Putnam County Commission Chair Mike Atwood said he wants to explore more funding in the county’s budget for veteran services. Atwood said the county currently employs two service officers. Atwood said there are times when their availability is limited. “I just think there is some things that we can do to improve the service,” Atwood said. “Both gentlemen now who ... Read More »

The Putnam County School System will soon offer a new transfer request window for currently enrolled K-3 students. A new state law goes into effect for the fall semester that requires school districts to offer students transfer options to schools outside the zone they reside. Attendance Supervisor Chris Pierce said the window will open in May after the early enrollment ... Read More »

State Senator Paul Bailey wants to expand an existing law that prohibits camping on state property. Bailey said the proposed bill would give local governments the authority to remove any person camping on public property. Bailey said his camping legislation originated from the homeless situation in Cookeville. “I know Cookeville has seen an increase in the number of these encampments ... Read More »

Warren County has received a $9 million State Health Department grant to fund construction of a new health department. County Executive Jimmy Haley said the county ranked high on the state’s list for a replacement. “We’ve had the need for a long time,” Haley said. “We had one of the oldest health departments. It was built in the 1960’s. It’s ... Read More »

Duck Commander Founder and Duck Dynasty Star Phil Robertson will be coming to Cookeville Easter weekend as a Life Church special speaker. Cookeville Pastor Bob Sotis said Robertson will speak Saturday and Sunday at the Hooper Eblen Center. “It was kind of a goal of ours back when COVID started to attract people back to the church house,” Sotis said. ... Read More »

This Week in the Upper Cumberland the Monterey Board of Aldermen will consider bids for HVAC work at city buildings. The town wants to install new units at City Hall and the Police Department. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. Monday. The Cookeville City Council will have a work session Monday at 4:30 p.m. The White County Planning Commission will ... Read More »

State Senator Paul Bailey pushing forward a bill that would allow retired EMS workers to return to work without impacting retirement benefits. The state’s retirement system currently does not allow these workers to return to work without suspending benefits. “This actually came from Tommy Copeland within the Putnam County EMS Department,” Bailey said. “He contacted me several months ago. Basically, ... Read More »

Power of Putnam Executive Director Bill Gibson said he is disappointed but not surprised that fentanyl numbers are drastically increasing. A National Institute on Drug Abuse study found pill seizures by law enforcement have increased nearly 50-fold over the past three years. Gibson said homemade pills are a reason why the Upper Cumberland has seen an increase. “People have found ... Read More »

Local tourism leaders want to bring soccer and lacrosse tournaments to Putnam County. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Amy New said several contracts are expiring. New said organizers want to move away from urban areas and come to more rural cities. “We’re seeing people want to move from those Urban areas like Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville because of the costs,” ... Read More »

The Spencer Board of Aldermen approved exploring options with the Warren County Utility District on the city’s water system Thursday. The action was needed since the State Comptroller’s Office has mandated Spencer to consider alternatives on how it operates its water system. Engineer Nathaniel Green said with so many options to explore, the city needed to start conversations. “It can ... Read More »