The Putnam County Republican Party has elected its candidate for 9th District Commissioner. Robert Riddle will be the Republican candidate on the November ballot. Riddle received the majority of votes in a weekend caucus with 31. Gerald “Skip” Ritter was the other candidate and tallied 13 votes. Whoever is elected will take Jimmy Neal’s seat on the commission. Neal resigned ... Read More »

Baxter seeking grant funding to purchase four police vehicles to phase out aging patrol cars. Police Chief Danny Holmes said the department has spent a lot of money on trying to maintain several vehicles with over 100,000 miles. Homes said they need to be replaced. “We’re limited on funds as everybody is, and when you start spending thousands and thousands ... Read More »

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office has a new K-9 unit that has recently joined the force. Sheriff Brandon Boone said K-9 Rip is a dual-purpose dog that specializes in narcotics and tracking. “We’re in a position where we need to help try to curb some of the drug problems and issues we have in our county and city,” Boone said. ... Read More »

A Cookeville man was airlifted Monday after a head-on collision on Dodson Branch Highway. According to the State Highway Patrol, 30-year-old Cody Jones was transported to Vanderbilt Hospital after suffering serious injuries. Jones was traveling north and failed to navigate a curve. Jones’ vehicle entered the southbound lane and struck a vehicle head-on. The second vehicle was driven by a ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland’s initiative to bring more families out of poverty needs more volunteers. The pilot grant program called Empower UC needs mentors to work with families. Director Megan Spurgeon said it has been difficult at times finding enough people for the work. Spurgeon said the members would participate in what is called Circle meetings. Spurgeon said this monthly gathering ... Read More »

Non-profits in Putnam County saw a fall in food donations during the pandemic, but supply has seem to return to a normal level. Executive Director Bruce Bailey said food levels were at its lowest at the end of 2021. Over the last three months, donations have returned to a normal level. “It impacted us very directly,” Bailey said. “We had ... Read More »

The White County School System striving to maintain its growth one month through the school years. The system was named a level five district by the state. The highest honor regarding student growth on state testing. Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said there is still room to grow. Dronebarger said he wants to see the number of students performing at ... Read More »

Celina Mayor Luke Collins has identified a $2 million rural development loan to possibly fund several paving projects in the city. Collins said the plan is to resurface 14 miles of street. “Some of them have a lot of potholes in them, and some of them where work has been done the road had to be dug up and patched,” ... Read More »

Pickett County School Board Member Travis Parrott will continue to serve the third district until the November election. A runoff election between Parrott and Candidate Gary Stover will occur at that time after the two tied with 193 votes in the August Election. Director of Schools Diane Elder said the board’s business will continue as normal leading up to the ... Read More »

The Celina Board of Aldermen has rezoned the property where the closed Cumberland River Hospital sits. Mayor Luke Collins said the change was recommended from the city’s zoning committee. Collins said residential developments will no longer be allowed on the land. “Just to clean it up,” Collins said. “The way it was it was pretty opened ended. It really wasn’t ... Read More »