Putnam County and Smith County targeted for a new federal grant to repair the railroad bridge over the Caney Fork River. The state will receive a total of $23.7 million to repair some 42 rail bridges statewide that are past their lifespan or need immediate repairs. The bridges are on ten different short lines, mostly in rural areas. The disrepair ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech has adopted new academic policies designed to deal with Artificial Intelligence in classroom work. Provost Lori Bruce said she tasked two groups to study the issue earlier this year, made up of faculty, students and university leadership. One focused on how to harness artificial intelligence to improve the academic process. The other focused on AI’s impact on academic ... Read More »

Another brick in the wall, or actually another poorly colored brick in the wall. Putnam County School officials singing the blues after the first layer of bricks in place at the new Park View facility. Director of Schools Corby King said the colors do not match brick to brick, and are far away from the system wanted. “I think there’s ... Read More »

Cookeville Regional’s Board Of Trustees Finance Committee voted Tuesday night to table a contract extension on the center’s health record system. Committee members, led by Dr. Ernest Buchanan, voiced concerns about the system and ongoing problems that have not been fixed. Altera Digital Health had proposed a five-year contract extension at a price of some $6.16 million. “They’ve got open ... Read More »

Cookeville Electric will impose its first retail rate increase since 2007, after TVA discontinued a credit the utility had been receiving. Last month, TVA passed a 4.5 percent rate increase that will be passed on to all electric customers. Electric Department Director Carl Haney said the utility also ended a pandemic credit Cookeville had received. That amounted to some $800,000 ... Read More »

A Putnam County resident made her 76th platelet donation Friday, making her a 12-gallon blood donor. Tiffany Anton said she had no idea of the number or that she had reached what Blood Assurance called a major milestone for any individual with 12 gallons donated. “I had a niece that was born eight years ago, and she was really sick, ... Read More »

The Tennessee Board of Regents approved what it is calling the “fusion” of the TCAT Crossville and TCAT Livingston administration Friday. The regents did not discuss the item at all Friday in its quarterly meeting, but rather reported the work of the Academic Policies and Programs/Student Life Committee Thursday. Executive Vice Chancellor Russ Deaton said Thursday the plan had been ... Read More »

Clay County School Board moved three building projects forward Thursday accepting construction bids. Roof repairs at both Hermitage Springs School and the School Board building approved. The board also approved the construction numbers on the kitchen at Celina K-8. Board Chair Benji Bailey said the system ready to get that project finished. “It’s something that we’ve been, we’ve identified earlier ... Read More »

The Van Buren County Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to join numerous school boards across Tennessee in a lawsuit against various social media corporations. The list of companies contains many popular social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Director of Schools Jared Copeland said the lawsuit targets the negative impacts of social media on young people. “It’s ... Read More »

In an effort to improve traffic flow, Cookeville officials want to conduct a pilot program with a new traffic light synchronization technology. The product uses sensors and beams on traffic lights instead of the old technology placed in roadways. Public Works Director Blake Mayo said the sensors can be mounted on stoplights in minutes. In addition, the settings can be ... Read More »