service. We’re proud to support these students as they grow into the voices and visionaries of tomorrow.”

They toured Monticello, the historic home of Thomas Jefferson. Students explored the Smithsonian Museums, the International Spy Museum, and the National Zoo. They reflected at the several monuments, Ford’s Theatre, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Delegates cruised the Potomac River, attended Youth Day at the Gaylord National Resort and met Tennessee congressional representatives before touring the U.S. Capitol. Delegate Ryan Lynch was also selected to participate in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside three other WYT delegates from Tennessee.

MLEC’s delegates earned their spots through the cooperative’s Washington Youth Tour Short Story Contest, where students responded to the theme “Energizing Every Moment.” The prompt encouraged participants to reflect on how electric cooperatives provide safe, reliable power and build strong, connected communities.

                                                                        ####

TVA and MLEC are conducting maintenance to improve reliability

(June 25, 2025 – McEwen, TN) Meriwether Lewis and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will perform essential maintenance at the McEwen Substation early Sunday, June 29, requiring a planned power outage for members in the affected service area.

The outage will begin at 12:01 a.m. and last until approximately 5:00 a.m. This outage follows substation issues identified earlier this week. In response, TVA and MLEC are acting swiftly to make repairs and ensure continued reliability for members. Choosing the early morning hours minimizes disruption and takes advantage of the coolest part of the day.

The impacted area is essentially all of McEwen, including everything north of McEwen to Highway 70 towards Erin, south to Bold Springs Road, Highway 230 and Tumbling Creek, east to the Dickson County line, and west to Gorman.

Some parts of Houston County will also be impacted. These are Judy Branch Road, Harvey Road, AJ Dalton Road, and part of Highway 231.

A full map of areas is listed below (click to enlarge) and will also be shared on social media. In the event of inclement weather, the outage will be postponed. Updates will be posted to MLEC social media.

To help prepare, MLEC encourages members to follow a few simple tips:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Consider adding ice packs to extend cool temperatures.
• Charge your cell phone and other essential devices before the outage begins.

For questions or concerns, please contact your local MLEC office or visit mlec.com.

###

MLEC shares guidelines to better navigate extreme heat

(June 24, 2025 – Centerville, TN) – Consecutive days of extreme heat across the Tennessee Valley Authority service area have caused TVA to ask valley residents to reduce energy consumption effective June 24. Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative is taking steps in-house to conserve energy and asks members to follow TVA’s request to help maintain a stable power grid.

Residents are asked to use large appliances outside of peak hours (1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) such as dishwashers, ovens, washing machines and electric dryers. Also, turn off unnecessary devices and lights, and when possible, adjust thermostats up a degree or two. Keep curtains, shades or blinds drawn to limit direct sunlight and keep your home cool.

MLEC is a local electric distribution cooperative that purchases its power from TVA. As part of the agreement, MLEC supports TVA in electric load curtailments to maintain reliability during rare circumstances such as summer weather events. Once TVA returns to normal operations, MLEC will communicate the changes to members.

“MLEC apologizes for this inconvenience to members,” said MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan. “We are taking every step in-house to comply with TVA and hope members follow as well to ensure a reliable power grid for all members.”

During extreme temperatures, MLEC also recognizes the importance of safety while following curtailment guidelines. We encourage members to check on your elderly neighbors, hydrate and remain cool. For other safety tips and energy efficiency questions, visit mlec.com/safety.

                                                                        ####

Members interested in running for the MLEC Board should file by July 15, 2025.

(June 11, 2025 – Centerville, TN) – Each October, Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative holds official district meetings in each county where a Board of Director term is expiring. This year, elections will occur in the following counties: Hickman (incumbent Wayne Qualls), Houston (incumbent Sam Fussell), Humphreys (incumbent Larry Mayberry), and Lewis (incumbent Bill Webb).

Members interested in running for the MLEC Board in 2025 must meet the specified qualifications and submit a Declaration of Candidacy form by Tuesday, July 15, to have their name placed on the ballot in October. Candidacy declaration forms can be picked up from any MLEC location and found online at www.mlec.com/mlec-board-directors.

Qualifications include:

• Must be a natural person at least eighteen (18) years of age and a member in good standing now receiving residential electric service from the Cooperative.
• Must not be an employee nor the spouse of an employee of the Cooperative (or its subsidiaries), nor a child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew of an employee of the Cooperative (or its subsidiaries) related by blood, adoption, or marriage.
• Must not be a former employee nor the spouse of a former employee of the Cooperative (or its subsidiaries) unless employment with Cooperative (or its subsidiaries) was at least two (2) years previous to the date of the forthcoming district election.
• Is a continuous resident in the district from which election is being sought.
• Is a high school graduate or holds a GED certificate.
• Has never been convicted of a felony.
• If a candidate for re-election, must have received certification of completion of the Credentialed Cooperative Director Curriculum offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association or such similar cooperative director education and training program approved from time to time by the board of directors. If not a candidate for re-election, must understand that such will be a requirement for qualification to stand for any future re-election as such.

