The Cumberland County Board of Education has accepted a bid to make improvements to Martin Elementary School. Kacee Harris is the board’s Chief Financial Officer. “To keep it simple, we have $850,000 dollars to spend,” Harris said. “We can do the base bid and the engineering fees, with the change door order included and come in $4,900 dollars under budget.” ... Read More »

State Representative Ryan Williams said retailers are finding new ways to protect both customers and workers. Williams recently participated in a conference call with national retailers. “I think one of the biggest concerns they had was overall customer safety and employees, and how do they practically operate,” Williams said. “We’ve seen in our own community some nimble action by some ... Read More »

A plant native only to the Upper Cumberland is being removed from the Endangered Species List. The Cumberland Sandwort is a pink, flowering perennial, is only found in parts of Fentress, Morgan, Scott, and Pickett Counties. The plant rebounded from only 11 plants in 1988 to over 70 today. Geoff Call is an Endangered Species Recovery Coordinator for the Fish ... Read More »

The Crossville Police Department will be out in force patrolling crowded areas as the city begins to reopen. “We just want to let people stay cognizant of the fact that just because we’re trying to get back to normal doesn’t mean we are quite there yet,” Public Information Officer Brian Eckelson said. “Keep wearing your masks, keep your hands sanitary, ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland restaurants began to welcome back customers on Monday morning. Elaine Heinz of Baxter said she hoped to find a sense of normalcy by going to lunch. “It feels really good,” Heinz said. “It’s a little bit more of a routine, and it’s nice to be out of the house. At some point, you have to start living your ... Read More »

Even with massive shutdowns due to COVID-19, people in the Upper Cumberland are still moving into new homes. Tamera Duncan of Freddie Duncan and Sons Moving and Storage said that March’s tornado especially makes moving people a necessity. “People have sold houses and are relocating from the tornadoes,” Duncan said. “They have found somewhere to move permanently or bought a ... Read More »

Expect Tennessee nursing homes to remain closed for the foreseeable future. With the governor’s order lifting restrictions, Scott Stevens of Overton County Health and Rehab in Livingston said said staff at the facility began to notice social media posts about people looking forward to visiting loved ones at the nursing home. He said they wanted to quickly inform families that ... Read More »

Following a donation of land next to city hall, the City of Smithville is looking to build a 12,000 square foot structure to replace the existing police department headquarters. City Mayor Josh Miller said original estimated cost was around 2.8 million dollars. “I think the council is wanting to stay around 2.1,” Miller said. “So we are going to go ... Read More »

Governor Bill Lee’s order to begin reopening Tennessee’s economy did not include barber shops or beauty salons. Jonathan A.D. Williams owns Veterans Barber Shop in Cookeville. “I am certainly disappointed that barber shops and hair salons can’t reopen,” Williams said. “I am a barber, and this directs me personally. I don’t envy the governor’s position. He has a lot of ... Read More »

The Jackson County Courthouse will reopen to the public with official business on May 4. “We’re going do it kind of strategically, not get in a hurry, and do the right thing,” Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady said. “That day we’re going to open it up and let people come in and do their business.” Heady said that congregating will ... Read More »