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Clay County Commission adopted several resolutions to better employee pay Monday night. The resolutions include an increase in new employees’ starting salaries, a two percent increase for current employees, and a two-cent annual longevity raise. District 1 Commissioner Bryan Coons said that it’s important for county employees to have living wages. “The current situation with being able to hire people ... Read More »

The Livingston Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved covering half the cost of hiring a retail consultant. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shannon Cantrell said the cost would be $30,000 to cover a one-year contract. Cantrell said the idea comes from discussions about addressing sales tax leakage in Overton County. A motion was made to cover the whole cost, until ... Read More »

The Putnam County Commission will not consider a seven district plan for dealing with growth and redistricting. The county’s redistricting committee voted Monday night to drop the option due to conflicts with the county’s private act regarding districts. County Attorney Jeff Jones said under the current framework, a seven district plan would not be allowed. “The commissioner districts can be ... Read More »

The Monterey Board Aldermen approved the first and second reading of an ordinance Monday that outlines the process of hiring for a city attorney. Aldermen Jim Whittaker said the original procedures caused confusion and needed clarification. “The reason for this ordinance in my opinion is we had so much problems with the hiring of the lawyer, and it just wasn’t ... Read More »

Halloween is over but odds are there are still plenty of pumpkins sitting around. Putnam County UT-Ag Extension Director Michelle Parrott said there are uses for carved and un-carved pumpkins we decorated with. Parrott said the first priority would be getting use out of our jack-o-lanterns. Parrott said composting is a smart choice, but get rid of all those seeds ... Read More »

Local author Frances Albury has published her first novel, titled “Pink Sand Footprints at Harbor Island: A life lived one footstep at a time.” Albury said that she had thought about writing a book since she was about 14. She said that it was the pandemic that finally allowed her the time and space to do so. “I just felt ... Read More »

Cookeville Fire Captain Shawn Roberson has been reinstated to the Cookeville Fire Department. Roberson was indicted by the Putnam County Grand Jury last May for allegedly being paid by the city while also being paid for teaching at the Fire Academy. Following his indictment, Roberson was placed on administrative leave without pay pending a resolution of charges. According to a ... Read More »

The Overton County Health Department is gearing up for pediatric COVID vaccines. Nursing Director Megan Reeder said the order has already been placed for the pediatric Pfizer vaccine. “We hope to maybe get that sometime this week,” Reeder said. “Obviously then we’ll have to wait for protocols to role out to get ready to do that. So stay tuned, watch ... Read More »

Tennessee Tech will host its third Tech After Dark campus tour this Thursday, November 4th. Director of Admissions Steve Keller said that Tech After Dark provides an exclusive opportunity for local students to get a different perspective of Tech from what they already know. “We have students from all over the world who come to Tennesee Tech,” Keller said. “And ... Read More »

Putnam County broke its 2020 record for new construction dollars with more than 7 million in new construction in October. October of last year had $4.6 million in construction. Mayor Randy Porter said overall, the county will be close to 2020’s record, which was 399 permits for $54.6 million. With 2 months left in 2021, Putnam has 324 permits for ... Read More »