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Cookeville will soon upgrade the city’s traffic lights. Public Works Director Greg Brown said new monitors are designed to prevent accidents. “If something happens in the controller where the signal is trying to give greens in opposing directions, Brown said. “The conflict monitor catches that and makes the signal go into a flash mode until you can get that corrected.” ... Read More »

Calls to Genesis House by victims of domestic violence have nearly doubled in the last month.  That according to Denise Dillon, Program Director for Genesis House, serving victims of abuse in Clay, Jackson, Macon, Putnam, Pickett, Overton, Smith, Dekalb and White Counties. Economic stress and stay at home orders are contributing factors, Dillon said. “I had an incident the other day ... Read More »

The man who brought a twinkle and a smile to thousands of Upper Cumberland children each holiday season has passed away. Princeton Ball, also known as Santa, delighted kids at the annual Dogwood Park tree lighting as well as the community Christmas parade. He spent much of December travelling across the region spreading Christmas cheer. Ball passed away Monday night. Read More »

Crossville will apply for nearly $285,000 from Governor Bill Lee’s Local Government Support Grant. City Council approved the grant application at its Tuesday night meeting. The governor outlined the program to help local governments continue infrastructure work during the COVID-19 shutdown. “(It) will come in handy but in a couple of months I’m afraid our sales tax revenues are going ... Read More »

Algood’s annual budget of $3.344 million received approval from City Council Tuesday night. The council unanimously approved the budget on first reading. Citizens will have a chance to comment on the budget at a May meeting before it receives a second reading. The property rate remains at .4407 per $100. A total of $100,000 will go toward city paving projects ... Read More »

Spring produces a flood of high school students heading to college campuses, like Tennessee Tech, searching for a new home. COVID-19 has changed that this year. Tennessee Tech has turned to virtual tours for recruiting future students. Vice President for Enrollment Management and Career Development Dr. Brandon Johnson said they are trying new strategies to tell Tech’s story and share ... Read More »

The statewide COVID-19 case total increased Tuesday to 5,823 with 225 cases across the Upper Cumberland. Putnam County reported 92 cases via the Tennessee Department of Health Tuesday while Cumberland County’s total increased to 51. Macon County reports 27 positive tests and two deaths. 124 people have died statewide. Read More »

Dekalb County Middle School will soon make improvements to its security protocols. Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the improvements are needed because of the school’s design. “When you first walk into it, it’s kind of an open concept,” Cripps said. “What we are wanting to put in is a vestibule so that there will be a check-in point when ... Read More »

As many as 85 seniors a day across the Upper Cumberland are receiving groceries and food for free through Life Church. Senior Pastor Bobby Davis said that the service began as a way to protect those most vulnerable. The most difficult part of this service, Davis said, has been finding the groceries to distribute, even traveling out-of-town to purchase goods ... Read More »

Suzi Cash Haston has been named the Interim Director of White County’s Emergency Management Agency. County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said Haston’s experience made her the obvious choice to fill the void in the agency. “She serves currently as our director of 911,” Robinson said. “She was kind of naturally the person to put in as our interim. She’s already ... Read More »