Lori Hathaway just wants access to the belongings she and her late husband shared.

Keith Hathaway died in November after having a stroke. The couple had downsized and moved to Oak Grove, Kentucky, storing their belongings at Storage Sense in Clarksville with plans to sell them at a yard sale. The lease was in Keith's name only.

"I never missed a payment, every month it's been paid, in my name. But they say since it was in his name, I got to go to court," Lori said.

I stopped at the office at Storage Sense. The office manager explained it is company policy to lease all rentals to a single customer.

So, was there a way to prevent this from ending up in court?

Estate attorney April Harris Jackson says situations like Lori's can sometimes be avoided in both Tennessee and Kentucky by setting up accounts to transfer automatically when someone dies. However, some banks and private companies, like storage facilities, set their own rules. But naming a beneficiary or joint owner can often help families avoid court.

"If you've done the planning well and kept up with the planning, usually the goal is not to have to go through probate," Jackson said.

Right now, Lori faces $379 in probate small claims court fees to reclaim belongings in storage that she says were jointly hers and her husbands.

"Ever since he passed, everywhere I go, I have to prove I was married to him," Lori said.

Lori admits she and her late husband did not plan for life after one of them passed away.

Jackson recommends every adult plan for the worst while hoping for the best and says it is usually easier to start younger and adjust over time.

The goal, she says, is making sure someone you like and trust is designated to make emergency decisions on your behalf both financial and medical before it ever comes to that.

"Making sure everything you have and want in an emergency is planned for," Jackson said.

One of the biggest misconceptions Jackson sees is that a will is the finish line. It isn't.

"A last will and testament is intended to go through probate. The will is hopefully the backup plan. We want to use the other tools in our toolbox so we don't have to go through probate," Jackson said.

Jackson says one of the most basic planning documents every adult should have is an advance directive, sometimes called a living will. This form outlines your wishes for CPR, life support, and hospice care if you are ever unable to speak for yourself.

One of the most effective tools, she says, is a beneficiary designation.

"Anything that has a beneficiary designation goes directly to the person designated rather than probate... You can designate in many, many circumstances what you want to have happen and let the institution know," Jackson said.

Lori's story is one many families face. If you have a question or need help navigating a similar situation, send me an email at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.

"It's just hard. It's very hard," said Joannta Burnley.

Joannta's husband, Marine veteran Maurice "Reese" Burnley, communicates by blinking.

"He's saying yes when he blinks. That's how he talks," Burnley said.

Burnley served in the Marine Corps. A leg injury led to an infection and ultimately an amputation. Then in January 2022, he suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to move on his own or speak.

He is currently receiving hospice care. His VA disability benefits cover most of that cost.

Recently, the VA began withholding about $1,000 a month from his benefits to recover an overpayment. Joannta says the VA told them it overpaid him more than $81,000 in a lump-sum disability award. Those deductions have forced her to let go of a caregiver.

"It's leaving me where I don't have a lady that was coming three times a week at night," Burnley said.

A VA press secretary said the overpayment appears to center around attorney payments. Before his stroke, Reese hired an attorney to fight the VA on a separate disability issue. He won that case, but the VA said it mistakenly paid money intended for their attorney directly to the Burnleys.

When I brought that explanation to Joannta, she pointed to a June 2025 email from the attorney indicating the attorney had already been paid.

After more than a year of trying to get clarification, and with deductions from her husband's monthly benefits beginning this spring, Joannta reached out to NewsChannel 5 for help.

"Y'all are the ones who made a mistake, but how are you holding us accountable?" Burnley said.

The VA requires signed consent forms before it can discuss a veteran's case. Those forms must be signed by the Burnleys' daughter, who holds power of attorney for the family.

I have asked VA representatives about what options the family has and whether the case can be reviewed given the current circumstances. While they are answering some questions, they said responses to all questions might take several weeks.

We have requested the VA's full accounting of the situation and will update you when we receive a response.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.

A tornado survivor says a bad attorney cost his family $300,000, and now he can't find a local lawyer willing to help him get it back.

Lamont Bell's home in Hermitage was severely damaged by an EF-2 tornado in 2020.

During his rebuild, he got into a dispute with a contractor over when payments were due and hired attorney Robert Turner to handle the case.

