The McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen have voted to advertise the full-time city administrator position. For the past four years, Bill Brock has served as interim city administrator. Brock lacks a four-year degree, which is a requirement for one to be considered for the job. This week, the board voted unanimously to change wording in the charter to indicate ... Read More »

Crossville City Council voted not to expand to seven members Tuesday night. Councilman Danny Wyatt was the first to oppose the idea during open discussion. “I would support putting it on a referendum and letting the people decide,” Wyatt said. “I don’t think that five people ought to appoint two more warm bodies. Let the people decide that.” Councilman JH ... Read More »

A Baxter man faces multiple charges following a high-speed chase in Putnam County. Warrants filed Tuesday to the Putnam County Justice Center state the incident occurred June 7. 18-year-old Christopher Dunn was traveling north on Cookeville Boatdock Road swerving in his lane, almost hitting southbound Putnam County Sergeant Patrick Short. According to the police report, Dunn reached speeds of 100 ... Read More »

The victim of a Tuesday afternoon apartment fire in Putnam County has passed away. The 57-year-old man pronounced dead at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, according to a Putnam County Sheriff’s Office press release. According to officials with the Putnam County Fire Department, the fire broke out at Sun Valley Apartments on Benton Young Road. Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Golberger said ... Read More »

Officials at Edgar Evins State Park continue to make progress on plans to construct a mountain bike trail. The park has decided to construct a trail that can be used for all skill levels. Park Manager Kenny Gragg said construction likely won’t occur until later this year or early next year. “As far as cutting trail, I don’t expect that ... Read More »

Baxter City Council passed the 2018-19 fiscal year budget during Tuesday’s meeting. Under the new budget, city employees will receive a raise as part of the new fiscal year. Baxter Police Chief Danny Holmes said his department is thankful for the work done by City Council. “We know how hard it is for you all to make decisions,” Holmes said. ... Read More »

The Putnam County Budget Committee voted Tuesday night to give all county employees a raise. Under the committee’s proposal, law enforcement and public safety employees would receive a $2,000 raise. All other department employees would receive an $1,800 raise. According to committee chairman Ben Rodger, the raises would be paid for with funding out of the penny rate growth and ... Read More »

Baxter’s highly-anticipated Titan Project will begin soon, according to Mayor John Martin. Martin said the Tennessee Department of Transportation approved the project area entrance last week. The only thing missing now is a waterline, which will be installed in the near future. Martin said During Tuesday’s Baxter City Council meeting the project will be important to the city once completed. ... Read More »

The Putnam County School System delayed its Rolling Reader mobile library until the fall. PreK-5 Curriculum Supervisor Jill Ramsey said scheduling conflicts and delays in funding pushed back the project until the next academic year. “It’s just taken a little more time than what we anticipated,” Ramsey said. “We really wanted the bus to be on the road this summer ... Read More »

Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris wants to hire 11 additional school resource officers to give coverage to all 19 county schools. Farris said the cost to hire the officers would approach $1 million and likely require a property tax increase. “You can’t put a price tag on the lives of our students, teachers, and administrators. They are our future,” Farris ... Read More »