Latest News

Dekalb County Animal Shelter will go before the county commission to ask for more assistance next week. Assistant Director Emmaly Bennett said that they are still providing services to all of Dekalb County, but that the city of Smithville covers the cost of employees and building upkeep. “We’re still in the process of trying to get support from the county,” ... Read More »

The Monterey Board of Aldermen will not move forward with a $1.25 million state loan to improve sewer in the town. No alderman made a motion to proceed with the TDEC application. Alderman Amy Martin said the town would have benefited from the 13,000 feet of linear sewage line planned for the project. “I was actually pretty frustrated at finding ... Read More »

Putnam County Courts are facing a large backlog in cases following their closure last year. Circuit Court Clerk Jennifer Wilkerson said the judges, district attorneys and attorneys are working to get through their caseload. “So you have the volume of cases but then you also have cases who have really been sitting on dockets for a long period of time,” ... Read More »

Jackson County fire crews responded to a fire at the Highway 56 motel early Tuesday morning. Assistant Fire Chief Jason Lynn said smoke was visible when they arrived to a fire in what was believed to be an unoccupied room. Lynn said it was fortunate the fire was able to be contained to a bathroom. “A lot of people had ... Read More »

A Byrdstown corridor study of Highway 111 revealed a need for more turn lanes, a flashing light and curb buffers for a parking lot. T-DOT and a Nashville Engineering firm conducted the analysis through a state grant the town received. T-DOT Transportation Planner Rachael Bergmann said a mixture of traffic data, surveillance and accident records were used. “The goal of ... Read More »

Registration is open for the McMinnville Breakfast Rotary Club’s 14th annual river ride and cleanup at Pepper Branch Park on Saturday. Chairman Neal Cox said there’s 100 miles of river to clean and 300 tires and three tons of trash can come out during the effort. Cox said that 20 teams are tackling 20 locations from Pepper Branch to Riverfront ... Read More »

The Overton County Commission has filled the school board vacancy left by the late Larry Looper on Monday night. Two candidates spoke before the commission on why they should be appointed. Alice Reed was the selection and will be serving District 3 until August 2022. Reed said her 36 years in the school system, including being principal at Wilson Elementary ... Read More »

A solar pavilion for the Pickett County School System could still be a possibility after TVA added more funding and restructured the bid process. The school system was one of seven that received a TVA grant for construction. Director of Schools Diane Elder said the energy company plans to add all the grant winners into one bid contract to gain ... Read More »

The City of Cookeville will explore the possibility of grant funding to provide a collaborative response from emergency personnel to crisis situations. Police Chief Randy Evans explained in a city council work session Monday night that they want to address issues of mental illness and homelessness in the city. “We are attempting to train our officers as part of CIT ... Read More »

The Putnam County Budget Committee recommended a 10-cent property tax increase for the coming year during its Monday meeting. Five cents would go to the county general fund, and five cents go to the schools. Budget Chair Ben Rodgers said the increase is based on the new tax rate after reassessment. “The rate is lower than it was, it was ... Read More »