Latest news with #KenMoore
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Great Yarmouth woman celebrates 107th birthday on a motorbike
For Genna Brown, age is just a number."It doesn't mean anything to me," she said, days after celebrating her 107th to mark the milestone, her son organised a ride around her hometown of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, on a specially-adapted motorcycle with the Suffolk-based Wish List Bikers Brown, who puts her longevity down to having a "sense of humour", described the trip as "lovely". Mrs Brown, whose full first name is Gwenevere, is the 80th-oldest person in the United Kingdom and second-oldest in Norfolk, according to the website Oldest in trustee Ken Moore took her on a specialist Rewaco trike from her home in Great Yarmouth to nearby Caister-on-Sea, then back along the seafront and over the Herring Bridge. Mrs Brown was a guest of honour at the bridge's opening in February 2024. She was a schoolgirl when the town's Haven Bridge opened in 1933."She was a real character and a lovely lady," said Mr Moore. Now a grandmother, she was born in Barking, east London, towards the end of World War One in 1918. Her mother died when she was one and she moved to Norfolk to live with her aunt, who adopted met her husband when she was "15 or 16" but they were separated when World War Two was sent to Burma while she survived German bombings, before moving to work on the land near Downham Brown lived on a houseboat until the war ended and the family reunited. She has continued to live in Norfolk ever son, Pete Brown, organised her motorcycle ride. "She likes doing different things, to get out and feel the fresh air, so this was perfect," he said. Mr Moore said she loved the hour-and-a-half ride. "The only thing that annoyed her was having to wear a helmet as she wanted to feel the wind in her hair," he said. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CoolSprings Galleria continues to thrive three decades later
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — For more than three decades, the CoolSprings Galleria has marked an important pinnacle and tax base for the Franklin area. News 2 sat down with Franklin Mayor Ken Moore to talk about the area's history and continued impact on the community. 'It was all farmland. In fact, my wife used to tell me about riding her horse all over the CoolSprings area, the only thing she had to do was make sure she closed the gate,' Moore said. Williamson Health expands to meet needs of growing community 'Apparently there was kind of a gentlemen's agreement between Brentwood that Brentwood would not annex south of Moores Lane. And the mayor at that time, Jeff Bethurum, the mayor of Franklin, was upset because Brentwood had annexed below that Mooresville Lane area. So, he said 'we're just going to annex everything,'' Moore continued. Franklin proceeded to annex thousands of acres east and west of the interstate, which brought the area into the City of Franklin's tax base. 'Somebody asked Bob Martin, who was our planning director, 'Well, what are you going to do with it?' And he said, 'We're going to get it annexed and then we'll figure it out,'' Moore added. Flash forward 34 years, and the area has gone from farmland to Fortune 500 companies. Moore noted major companies now call CoolSprings home, including Nissan North America, MARS Pet Care, and Mitsubishi. The Natchez Trace: A hidden gem that passes through Williamson County At the heart of the growth is CoolSprings Galleria, which is owned by Chattanooga-based CBL Properties. The mall opened its doors in 1991 and has fostered an economic hub for the area. 'Coolsprings Galleria is one of the strongest malls in CBL's portfolio. It ended the year in 2024 at 94% occupied, which is higher than the national average,' said Stacey Keating with CBL Properties. The mall continues to see sustained sales increases and remains a focal point for businesses coming to the area. 'It continues to attract new restaurants, new tenants, new to market tenants, which is always really exciting,' Keating added. 'We just saw the barricade go up for a new Primark store, which is the first in the market, so that's very exciting. But it really is just a catalyst for growth in the area.' News 2 On Tour | Explore the communities that shape Middle Tennessee Despite initial controversy, including concerns over traffic and road usage, Mayor Moore said Franklin wouldn't be Franklin without CoolSprings Galleria. 'That's our major source of revenue is sales tax, not property tax like some communities. So, it's important to make sure that we continue to be supportive of the mall, we encourage them to continue to expand and improve their property, and we're glad they're here,' Moore concluded. Next, CBL has slated a mixed-use development to occupy part of its current parking lot. The design includes apartments, retail, and hospitality space. Initial plans have been approved by the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen, however, an exact timeline is still in the works. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
