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500 free trees will be available Saturday for Putnam County residents to replant what was lost in the March Tornado. These trees are coming to the city of Cookeville through the Arbor Day Foundation and a sponsorship with Verizon. Cookeville Urban Forester Jaime Nunan said replanting in the community is important for the environment and for mindset. “Spirits were broken ... Read More »

Sparta’s sewer rehab project has been completed under budget, so the city is using the remaining funds to prepare for future work. City Administrator Brad Hennessee said the contractor is currently scoping pipelines for areas of concern. “We had a little money left over, and we asked them to do camera work of more of our system to prioritize our ... Read More »

Teachers are one of many professions that have faced challenges this year, but that has not discouraged two high school students from pursuing their passion. Cookeville High School Senior Haylea Williams and Junior Emma Russell both represent our education’s future. Russel said as a math teacher, she wants to have a positive influence on the youth. “I want to be ... Read More »

Work to refurbish Sparta’s sewer pumping station at Wilson Sporting Goods is set to begin next spring. The Board of Alderman Thursday awarded the $272,000 bid to John T. Hall Construction. City Administrator Brad Hennessee said Industrial Park developments have outgrown the current station. “The Hormann manufacturing facility is what really brought it to light a couple of years ago,” ... Read More »

A Tennessee Comptroller’s Office audit of Van Buren County has found nine money handling findings with six reoccurring from last year. Most of these findings come from cash overdrafts, failing to solicit bids and several expenditures exceeding appropriated amounts. Comptroller Director of Communications John Dunn said the repeat findings are concerning. “It shows us that either there is an unwillingness ... Read More »

Van Buren will start enforcing a county wide mask mandate sometime before Thanksgiving. Mayor Greg Wilson said the decision came after seeing some of his residents pass away because of COVID. “It is something that is getting near and dear to me, and I do look for Van Buren County to sometime soon, very soon in the near future of ... Read More »

321 new COVID-19 cases reported across the Upper Cumberland Friday bringing the active case count to more than 22 hundred across the region. Seven counties in the region reporting triple-digit case numbers, according to data released by the State Department of Health. Putnam reports 492 active cases while Warren County stands at 350 and Cumberland County reports 344 active cases. ... Read More »

Cookeville City Manager James Mills received a 4.76 on his annual assessment from city council members. City Attorney Dan Rader said Mills’ composite score is graded on a one-to-five scale, with five being best. Rader called it an exceptional performance. “We all know Cookeville was confronted with some very serious things that nobody could have anticipated such as the tornado ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council approved the replacement of water fountains around city hall and in other city facilities Thursday night. CARES Act money will be used to replace water fountains with push buttons or twist handles. City Manager James Mills said the city will attempt to get all non-touch fountains so long as they comply with ADA rules. Mills said he ... Read More »

Putnam County Areas impacted by the March Tornado will see volunteers trying to connect survivors to resources Saturday morning. Restore and Repair Committee Member John Bell said this ground effort will be passing out postcards with resource information so survivors can get registered for the remaining tornado relief funding. Bell said survivors should know that it does not matter how ... Read More »