Three major Putnam County roofing project bids have come in roughly $1 million under projected costs. Mayor Randy Porter said roofing improvements will occur at the County Justice Center, Avery Trace Middle School and Cookeville High School. Porter said that in total this work will cost just under $2.7 million. “Kind of almost the opposite going on with roofing than ... Read More »

T-DOT expects to have the Highway 56 Overpass at the Smithville exit open on Tuesday. T-DOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn said that crews are installing traffic control barriers on the overpass today, allowing for two narrowed lanes on the overpass. Flynn said that only one outer beam was damaged and all temporary repairs should finish this week. “As an additional safety ... Read More »

A 300 foot stretch of Virgil Murphy Circle remains a county road after a petition to make it private was unanimously voted down Monday night. The Davey family had attorney Andrea Ayers present their case that it was not being maintained by the county and would not limit access to Waterloo Falls. However, County Executive Ben Danner said he and ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland Ag Extension Offices are preparing to fully reopen on June 1. Putnam County UT Extension Director Michelle Parrott said telecommuting has been a challenge for an office overseeing many programs and groups. Parrott said extension offices are meant to be available to people whether it’s for 4-H or family and consumer sciences. “We are getting back to what ... Read More »

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office will hold a Tuesday meeting to provide guidance for spending federal money. State Senator Mark Pody said this is also an opportunity for non-profit organizations and businesses to find out what money is available. Pody said this education is critical, with a lack of guidelines. “To make sure that the money is going to be allocated, ... Read More »

State Representative John Mark Windle said that more could have been done to help the Upper Cumberland in the 2021 state budget. Windle said that broadband infrastructure was cut from $200 million to $100 million by Governor Lee. Windle said rural Tennessee is seeing an influx of new residents but they need the bandwidth for today’s jobs. “We need to ... Read More »

The Fentress County Courthouse is rounding the corner on completion after beginning work in October. County Executive Jimmy Johnson said that they are 85-90 percent complete on the project. Johnson said an emphasis has been put on keeping the historic feel to the building. “We’re losing so much history in the country nowadays,” Johnson said. “After it all gets torn ... Read More »

Jackson Kayak is looking to hire 11 additional employees to try and meet its order demands. Human Resources Manager Jeff Leach said Jackson Kayak has been averaging 400-500 units per week, sometimes reaching 600 units a week. Leach said due to difficulties navigating the backlog he anticipates facility expansion. “Right now we are hiring 11 additional employees for several roles ... Read More »

Van Buren County High School’s FFA Envirothon team took seventh place in the state this year. Agriculture Teacher Lance Smith said the team tested over five agriculture topics to win the Upper Cumberland region. Smith said when you get to state, his team had to take a real world problem for a land owner and solve it. “A guy had ... Read More »

Baxter is preparing to move into the first phase of a citywide sewer evaluation to find leaks in its system. Mayor John Martin said the first step is to camera the entire sewer system in Baxter. Martin said with leak locations unknown, work will take time. “That creates a problem to our sewer plant when you have more water going ... Read More »