Bailey & Sexton Reflect On Late Night Abortion Bill
The State Legislature Friday morning passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation. The passage surprised many because the state senate had said it would only consider bills related to the budget or COVID-19. “That was one of Governor (Bill) Lee’s initiatives that was part of his legislative package at the beginning […]
Sparta Comfortably Passes Budget For New Fiscal Year
Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a $5.4 million budget for the new fiscal year with no city property tax increases. The budget is the same amount as last year, but all the departments received capital projects in the budget. City Administrator Brad Hennessee said completing the budget during the uncertainties of Covid is […]
Overton and White Counties Sales Tax Up
April sales tax revenues in Overton and White County increased over same month last year. Overton County collected around $148,000 in sales tax, or about. $10,000 more than last April. Overton County Executive Ben Danner said the increase was not expected. But he said with so many at home, people may have spent money on […]
Highway 70 Speed Limit Going To 45 Monday
The speed limit along Putnam County’s Highway 70 will return to 45 mph beginning Monday. T-DOT changed the speed limit to 30 mph in the hours after the March 3 tornado between Jackson Street and Baxter. Though cleanup in the area had been completed, the speed limit had remained at 30. The City of Cookeville […]
Sparta’s Bluegrass On The Square Cancelled For June
Sparta’s annual Bluegrass On The Square concert is cancelled for the second month in a row. This event takes place every third Friday evening from May to October. Organizer Angie Wilhite said depending if the case numbers continue to rise, it could be cancelled in July as well. “We’ll just take it month by month,” […]
Over 2.2 Million Dollars Donated To Cookeville-Putnam Tornado Relief
The Cookeville-Putnam County Tornado Relief Fund raised $2, 275,474. Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said the amount donated exceeded all expectations. People and organizations from all around the world answered the need and donated. Porter said the outpouring of support was unbelievable. “We figured if we could do a million dollars, we would just be […]
Jackson High School Renovations Approved
The Jackson County Board of Education approved two bids for painting and ceiling replacement at Jackson County High School Thursday night. Director of Schools Kristy Brown said she would like to see school maintenance on a more regular basis. “It was identified as a need for updated and maintained buildings,” Brown said. “It was the […]
Sparta Approves Purchase Of Police Protective Equipment
The Sparta Board of Alderman approved the purchase of $25,000 of personal protective equipment for city police. Mayor Jeff Young said the purchase is mainly for a periodic replacement of items such as bulletproof vests. “There is a whole list of items in the police department they have to upgrade annually and some of them […]
Final Push For New Turf At Cookeville High
It’s the fourth quarter in local parents’ efforts to replace the turf at Cookeville High School. Parent Julie Baker said the group remains committed to installing new artificial turf before the first football game in August. The deadline comes next Thursday when the Putnam County School Board considers the issue and what money has been […]
Majority Of Overton Parents Ready For School To Return
61 percent of Overton County parents want to see their children return to school on time. Almost 4,000 people responded to a survey published on the Overton County Schools website. Director of Schools Mark Winningham said the parents play an important roll in the decision to return. “Of course, we are going to consider the […]
