LOCAL FOCUS

The Tennessee county-by-county report brings you news from each of the Volunteer State’s 95 counties every Sunday. Items are compiled by reporters and editors from across the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee.

ANDERSON COUNTY: The Appalachian Arts Craft Center will hold its annual Spring Porch Sale through March 24. The Spring Porch Sale is held twice a year and features locally handmade artwork for purchase from members of Appalachian Arts.

BEDFORD COUNTY: The Shelbyville Times-gazette, along with four other Tennessee newspapers formerly owned by Apex Media, was acquired on March 1 by Richardson Media Group, a growing publishing company that focuses on community newspapers, the Shelbyville Times-gazette reports.

BENTON COUNTY: New Beginnings Ministries will conduct a Spring Craft Fair from noon to 7 p.m. April 12 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 13. It takes place at 138 College Avenue in Camden.

BLEDSOE COUNTY: The Bledsoe County High School Rover Challenge Team prepares for the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge in April, the Bledsonian Banner reports. The team has been designing, testing, and building its rover to compete. This is the third year Bledsoe County has been chosen to participate in the program.

BLOUNT COUNTY: A Maryville downtown hotel has broken ground on Broadway Avenue, the Daily Times reports. The establishment will bring the Holiday Inn brand within walking distance of downtown restaurants and businesses and will be the first Maryville downtown hotel built in decades.

BRADLEY COUNTY: The Cleveland State Community College Workforce Development Department completed two Culinary Bootcamps at the Bradley County Justice Center, the Cleveland Daily Banner reports. Partnering with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, Adult Education and City Fields, inmates completed the program and earned Servsafe Food Handler certifications.

CAMPBELL COUNTY: Elk Valley Elementary is one of five finalists vying for a prize of $25,000 in this year’s Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Extreme Classroom Makeover competition, the Lafollette Press reports. Madison Yancey, who teaches third and fourth grade mathematics and science at Elk Valley, entered the competition for Elk Valley’s STEM lab.

CANNON COUNTY: The majority of Cannon County voters backed a referendum to increase the county sales tax from 8.75% to 9.75%, with 924 “yes” votes and 788 “no” votes, the Cannon Courier reports.

CARROLL COUNTY: Hollow Rockbruceton decided they wanted to mix things up a bit and brought in Clay Mcmackins as their new head football coach.

CARTER COUNTY: The Elizabethtoncarter County Public Library has unveiled a database featuring historic recipes, the Elizabethton Star reports. Funding from the Tennessee Historical Records Advisory Board assisted in the digitization of over 8,000 recipes sourced from local church, civic organization, school, and community cookbooks dating from 1935 to 2013.

CHEATHAM COUNTY: Dozens of Cheatham County Schools officials and community members gathered on Feb. 20 at Sycamore High School to unveil its new 50-kilowatt solar array classroom, paid for by the Tennessee Valley Authority and local philanthropist Jane Crisp, the Cheatham County Exchange reports.

CHESTER COUNTY: The community held its Seventh Black History program at Chester County Senior Center. Facts on accomplishments African Americans have made in American history were told and different artists in West Tennessee entertained the audience with their talents.

CLAIBORNE COUNTY: The Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office executed a narcotics search warrant at a New Tazwell residence, the Claiborne Progress reports. Methamphetamine, marijuana, clonazepam pills, gabapentin pills, scales, repackaging bags and other illegal paraphernalia was discovered. Two men were arrested.

CLAY COUNTY: Clay County High FFA student Abbi Shaull placed first in the Creed Speaking category at the District and Regional Public Speaking Leadership Development Event. Abbi will compete at the state convention March 24-27 in Gatlinburg. Mason Bridges (Public Prepared Speaking) and Jackson Randolph (Extemporaneous Public Speaking) were district winners.

COCKE COUNTY: The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office announced the identity and age of a woman found dead near Plunkton Road in Del Rio, reports the Newport Plain Talk. The woman has been identified as Michella Day, 26, of Hamblen County. The final autopsy, including toxicology, is pending.

