The Tennessee Valley Authority is offering virtual home assessments in place of sending a technician to your home. Sparta Utility Manager Belva Bess said this is a safer option for households. “If you have a smartphone you can show them,” Bess said. “They would show you and tell you what they need to look at. You would point your camera ... Read More »

The Monterey Board of Aldermen is considering applying for a $600,000 FEMA grant to fix its storm water drainage system. Grant Writer Dawn Kupferer said flooding caused by the storm drain issue has caused thousands of dollars in damage each year. “This could really address issues for city property, businesses, and residents,” Kupferer said. “I really feel like he’s really ... Read More »

Monterey’s administrative buildings will receive upgrades for its COVID safety equipment through the CARES Act. Mayor J.J. Reels said the town has $43,000 to spend before the end of the year. “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” Reels said. “So, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to use it all that way we will be able ... Read More »

Byrdstown employees mourned the loss of Aldermen Johnny Bilbrey during Monday’s board meeting. Bilbrey was sixty-nine- years-old and serving his third term as a city councilman. Mayor Sam Gibson said this is the first time a Byrdstown alderman has died while in office. “One of the most things that he liked the most than about anything he’d done was being ... Read More »

Sparta’s city caboose will have a new home at the head of the downtown walking trail. The city built a three foot deep rock pad for the caboose to sit on. Public Works Director Dillard Quick said the train car will add a unique aspect to the trail. “A moving company is going to move it for us cause we ... Read More »

By the end of September, nine electric car charging stations will be available across the Upper Cumberland. The project is part of a three-year Tennessee Tech study to research how electric vehicles could be the new future of transportation in rural communities. Mechanical Engineer Assistant Professor Pingen Chen said Carthage, Livingston, Sparta, Spencer, and Byrdstown will have electric car hookups ... Read More »

The Clay County Public Library received some extra help thanks to a $1,500 Tennessee State Library and Archives Grant. Library Director Judith Cutright said part of the funds have gone to providing internet access to the community. “It has helped us tremendously,” Cutright said. “We are able to provide five Wi-Fi hotspots for our patrons. Several of them have already ... Read More »

An Overton County residential fire on Noel Drive has displaced one resident. Both Overton’s Hardys Chapel Fire Department and the Putnam County Fire Department were sent. Putnam Fire Chief Tom Brown said there was initial confusion which county the property was on. “The fire appeared to have begun in a shed type building, a storage building, just adjacent to a ... Read More »

Gainesboro is applying for a $630,000 Community Development Block Grant to replace a mile of sewer line. This will be the start of the town’s four mile sewer line replacement project. Town Supervisor Chester Hamlet said some of the sewer pipes are over 50 years old. “I’d say some of these is where they are put together and they have ... Read More »

Clay County School fundraisers for 2020-2021 are cancelled due to pandemic concerns. The Board of Education voted Thursday to provide $75,000 to cover school programs that rely on annual fundraisers. School Director Matt Eldridge said this alternative will not require students to knock on doors around the neighborhood. “What we’re trying to do is help the public and not have ... Read More »