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Lessons learned from the freeze of Christmas 2022 have made UCEMC more prepared for similar events going forward. The Christmas freeze with temperatures below zero featured rolling blackouts. UCEMC CEO Jennifer Brogdon said TVA has spent well over $120 million to upgrade facilities that did not perform well. Brogdon said she is confident that the system will be strong enough ... Read More »

A Tuesday morning scam across Cumberland County features someone calling from what appears to be a local number, representing himself as a lieutenant with the Cumberland County Sheriffs Department. Public Information Officer Gary Howard said the caller said he wants to talk about a civil suit involving the resident. He represents himself as Lt. James Perry of the Sheriff’s Office. ... Read More »

Putnam County School System plans to have its Jobs And Career Exploration for Everyone (JACEE) bus on the road by spring. The bus will visit elementary and middle schools so students can have access to different equipment and CTE programs. Putnam County Schools CTE Supervisor Jackie Vester said the goal is to allow students to explore the 16 career clusters ... Read More »

Spikes in conferences and sports tourism have left Cookeville in need of more hotel space. Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau Director Of Tourism Shan Stout said Putnam County has hosted some 15,000 athletes for weekend tournaments this year. That number is triple the amount in 2022 and has pushed hotels to capacity most weekends. “When we have 4,000, 7,000 athletes in ... Read More »

UT Extension Agents encouraging Upper Cumberland farmers to work now to protect farms from any frigid temperatures. Van Buren County Agricultural Agent Chris Binkley said farms and farm equipment suffered during last December’s freeze. Binkley said that cattlemen can avoid added costs in the spring by winterizing their facilities and using the cold months to maintain their equipment. “We had ... Read More »

Monterey’s updated wastewater treatment plant will not be completed until May, but the extension will allow for new features. Cultural Administrator Rafferty Cleary said supply chain delays have backed up projects across the county, and this one is no different. Cleary said the plant is one of the most important developments for Monterey in some 40 years. “We’re really excited ... Read More »

Economically disadvantaged students at Warren County High School increased their ACT scores by 18.8 percent from last year. In 2022, only 8.7 percent of disadvantaged students met the ACT benchmark of 21. This year 27.5 percent of disadvantage students reached that goal. Director of Warren County Schools Grant Swallows said the school was focused on stressing the importance of the ... Read More »

Putnam County’s 90 ribbon cuttings in 2023 are by far the county’s most ever in a single year. Cookeville/Putnam County Chamber Membership Manager Natalie Saxon-Adams said the 75 ribbon cuttings last year was the previous record. Saxon-Adams said while the events can serve as celebrations of important milestones for a business, most of them have been grand openings. “It’s just ... Read More »

A Tennessee Tech Creative Writing professor has authored a second collection of poetry, now available. Dr. Erin Hoover said the book titled “No Spare People” is about herself and her daughter, and the relationship. Hoover said much of it was written during the pandemic when she was raising her daughter by herself while facing job insecurity. “I don’t really think ... Read More »

The Cookeville-Putnam County NAACP will host its first-ever Kwanzaa celebration on New Year’s Day to commemorate the week-long holiday. The holiday began in the 1960s as a way to celebrate African American culture. President Tom Savage said a key part of the holiday is honoring the seven principles of Kwanzaa, which include unity and self-determination. “This is for everybody; Christians, ... Read More »