Manna’s Hana Riding Center has a new addition to its center: a mechanical horse. Students of Tennessee Tech’s Mechanical Engineering program designed and engineered the horse. Manna Hana Executive Director Bobbie Abell said using a mechanical horse is instrumental in assessing students’ riding abilities.  Abell said it was a passion project for both the students and the center. “Because one ... Read More »

Algood City Council approved a bid at some $142,923 for their 2021 street paving projects. The Tinsley Asphalt LLC. group ranked lowest out of three companies who bid on the project. City Administrator Keith Morrison said that in bidding out to Tinsley, work would not be done on Mill Street. “It’ll have to come up in this upcoming fiscal year. ... Read More »

After moving to its new location, the UT Extension Office of Van Buren County is officially open for business. The office moved from the Burritt College building to the basement of the Van Buren Fair Barn. Director Chris Binkley said they hope that with a new building, the Extension Office will be able to provide a better educational experience with ... Read More »

The City of Morristown’s work on a new 115,000-square-foot aquatic and community center could serve as a model as Cookeville begins exploration in future Leisure Services projects. Morristown Mayor Gary Chesney said that the idea for a center has been in public conversation within the community since the late 1990s. Chesney said they funded the 35 million dollar bond issue ... Read More »

Livingston has resubmitted the necessary documents to TEMA in the next step to getting funding for long-term flooding mitigation. The funding would allow the city of Livingston to purchase property from citizens with a high risk for flooding. UCDD Deputy Director Tommy Lee said that TEMA has to submit the documents to the federal level. “And now we are simply ... Read More »

The Smithville-Dekalb County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a movie Saturday night at the Smithville First Baptist Church. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Suzanne Williams said that, thanks to all of the event sponsors, the event is free for anyone–not just in Dekalb County,. “It’s hard to find anything that’s really, really free, and this really is–everything from the food ... Read More »

Livingston’s new fiscal year budget will include a five cent increase in property taxes. The Livingston Board of Alderman held the first reading of the budget for fiscal year Monday night. Vice Mayor Ken Dodson said he thinks the board should move forward with the MTAS recommended increase. “I just think anyone that has given us advice on this has ... Read More »

During a year at home, many people took up new hobbies or interests, including beekeeping. Cumberland County Beekeepers Association President Jeremy Shoemaker said he thinks it came from a desire to get back to basics and homesteading. “People really got into beekeeping that way and wanting to do things themselves because of the supply chain problems and that sort of ... Read More »

The city of Cookeville wants to explore cleaning up and beautifying the area around the Historic Courthouse Square. Council Member Eric Walker brought up the need in a meeting several weeks ago. City Manager James Mills said he agrees with Walker about a need for beautification, and wants to explore options for how to achieve that. “We’ve tried to do ... Read More »

The City of Livingston is looking for umpires for their summer baseball leagues. Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hayes said that after the pandemic, many of their umpires stepped away from the game, leaving a greater need for them this season. “These guys are what helps make the league–without umpires, it’s kind of hard to have a season going on ... Read More »