Smith County’s Highway 25 should be open soon. According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, crews are finishing a paving project at the rockfall mitigation site. Officials said the contractor plans to open the roadway Friday, weather permitting. The road closed in June for safety reasons after deterioration on a rock bluff led to dangerous debris falling onto the roadway. Read More »

The Cookeville Fire Department responded to a fire at Tennessee Tech’s Golden Eagle Golf Club early this morning. Officials said the fire occurred at a storage building and caused about $30,000 in damage to golf carts inside the building. An investigation will need to be conducted to determine the exact cause of the fire. Read More »

Republican Mark Pody has resigned from his House of Representative seat after winning Tuesday’s special election. Pody will officially take over the 17th District Senate seat once the votes are certified. He replaces Mae Beavers, who resigned earlier this year to focus on her campaign for governor. The Wilson County Commission will appoint someone to fill Pody’s unexpired term in ... Read More »

Republican Mark Pody narrowly defeated Democrat Mary Alice Carfi in last night’s 17th Senatorial District Special Election. Pody received 5,990 votes while Carfi received 5,682 votes. “We didn’t accomplish the results that we wanted, but we were very proud of the race that we ran and feel like we laid a very strong base for 2018,” Carfi Campaign Manager Ameilia ... Read More »

A 64-year-old Chestnut Mound man suffered minor injuries when his tractor trailer overturned Wednesday morning on DeKalb County’s Cookeville Highway. Authorities said the accident happened around 7:20 a.m. when the rig overturned as it rounded a curve. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said graphite inside the trailer shifted, causing the trailer to overturn and skid into a guardrail. The THP cited ... Read More »

Sparta firefighters responded to a structure fire on Gaines Street Monday night. The fire was reported at a two story home on Gaines Street around 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday afternoon, officials at the Sparta Fire Department said no injuries occurred and that the blaze remains under investigation. The department declined to provide any additional details until the investigation was completed. Read More »

A Putnam County Sheriff’s investigator suffered a dog bite while trying to apprehend a fleeing subject during a follow-up investigation Monday night. Officials said Investigator Roger Cooper went to a home on Eller-Ridge Road where a stabbing occurred Sunday December 10th. According to a written statement, when Cooper and other investigators arrived at the home several people at the residence ... Read More »

The Van Buren County Commission has announced it will investigate possible legal action to halt the Haslam administration’s plans to demolish and rebuild the inn at Fall Creek Falls State Park. The county has also recommended building the inn at a different location to allow current inn employees to keep their jobs. Tennessee State Employees Association Executive Director Randy Stamps ... Read More »

Putnam County has a new county commissioner. Danny Morphew will be filling the 10th District commission seat after receiving 13 votes during last night’s county commission meeting. “I’m a life-long citizen in the county and spent 25 to 30-years in procurement, purchasing for different industries here in town,” Morphew said. “I look forward to the opportunity to serving the county ... Read More »

A local software development company is moving to Putnam County’s Highlands Business Park. The Putnam County Commission voted Monday to sell a little more than 4 acres of property to Oculus Software for $86,000 or about $20,000 per acre. Oculus formed out of Bank of Putnam County in 2008. The company currently has nine employees and serves a concentration of ... Read More »