A stranded vehicle on a flooded Willow Avenue caused a water rescue by local fire crews Thursday morning. Putnam County EMA Director Tyler Smith said a single driver tried to drive through high water levels. Smith said the car started floating and taking in water. “Around 3:00 to 4:00 a.m. some street flooding on Willow,” Smith said. “A car got ... Read More »

Overton County Executive Ben Danner said the county is officially out of contention for the Rickman Road property. Danner said the county has a Friday deadline to purchase the 210-acres. “We had a certain amount of time that the county had to purchase the land,” Danner said. “That time is about to run out, and we don’t have enough time ... Read More »

Hillham Elementary has a new principal in Kelly Montgomery. She replaces Kim Dial who is now a faculty member of Hillham Elementary. Montgomery said as a first time principal, student success will be her focus this school year. “A family approach is what Overton County is good at, and we’ve always taken athletic endeavors, academic endeavors, social and emotional worries ... Read More »

With school a few weeks away, it’s time for families to start planning for student immunizations. Putnam County Schools Nurse Coordinator Janet Frank said it is state and federal law for students to have an updated record. “Technically, every student in the school system should have immunizations or have a waiver for them,” Frank said. “We’re predominately looking at our ... Read More »

Sparta has purchased land to expand the South Carter Street Park. Mayor Jeff Young said the city closed on 1.4 acres from a local family for $125,000. “This new property is something that the city of Sparta has wished we owned for several years so that we could do a park expansion,” Young said. “The family that owns the property ... Read More »

Reopening the unoccupied Central View School building would cost over $2 million. That is according to a State Fire Marshal’s report. White County Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said in his opinion, making the repairs does not make sense. “Ultimately, there is no fiscal value in having that school open, and there’s really no academic value,” Dronebarger said. “As we’ve ... Read More »

Putnam County’s option to sell the fairgrounds property has expired. Mayor Randy Porter said the Nashville-based developer decided to not extend the option once this month’s deadline approached. According to the agreement signed by the county commission, the developer had to have a firm commitment from a retailer by July. Porter said the developer was unable to get that commitment ... Read More »

A missing hiker in White County located Wednesday morning after being lost overnight near Virgin Falls. Sheriff Steve Page said a group of four under prepared hikers were separated near White Cave. Page said three hikers made it out safe while one female was left behind. “People don’t realize the dangers of hiking Virgin Falls unequipped and that seems to ... Read More »

Aquatic facilities, walking trails and river access highlighted the finalized White County Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Consultant Kevin Guenther presented the plan to county commissioners Monday night. He said over 790 online surveys and several public meetings resulted in the findings. “Every county and every city I have worked with that has adopted a plan has been able to ... Read More »

Sparta Mayor Jeff Young said he will recommend the Board of Aldermen to begin an internal pay study Thursday night. The conversation began last week after a few street department workers left for retail jobs. Young said companies are now paying more than entry level city positions. “The city of Sparta has been very competitive with the wages that we ... Read More »