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Monterey’s Whittaker Park and playground will reopen Saturday, the town of Monterey announced Friday afternoon. The decision was made in consultation between the town and Putnam County Parks and Recreation. The reopening includes the playground, basketball courts, and tennis courts. Monterey Mayor Bill Wiggins said in a statement that all CDC guidelines should be followed when using facilities. That includes ... Read More »

The Clay County Schools will start the school year on time August 1. School Board members decided Thursday night to move forward with a normal start to the semester. School Director Matt Eldridge said social distancing and frequent sanitizing will be the new normal for students returning to school. “There’s basically two options: you could either come back on time ... Read More »

While many local governments continue to anxiously look at sales tax numbers, some state officials are worried about how Franchise and Excise Tax returns. Franchise and Excise taxes are due the 15th day of the 4th month following the close of a business’s year. For business with a January 1-December 31 calendar year, this tax is normally due on April ... Read More »

The Bufford Pusser exhibit at the Baxter Depot is now open for visitors to honor the police officers of Putnam County. Bufford Pusser was Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970. He has been the inspiration for many books, songs and movies for his efforts against crime. Baxter Police Department Chaplin Tim Sharp has collected Bufford Pusser memorabilia ... Read More »

A local OBGYN has seen pregnancies almost double during the Covid stay at home order. OBGYN Namaste of McMinnville reported 61 pregnancies from May to June this year. Last year, the healthcare provider saw only 33 pregnancies. OBGYN Namaste Medical Assistant Hannah Shay said this is a small sample size but point towards a Covid baby boom. “Back in the ... Read More »

Today is Women’s Veterans Day. It is a day set aside to acknowledge the service of women to the United State’s Armed Forces. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 10 percent of veterans are female. Although that may seem like a small percentage, the approximate number is around two million. Crossville resident Donna Elmore is a veteran of ... Read More »

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened day-use areas at Upper Cumberland lakes ahead of schedule Friday. This includes the picnic areas, the shelters and the swim areas at Center Hill, Cordell Hull and Dale Hollow Lakes. The original date to re-open these areas was June 15th. Park Ranger Ashley Webster who oversees the day use areas and campgrounds at ... Read More »

TBI Agents will investigate the officer-related shooting in Smithville Thursday night. The request came from District Attorney Bryant Dunaway. The request is standard in officer-involved shootings. Smithville Police and Dekalb County Sheriffs Deputies responded Thursday night around 8:45pm to the home of Gregorio Vanloo. Vanloo came out of the home with a handgun and fired the weapon. Offices responded with ... Read More »

This year’s Van Buren County Fair has been cancelled. Fair Board President Lesa Bouldin said the fair officials are trying to find ways to showcase some of the fair events later this fall. She said finding ways to still hold activities is important in smaller communities. “It’s just a small community and you don’t have a whole lot of activities ... Read More »

The Fentress County Budget Committee voted Thursday night to provide a six percent salary increase to emergency workers inside the county ambulance service. Commissioner Kim Davidson said the county needs to provide the best medical service it can provide. “We don’t have a hospital so we have got to have a good ambulance service,” Davidson said. “Our citizens depend on ... Read More »