Upper Cumberland traffic fatalities are down slightly in 2019 despite a deadly July month. According to the State of Tennessee’s year-to-date fatality report, 37 people have died this year in vehicle accidents. That number is down slightly from 41 deaths through the first seven months of 2018. Eight people died on Upper Cumberland roadways last month, including four people in ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech University’s head softball coach Bonnie Graham has stepped down from her position. TTU released a statement Thursday saying Graham accepted a position with Cookeville’s Leisure Services department. Graham said the move will allow her to spend more time with family. “Unfortunately, anyone who works in athletics knows you don’t get a lot of free time or weekends away,” ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council approved new life insurance options for city employees Thursday. The proposal switches the city-paid life insurance provider for employees and retirees from Voya to Lincoln. Supplemental policies will also be switched to Lincoln following a 20-year agreement with Aflac. Finance Director Brenda Imel says the city’s policies had not been changed in decades. “It is a big ... Read More »

The City of Cookeville has received bids from four pre-qualified contractors to construct a new police headquarters. City Manager James Mills said the city should have a contractor selected within the next two weeks. “We’re in the process of evaluating those,” Mills said. “If all the bids are accurate, then we will recommend at our next council meeting the acceptance ... Read More »

A lawsuit filed by Tennessee Tech’s former director of financial aid will head to trial next year. Leslie McKenzie filed the lawsuit in May after reporting nearly $1.7 million in Title IV funds were distributed to unqualified students between 2017-2018. According to the initial complaint, McKenzie stated he was terminated after reporting the misuse of funding and that a one-month ... Read More »

Baxter City Council voted Thursday to rezone two pieces of property purchased by Portobello for light industrial use. Mayor John Martin said the rezoning means Portobello now needs the proper permitting in order to construct its facilities. “We did that for the old Martin property and where the race track was at, so all that was finalized today,” Martin said. ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council has approved the sale of Cumberland River Hospital (CRH) in Celina. In a press release, Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC) states the unanimous vote allows CEO Paul Korth and Cookeville City Manager James Mills to complete the sale. “We are glad to have a buyer for Cumberland River Hospital,” Korth said. “It’s been our hope all along ... Read More »

Forbes has named Averitt Express as one of the nation’s best large employers for 2019. According to a press release from Averitt, the list of 500 companies nationwide is based on survey results asking employees how likely they were to recommend their company to others. Averitt ranks 311th nationwide among companies with more than 5,000 employees and among the top ... Read More »

The new Crossville Shooting Sports Park hosted its grand opening Thursday. Park President Kenneth Carey said the new shooting range will provide a variety of opportunities for residents of the Upper Cumberland and beyond. “We’ve actually built a facility where you can shoot rifles, shotguns, pistols, archery, everything here,” Carey said. “We’ve got five trap skeet fields, we have an ... Read More »

Former Alvin C. York Institute Director Phil Brannon is speaking out about his termination that occurred last month. Brannon said he was surprised when Tennessee state officials gave him two options in what he calls a “forced resignation.” “Needless to say I was stunned. I had no expectation, no inclination this was going to happen,” Brannon said. “Then Mrs. Lora ... Read More »