COFFEE COUNTY: The fate of the Old Stone Ford truss bridge has been decided despite efforts by a local preservation group to keep it in place, the Manchester Times reported. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will repurpose the bridge to be an overlook upstream from its current location.

CROCKETT COUNTY: A local nursing home in Crockett County hit by a tornado quite a few years ago is actively ensuring the safety of its residents. The flag pole that was a part of the extensive damage due to a tornado hitting Bells Nursing Home remains bent to remember what happened on Nov. 2002. Fortunately, there were no severe injuries.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY: The Cumberland County Playhouse presents Finding Nemo Jr. to the community in March. Tickets for the production can be purchased by calling 931-4845000 or visiting the playhouse’s website. Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr. is rated G and is a musical adaptation of the 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo.

DAVIDSON COUNTY: Concerns over infrastructure and neighborhood character halted two zoning bills aimed at lowering barriers for multifamily housing in Nashville. One bill would allow attached multifamily homes to be built on single-family lots in the Urban Services District.

DECATUR COUNTY: As the star witness in the Holly Bobo murder trial, Jason Autry spoke in a calm, deliberative manner. Autry’s reversal was revealed in two petitions seeking post-conviction relief filed by a friend’s lawyer, where the trial took place. His friend, Zachary Adams, 39, wants his conviction thrown out based on Autry’s latest statements.

DEKALB COUNTY: Dekalb County High School recently recognized Peyton Norris as valedictorian and Kathryn Hale as the salutatorian for the Class of 2024.

DICKSON COUNTY: A missing Burns woman was found dead in Whites Creek, the Dickson Post reports. Emily Bradley, 44, was found near Buena Vista Pike. The county’s medical examiner said the cause of death appeared to be blunt force trauma to the head.

DYER COUNTY: During a Night of Reading, Mciver’s Grant Public Library hosted two local authors–marsh Naidoo (”Raising Kellan”) and Brenda Rogers of Halls (”The Zebra Means a Lot to Me”).

FAYETTE COUNTY: The Rev. Phyllis Faulkner is the newly elected pastor for Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Rossville. She is the church’s first Black woman to assume the role.

FENTRESS COUNTY: Whitehead Insurance Group, which now has an office in Jamestown, was recognized by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development as one of the state’s century old companies. Whitehead Insurance Group opened in Crossville in 1903. The Jamestown branch opened in 1996. Offices are also in Oneida and Alcoa/maryville.

FRANKLIN COUNTY: Decherd Board of Mayor and Aldermen have approved to restore the Decherd mayor’s authority after two years, which was being held by the city administrator. The new ordinance’s key changes include the mayor may conduct inquiries and investigations regarding the center and routine evaluation of the city administrator’s performance.

GIBSON COUNTY: The majority of the improvements set forth in Trenton’s Parks and Recreation Plan will come to fruition, but some of the work could be completed by early this summer. New fencing and scoreboards for the baseball and softball fields have been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible.

GILES COUNTY: Giles County Office of Emergency Management Director Josh Young announced at a recent emergency services committee meeting that FEMA would pay for a safe space shelter at the Giles County Agri Park, reports the Pulaski Citizen.

GRAINGER COUNTY: Clinch-powell RC&D and Partners for Sacred Places hosted a tour of Rutledge Presbyterian Church and Henderson Chapel with community leaders, the Grainger Today reports. An overview of Partners for Sacred Places’ Preserving and Strengthening the Cultural Heritage of Sacred Places in Central Appalachia program was held during the tour.

GREENE COUNTY: Chuckey-doak High School was recognized by Special Olympics Tennessee as champions of inclusion for its disabled athletes through the UCS program, the Greenville Sun reports. Special Olympics Tennessee honored the inclusion efforts of Chuckey-doak High School with the presentation of a Unified Champion Schools banner.

GRUNDY COUNTY: A Tennessee Court of Appeals judge sided with Grundy County in a heated lawsuit over placement of a quarry, the Grundy County Herald reports. Tinsley Properties unsuccessfully argued the county had no zoning restrictions in place that regulate where quarries could be located.

