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Community members will now have the chance to outline the future use of the Central View School property. The Board of Education approved a motion Thursday allowing residents to create a committee to start and maintain a community center. Board Member Bob Young said residents have until the end of the year to do so. “We wanted to give the ... Read More »

Governor Bill Lee said that he wants to ramp up the tourism industry both across the state and in the Upper Cumberland at his visit to Jackson County on Thursday afternoon. Lee said after tourism took a hit during the pandemic, the state has invested a lot into the industry. This includes the many state parks located in rural communities ... Read More »

Putnam County Fair is kicking off events before the fair even starts with the Draft Horse and Mule Show. Fair Board Horse Committee Chairman Lori Love said 37 classes will be judged on Saturday. Love said it is an exciting opportunity to kick off fair events in the main arena. “Anywhere from halter of all three of those animals to ... Read More »

The Clay County Board of Education discussed three ideas to use ESSER 3.0 funding during a Thursday work session. Option 1: a middle school addition onto the high school. Option 2: new bathrooms and layout changes to free up space at Celina K-8 Option 3. a new gym for either Celina K-8 or Clay County High School. However Board Chairman ... Read More »

White County Schools will return to class fully in-person on August 6th. Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said students will not have a virtual option for learning. “We do not intend to require masks although masks will be optional for the ones that want to wear them,” Dronebarger said. “We do not intend to require quarantining of any close contacts. ... Read More »

The Putnam County School System is looking for community input on how to best use ESSER 3.0 funding. ESSER Coordinator Jason Stickler said the survey is on the system’s new ESSER website. Stickler said hearing from families is critical because how much the federal funding affects students and the community. “Our goal is to gather as much input and feedback ... Read More »

The Putnam County School System has named Shannon Pirtle as its new VITAL School principal. Pirtle spent 10 years as principal and assistant principal at Upperman Middle School. Pirtle was set to become assistant principal at Cane Creek Elementary School this fall. However, the VITAL position became available after Robyn Nabors decided to make a return to the classroom. Pirtle ... Read More »

The Veterans Wall at the Putnam County Courthouse will receive some updates for safety and accessibility. Mayor Randy Porter said the county plans on making a pathway that’s ADA-compliant to provide better access for veterans visiting. “We’re going to fix a place in the courthouse lawn,” Porter said. “Make a walkway that will come in behind the wall, as it ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland Medical Society sides with national leaders urging young adults to get vaccinated. Society President Dr. Dawn Barlow said she suspects that the Delta variant of COVID has reached the region. The more contagious mutation has raised concerns in the medical world. “We are seeing young people get sicker with the Delta variant, and we also know that ... Read More »

A decision on whether to expand or build a new Dekalb County Jail is coming for the county commission. Sheriff Patrick Ray said the Tennessee Corrections Institute found the jail’s square footage was not up to standards during an inspection last year. Ray said the pandemic set back a CTAS feasibility study while beds are continuing to fill up. “A ... Read More »