Official district meeting notices, including dates, will be in published in the local paper, The Tennessee Magazine and online at www.mlec.com/the-tennessee-magazine in September.

###

Brief service disruptions are expected to enhance reliability

(June 10, 2025 – Centerville, TN) – MLConnect will conduct network maintenance that will further strengthen the reliability and security of its broadband service. As a result, all MLConnect subscribers will experience two brief, carefully scheduled service interruptions to minimize inconvenience:

• Subscribers will experience a single 15-minute interruption sometime between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on one of the following dates:
  • June 11: Hohenwald
  • June 13: Waverly and Hohenwald (remaining areas)
  • June 17: Linden and Tennessee Ridge
  • June 18: McEwen and Erin
  • June 19: Hickman County and Lobelville
  • June 20: New Johnsonville and Hickman County (remaining areas)

• All subscribers will experience a 60-minute outage between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on June 24 (Hickman County, Waverly, Erin, Lewis County) or June 25 (McEwen, New Johnsonville, Perry County, Tennessee Ridge) depending on your location.

 “We understand that even short outages can be inconvenient, which is why we’ve strategically scheduled these necessary upgrades during overnight hours,” Vice President of Emerging Technologies and MLConnect Ken Little said. “This allows us to deliver greater reliability and security while least impacting the daily routines of our valued home and business members. Thank you for your understanding as our team works to provide the best possible internet experience.”

                                                                        ####

TVA adjusts rates to summer prices and accounts for fuel costs

(June 2, 2025 – Centerville, TN) – The price of electricity will be higher in June as the Tennessee Valley Authority moves to summer rates and their fuel adjustment cost increases. Meriwether Lewis members will pay about $7.68 more (a 4.5 percent increase) compared to May based on an average household that uses 1200 kilowatt-hours. The total residential kilowatt-hour price is $0.11114, which is slightly higher than the seasonal price a year ago. Members can find a complete rate schedule at www.mlec.com under the Community tab in the About MLEC section.

Meriwether Lewis understands that price increases can impact budgets and summer temperatures will likely increase energy use. To discover how your home is using energy and possible ways to save, contact MLEC today for a free online or in-person energy audit/evaluation. Heat pump financing and rebates on heat pumps, home insulation, and more are also available.

Visit Ways to Save under the Programs tab at www.mlec.com or email nathan.wagner@mlec.com to learn more about using energy wisely. View our top 10 simple steps to lower your energy bill this summer at https://mlec.com/ways-to-save/.

###

Fourteen students receive scholarships

(May 21, 2025 – Centerville, TN) — Perry County Junior Rhonda Ledbetter is the five-county winner in Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative’s annual writing contest. She will receive a $1000 scholarship from MLEC, the Larry Stringer Memorial Scholarship for $2000 and could win additional funding through the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association’s statewide contest.

Additionally, a boy and girl winner from seven high schools also received $1000 scholarships from MLEC. They include:

East Hickman High School: Mackenzie Cox and Christopher Batson

Hickman County High School: Mary Mitra and Tim Puckett

Houston County High School: Daniella Stringfield and Fisher Sutton

Lewis County High School: Geena Caprio and Aiden Wise

McEwen High School: Katherine Ross and Ryan Lynch

Perry County High School: Rhonda Ledbetter (Overall winner and $3000 in scholarships) and Edward Watson

Waverly Central High School: Marian Callicott and Kyson Summers

The theme for this year’s annual contest was “Energizing Every Moment.” High school juniors were asked to write about how electric cooperatives improve communities across their service areas while providing safe, affordable, reliable electricity and other services.

A winning student from each school, who resides with an MLEC member, has the opportunity to serve as an MLEC delegate on the 2025 Washington Youth Tour in June. Students who accepted the trip to Washington D.C. are Mitra, Sutton, Caprio, Lynch, Ledbetter and Callicott. MLEC Communications Coordinator Benjamin Armstrong and Employee and Member Services Assistant Holly McKennon will serve as chaperones. Additionally, as the teacher of the overall winner, PCHS’s Kennedi Bates was also awarded the trip.

“The Washington Youth Tour invests in the future leaders of our communities,” says MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan. “We are excited to further their education and bring a new group to our Nation’s Capital to learn more about electric cooperatives and our country’s history.”

####