HAMBLEN COUNTY: Three Lakeway Area communities are among 50 recipients of money from the Infrastructure Planning Grant program, the Citizen Tribune reports. The program’s $10.7 million in funding is part of the Rural Economic Opportunity Act and will assist communities and utility districts with long-term planning for their water and sewer systems.

HAMILTON COUNTY: A Chattanooga man was sentenced to life in prison in February for sexual abuse and producing sexual abuse material of minors, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Mark Deakins was convicted in May 2023 after a trial found he raped and sexually assaulted numerous preteen and teen boys in the area.

HANCOCK COUNTY: Hancock County Middle School sixth grader Gabe Barger won the 11th annual Clinchpowell Educational Conference Science Fair at Lincoln Memorial University. The regional science fair serves as a platform for students to showcase their innovative research and scientific projects.

HARDEMAN COUNTY: The Beta Sigma chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International sponsored an essay contest for Hardeman County high school students as part of the chapter’s literacy initiative. The students were to write about the impacts of AI on daily life. The winner was Shavon Chism, a senior at Bolivar Central High School.

HARDIN COUNTY: Four Middle Tennessee Civil War battlefields are receiving millions of dollars in preservation grants from the Tennessee Historical Commission. The grants total $7,319,500 – the largest amount in the history of the Civil War site’s preservation fund. Hardin County’s 152acre Hardiman Tract II at Shiloh Battlefield is receiving $117,000.

HAWKINS COUNTY: Rogersville Middle School teacher Brandy Mccracken was named a contender for “America’s Favorite Teacher”, the Rogersville Review reports. The winner of the Reader’s Digest American’s Favorite Teacher contest receives $25,000 and a trip to Hawaii. If she wins, Mccracken wants to sponsor a trip to Washington for her students.

HAYWOOD COUNTY: Hundreds gathered in February in Franklin for the 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards to celebrate volunteerism in Tennessee. Among those honored was City of Brownsville Vice Mayor Carolyn Flagg. The awards are an initiative from Volunteer Tennessee that recognizes outstanding volunteers from each of Tennessee’s 95 counties.

HENDERSON COUNTY: After a brief search, the wait is over as Milan football coach Derek Carr has been named to lead the Lexington football program. The announcement came following the annual Lions Club Sight Bowl at the end of spring practice on March 1.

HENRY COUNTY: The Downtown

Paris Association announced that Food Truck Fridays have returned. Handheld Food Truck will be set up on the corner of East Wood Street and Poplar Street, across from Commercial Bank and First Bank.

HICKMAN COUNTY: A former Hickman County maintenance director was indicted in December on felony charges including theft of $29,960.46 in goods, the Hickman County Times reports. The investigation was conducted by the state’s comptroller’s office.

HOUSTON COUNTY: The Houston County 911 Board met in a regular session on Feb. 20 to discuss trimming $5,000 from the fiscal year 2025 budget, including from salaries and other budget areas, while still being able to take care of the necessary bills, the Houston County Herald reports.

HUMPHREYS COUNTY: As more than 100 million people tuned into Super Bowl LVIII, Rock ‘N Refuge, a local getaway at 9128 Bold Springs Rd in Mcewen, was featured as the idyllic backdrop in the Purina Pro Plan and Tractor Supply Company commercial filmed onsite by Farm Muse, the News Democrat reports.

JACKSON COUNTY: The Gainesboro Volunteer Fire Department is the recipient of $109,200 as part of Volunteer Firefighter Equipment and Training Grant Program through the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office. There were 196 departments awarded grants.

JEFFERSON COUNTY: Residents responded overwhelmingly to a longrange survey that they want to retain the county’s rural feel, the Standard Banner reports. Arcadis IBI Group planner Gerald Green cited a desire to preserve agricultural land, control development, locate commercial development at intersections and along highways, and limit new residential subdivisions.

