Algood Middle School welcomes Rusty Darley as its new principal. Darley served for five years as the Assistant Principal at Cookeville High School, and previously as a teacher and athletic trainer in other school districts. “I have a different perspective of Algood Middle in that my first perspective is as a parent,” Darley said. “Of course, my children came through ... Read More »

Cookeville Planning Commission denied a reclassification request Monday night that would have reclassified land near Food City to Planned Commercial Development. The lot on North Old Kentucky Road and East 10th Street is currently deemed appropriate for Low-Density residential development in Cookeville’s 2030 Plan. The commission heard almost an hour of public comment citing concerns about utilities, traffic, and commercial ... Read More »

A new organization has formed in hopes of establishing an animal shelter in Jackson County. Friends For Jackson County Animal Shelter presented plans to the County Commission for the first time Monday night. Director Mark Pack said the group hopes to address an epidemic of animal dumping in the county. “It is pitiful to see the animals come starving to ... Read More »

Cookeville Regional Home Health has been recognized by Strategic Healthcare Programs as a Premier Performer. The program achieved an overall patient satisfaction score that ranked in the top 5 percent of all eligible SHP clients for the 2021 calendar year.  The 2021 award recipients were determined by reviewing and ranking the overall satisfaction score for more than 2,500 home health ... Read More »

A dog park in the Livingston community has been a long-time ask from residents, according to Mayor Curtis Hayes. The town was one of 15 awarded $25,000 from the Boyd Foundation Dog Park Dash Grant. Hayes said that a dog park would be a huge plus to attract people downtown. “The location of the park is A. Downtown Livingston,” Hayes ... Read More »

Putnam County Schools is set to have the ACT CERT program at all middle and high schools. CERT stands for College Equipped Readiness Tool and is a standardized assessment used to prepare students for ACT testing. 9th through 12th Grade Curriculum Supervisor Dr. Bubba Winningham said that the program collects data that could help students improve scores. “One of the ... Read More »

Celina’s L.B.J. & C Headstart locations looking to fill up spots for the coming school year. Assistant Director Jennifer Taylor said that Headstart is a federally-funded program designed to set kids aged three to five up for success before starting kindergarten. “Parents are great teachers but you can’t really do the structured environment as much as the classroom,” Taylor said. ... Read More »

Putnam County Schools seeking employees for the School Age Care program. Capshaw Site Director Ashlee Vaughn said the program offers child care and activities both before and after school. She said it provides a fun, safe place for children to go while parents work. “It is a very rewarding job, you come in and you light up the kids’ faces ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council still expected to have its regularly scheduled meeting on election day, August 4th. City Clerk Darian Coons said that the next council will ideally be sworn in at the next regularly scheduled meeting. “It’s all dependent upon when the election gets certified,” Coons said. “So as long as the election gets certified and there are no problems ... Read More »

Saturday marks the 67th anniversary of Cordell Hull’s passing. UCDD Public Historian Mark Dudney said while Hull might be best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State or the Father of the United Nations, he has many ties to the Upper Cumberland, including Pickett, Clay, and Jackson Counties. “He is considered one of the favorite sons of the Upper Cumberland,” ... Read More »