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A new semester opened on the Tech Campus Thursday and President Phil Oldham preparing his syllabus for the Tennessee Legislature. Governor Bill Lee expected to release his budget plan for the 24-25 fiscal year in February. Oldham said sales tax revenues have been running a bit below estimates so far this fiscal year. “I sort of anticipate this year to ... Read More »

A new Tennessee Higher Education Coalition report shows at least 30 percent of Tennessee college students deal with food insecurity. That number is higher than the national average. Tennessee Tech Vice President of Student Affairs Cynthia Polk-Johnson said the issue stems from rising food costs and a lack of financial resources. “Students are juggling many different obligations, financial obligations in ... Read More »

Vol State will offer a five-day Fiber Optic Technician training course at the Cookeville campus later this month. Vol State Workforce Development Administrator Jeff Cockrell said those who complete the course will receive full fiber optics certification. He said fiber optics is a growing skilled trade. “I think we saw the importance of skilled trades during COVID,” Cockrell said. “And ... Read More »

Byrdstown lacks just a couple of days work to finish mapping the Chanute-Pall Mall water district. The city has been working on the project since it acquired the district in the spring of 2021. Mayor Sam Gibson said the the new map will make it easy to find the different kinds of water lines and where they are located throughout ... Read More »

Fentress County officials looking to put a stop to the growing crime of people stealing street signs and the dangers associated with the crime. Fentress County Highway Superintendent Ryan Reed said his department installed 13 stop signs in one community last week. Within days, three were already gone. Reed said a major accident caused by a missing stop sign is ... Read More »

A second day of strong winds this week could produce tree damage and scattered power outages Friday. Putnam County Emergency Management Director Brandon Smith said sustained winds of 40-50 mph are likely Friday. Winds approaching 60mph are possible Friday afternoon as a line of thunderstorms approaches the Upper Cumberland. “We look at what happened to us earlier this week and ... Read More »

Algood City Council will engage a Chattanooga law firm to investigate a new human resources matter. Attorney Danny Rader said city policy outlines in certain circumstances, an outside attorney should be retained to look into human resources issues. The city will hire Robinson, Smith and Wells, with a total expenditure not to exceed $5,000. The nature of the matter not ... Read More »

Overton County Schools are looking to supplement their short-staffed school bus garage with an additional mechanic. Overton County School Board Member Ricky Dodson said the county has 33 buses in its fleet that complete 26 routes every day. Dodson said the garage only has one certified mechanic on staff who is also having to fill in as a driver. Dodson ... Read More »

Tennessee ranks as the nation’s third unhealthiest state, with the highest rate of opioid misuse. According to a new Forbes study, Tennessee also ranks top five in obesity, tobacco use, and overdoses. Tennessee Medical Association CEO Russ Miller said being proactive about health is the key to flipping the script. “You have to partner with your healthcare professionals and not ... Read More »

The city of Gainesboro will use new grant money from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to pay for improvements to the city’s sewer system. Consulting Engineer Nathaniel Green said the grant will provide $630,000 to build upon a sewer project that was completed at the beginning of last year. Green said the work will address breaks in ... Read More »