Latest News

Creating a personal budget is a great way to make sure that you are saving as much as you can going into the new year. Putnam County Extension Agent Michelle Parrott said saving any amount of money is valuable, no matter how little. Parrott said a key part of budgeting is getting a strong understanding of your income and spending ... Read More »

Cookeville wants to modernize its processes citywide, perhaps with technology to replace manual systems in place now. The city has put out a request for proposals for Enterprise Resource Planning Consulting for system modernization and efficiency. Accounting and Finance Director Brenda Imel said the three-phase process could save the city time and money. “There’s lots of different software that’s available ... Read More »

Putnam County received a record-setting 408 permits in 2023. 2023 beat last year’s record setting permits of 407. Building permits brought in $82 million in 2023, $8 million short of last year. Mayor Randy Porter said cost increases and other factors impacted the dollar amount brought in. “We had one big commercial project back in 2022 that happened that added ... Read More »

Some 16 months after the department’s creation, Director of Cookeville’s Community Development Department Jon Ward said the department has worked well. Cookeville City Council voted to create the department in 2022. The council abolished the Codes Department and Planning Department, creating the new department with Codes, Planning, and Economic and Community Development Divisions. Ward said he thinks the department is ... Read More »

The Fentress County Senior Citizens Center has been named the UCHRA’s Area Agency of Aging and Disabilities Provider of the Year. Senior Center Director Kelly Young said this award was one of her biggest goals when she took over. She said she attributes the award to her outstanding staff and immense community support. “Some people think that the senior center ... Read More »

The new owners of the now closed Meltons Bank along the Dekalb/Cannon County line found a surprise in their loft. Co-Owner Jama Hancock said they purchased the band in 2018. Her husband recently found a notable assortment of old documents, including ledger sheets that show the day-to-day operations of the bank that never had a computer. “It never had account ... Read More »

White County High School has started its own wrestling program after years of having wrestlers participate with teams at other schools. First-year teacher David Foster said the school planned to co-op with Cumberland County High School this year. He said when some 45 White County students signed up to wrestle, he decided he would coach the team if the school ... Read More »

Cookeville’s East 8th Street Historic District continues to deal with too many Tennessee Tech students parking on the street, despite requests for the city to help with the issue. The problem persists after citizens living on the street spoke to the Cookeville Planning Commission in 2020 requesting new parking regulations in the area for safety of the neighborhood. 38-year-resident Kris ... Read More »

The third stage of the 2024 Bass Pro Tour will be held at Dale Hollow Lake April 9-14. The event is the largest fishing event ever hosted by Dale Hollow and the Pickett County Chamber of Commerce. The county will host 80 boats in total, each manned with a fisherman, a cameraman and a judge. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director ... Read More »

The Dekalb County Library System will allow you to start fresh this January by waiving overdue fees on any returns. Dekalb County Library System Director Kathy Hendrixson said the program does not include damaged or lost books. She said the system is eager to work with people on whatever is necessary to bring them back to the libraries. “People are ... Read More »