School ending means more idle and alone time for teens, but experts say that can lead to dangerous habits. Being alone in the home presents teens with more opportunities to get into medications and alcohol in the home. Overton County Anti-Drug Coalition President Daryl Colson said that the most important thing parents can do to avoid issues is to take ... Read More »

The Putnam County School Board is interested in exploring a change in the way sales taxes fund the school system. Currently, schools are operating on a flat sales tax rate. Chairman Lynn McHenry said that in switch from a flat rate to a percentage rate, it would be an opportunity to see an increase in revenue. “It will give us ... Read More »

Roadwork to improve Cookeville’s Hudgens Street has begun. Public Works Director Greg Brown said they hope the work will aid in traffic around Capshaw School during carpool hours. “It’s adding a turning lane on Hudgens at the corner of Elm and then adding a turning lane down Elm to Cougar Drive to help keep the traffic off of the main ... Read More »

Putnam County Pre-K program is accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year starting July 30th. Pre-K through 4th grade Supervisor Jill Ramsey said she encourages parents to enroll their children in pre-k instead of daycare, because they learn skills that set them up for success in kindergarten. “Pre-K is much more specific in the skills that we’re trying to teach ... Read More »

Putnam County Libraries now have Google Chromebooks available for checkout. Assistant Director Matt Knieling said they originally looked into the idea at the start of pandemic when there was concern about virtual learning, but now hopes the resource will benefit Putnam County residents on a wider scale. “They would be able to check this out and further gain access to ... Read More »

Warmer months means spending more time outdoors, but spending more time outdoors could increase your chances of running into poison ivy. Dekalb County Extension Agent Johnny Barnes said the most common misconception people have about the plant is that just being near it can affect you. “In order for it to kind of have a reaction with you, you do ... Read More »

The Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter wants new software to take better care of their animals and the community. Shelter Director Jennifer Tracy said the software the shelter is asking for expands the capabilities of day-to-day operations, as well as aids in efficiency. “It’s really the Cadillac of shelter software, quite honestly,” Tracy said. “I used it at my last shelter ... Read More »

A growing awareness of cybersecurity threats should lead to better preparation, according to Tennessee Tech expert. Two major cyberattacks have shut down two major industries in the past three weeks. Assistant Director for Tennessee Tech’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Department Eric Brown said the most important thing to understand when it comes to these threats is to know what ... Read More »

Algood’s White Plains Historic Home will reopen its doors to the public on Saturday. Friends of the White Plains Home Co-Chair Eunetta Jenkins said that after 17 months, they are excited to have visitors return the historic home for tours and sight-seeing. “There are beautiful homes open to the public all over Tennessee, and we’re lucky that we have one ... Read More »

Not many appeals of Putnam County property assessments…yet. Putnam County Assessor of Property Steve Pierce said that calls for both appraisals and informal reappraisals are happening later than usual this year across the state. “Everybody is calling late, especially on our commercial end–a lot of our commercials would have already been calling previously in years in the last appraisal of ... Read More »