"Everything is coming back together; we're able to breathe a little bit, but financially, $300,000 is a lot of money to come out of your pocket to pay for something that never should've gotten this far," Bell said.

According to a contract Bell shared with me, Turner charged $500 an hour. Bell says he paid Turner and other attorneys at the firm for about four years.

Then, in January of 2024, a chancellor dismissed Bell's case against the contractor altogether, citing his attorney had missed repeated court dates and deadlines.

"You think he has your best interest. They bill you. You pay your bills. And you get to court and bam, no evidence has been turned in... it's just a nightmare," Bell said.

Bell says the $300,000 in legal fees represents roughly 30 years of savings.

"Pretty much my life savings for the last 30 years. I'm actually two months away from retiring from my job after being on it for 30 years, so where I thought that I was solid in retirement, now all of that is questionable," Bell said.

Bell contacted the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, which suspended Turner's license last November, citing the conduct in Bell's case.

The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility accepts complaints online from clients who believe an attorney has acted improperly.

In an email, the board's chief disciplinary counsel said it refers people to local bar associations when disputes over fees arise.

Unfortunately, when Bell checked the Nashville Bar Association's directory, no one would take his case. Bell believes attorneys are reluctant to take it because the local legal community is tight-knit.

"And it's not fair in my opinion. I've been told by two separate attorneys, I need to go out of the state," Bell said.

Bell is still searching for a local attorney willing to take his case.

"What I need is a local attorney in Davidson County to step up and help me try to recoup some of my life back," Bell said.

If you can help the Bell family, email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.

Emails obtained through public records requests by NewsChannel 5 show a staff member at the Ajax Turner 50+ Center in Clarksville was in discussions with the mayor's office and the Parks and Recreation Department about a major transition two months before the mayor told the full board of his plans. That staff member was later fired, hired by Parks and Recreation the next day, and is said to be leading the city's senior center when it opens in July.

That staff member is Jessica Catlett, who was serving as director of the adult day center, Senior Circle of Friends Adult Day Center.

In a series of emails in January, she wrote that her goal was "to be supportive and proactive in helping this transition go smoothly." Emails also included job descriptions of key positions at Ajax Turner 50+ Center.

In March, Catlett was fired for insubordination. According to records obtained, Parks and Recreation hired her the next day and brought her on at the same hourly rate she was paid at Ajax Turner.

On the same day Catlett was fired, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts wrote in an email chain, "Let's find a good spot for her. She is critical to our July 1st plan."

Then, on June 5, Catlett was announced as the person who will oversee the city's senior center when it opens, according to Clarksville Now.

"This sounds like a setup from the start," said Jimmy Parker, who served as board chair at Ajax Turner 50+ Center for most of his tenure on the board from 2018-2024.

I brought the records I obtained to board member Lois Greider and Parker to help establish a timeline.

"So in January, Ajax Turner Senior Center was operating like it was going to continue to operate another 30 years?" I asked Greider.

"Yeah," Greider said.

"Meanwhile, someone who works for the center as the adult day center director is talking to the mayor's office and the parks and rec department about..."

"Promoting," Greider said.

"...about a future that looks different?" I asked.

"Yes," Greider said.

"I have to pray for patience, because if he gives me strength I'm going to need bail money," Greider said.

Neither the city's press office nor Catlett responded to repeated calls, texts, social media messages, or emails seeking comment on these exchanges, some of which were sent as far back as six weeks ago, until three hours before the story was set to publish. A spokesperson said, "The City of Clarksville has no further comment on this matter at this time."

Pitts, who is behind the plan to put the Parks and Recreation Department in charge of the senior center on July 1, cited turnover in an April interview as one reason to take over the center.

The plans, however, remain tied to the city's budget, which still requires City Council approval. The first vote was scheduled for Thursday.

The transition has already left neighbors Chavone Erkins and Quillis Freeman without a resource they relied on. The adult day center closed following the recent firing of executive director Rita Allsop. Because the license was in Allsop's name, services at the Senior Circle of Friends Adult Day Center came to an abrupt end when city-appointed board members voted to fire her.

Freeman, 69, was receiving supervised care at the center until the end of May, when services suddenly ended even though the center's own bus had already picked him up that day.

