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Courthouses in Tennessee’s 8th district now have safe spaces for victims, including Fentress County. Tennessee 8th District Attorney Jared Effler said the areas will be a secure place where victims can wait to take the stand and avoid intimidation and harassment from their perpetrators. He said the safe spaces are very important for children and victims of domestic assault. “Often ... Read More »

Cookeville Regional Medical Center honored longtime chaplain Kelly Stockton at its Board of Trustees meeting Thursday night. Stockton said he has been working at the hospital since 2010. He said he is constantly inspired by the hospital employees for their dedication and drive. “Especially through the COVID issue, those folks, every department in this hospital was giving everything they have ... Read More »

Pickett County has approved its next appraisal plan after completing its most recent appraisal. County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said the state reassesses properties in Pickett County every five years. He said the county commission approved the state’s plan through 2028. “And then the state will come in and they do a little bit each year,” Bilbrey said. “And then on ... Read More »

Algood Planning Commission approved the site plan for a new Waffle House off of Big Mac Drive. The building would be some 1,848 square feet with 34 seats. City Administrator Keith Morrison said this is an exciting development for the town of Algood. “So Big Mac Drive has been under construction now, trying to get easements so it’s kicked off ... Read More »

Cookeville’s West End Connection will hold its first Darwin Dash on Memorial Day. The race will raise funds for West End preservation including the records and memories of the Darwin School, the only African American school during segregated education in Cookeville. West End Connection’s Lori Strode said it’s important to preserve Darwin’s history. “I feel like if we didn’t who ... Read More »

Putnam County School System pleased with the new custodial services after it was implemented last semester. Director of Schools Corby King said they ended the contract with their last company because expectations were not being met. He said the response from administrators has been positive across the board, but there have been some growing pains. “Like the previous service, they’ve ... Read More »

A complaint filed by the National Labor Relations Board could lead to student-athletes being considered employees of their schools. The board will hear from the NCAA, the PAC 12, and Southern Cal, citing unfair labor practices. Tennessee Tech Assistant Professor of History Arthur Banton said he is concerned that this could only benefit athletes who play in high-revenue sports, and ... Read More »

Overton County Schools urging parents to register their students for school early via their online portal. Director of Schools Donnie Holman said it is crucial to get all students registered now. He said that will affect the amount of funding the system gets through the new student-based TISA funding model.” “We can’t be reluctant or late about putting data in,” ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council Member Eric Walker proposing the idea of multiple small splash pads around the city rather than one large aquatics facility. Walker said that there are so many infrastructure needs and other priorities for city spending. He said smaller splash pads would be more realistic than a $30 million aquatics facility. “They don’t require full-time lifeguards, they don’t ... Read More »

66 percent of Warren County third graders did not meet proficiency expectations on their English Language Arts TCAP testing. Director of Schools Grant Swallows said they are trying to work with that 66 percent on the avenues they can take to fix it. He said his frustration with the third-grade retention law is that the TCAP testing is not a ... Read More »