Tag Archives: Nashville

A specialty veterans license plate program designed to fund transitional housing for homeless veterans is falling short of its goal and running out of time. Cookeville native and U.S. Marine Veteran Patrick McClellan said the program requires 1,000 plates be preordered by June 20 for production and distribution of the plates to begin. He said with six weeks to go ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland education leaders are breathing a sigh of relief as Governor Lee’s proposed School Voucher Program appears dead for this year. Overton County Education Association President Jennifer Eilender said she and many other public school teachers have been holding their breath since the idea was introduced. She said she anticipates that while public schools would experience minimal change in ... Read More »

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department is in the final stages of securing a contract with the U.S. Marshall’s Office to house federal inmates in the soon-to-be-expanded jail. Sheriff Eddie Farris said a deal is just a “few dollars away.” He said he is trying to ensure that the department gets every dollar possible from the Marshall Service, and is confident ... Read More »

Cookeville Regional CEO Buffy Key headed to the state capital to testify against a law that prevents the hospital from hiring certain members of the ER team. Key said the “PARE Law” was put in place in the 1940s. It forces non-teaching medical facilities to contract pathologists, radiologists, anesthesiologists, and other ER workers from outside agencies. Key said the law ... Read More »

Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady among six Upper Cumberland Mayors who met with Governor Bill Lee to request recurring county funding. Heady said state government has always been open to offering the Upper Cumberland funding when available. He said he appreciates Lee advocating for rural communities, and long-term revenue commitment is another way for him to do that. “One-time money’s ... Read More »

Artists from across the state will perform at Livingston’s Iron and Oak Center Thursday with a trip to the Tennessee Songwriters Week Finals on the line. Livingston Chamber of Commerce CEO Shannon Cantrell said Tennessee Department of Tourist Development sponsors the event annually. She said it offers a great chance for people to connect with different regions of the state ... 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 »

The Upper Cumberland received a record-breaking $45 million in grant money this year. UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley said that number does not include grants through private consultants, so the total amount is even higher. He said looking into the future to anticipate needs before they happen, has been key. “We sit between three metropolitan areas, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, ... Read More »

Putnam County will be collecting donations for Middle Tennesseans dealing with the aftermath of Saturday’s tornado through Wednesday. Cookeville Community Center Program Coordinator Debbie Parker said the center will take donations until 4pm Monday, and from 8am-7pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. Parker said she remembers the support the Upper Cumberland received during the tornadoes of 2020, and now is our ... Read More »

A new Christmas musical titled “The Best Thing About Christmas” debuts in Cookeville Monday night. Playwright Derek Hinckley said the show set in Nashville centers on a father who writes a musical as a way to rediscover the meaning of Christmas. It is set following the death of his daughter makes him bitter towards the season. He said the story ... Read More »