Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Tag Archives: Putnam County

Strong Winds Lead To Cleanup, Power Restoration Friday Afternoon

Winds caused the most damage Friday in a swath from northern Van Buren County up through Overton County, with the highest elevations seemingly impacted most. A wind gust of 63mph recorded in Monterey, with a 56mph speed noted in Baxter during the worst part of the weather around lunch time. Power crews worked through the afternoon to restore power, especially ... Read More »

Smith: 40-50 Mph Sustained Winds Likely Friday, Be Weather Aware

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 »

Recent Bust, Growing Popularity; Sheriff Concerned About THC Vape Pens

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department has concerns about the increased popularity of TCH-infused vape pens. The department’s Drug Task Force Division participated in a raid Friday where an assortment of the cartridges used in these pens were seized. Sheriff Eddie Farris said he suspects the cartridges would have been distributed to minors. Farris said high school SROs have been on ... Read More »

Strong Winds, Downed Trees, Power Outages Across Upper Cumberland

Strong winds from Monday night’s storms left trees down and power out in several communities across the Upper Cumberland. A survey of Emergency Service officials noted a tree down on a house on 20th Street in Cookeville. Putnam County residents also experienced power outages from Volunteer Energy, UCEMC, and Cookeville Electric. Overton County Schools are closed on Tuesday due to ... Read More »

Bailey To Push For Sales Tax Equalization As New Legislative Session Begins

State Senator Paul Bailey plans to advocate for the equalization of shared sales tax between local governments and the state as the new legislative session begins Tuesday. Bailey said the portion of sales tax allocated to cities has been frozen since the state raised its collection percentage to seven percent. He said the state sales tax was raised in 2002 ... Read More »

Empower UC Expanding To Four New Counties, Surpass 700 Families

Empower Upper Cumberland will double the reach of its Circles program in the coming weeks, expanding to four more counties. Empower UC Director Megan Spurgeon said the program will branch out to Overton, Cannon, Warren, and Smith counties. She said the program focuses on helping low-income families create plans for long-term success. “Once we have them up and running and ... Read More »

2023 Putnam Building Permits At Record High, Dollar Amount Falls Short

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 »

Cookeville Tree-Mulching System Helps Residents Out After Holidays

Cookeville Public Works has a tree-mulching system to make use of old Christmas trees and ease holiday cleanup for residents. Public Works Director Blake Mayo said allowing citizens to leave trees on the curb limits the risk involved with people burning old trees. He said the department runs the trees through a Vermeer Tub Grinder to produce a fine, nearly ... Read More »

Three Key Industries In Need Of More Workers Across The UC

As a new year begins, three key industries are leading the demand for motivated and consistent employees throughout the Upper Cumberland. Highlands Economic Partnership Vice President Adam Poe said seven industries make up over seventy five percent of the gross domestic product for Putnam, Jackson, Overton and White Counties. Poe said the number one industry he always sees looking for ... Read More »

Cookeville Needs More Hotel Rooms As Tourism, Athletic Events Surge

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 »