Friday, March 29, 2024
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Author Archives: Betsy Scarisbrick

Upper Cumberland Diversity Advocates Host Multicultural Celebration Festival

Upper Cumberland Diversity Advocates is hosting an event highlighting cultures from around the world that live in the Upper Cumberland. UCDA President John McArthur said that the organization wanted to host the Multicultural Celebration at Fairfield Glade as a chance for the community to come together in both a fun and educational setting to celebrate differences. “That’s one of the ... Read More »

CRMC At “Licensed Capacity” Dealing With Higher Patient Volume

Cookeville Regional Medical Center reached licensed capacity as of Tuesday morning. Chief Nursing Officer Scott Lethi said that the hospital had to get creative with its overflow patients by maximizing resources. “You know we need staff to come in and work extra to take care of higher volumes,” Lethi said. “Our census is higher than it was a year ago. ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech Board Of Trustees Passes Naming Of New Engineering Building

The Tennessee Tech Board of Trustees approved a name for its new engineering building. Chair Trudy Harper said the building will be called the Ashraf Islam Engineering Building in honor of the 1968 Tech graduate. Tech President Phil Oldham said that they wanted to honor the Houston-based engineer for both his monetary and physical contributions to the university. “He’s been ... Read More »

Initial Work Started On Putnam Jail Expansion, Groundbreaking Set For October

Preliminary work has begun on the Putnam County Jail expansion project in its lower parking lot this week. Sheriff Eddie Farris said that engineers have been on-site working to finalize details and ensure everything is ready to break ground sometime in October. Farris said the construction company has been working with their partners on initial engineering work and finalizing the ... Read More »

Cookeville Planning Will Examine Reclassifying Salem Church Road

Cookeville Planning Commission approved a rezoning request for a plot of land for new townhomes near the intersection of I-40 and Highway 111. The 13.2-acre lot sits next to England Drive and Salem Church Road. The commission plans to further study Salem Church Road, which currently ends in a cul-de-sac. Planning Director Jon Ward said the road was closed by ... Read More »

East Broad Street Closed Wednesday For Sewer Main Repairs

The City of Cookeville Department of Water Quality Control will close East Broad Street between South Pickard Avenue and Jamestown Road this Wednesday. The closure will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to make repairs to the sewer main. Due to the high volume of traffic and location of the repair, it was in the best interest to close ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland Senior Citizens Centers Wary Of COVID Rise

COVID cases on the rise lead to concerns amongst senior citizens groups in the Upper Cumberland. Putnam County Senior Center Director Maxine Frasier said that such concerns have led to the temporary cancellation of their volleyball class. Because it’s an activity with closer contact and less ability to wear masks, Frasier said that the decision came from a desire to ... Read More »

DeKalb Animal Shelter Reaches Agreement With County, City; Hires New Employee

The DeKalb County Animal Shelter has reached a compromise with the county and the city of Smithville. Director Emmaly Bennett said that the shelter will now function as its own entity, operating on the contributions of both the county and the city. After meeting with the county last week, Bennett said that the county will now contribute some $39,000 for ... Read More »

White Co. Animal Shelter Hopes Reduced Rates Encourages Adoptions

White County Animal Shelter is offering reduced adoption prices through September 30th. Shelter Manager Sarah Lawson said the shelter hopes the reduced rates would encourage more adoptions. “We are actually overpopulated,” Lawson said. “I think a lot of our shelters around here, even nationwide, we are all overpopulated beyond capacity. So I think we’re just trying to encourage everyone to ... Read More »