A set back in power restorations occurred in Putnam County Wednesday with a new outage reported near Bunker Hill Road. Mayor Randy Porter said the number of outages remain about the same with some 6,000 customers without power. “Today, they had a new area down on Bunker Hill Road along Lovelady Road southbound down Ditty Road and Burgess School Road ... Read More »

Spar-Gas has propane and heaters readily available for those without power. The company has locations in Sparta, Livingston, Crossville, Carthage and McMinnvile. Sparta Manager Sabrina Tolbert said employees are even delivering gas to customers that already have a Spar-Gas tank. “We use the driver’s discretion,” Tolbert said. “The driver comes out to your road, and he sees that it is ... Read More »

The Cookeville Rescue Mission is offering emergency shelter for any residents in the area. House Manager Glenn Honeycutt said the Jefferson Avenue location on the corner of Davis Road has lodging, food and clothing available. “We have 50 residents that are currently residing here at the Cookeville Rescue Mission, and we do have plenty more beds available,” Honeycutt said. “We ... Read More »

Roughly about 20 percent of Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation customers are without power. At the beginning of Wednesday, that number was at about 35 percent. CEO Jennifer Brogdon said outages were as low as 15 percent, but trees continued to fall throughout the day. “The issue is with the weight of the snow and the ice still on the ... Read More »

In the past 12 hours, the Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation has restored about 4,000 outages in Putnam County. According to Mayor Randy Porter, about 6,500 customers are still without electricity. The Cookeville Electric Department has less than 300 without power. Gainesboro Grade, Fisk Road and Quinland Lake Road will need the most work to restore power. Porter said two ... Read More »

While a peeking sun and a slight increase in temperature helped clear roads, crews are preparing for another evening of service Wednesday with a third round of winter weather on the way. Putnam County Road Supervisor Randy Jones said state and primary roads are in good shape for now, but secondary roads are still icy. “We still got some of ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation is working on restoring power for about 15,000 reported outages. Executive Director Jennifer Brogdon said the worry is that progress over the last two days could be lost with more winter weather on the horizon. “I am concerned, however, that if the pattern continues that we get things fixed, and then, the snow weighs ... Read More »

Road crews are battling to keep roadways clear with low temperatures making salt less effective. Van Buren Highway Superintendent Randy Oakes said salt is used to lower the freezing temperature of water on streets, but temperatures dipping into the teens does not stop ice from forming. “It doesn’t work really good,” Oakes said. “When the temperature gets below 20 degrees, ... Read More »

The Cookeville Water Department has dealt with three water line breaks since Monday due to freezing weather. The three lines are located from Big Lots to Kroger on Jefferson Avenue. Water and Sewer Director Ronnie Kelly said the cast iron lines are not flexible and snap like a glass rod in low temperatures. “The ground shifting,” Kelly said. “It just ... Read More »

Majority of the state roads in the Upper Cumberland are clear with some slick spots, but some primary roads and most secondary roads remain treacherous. According to Overton County Dispatch, the only road way clear in the county is Highway 111 going into Livingston. Electric and road crews have been working all night to restore power and clear other roadways. ... Read More »