Savannah Buckner has been the first young lady to earn her Eagle Scout in Putnam County. Buckner said she joined the Boy Scouts of America in 2019 after BSA changed its rules to allow girls. She said her father and her brothers had all participated, and she followed in their footsteps. “I saw what my brothers were doing, making fires, ... Read More »

Clay County Mayor Dale Reagan said the county is about “halfway” through the process of putting the jail project out to bid. Reagan said there had been setbacks due to the city needing to upgrade sewer lines. He said the most recent setback was the County having to resubmit the bid documents to USDA. “We had to go through that ... Read More »

Cookeville Planning Commission voted to deny a rezoning request for a Planned Residential Development (PRD) on East 10th Street. The PRD would create a 53-lot subdivision of detached and attached single-family homes. It was met with large opposition by community members from the surrounding properties like on Inglewood Drive and Wall Avenue. Commissioner Jim Stafne said he was impressed with ... Read More »

DeKalb County High School named a new recipient of the Supporting Postsecondary Access in Rural Communities (SPARC) grant. SPARC grants from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) are awarded to distressed and at-risk counties in the state. CTE Director Brad Leach said the school is set to receive $102,000 to upgrade and enhance CTE programs. “This money is really going ... Read More »

Putnam County Schools will implement new software that helps track its student homeless population. Family Resource Coordinator Kristy Hunt said the program helps collect data required by the state and personal information. She said this will help the school system get its families the assistance they need. “Putnam County we have increased quite a bit,” Hunt said. “And because we ... Read More »

York Institute Educational Assistant Jody Hancock has been named a state finalist for the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE). Hancock has been employed with York Institute for 28 years. She said she works with special ed and regular ed students to help them keep on top of their work and learn life and job skills. “I just want kids to ... Read More »

Jackson County Emergency Management gauging interest in EMT and EMR training. Spokesperson Derek Woolbright said EMT is a higher level of licensure that allows one to work in an ambulance. He said EMRs are typically what people consider first responders. “We like most everyone in the state, especially in the Upper Cumberland are kind of feeling that provider shortage,” Woolbright ... Read More »

Clay County School Board approved a change order for work on its Celina K-8 School’s plumbing project. School Board Chair Benji Bailey said in the original scope of the project, they were unsure if there would be the capability to upgrade or replace certain sewer lines. As work has progressed, it has been determined that there is an opportunity to ... Read More »

Clay County set to get a new rescue ambulance for its emergency services. EMA Director Kyle Haney said the fleet will rotate once vehicles reach about 200,000 miles. “We try to cycle out ambulances as needed,” Haney said. “They get updated on mileage, especially with us not having a hospital right now we’re taking all of our transport out of ... Read More »

Pickett County has been approved an ARC grant to complete a feasibility study for Dale Hollow Lake’s participation in the Bill Dance Signature Lakes Program. Pickett County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said the $100,000 grant includes $6,500 from the county. He said the remaining balance will come from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Tennessee Department of Tourism. “What we’re looking ... Read More »