Firefighters responded to a blaze at the old Lantana School building in Cumberland County Friday afternoon. Cumberland EMA Communications Director Rick Williams said the fire may have been caused by lightning as stormed rolled through the area. Williams said the 90-year-old building was being used by a local resident for storage. The building was not expected to be a total ... Read More »
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed a Center Hill Lake day use beach over high bacteria levels Friday. A Facebook post from the Army Corps announced the immediate closure of the Ragland Bottom Day Use Beach. The post noted that follow-up testing would continue until conditions return to acceptable levels. Posted signs and caution tape warn the public not ... Read More »
Upper Cumberland traffic fatalities are down slightly in 2019 despite a deadly July month. According to the State of Tennessee’s year-to-date fatality report, 37 people have died this year in vehicle accidents. That number is down slightly from 41 deaths through the first seven months of 2018. Eight people died on Upper Cumberland roadways last month, including four people in ... Read More »
Tennessee Tech University’s head softball coach Bonnie Graham has stepped down from her position. TTU released a statement Thursday saying Graham accepted a position with Cookeville’s Leisure Services department. Graham said the move will allow her to spend more time with family. “Unfortunately, anyone who works in athletics knows you don’t get a lot of free time or weekends away,” ... Read More »
Cookeville City Council approved new life insurance options for city employees Thursday. The proposal switches the city-paid life insurance provider for employees and retirees from Voya to Lincoln. Supplemental policies will also be switched to Lincoln following a 20-year agreement with Aflac. Finance Director Brenda Imel says the city’s policies had not been changed in decades. “It is a big ... Read More »
The City of Cookeville has received bids from four pre-qualified contractors to construct a new police headquarters. City Manager James Mills said the city should have a contractor selected within the next two weeks. “We’re in the process of evaluating those,” Mills said. “If all the bids are accurate, then we will recommend at our next council meeting the acceptance ... Read More »
The Putnam County Board of Education has approved a design contract for a new school. Attorney Dan Rader said the contract with Upland Design Group will favor the school system as the project moves forward. “This is in piecemeal and we do have this delay period built in to get funding,” Rader said. “If you’ve ever looked at one of ... Read More »
The Sparta Police Department will begin interviews next week to fill two positions. Sparta Police Chief Jeff Guth said the force recently lost two officers to better-paying jobs and issues with certifications. “But I have got some good candidates to interview and I feel like we could probably, by the 15th of August have two candidates to present to you ... Read More »
A lawsuit filed by Tennessee Tech’s former director of financial aid will head to trial next year. Leslie McKenzie filed the lawsuit in May after reporting nearly $1.7 million in Title IV funds were distributed to unqualified students between 2017-2018. According to the initial complaint, McKenzie stated he was terminated after reporting the misuse of funding and that a one-month ... Read More »
The Putnam County Board of Education voted Thursday to cut $6.1 million from its 2019-2020 budget. Superintendent Jerry Boyd said the amount would have funded new positions, capital projects, and a 4-percent raise for teachers. “It could have been a lot worse. We are thankful for the support we have gotten and we will make it work,” Boyd said. “It’s ... Read More »
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