Coookeville City Council will consider a new rate structure for the Gas Department when they meet Thursday. Gas Department Director Jeff Mills unveiled the proposal during Monday’s work session. He said the change will help collect a larger percentage for fixed costs. “The purpose of it is to get a more stable recovery of our rates,” Mills said. “Right now, ... Read More »

Putnam County EMS will likely apply for another $150,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant. EMS Director Tommy Copeland said he would use the funding to purchase powered stair chairs. “We’ve got stair chairs on our trucks now that you can manually carry them (patients) up or roll them down a set of stairs,” Copeland said. “These will have actually a battery ... Read More »

The new school in southwest Cookeville may cost Putnam County more than $46 million. Architects presented a $46.9 million cost estimate during a meeting Monday between the Putnam County Commission and Board of Education. Superintendent of Schools Jerry Boyd said the county commission will need to make a funding decision by the end of this year. “There’s a lot of ... Read More »

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has set up part of his campaign shop in Tennessee. Tech Political Science Assistant Professor Dr. Lauren Harding said this is part of his unusual strategy. “He’s making a huge push for the Super Tuesday states, and Tennessee is one of those,” Harding said. “This a really crazy, unprecedented campaign strategy to skip the contest ... Read More »

A Cumberland County grand jury has indicted a Crossville woman for a fatal 2019 crash. 25-year-old Karley Reph faces a vehicular homicide charge. The crash happened July 27 when Reph lost control of her Oldsmobile and struck two trees before crashing into a Fairfield Glade home. Three people suffered injuries during the crash and 19-year-old Jeremiah Hood of Crossville died ... Read More »

Cookeville residents have to wait a little longer for a dog park. Leisure Services Director Rick Woods said they are still in the process of planning. “The dog park is still in the plans. We know it’s going in Cane Creek Park, we do not have a  specific plan in place yet. That’s something that we are working toward,” Woods ... Read More »

The Putnam County Fire Department is hosting a fireman’s ball in March this year. Co-hostess and committee member Rachel Tays said this is the first time the proceeds will go to a charity. “It’ll be going to the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Fund, and that fund is set up to honor men and women who have lost their lives in ... Read More »

Monterey Cultural Administrator Julie Bohannon has announced her retirement. Mayor Bill Wiggins said he’s appreciative of Bohannon’s work ethic over the past six years. “Julie has performed beyond expectations,” Wiggins said. “I’m not referring to her personal traits, but to the size and complications surrounding this particular endeavor. It (the position) was new in major respects, and she’s just done ... Read More »

A pre-construction conference takes place Thursday for a project to address Monterey’s flooding problem. Mayor Bill Wiggins said the city will pay Elk Mountain Construction $124,403 to conduct the work. “We’re going to start at the police department boundary with the neighboring property,” Wiggins said. “We’ll go towards the rail trail, under it, and into an existing ditch with about ... Read More »

A nationwide outage has affected the state’s ability to issue driver licenses. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) announced the systems outage Monday morning. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said the outage has impacted the state’s ability to issue driver licenses. AAMVA provided no timeframe for when the systems would be available for service. TDHS ... Read More »