The White County Hormann Plant is in phase one of its operations. About 40 employees are working at the facility to build inventory up of two garage door products. President Camron Rudd said the two products should be available this September. “We have a sandwich product, which is an inch and a half EPS, steel front, steel back sandwich composite ... Read More »

Overton County crews cleaned up road damage Monday along Rickman Road after Sunday’s flash flood. EMA Assistant Director Eric Stevens said the county has not seen flooding in the Rickman area that high since 2010. “There was damage last night,” Stevens said. “Old Highway 42 was closed for a little while until the highway department get some rock put back ... Read More »

Overton County’s Carr Creek Bridge project will break ground Tuesday. The new federally funded concrete bridge will stretch 220 feet with an expected April completion date. Highway Superintendent James Norrod said reports required to use the funds has caused setbacks. “We have been working on this for five years or better,” Norrod said. “It is a partially TDOT funded. Very ... Read More »

Putnam County students lead the freshman class at Tennessee Tech, according to preliminary enrollment numbers released Monday. Some 1,700 enrolled from 83 of the state’s 95 counties. Putnam County leads the enrollment. Cumberland County ranks seventh. Overton County ranks tenth. Top majors for the 2020 freshman students include mechanical engineering, nursing, computer science, biology, exercise science, civil engineering, chemical engineering, ... Read More »

The Van Buren School System is in need of pay increases to stay competitive in recruiting teachers. Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said Van Buren is struggling to keep teachers from moving to larger school systems in Tennessee. “The county has not provided the teachers with a raise or the support staff with a raise for several years,” Cole said. ... Read More »

The Overton County Election Commission is preparing for an increase in absentee ballots for November’s election. Administrator Craig Story said the county is expecting about 500 by-mail ballots. Almost tripling the amount for August’s election. “Back in August, we had about 175 or somewhere in that neighborhood for that election there,” Story said. “But, that is really apples and oranges ... Read More »

International Overdose Awareness Day is Monday. Almost 200 people die everyday in the United States due to overdosing. Tennessee Overdose Specialist Suzanne Angel said the Upper Cumberland is particularly hard hit by the problem. “Everyday, we see lives around being changed in result to overdose,” Angel said. “It does not discriminate. It could be you, someone you love, a friend, ... Read More »

Cookeville High School saw improvements at Thursday night’s game after implementing stricter COVID guidelines for fans. Principal Max Petett said the student section, which was the highest point of concern, socially distanced and wore masks the entire game. “We had faculty and administration in the stands just kind of keeping an eye on them and encouraging the kids to continue ... Read More »

The big screen returned to Cookeville Thursday night with AMC Highland 12 reopening. People gathered with their popcorn buckets in hand. Some came to watch classics while others came for the premieres of long awaited titles. Cookeville’s Christiana Allen said she came to the theater to enjoy some hot, fresh popcorn. “I missed the movies, I missed the popcorn,” Allen ... Read More »

With virtual learning and working from home becoming the norm, the need for a laptop or computer grows. The only problem is supplies are running low. Laptop Dudes Owner Dave Dickerson said computers are in high demand, but especially inexpensive options. Almost every major retailer is sold out of affordable laptops. “School systems have ordered from big Chromebook manufactures in ... Read More »