JOHNSON COUNTY: The Tomahawk reports $31,500 in state tourism enhancement money will go to create a Copperhead Road landmark at Watauga Lake Winery in Butler near the celebrated road. Steve Earle’s country-rock anthem “Copperhead Road” became the 11th official state song by legislative act last April.

KNOX COUNTY: Knoxville Utilities Board staff will be on hand to talk with customers about KUB careers and a variety of topics, including getting connected to KUB Fiber, saving energy, getting bill assistance and more from 2 to 6:30 p.m. March 21 at the Boys & Girls Club, 967 Irwin St. in Knoxville.

LAKE COUNTY: A Camden man was arrested on multiple charges after leading police on two pursuits at over 100 miles per hour on Reelfoot Avenue in Union City. Police reports say the 20-year-old man was taken into custody by multiple officers after he was finally stopped at Reelfoot Avenue and Everett Boulevard.

LAUDERDALE COUNTY: Ja’marion Whitelow tipped a loose ball to his brother, Ja’marcus Whitelow and Ja’marcus stood tall and drilled the 3-point shot in the third quarter to pad the lead in the Tigers’ 75-48 win over the Memphis Business Academy in a TSSAA Class 2A sectional game to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2015.

LAWRENCE COUNTY: The March 5 election results for the Lawrence County School Board Republican primary winners are: District 1, Bill Adams; District 4, Jerry W. Dryden, who ran unopposed; District 7, Janet H. Alexander; and District 8, Chad Shannon.

LEWIS COUNTY: The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is sponsoring Hunter Education classes from 5 to 8 p.m. on March 19, 21 and 22 at Lewis County High School. Students interested in being certified must attend all classroom sessions along with a written test and firearms handling exercise.

LINCOLN COUNTY: Water leaks in the Petersburg water system have been reported as the reason for the city’s unaccounted water for years, though in a recent Petersburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, city officials determined most of its water loss is due to failing meters, the Elk Valley Times reports.

LOUDON COUNTY: Philadelphia Elementary School was named a Reward School by the Tennessee Department of Education. Reward Schools demonstrate student success in achievement and growth.

MACON COUNTY: Macon County Schools is working with Trane Technologies to identify upgrades to make buildings more energy efficient. The district can do the improvements themselves and pay Trane for the audit results or let Trane do the improvements with costs financed and eventually paid for through guaranteed energy savings.

MADISON COUNTY: The culmination of a closely followed race for Jacksonmadison County School Board ended with unseated incumbents and a mother-son duo securing wins in their respective districts. The Republican primary brought out 9,141 Madison County voters on Super Tuesday, or 14.62% of registered voters.

MARION COUNTY: The 27th annual National Cornbread Festival will be April 27-28 in South Pittsburg this spring. The festival welcomes everyone in the community and is a celebration of cornbread, often considered the cornerstone of Southern

cuisine.

MARSHALL COUNTY: Democrat Teri Mai has entered the race for Tennessee State House District 92, which covers Marshall and south Williamson County, challenging incumbent Todd Warner. Mai was motivated by the overturning of Roe v. Wade and uncontrolled mass shooting across the nation.

MAURY COUNTY: The Maury County Board of Education approved a fouryear extension of the contract for Superintendent Lisa Ventura, praising her for high marks on her annual evaluation, reports The Daily Herald.

MCMINN COUNTY: Seven Brew Coffee made a donation of $1,000 to the Mcminn County High School Band through its Cultivating Kindness Initiative, reports the Daily Post-athenian. Seven Brew Coffee is a drivethru coffee establishment, with a location newly opened in Athens.

MCNAIRY COUNTY: The Mcnairy Bobcats football team has hired Justin Truett as head coach. He brings plenty of experience and not just at the high school level – he once coached for Obion County middle schools.

MEIGS COUNTY: A lawsuit was filed against the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office after a Meigs County deputy drove into the Tennessee River, where he and a woman he had arrested were found dead, WDEF reports. Filed in the Eastern District of U.S District Court, the family of Tabitha Smith is suing the Meigs County Sheriff’s Department for $10 million.

