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The Cookeville City Council approved a 15-year lease with Cookeville’s First Baptist Church to improve access to Walnut Park. The city will lease the back corner of the parking lot at the corner of Walnut Avenue and Spring Street. The city create a hard-surfaced path in that area to connect the parking lot to the existing park entrance. The city ... Read More »

Putnam County School Board voted to increase substitute pay Thursday night to try to increase those interested in serving. Putnam County Director of Schools Corby King said the system has often had difficulty recruiting substitutes. But COVID-19 will likely exacerbate the issue. “We have teachers that we know we’re going to miss, whether they have COVID themselves or a close ... Read More »

The Dekalb County Volunteer Fire Department is exploring locations in the Wolf Creek area to establish a new fire station. Wolf Creek is located on Highway 141 five miles west of Silver Point. Fire Chief Donny Green said a new substation is needed to accommodate the increased population and to reduce response times. “That is an area that we are ... Read More »

Van Buren County voters will have the ultimate say when it comes to passing a $40 Wheel Tax. The original copy of the Wheel Tax resolution Commissioners received last week, it was stated the new tax could be passed either by two readings by the County Commission or by an election. Mayor Greg Wilson said that resolution was a mistake. ... Read More »

Putnam County Election Commission Administrator Michele Honeycutt said the state’s expanded absentee balloting is leading to unintended problems. Honeycutt said voters who requested absentee ballots are showing up to vote in person today. She said those voters will have to fill out a special provisional ballot. “They can vote a Green Provisional,” Honeycutt said. “They cannot vote on the machine ... Read More »

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has made some $3.76 million in grants for tornado relief since March. Of that amount, just $258,550 has gone exclusively to Putnam County organizations. That’s roughly 6.8 percent of the grants. Donor Services Vice President Amy Fair said the lack of money going to Putnam is due to a lack of applications. “Any non-profit ... Read More »

Clay County High School students have started a help desk for virtual learners. People can call from 11:45-12:45 daily for any virtual questions. Business Management Teacher Amy Dodson said virtual learning is new to Clay County, so a help desk was needed. “We just wanted to help parents, grandparents, guardians and students who are dealing with learning how to be ... Read More »

Election officials report that turnout for Thursday’s election has remained steady throughout the day. Putnam County Administrator of Elections Michele Honeycutt said that turnout has been slower in some of the smaller precincts. “It’s been pretty steady, especially at the big ones,” Honeycutt said. “Now some of the little ones, it’s slower. It’s pretty steady, but I don’t have any ... Read More »

COVID rates have increased over the last two days in Overton, White and Warren Counties. Overton County reported double digit positive cases Thursday for the first time since the pandemic began. That brings the active case total to 56 in Overton County. The positivity rate, considered the most accurate data point according to experts, stands at 4.5 percent. White County ... Read More »

A 21-year-old Fentress County man faces charges of statutory rape after a TBI investigation. Stewart Dwain Matthews turned himself in Wednesday evening to the Fentress County Sheriffs Department. He was booked into the jail on $1,000 bond. Matthews is accused of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl. The inappropriate sexual contact found during the TBI’s investigation. The TBI began investigating ... Read More »