Tag Archives: Van Buren County

Van Buren County Commission has approved Commissioner Terry Hickey as its new chairman. Hickey was one of two nominated for the position with commissioner Cale Crain. Hickey has served on the commission for three years, after he was elected to fill a vacancy. “I’m a little nervous and I will make mistakes, I’m human, and I promise you I will ... Read More »

The Van Buren County Fair is underway. It will continue until this Saturday with several competitions and events scheduled each night. Junior Fair Board Member Cade Simmons said the carnival called “Amusement on the Midway” kicks off Wednesday night. “It doesn’t matter age or anything like that,” Simmons said. “We have our oldest members and youngest members of our community. ... Read More »

Van Buren County approved its finalized budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year Tuesday night. County Mayor Greg Wilson said the budget features several capital projects and purchases funded by American Rescue Plan money, including a new ambulance for $260,000. “There’s the landfill, construction on getting it fixed,” Wilson said. “It’s a monitored project for 30 years. We had a leak ... Read More »

The Van Buren County Commission will consider a budget that does not include employee raises. The county’s Committee A which serves as the budget committee approved the spending plan. Mayor Greg Wilson proposed an eight percent raise, but it did not pass. “It was the reoccurring costs, but you also have to figure in the inflation costs,” Wilson said. “If ... Read More »

Longtime Van Buren County educator Neal Wayne O’Neal will be laid to rest Friday. He passed away at the age of 78-years-old. Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said O’Neal was a teacher, high school principal and served 10 years as superintendent. “I graduated in 1983 and Mr. O’Neal was one of my teachers that I had in high school,” Cole ... Read More »

Another afternoon of strong thunderstorms produced more trees down across the Upper Cumberland. Severe thunderstorms with wind gusts over 50mph brought down trees and power lines in White County including Turntable Road, Breeding Drive and in several spots around Sparta. Power lines came down along Buffalo Valley Road in Cookeville. Intense lightning also reported. Overton County Emergency Management reported trees ... Read More »

Event booking for the Van Buren County Farmer’s Market will now operate under the county’s fair board. Board President Lesa Bouldin said the county used to oversee the operation but gifted it to the fair board to increase revenue. “Any time we can make money, it’s going to benefit the fair,” Bouldin said. “Van Buren County is small and rural, ... Read More »

A portion of State Route 30 in Van Buren County will be closed Thursday morning. The closure will happen from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. from the Cane Creek Road junction to Mooneyham Road junction. TDOT will be placing a overflow drain pipe as a part of a slide remediation project. There will be no vehicles that can get through ... Read More »

After four bid attempts and months of advertising, Van Buren County has received one bid to repair a leak on the courthouse steeple. Mayor Greg Wilson said the county’s budget committee approved a $5,000 bid for the commission to consider. However, there are liability concerns about the project. “We did find a way to get up through by removing some ... Read More »

The Van Buren County Commission has approved about $50,000 to help the county’s volunteer fire departments with maintenance efforts. Mayor Greg Wilson asked the commission Tuesday night to use some of its remaining ARP funding of $128,000. Wilson said one example of need was the Fall Creek Falls Department that dished out over $6,000 for a repair. “We’ve got one ... Read More »