MONROE COUNTY: Law enforcement agencies arrested an alleged drug trafficker with 330 grams of meth and 100 grams of fentanyl, the Advocate and Democrat reports. Officers with the Monroe County Violent Crime Task Force, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and the Madisonville Police Department conducted a surveillance operation in the Gudger community.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Officials with the Clarksville Police Department are investigating the death of an infant, pronounced dead at the scene by apparent gunshot, that occurred at a residence on Citadel Drive on

Feb. 25, the Leaf Chronicle reports.

MOORE COUNTY: A new cost-sharing program that covers the local share of training costs, more than $3,000 per officer, for new officers at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy will allow cadet Andrew Fly to attend in April at no cost to local taxpayers, the Lynchburg Times reports.

MORGAN COUNTY: Schubert Funeral Home celebrates 100 years in business, reports the Morgan County News. Family-owned and operated, Shubert Funeral Home has served Morgan, Roan, and surrounding counties since 1924. The community celebrated the milestone in early March at the Wartburg location.

OBION COUNTY: The Obion County Fair has implemented a limited opportunity to receive a lifetime membership. Fair President Craig Mcmanus said a one-time payment of $500 will secure an individual a free gate admission and exclusive member parking spot.

OVERTON COUNTY: Allons Elementary, Hilham Elementary and Livingston Middle were all named Reward schools by the Tennessee Department of Education. The Reward designation is based on performance and/or improvement by meeting objectives by meeting objectives across performance indicators and student groups.

PERRY COUNTY: Sheriff Nick Weems, who in January announced his plans to leave office, recently announced that his last day of service was March 15 before he began his work with the state.

PICKETT COUNTY: Byrdstown’s senior center will move to the former United Methodist Church on Highway 111 that closed and has been donated to Pickett County, said County Executive Stephen Bilbrey. The senior center will move from the community center on South Main Street.

POLK COUNTY: South Polk Elementary’s 23rd annual Jump Rope for Heart Event raised $9,066 for the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge. The event activities spread awareness and knowledge about heart health and helps raise money for the initiative.

PUTNAM COUNTY: The 98th Putnam County Agricultural & Industrial Fair will be held Aug. 1-10 this year. Christmas at the Fair is the theme. Putnam County Fair Board President John Allen was recently awarded the Thornton Taylor award for dedication and commitment to the fair at the annual Tennessee Association of Fairs Convention in Murfreesboro.

RHEA COUNTY: Graysville Elementary School was named a state Reward School for the second year in a row, reports the Herald-news. Graysville Elementary School Principal Heather Jewell said Graysville Elementary School is the only school in Rhea County to achieve the designation two years in a row.

ROANE COUNTY: A woman allegedly smoked meth while giving birth, the Roane County News reports. The baby didn’t survive and Cooper has been arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse.

ROBERTSON COUNTY: Springfield police are seeking clues from the public after a car crash left one man dead and another treated for a nonlife threatening gun shot wound, The Tennessean reports.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY: American Classical Academy Rutherford public charter school will open this August in La Vergne despite previous opposition, organizers confirmed. ACA will start as a K-5 campus before becoming a K-12 and be open to all Rutherford students in the former Ingram Entertainment building, The Daily News Journal reports.

SCOTT COUNTY: The Historic Scott County Jail has teamed up with the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville to host a free teacher workshop for any teachers from Scott County and all surrounding counties June 18. The theme of this year’s working shop is “Tools that Built Tennessee.”

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY: The Dunlap Coke Ovens Bluegrass festival has announced their lineup for the 38th annual festival. The event will take place on June 1st at the Dunlap Coke Ovens Amphitheater. Tickets are $10 and can only be purchased with cash.

SEVIER COUNTY: Sevier County High School’s Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica Chapter’s President Tatyana Alligood’s digital artwork will be published in the national student journal Albricias, the Mountain Press reports. Albricias contains essays, poetry, and short articles, as well as photography and artwork created by student members of the SHH.

