Latest News

A Putnam County home has been completely destroyed by an early morning fire on Turkey Hollow Road. Putnam County Fire Chief Tom Brown said fire crews dispatched Thursday at about 4:00 AM. No one was home at the time of the fire, and had collapsed by the time crews arrived on scene. The fire was discovered by the owners father, ... Read More »

Preliminary data from the State Department of Education projects COVID-19 has produced a 50 percent proficiency decrease in 3rd grade reading and 65 percent in math among students statewide. The data ties the losses to prolonged school closures and time away from the classroom. Putnam County Curriculum Supervisor Jill Ramsey said the large gaps in learning makes sense. But Ramsey ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech graduate enrollment has increased some 18.3 percent over last year. According to statistics released by the university, some 1,399 students are taking graduate courses at Tennessee Tech. The largest number of graduate students are in the College Of Education with some 38 percent of graduate enrollment. The College of Business and College of Engineering round out the top ... Read More »

The Putnam County Library is moving into Phase 3 this week and opening up more services. Allowing guests to browse the book stacks and opening up meeting rooms to groups of ten or less. Putnam County Library Director Phil Schaller said letting people find a book in-person during the pandemic could be a nice change of pace. “It’s important to ... Read More »

First Lady Maria Lee will participate in a service project at Fall Creek Falls Thursday to build 50 picnic tables to encourage outdoor learning and working. The park camp site recently received a grant to install fiber cable Internet. Lee said the picnic tables provide an outdoor area for people to utilize the connectivity. “For families to use for camping ... Read More »

District 41 Representative John Windle said his main takeaway from the Tennessee House Education Committee session Tuesday was how to guarantee state BEP funding. House members met with Education Commissioner Dr. Penny Schwinn and several superintendents from across the state. “We are in flux this fall, and it is just not fair to penalize the local school system which penalizes ... Read More »

White County has completed two capitol projects, an expansion to its health department and the bridge replacement for Robert Matthews Highway. The commission approved the remaining appropriations for both projects Monday to balance the budget. County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said about 1,500 square feet of examination rooms were added to the health department to accommodate more patients. “Actually, this ... Read More »

Over 900 Putnam County Students have returned to in-person learning. The deadline for parents to make a decision on how their child learned passed Tuesday. Curriculum Supervisor Sharron Anderson said the school system will now start managing class room numbers and moving teachers to accommodate the influx of students. “This will definitely provide more stability for our teachers and our ... Read More »

White County 911 services are in the process of adding a Text-To-911 system. Once completed, residents may directly text the county’s 911 services for emergency needs. E-911 Director Suzy Haston said the number to send a text is still 9-1-1. “Say there is a domestic going on, it is much easier for them to text help and put their address ... Read More »

Jackson County wants all Air BnB clients to make sure they have a business license so occupancy taxes can be collected. In January of 2020 an occupancy tax went into effect for the county. While the tax has brought in $15,000 in revenue, Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady said word of mouth indicates some clients are not paying what they ... Read More »