Fall Creek Falls is celebrating Appalachian culture through an Arts and Preservation day this Saturday. Park Curator Tommy Solomon said that the event will showcase blacksmithing, chair canning, log hewing, and bluegrass music. He said that the celebration will also feature classes from local craftsmen and artists. “Preserving culture is of the utmost importance,” Solomon said. “Culture and its heritage ... Read More »

Cookeville Fire Department responded to a fire on Broadway Avenue started by an air fryer incident. Chief Benton Young said that an air fryer was sitting on top of a stove when the stove was accidentally turned on. He said that the fire was mostly put out by a fire extinguisher by the time the department arrived on the scene. ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council approved the financing for the expansion of the city’s water facility at its meeting Thursday night. City Council approved the tentative low bid Thursday at a cost of $25.4 million. Finance Director Brenda Imel said that money from TDEC, ARP money, or a combination of the two are on the table to make up the some $7 ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council honored long-time Gas Department Director Jeff Mills Thursday night as he approaches his retirement. Mills started as a gas distribution servicer. He became director in 2013. “In 1980 I was hired as a temporary, part-time employee with the department,” Mills said. “42 years later I’m ending up with a great career and a great place to work. ... Read More »

The blooming of the first Bradford pear trees marks the return of spring to the Upper Cumberland. However, Overton Extension Agent Jason Garrett said that Bradford pears are not his first choice of tree to get a spring bloom. “A pear tree, one might have noticed, they’re a really soft bark,” Garrett said. “they contain a lot of water and ... Read More »

A new bill being considered in the legislature could make fentanyl testing strips legal in the state of Tennessee. Cumberland County Drug Prevention Coalition Director Bob Valerio said the bill is just another harm reduction tool that can be used to combat the opioid crisis. He said that fentanyl testing strips are illegal currently because of an ongoing stigma with ... Read More »

Van Buren School Board will invest some $120,000 in paving work at the system’s schools. Director Cheryl Cole said that paving and striping are a massive need for the system. She said that they’ve just been resurfacing the lots as needed until this point. “The striping is in bad shape, people don’t know where to park because they can’t see ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech will get a new $1 million Agricultural Technology Innovation Center as one of the approved projects for the fiscal year. Dean of the School of Agriculture and Ecology Dr. Darron Smith said that he calls the new facility a “student success center.” He said it will serve as a place where students can hone their skills or test ... Read More »

Fewer than 70 COVID cases have been reported across the Upper Cumberland in the week ending Saturday. The state collects and reports COVID data weekly based on reports shared with the health departments. Positive cases have decreased some 78 percent over the last four weeks. Cumberland County tallied a region-high 21 positive cases over last week while Putnam County reported ... Read More »

Van Buren School Board approved the purchase of two simulators for their CTE students Wednesday night. Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said Alex Pro Patient Simulator and the Ambulance Simulator will total some $86,000 from the system’s $124,000 Supporting Access in Rural Counties Grant (SPARC). “The ambulance simulator, I have actually seen it in action,” Cole said. “And it’s just ... Read More »