SHELBY COUNTY: Longtime Downtown Memphis supporter Jeff Sanford was remembered for giving back to the city he loved. Sanford, who died March 4 at the age of 81, was a Bluff City transplant. Over his more than 50 years in the Bluff City, he made a lasting impact, especially in downtown.

SMITH COUNTY: The Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation recently awarded the Smith County Playhouse with a $2,702 grant according to the Smith County Insider. The Smith County Historical Tourism Society was also awarded $540. The grants are funded by UCEMC customers who round up their electric bill to the nearest dollar, the Insider reports.

STEWART COUNTY: In a recent Stewart County Commission meeting, officials authorized A2H Engineering Firm from Jackson for a multimodal access grant project that will construct sidewalks from Cumberland Electric Membership Corp. to the middle school and library, the Stewart County Standard reports.

SUMNER COUNTY: Hendersonville city recently hired Assistant Chief Jim Jones to replace retiring Police Chief Mickey Miller, who is set to leave office this spring after serving the city for more than a decade, The Tennessean reports.

SULLIVAN COUNTY: The 16th annual Racks by the Tracks Festival returns to the Kingsport Farmers Market on May 18, the Times News reports. This year’s festival will feature the original Tri-cities’ tasting event, a BBQ competition, the Racks by the Tracks 10K and 5K Race, the Boss Hog Challenge, and a variety of music.

TIPTON COUNTY: The Covington Police Department and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office are launching a joint violent crime unit, aiming to reduce crime in the area. The departments were awarded a Violent Crime Intervention Fund Competitive Collaborative grant for $1,419,489 from the state of Tennessee to pursue the venture.

TROUSDALE COUNTY: Trousdale County Schools was designated as one of 12 Exemplary school districts by the Tennessee Department of Education. The Exemplary designation is for districts that achieve an overall performance score of 3.1 or better on a 4.0 scale across performance indicators.

UNICOI COUNTY: The Clinchfield Federal Credit Union has launched the Buy Local Spend Local program to reward consumers for shopping with local businesses, the Erwin Record reports. Each month, the credit union will randomly select five transactions by members who use their debit cards at participating businesses. These transactions will be eligible for reimbursement.

UNION COUNTY: Sharps Chapel Elementary School was named a Reward school by the Tennessee Department of Education. Reward Schools demonstrate student success in achievement and growth.

VAN BUREN COUNTY: Van Buren County Schools is accepting bids for pest control and hood cleaning/ fire suppression units. Bids for all three will open on March 27. Applications are on Van Buren County Schools’ website.

WASHINGTON COUNTY: The Johnson City Commission approved a rezoning request that could bring nearly 800 new apartments to the Burlington Park property, the Johnson City Press reports. The plans for the site include approximately 773 multi-family housing units, a 40,000-square-foot space for businesses, stream restoration and green space.

WAYNE COUNTY: The Wayne County Commission met in a regular session in mid-february to discuss how it could acquire restitution to pay for the ongoing and costly damages to vandalized road signs around the county, the Wayne County News reports.

WARREN COUNTY: Warren County schools announced 2024 teachers of the year in the district. This year, Kaity Castleman was named pre-k through fourth grade; Hannah Randolph as fifth through eight grade; and Jenene Taylor was named ninth through 12th grade teacher of the year.

WEAKLEY COUNTY: Bethel University’s Board of Trustees has selected Perry Moulds to serve as the university’s president effective July 1.

WHITE COUNTY: American Legion Post No. 99 is hosting a “Country Western Dance” beginning at 6 p.m. March 23 at the Legion building. The cost is $7 a person. Call 931-836-3595 for tickets.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY: The Franklin Theatre has announced Sheryl Crow is hosting an intimate concert on March 23 for her newest album “Evolution.” Tickets are on sale at franklintheatre.com

WILSON COUNTY: Design firm 615interiors of Mt. Juliet has won a 2024 Best of Houzz award for service, the company announced. Gwen Canfield leads 615interiors. Best of Houzz awards are given annually in three categories: design, customer service and photography.