Latest News

A local private school wants to locate a new facility on the Mackie Estate Farm off Cookeville’s Salem Road. Community Development Director Jon Ward said the Cookeville Planning Commission has received an application for an amendment from Daniel Bailey of New Colossus Academy. New Colossus is working to locate property to build a campus in time to open enrollment for ... Read More »

Cookeville Regional Medical Center will undergo consulting services from Clinical Intelligence to redesign and improve case management. CEO Buffy Key said the consultants will put processes in place to help the hospital’s Case Management Department get patients out to continuums of care as soon as a patient is ready. Key said this would be a year-long process with the potential ... Read More »

The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area kicked off its ninth annual Go Big Challenge to encourage people to enjoy and learn about the park. Chief of Interpretation and Education Chris Derman said the categories for this year’s challenge are comprised of popular categories from past years. Derman said the activities will encourage people to investigate the human ... Read More »

Cumberland County’s CF Storehouse saw a slight increase last week in the number of residents seeking shelter from the cold and snow. The CF Storehouse provides meals, clothing, food and assistance for the homeless and others in need in the Upper Cumberland. Community Outreach Director Tommy Ritter said the Storehouse is normally only open during the day. Last week, they ... Read More »

Putnam County UT Agriculture Extension Agent Wayne Key said the melting snow and ice will help the soil recover from last year’s drought. As 2023 came to a close the Upper Cumberland and over half the state stood in a severe drought. Key said with the snow and ice melting, the soil can get back to normal moisture levels for ... Read More »

Cookeville currently taking applications for a committee to sort through the details of potentially allowing alcohol sales at events on city property. City Council passed a new ordinance outlawing the events earlier this month. Cookeville City Council Member Chad Gilbert said those events became unmanageable. He said he hopes to see this committee efficiently formulate and scrub ideas about how ... Read More »

A Vol State-sponsored phlebotomy class is a go in Celina. Vice President for Economic Development and Regional Centers Nick Bishop said this opens the door for Vol State to continue working with Celina. “We really appreciate our friends and partners there with the city of Celina,” Bishop said. “They’re trying to do the best they can to create access to ... Read More »

The Overton County Agricultural Fair received first runner-up honors from the Tennessee Association Of Fairs among small fairs. Secretary Bob Matthews said the competition judges fairs on appearance, events offered, cleanliness, and the improvements each fair makes throughout the year. Matthews said the award will encourage people in the county to take more pride in their fair and work to ... Read More »

Putnam County Schools avoided major plumbing and electrical issues during the cold and ice by being proactive. Communications and Marketing Supervisor Buddy Pearson said coils burning out in an electrical unit at Cookeville High School and a sprinkler malfunction at Avery Trace Middle School have been the only issues over the break. He said the school system is very fortunate ... Read More »

The Jackson County Board of Education will apply for the system’s first electric bus through a new grant. Director of Schools Jason Hardy said the application would essentially enter them into a lottery for the grant. “We’re going to put our name in the hat and we may not even get picked,” Hardy said. “But if we don’t at least ... Read More »