The White County School Board has increased high school meal prices to better align with surrounding districts. Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said the new prices will go into effect next year but will be applied incrementally over 2 years. “Our prices are much cheaper than those around the Upper Cumberland, and we’ve just tried to protect our families and ... Read More »

A new manufacturing business has moved from Gallatin to Sparta. Fusion Tools Inc creates cable ropes and shackles for the industrial market. Vice-President Wes Howard said family, expansion opportunities and more employees is why the company selected Sparta. ‘We actually scoured the state all the way from Dickson, Tennnessee over to Oak Ridge, Tennessee,” Howard said. “We sent a considerable ... Read More »

American Chestnut trees from Monterey’s Meadow Creek Park are being used in a project to breed a blight resistant species. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Student Hannah Nelms is working on the American Chestnut Project. Nelms said she has taken samples from Monterey to the university’s greenhouse for its genetic make up. “I’m originally from Cookeville,” Nelms said. “I went ... Read More »

A Cookeville man that allegedly murdered his 23-year-old fiancee was transported back to Putnam County from Louisiana Saturday. Christian Luna is currently being held with a $250,000 bond at the Putnam County Jail. Luna was arrested out-of-state in February for the first degree murder of Lyndzy Bounds. Bounds’ body was found by authorities at her 12th Street apartment in Cookeville ... Read More »

A new county-wide school nutrition software will be implemented at all Putnam County Schools next year. Deputy Director Tim Martin said the new system will streamline data collecting for nutrition staff. “The added benefit will be that the managers will be able to keep and notice trends and see what kind of things are selling better,” Martin said. “They can ... Read More »

Roberts Matthew Highway Bridge over Post Oak Creek in White County will experience closures or lane reductions starting Monday. Financial Director Chad Marcum said engineers will be studying the feasibility of replacing the bridge over the next two weeks. “They need to access underneath the bridge to do some burrowing for geotechnical investigation just to make sure that when we ... Read More »

How do police departments determine when or when not to pursue a vehicle? The question comes after a recent police pursuit of a stolen vehicle in Monterey that was called off due to public safety. Sparta Police Chief Doug Goff said his officers consider several factors. “We consider the nature of the offense, road conditions, traffic conditions, time of day ... Read More »

The unincorporated town of Wilder in Fentress County will receive $500,000 though Governor Bill Lee’s newest budget. State Representative John Mark Windle said the money will be used to develop tourism attractions in the once populated coal mining community. “I’ve heard estimates as high as 7,000, but certainly, there were close to 5,000 residents in a close proximity to the ... Read More »

Pickett County Schools’ new scoreboard that was recently installed is now operational. Director of Schools Diane Elder said the 10 by 12 foot panel is located at the sports field by the high school. “We hope to get our donated by sign on it this week,” Elder said. “The scoreboard was donated to us by People’s Bank. It is very ... Read More »

A new purple fentanyl has very likely made its way to the Upper Cumberland. The South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force has said that the fentanyl and methamphetamine combination has crossed state lines. “I don’t have any personal knowledge of any seizures of purple fentanyl in Putnam County, but if it is that close to here, I would say there ... Read More »