Freeman's daughter Erkins now makes all of her father's meals. He is with her around the clock and cannot be alone because of his dementia and history of seizures.

"Nobody called me. Dad called me and said, 'You need to get me,' and I said, 'What are you talking about? You just got there,' and he said, 'Well, they fired the director. You have to get me,'" Erkins said.

"We ain't know what was going on. We was just told to call someone to come get us," Freeman said.

Erkins said Mayor Pitts personally reached out to apologize for the sudden closure of the adult day center.

For Erkins, while she wants answers, keeping her father in a routine is paramount.

"To take that from them, because you have drama, because you have a power struggle. It's sad. It's sad," Erkins said.

For the seniors involved, it isn't about contracts it's about community.

"They're used to routine. They need that. They're used to that structure. You just interrupted his routine," Erkins said.

Publicly, the city has said seniors will have "more services, and more to enjoy than ever before" when the facility reopens under Parks and Recreation on July 20.

If there's something related to this story you think should be looked at closer, reach out to me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.

Tennessee approved Summer EBT funding, but the program won't launch until 2027, leaving families to find other food resources this summer.

I reached out to the Senior Director of Nutrition Advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center to find out more about summer meals and resources for families while school is out.

Hannah:

So, school is out for the summer, for just about every family, including your own. We are meeting here at an elementary school, where I know families are likely piecing together summer plans, and for many parents in our state, they're also putting together plans to make sure there is food in the fridge.

I've been hearing from people about their excitement that Tennessee, this spring, decided that it would in the future reconsider getting back into the Summer EBT game in the future, but it is not an option for families this year. Can you break this down?

Signe:

Unfortunately, legislators failed to address hunger this summer. Summer EBT will not be coming to Tennessee until 2027. So we're concerned about the immediate need.

When families are hungry, they're hungry now, and they can't wait a year for support. Unfortunately, they'll have to scrap together like they did last summer.

Hannah:

Signe Anderson, thank goodness for the Tennessee Justice Center and food banks that are aware families are having to do this on their own.

The statistic that always jumps out is that 1 in 5 people are experiencing hunger. The question people might have is: is that just in cities? Is that in my neighborhood? Where is that affecting kids?

Signe:

Hunger affects all of our kids in every single county in Tennessee. It could be your neighbors, people down the streetevery single county is impacted. It's not just the poorer counties, neighborhoods. Parents sort of hide hunger out of shame. But it's something that is really important to address and understandit might be your neighbor that's skipping meals.

Hannah:

Where should they turn first?

Signe:

They should look to see if there's a summer meal site near them, and we can provide information about how to locate those sites.

Hannah:

A lot of times school districts will help with that.

Signe:

Right. Exactly. A lot of times, your school will do a summer meal program and provide meals. Sometimes it's the YMCA. Sometimes it's the Boys and Girls Club. Sometimes food banks will have programs in addition to just providing food. So there are spots available. It's just not as widespread as Summer EBT.

Something else people might not be aware of is they could be eligible for SNAP. There are some rules around that program that allow working families to be eligible now when they weren't before. So that's something to consider. And reach out. We can help with programs that might be available to families.

Hannah:

We don't want to get people too down, because [approving Summer EBT funding] was a big step in the right direction this Spring. So Summer 2027, it could be available?

Signe:

So legislators provided funding for 2027. It's not permanent beyond 2027, so we'll fight to make sure it does become permanent because we think it's important to have that resource available to families, not just in 2027it would be great if 2027 would go away in 2027, but we know the reality is this is a long-term challenge that we face with families across the state and we want Summer EBT to be there to support families beyond 2027.

Hannah:

Thanks for being with me today.

Signe:

Thanks for focusing on this issue. It's really important.

Families looking for summer meal support in Tennessee have several ways to find free meals for children while school is out. The Tennessee Justice Center and the USDA Meal Site Finder can help families locate nearby meal sites, while many local school districts and community organizations, including the YMCA, offer free summer meal programs.

Through the Tennessee Justice Center or using the USDA Meal Site Finder, families can locate meal sites in their community. Local school districts are also a key resource, as many continue to provide free summer meals for children. Community organizations like the YMCA often offer meal sites as well, so kids have access to food while school is out.