Despite a White County Commission race decided by one vote, there has been no challenges to last week’s election. Election Administrator Dorcus Marcum said election results are set to be certified on August 16thTuessday at 5:00 p.m. “We are about half way through our paper work, so once we get that done, I’ll prepare the certification documents and have them ... Read More »

The growing diversity of the Upper Cumberland will naturally increase Tennessee Tech’s Hispanic enrollment. Recruitment was a point of discussion at the most recent Board of Trustees meeting. Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Rob Owens said Putnam County’s Hispanic population has consistently grown, so just focusing recruiting efforts at home is the strategy. “We need to win in Putnam County,” Owens ... Read More »

White County currently diverting trash to evaluate the life span of its class one landfill. County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said there will be no interruptions in services. Robinson said the county is just trying to get a new cell permitted. “We’ve got to see where we are at, and how close we are to being at the end,” Robinson ... Read More »

The Smithville Splash pad has been in high-use since being installed two-months ago. Mayor Josh Miller said the project was completed to the city’s standards and has not faced issues since opening. “Smithville is a small town, we don’t have the luxuries of Cookeville and other big towns have, but I do think it is important that we invest in ... Read More »

Celina’s EMS staffing shortages seemed to be resolved, but the department has once again found itself short handed. Director Andy Hall said what should be a 12-person team is actually operating with just six people including himself. “I don’t know what the sure fire answer is, but we are working on slowly getting our raises up, but we are a ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity has secured a new location for its Restore. Executive Director Pam Ealey said the donation based store will move to Jefferson Avenue next to Big R Farm and Home. “We looked at that back 21 months ago, and it didn’t work out at the time,” Ealey said. “But as with anything with Habitat it’s ... Read More »

The idea of Putnam County Schools creating a centralized CTE building not a priority at this time. The suggestion came up in a school board work session earlier this year. Director of Schools Corby King said the system has other projects to focus on at this time. “That’s kind of been put on the back burner,” King said. “The cost ... Read More »

This week in the Upper Cumberland the Putnam County Commission will continue discussion over the Park View School. The School Board and County Commission recently met in joint session exploring options to build the 5th-8th grade wing of the school. Originally a K-8 school, but limited funding caused the school board to move forward with just the K-4 section. The ... Read More »

Turn lanes at Findlay Elementary and White County High School could be a project coming in the future. State Representative Paul Sherrell reported to the White County School Board that TDOT is studying the matter. “There’s has been some people that has approached me and wanting to know why can’t we have a turn lane at the high school and ... Read More »

Sparta’s Municipal Court Judge and City Attorney positions will remain vacant for the foreseeable future after two tie votes by the Board of Aldermen. City Attorney Lynn Omohundro resigned from the position. Municipal Judge John Meadows won the General Sessions Judge seat. Alderman Hoyte Jones was one of the three no votes. “I think there’s a few things in this ... Read More »