Area News

After an animal cruelty case in Northwestern Bledsoe County garnered much attention last August, the homeowner, Caroline R. Atdkins, 57, of Pikeville, has been indicted on 14 counts of cruelty to animals by the Bledsoe County Grand Jury. Grand Jury documents allege the cruelty to have taken place between June 1 and August 12, 2019…

Former Bledsoe County EMS Director Will Angel was indicted by the Bledsoe County Grand Jury on multiple charges of rape, sexual battery, and attempted rape of two females employed by the ambulance service. The Grand Jury handed down Angel’s indictments, plus indictments in many other cases presented on Monday, July 27. Angel, 29, was arrested…

A project for future widening/improvement along the U.S. Highway 127/SR-28 corridor in Bledsoe and Sequatchie Counties is in development by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), but still years away from coming to fruition. The US-127/SR-28 project corridor goes from where the road narrows on the north side of Dunlap to where the road widens…

A Spring City man was indicted on charges of arson and burglary by the Bledsoe County Grand Jury on Monday, July 27.  Jonathan Elmer McKee, 39, was indicted after an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Bomb and Arson Fire Investigators and Bledsoe County Sheriff’s Department identified him as being responsible for a fire…

A Chattanooga man was arrested this week after being indicted by the Bledsoe County Grand Jury on counts of rape of a child, criminal attempted child rape, especially aggravated exploitation of a minor, and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.  Adam Ferguson, 35, was indicted after an investigation of the Tennessee Bureau of…

Officials took another step in building a new physicians building on the campus of Erlanger Bledsoe at a July 20 County Commission meeting. Commissioners approved the lease between Bledsoe County and Erlanger, which stipulates the County will build the 6,050 square-foot facility and lease it to Erlanger at “fair market value” to be determined after…

A resurfacing project begins this week on the U.S. 127 bypass from South of SR 30 to north of Old William Howard Taft Highway, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Region 2 Spokeswoman Jennifer Flynn. For more see the July 30 issue of The Bledsonian Banner.

Tennessee is having two separate tax free holidays this year, with the first starting this week for general purchases such as school supplies, electronics, and clothing. The other, new this year, allows restaurant charges to be tax-free. Starting Friday, July 31 at 12:01 a.m. and continuing through Sunday, August 2, at 11:59 p.m., the tax…

The reopening of Bledsoe County Schools has been postponed to August 25, the Board of Education decided in a 6-1 vote on Tuesday, July 21. The official plan for the reopening of Bledsoe County Schools has not yet been formalized. Registration day is set for August 24. Student schedules will be staggered in the first…

The reopening of Bledsoe County Schools has been postponed to August 25, the Board of Education decided in a 6-1 vote on Tuesday, July 21.  Registration day is set for August 24. Student schedules will be staggered in the first week to acclimate students slowly to new changes, and more details regarding the staggered schedule…