Latest News

The Putnam County School System’s Rolling Reader Bus will be ready to go next month. PreK-5 Curriculum Supervisor Jill Ramsey says the bus needs a few more finishing touches before it hits the road. “The interior is almost finished. We are going to be painting the inside of it as soon as we get back in school,” Ramsey says. “The ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency looks to address the region’s opiate crisis through additional grant funding. Executive Director Mark Farley says the grant funding would help create a drug treatment program and provide additional services to all 14 counties. “We have submitted an application… to try and get some funds to provide a regional coordinator in our region,” Farley ... Read More »

Christmas comes and goes each year. Even after one hundred years, the spirit of Christmas celebrations remains the same. That according to history professor emeritus Dr. Calvin Dickinson. “It is interesting to think about Christmas is still a very traditional celebration. Whereas other celebrations may have changed a lot, July the 4th and so forth may have changed a lot,” Dickinson ... Read More »

Jackson County officials are searching for ways to boost tourism. Mayor Randy Heady said he hopes to gain some ideas through a grant that would study the county’s park system. “We’re looking at ways that we can maybe promote our natural beauty and the wildlife down here and some of the resources that we have and we’ve not been capturing,” ... Read More »

Cumberland County High School announced Friday that Eric Belew will serve as the Jets’ head football coach in 2019. The 24-year-old out of Columbia last served as an assistant coach at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia. Belew also played for his father, Vance, at Columbia Central High School and went on to win the Class 5A state title in ... Read More »

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) may threaten deer in the Upper Cumberland. Tennessee Wildlife and Resource Agency Chief of Outreach and Communications Jennifer Wisniewski said hunters in the Upper Cumberland should not be alarmed despite the threat. “You can finish out your season. If you do think you see a deer that has symptoms of [being] very skinny or looks emaciated ... Read More »

A scammer is spoofing the Cookeville Police Department’s phone number. Captain Bobby Anderson said callers nationwide have contact the department reporting they have received a phone call from the CPD phone number. Anderson said the caller is claiming to be a grandchild who is incarcerated and in need of money to be released from jail. “It appears that someone is ... Read More »

The Cookeville Police Department has the green light to purchase some new equipment Police Chief Randy Evans said Thursday the purchases will include laptop computers, docking stations, and new radars. “First of all, this is all grant money,” Evans said. “You all [city council] approved THSO grants back in October so we are purchasing these on that grant.” The 16 ... Read More »

The Cookeville City Council approved an engineering contract Thursday night for a rehabilitation project at the water plant. Water Department Director Ronnie Kelly said the work will take place within the solids handling facility at the wastewater treatment plant. “We estimate that it’s going to be a $5 million project,” Kelly said. “The contract will replace one of the belt ... Read More »