The Algood Police Department (APD) is offering routine security checks to residents while on vacation. The program ‘Vacation Watch’ allows officers to periodically check a property for any suspicious activity. APD Chief Dale Armour said the program gives area residents peace of mind. “It’s one less thing for them to worry about while they’re on vacation,” Armour said. “We don’t ... Read More »

Pickett County continues to move forward with efforts to create a new emergency communications district. The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board will hold a special-called meeting June 15th to discuss a request from the Pickett County Commission to create a new emergency communications district and to break off from the Overton-Pickett Emergency Communications District. Pickett County began pushing the split after ... Read More »

A Morgan County man had to be airlifted to a hospital following a single vehicle accident at the Fentress and Cumberland County line Tuesday morning. The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. on Highway 127. The injured person identified at 51-year-old Danny Fleming of Deer Lodge. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Fleming occupied a 2000 Ford Explorer and failed to ... Read More »

An Overton County grand jury has returned indictments charging a physical therapist with four counts of forgery. 30-year-old Dustin Chase Rich is accused of creating false documents and forging the signatures of patients, which resulted in TennCare being fraudulently billed for those services. The TBI Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigation found that the incidents occurred between January and May of ... Read More »

Budget discussions have started in Putnam County for the new fiscal year. 8th District County Commissioner and Budget Committee Chairman Ben Rodgers said specific department requests aren’t known yet, but a cost of living raise for county employees is being discussed. “There’s been some turnover. We’ve lost some people going to better paying jobs,” Danner said. “We have been trying ... Read More »

There’s no long-term plans for the recently closed Central View Elementary School, but Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said he’s currently working on a short-term plan. Dronebarger said that plan would allow the Tennessee Highway Patrol to use the building. “We want to make that a substation so officers can stop in and use the restroom or maybe write their ... Read More »

Increasing starting wages could be good news for 2018 high school graduates entering the workforce. Wages for first-time job seekers have seen a five-year increase of seven percent in the Upper Cumberland, according to the Tennessee Career Center (TCC). Veterans Employment Representative Jill Osborne said despite the increase, the agency has more employers than job seekers. “Employers are willing and ... Read More »

Men and women 55 and over looking for work can get special help through the UCHRA. The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) offers help to seniors looking to reenter the workforce, according to Coordinator Judy Randolph. “I think it has a great impact on them because I myself was in the program,” Randolph said. Randolph said applicants must meet ... Read More »

A single-car crash in Picket County sent one man to Skyline Medical Center Saturday. Driver Taylor Whited, 23, and passenger James Estes, 38, of Jamestown, were traveling westbound on Highway 52 near Eastport Road around 10:10 a.m. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Whited lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a curve. The car then struck a utility pole ... Read More »

Putnam County Executive Randy Porter will present a five-year plan to county commissioners in the coming weeks. Porter, who had worked on the plan since 2015, said it will address the needs and projects of some 20 departments in the county. “One thing I promised to you is we’d try not to come to you in emergency situations,” Porter said. ... Read More »