Putnam County saw a 19 percent increase in COVID-19 cases Tuesday with 46 additional cases. The uptick could be a data reporting issue. Nashville’s Health Department reported Tuesday that one of the companies conducting COVID-19 tests could not report its results electronically this weekend. That caused a spike in Nashville’s numbers Tuesday. County Mayor Randy Porter said the increase could ... Read More »

Local tourism officials have turned their attention to trying reach road trippers who may be tired of being stuck at home. “People are wanting to plan a vacation,” Putnam County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Molly Brown said. “They are housed up and we have an opportunity to take advantage of a captive market of people who are sitting at home ... Read More »

Cumberland Medical Center will receive a $136,000 grant from the state to deal with the financial strains of COVID-19. Governor Bill Lee said smaller and more rural hospitals stepped up to serve patients during the pandemic, while losing revenue due to the cancellation of elective procedures. This third and final group of hospitals included 29 hospitals in 28 counties across ... Read More »

A Sparta man faces charges of evading arrest, leaving the scene of a crash and due care after a Monday night incident on Highway 111 just off I-40. 31-year-old Rhett A. Verble ran off the left side of the roadway near Fleetguard Road as he traveled north, striking a guard rail. The car began to roll several times before coming ... Read More »

Highway 111 closed in both directions in Cookeville Monday night after a vehicle struck a guard rail spreading debris across multiple lanes. The incident happened just before 10:00pm at Fleetguard Road, just off Interstate 40. Both northbound and southbound lanes closed for more than an hour, according to Putnam County Emergency officials. A vehicle struck the guardrail in the center ... Read More »

The Cookeville Planning Commission wants to be better prepare for emergencies that delay commission business. Planning Director Jon Ward said the commission did not have a way to extend development approvals that might be missed because of a cancelled meeting. “Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the planning department recognizes a need relative to development approvement deadlines,” Ward said. “The ... Read More »

The number of Upper Cumberland COVID-19 cases stands at 571 as of Monday’s reporting from the Tennessee Department of Health. That’s about 0.16 percent of the region’s population. Slight increases noted across the region including two additional cases in Van Buren County. Putnam County’s total increased by 26 over the last four days. Macon County’s number also rose by 16 ... Read More »

A Tennessee Tech graduate will lead the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency beginning June 1 as Bobby Wilson becomes Executive Director. “It’s a wonderful school, I miss my time there,” Wilson said “I had a great, enjoyable experience while I was there. And I learned so much from the wildlife degree, which is really all I ever wanted to get was ... Read More »

Tennessee Driver Services Centers across the Upper Cumberland reopened Monday with online options to help consumers. The state website at TN.Gov now shows wait times at offices across the region. At mid-afternoon Monday, there was no wait at the McMinnville office, while the wait time at Cookeville stood at 75 minutes, and 15 minutes at Crossville. The state also launched ... Read More »

Cookeville Regional reported its first COVID-19 death Friday night. “We want to express our sincere condolences to the family of this patient,” Cookeville Regional CEO Paul Korth said. According to CRMC officials, an elderly Nashville patient with multiple chronic diseases or conditions. The death is the first among the 31 people hospitalized at Cookeville Regional with COVID-19. Korth said the ... Read More »