Emergency officials urging residents to secure immediate notification systems and practice family safety drills during this Severe Weather Awareness Week. Overton County Assistant EMA Director Eric Stephens said that relying solely on smartphone apps or social media can result in critical time gaps during a storm. He n...

Cookeville Officials updated residents on plans to extend municipal services into annexed areas during the city's annual progress report. Community Development Director Jon Ward said the report covered 12 areas annexed into the city between 2000 and 2018. Ward said all required municipal services are being provided in ...

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency reports Cookeville will need roughly 3,000 additional affordable housing units over the next decade. Highlands Residential Services Executive Director Chris Cassetty said THDA shared that information during a meeting earlier this week. Cassetty said that THDA did not clarify how...

As DeKalb County considers a $35 million plan for a new 182-bed jail, the project's architect presented the schematic design to the county commission. Project Architect John Eisenlau said the firm met numerous times with the Sheriff's Department and the Tennessee Corrections Institute to ensure the design meets all TCI...

Sparta officials closed the city's walking bridge Thursday night after deteriorating and vandalized timbers created safety concerns. Sparta Public Works Director Dillard Quick said the bridge was closed after multiple support timbers were found damaged or missing. Quick said the city replaced the timbers about seven ye...

The Cookeville City Council voted Thursday night to abandon an eight-year-old multimodal sidewalk grant from T-DOT originally intended to fund new sidewalks along Willow Avenue and West 12th Street. The grant is worth an estimated $907,000 that would have required the city to provide a five percent match, or an estimat...

Putnam County Schools will now expand literacy support to students in grades 5-12 using an estimated $90,000 grant from the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Program. Secondary Instructional Supervisor Bubba Winningham said the grant helps school students advance their reading, speaking, and writing skills from ...

UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley said the agency has been very successful in helping local impoverished families through a one-time grant three years ago. Farley said the agency received an estimated $25 million grant in 2022 to fund a three-year initiative aimed at helping families move out of poverty. Farley said...

Cumberland County Commission has set a new hard limit for beer permits, requiring a minimum of 100 feet between retailers and public gathering places like schools and churches. County Commissioner and Beer Board Chairman Joe Sherrill said the county used to require a 2,000-foot distance between beer retailers and place...

White County Schools has received an estimated $600,000 from the state as part of a TISA funding performance bonus. Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said the state provided the bonus after more than half of the district's schools received an A letter grade. Dronebarger said only 22 out of 147 school districts acros...