Now is the time to prune back your trees according to Cookeville Electric Department. Forester Jeff Fitzpatrick said pruning trees can help keep power lines safe and prevent damage to the electric system. He said the best time of year is the end of winter. “During the fall of the year, as the sap goes down you get weeping and ... Read More »

A proposed state and local shared sales tax bill has a slim chance of passing in this general assembly. That’s according to State Representative Ryan Williams. Williams said the challenge for the legislature is that in order to enact the bill, it could affect the amount of discretionary money it has to spend. “By signing on the bill what I’m ... Read More »

Putnam County School Board having to wait on new school funding formula numbers before they can have serious conversations about teacher salaries. School Board Member Lynn McHenry said they all agree that teachers deserve higher salaries to help recruit and retain good employees. He said the difficult part comes from having to balance what they want to give with what ... Read More »

Fentress County working out how to best spend opioid abatement settlement money through a newly-formed committee. County Executive Jimmy Johnson said the county received over $115,000 in their portion of the nationwide settlement. “The funds that we will receive will go to opioid reduction in the county,” Johnson said. “Hopefully it will go for instructions into the school systems and ... Read More »

Putnam County Schools hoping spring break will be a time for students and teachers to relax and refresh. Director of Schools Corby King said it is important for those in the system to get a break for a nine-week grading period. “This third nine weeks especially without the snow days we typically have, we’ve had a lot going on,” King ... Read More »

City of Sparta moving forward with a roof repair project at the Civic Center. Public Works Director Dillard Quick said the roof had been having issues with holes from fallen branches and sticks. He said up until now, they had just been patching the holes. “This roof is actually about 22 or 23 years old, the warranty is usually 20 ... Read More »

White County Schools exploring options to start live streaming its monthly school board meetings. Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said the desire to have the meetings live-streamed has been a big want from the community. He said they are totally open to the idea, but when to execute it in the right way. “We could throw up a phone and ... Read More »

Fatal car crashes have nearly doubled across the Upper Cumberland to start the year. Tennessee Law Enforcement agencies gathered together Friday morning at the Cookeville Police Department to discuss the recent rise. According to data from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 21 people have lost their lives this year. Tennessee Highway Safety Office Director Buddy Lewis said that he believes the ... Read More »

Clay County Director of Schools Diana Monroe gets positive reviews in her first evaluation by the school board. School Board Chair Benji Bailey said Monroe received a 4.53 out of 5. He said that means as scored by 10 school board members, she averaged right between consistently meeting and exceeding expectations. “We’re thankful for it, we’ve got a lot of ... Read More »

The Plateau Chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association working to showcase hike-at-your-own-pace trails as part of their activities. Chapter President Bill Wisniewski said the trails will help people who are not necessarily acclimated to hiking feel less intimidated. “I felt that maybe we should try something to get people out and showing them different parks and trails,” Wisniewski said. “And ... Read More »