Area News

The Bledsoe County Middle School Warriors and Lady Warriors advanced to the Championship Round of the Sequatchie Valley Conference Tournament. The Lady Warriors will play Thursday, January 16 at 6:20 p.m. against Sequatchie County and the Warriors will play at 7:30 p.m. against South Pittsburg. Both games will be held at Bledsoe County Middle School.…

Pikeville readers taking part The Tennessee Regional eBook and Audiobook Download System (R.E.A.D.S.) announced they achieved a record-breaking four million digital book checkouts in 2019, a milestone for Bledsoe County Public Library, and other local libraries in the state. This accomplishment illustrates the continued growth and importance of lending of eBooks and audiobooks along with…

A scheduling conference is the next step in the lawsuit against the City of Pikeville, Bledsoe County and a City and County officer. The conference is set for February 13 at the United States District Court in Chattanooga and will determine how the case moves forward. For more see the January 16 issue of The…

An audit released by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasure looking at all of Tennessee’s Department of Correction (TDOC), including Bledsoe Correctional Complex (BCCX), revealed the prison system will require “many improvements” moving forward. As for BCCX, the facility had the highest number of allegations of sexual harassment or sexual abuse between inmates and corrections…

The newly-elected City of Pikeville Board of Aldermen and Mayor wasted no time getting to work after being sworn into office on January 2. Immediately after the swearing in, the Board met in a Special Called session and voted to rescind the Zoning Ordinance put into place by the Board in 2018. For more see…

Just after Jessica and Aaron Blevins’ newborn baby was coming out of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit right before Christmas, they received a call their home had been destroyed in a fire in the Bledsoe County community of Lusk. “We were at the hospital after having our fifth baby when the house burnt down,” Jessica…

A young Pikeville man was killed in an accident on U.S. 127 North on Thursday night, January 2. Steve Freeman, 19, succumbed to injuries after the vehicle he and a 17-year-old minor were traveling in rolled over an embankment and landed on Hwy. 127 near the intersection of Freeman Road and Old State Highway 28,…

As her 100th birthday approached earlier this week, Miss Elizabeth Parham Robnett said she doesn’t feel any different. Rather, she said she hates birthdays because they mean “you’re another year older.” It’s not an understatement to say Miss Robnett, named after her great-grandmother, is the most knowledgeable person in Bledsoe County. Her mind is a…

Pikeville residents are closing out this decade with a bang and celebrating Christmas with tons of spirit, lights, and joy. The owners of 12 different homes across the City entered their Christmas set-ups in the The Bledsonian-Banner’s 39th annual Christmas Decorating Contest, making this year’s judging particularly difficult. Judges looked for coverage, attention to detail,…

The Fall Creek Falls Inn reconstruction project is progressing as scheduled, according to the Tennessee Department of General Services. Along with the inn reconstruction, the new Village Green Visitors Center is nearly complete. The Visitors Center looks complete from the outside, with the parking lots striped and painted, ready to welcome visitors to the Park…