Area News

Bledsoe County’s Highway Department could be the beneficiary of recently passed legislation by the Tennessee General Assembly. The Assembly’s effort could save county highway departments statewide as much as $6.5 million annually, according the Tennessee County Highway Officials Association. For more, see the June 6 issue of The Bledsonian-Banner, on newsstands now.

A 16-year-old Bledsoe County teen on a dirt bike the victim of a reported hit-and-run on Monday afternoon, June 3, on McWilliams Road in southern Bledsoe County . The male was riding his dirt bike when he stopped on the bridge to look at the Sequatchie River when a speeding car hit and dragged him…

Bledsoe County residents who were hopeful of 1,000 new jobs coming into town through Textile Corporation of America (TCA) are finally getting answers about what went wrong in federal investigation documents unsealed for public viewing last week. Company leaders and brothers Karim and Rahim Sadruddin are believed to have committed a slew of crimes including:…

State and local officials gathered with members of the public last Wednesday, May 22 for a town hall meeting with Jeff McCord, recently appointed Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Mayor Gregg Ridley started the meeting off stating nearly 15,000 residents in the county only 895 people live and work…

It’s been nearly two years since state officials appeared in Pikeville, showing up in force, to present a new industry to help save one of Tennessee’s distressed communities — Bledsoe County. Two years later, and the parking lot has set consistently void of a workforce at Textile Corporation of America’s factory on Ferro Street since…

The Bledsoe County Board of Education voted to move forward with ouster proceedings of Board Member Vince Pendergrass at a special called meeting on Tuesday, May 28. They also increased sanctions against Pendergrass and extended them six months. The Board voted four to two in favor of referring the case to District Attorney Mike Taylor…

A loud boom in downtown Pikeville startled some residents awake on Friday, May 24, after a transformer fuse blew near Scotties Restaurant, according to Manager Mike Deakins of Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative’s Pikeville office. Deakins said the fuse, made of porcelain, had a ‘disconnect’ and blew around 6:30 a.m. The equipment was older and could have been…

Bledsoe County Schools were selected to receive five new diesel school buses from the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced today. Bledsoe was one of 39 entities to receive funds from the grant program, which totaled $8.8 million to support school bus replacement across the state. For…

Bledsoe County High School was awarded the 2018-2019 Gold Traffic Safety Award for completing activities with the Reduce TN Crashes program, along with five other high schools in the state. For more see the May 23 issue of The Bledsonian Banner.

School Board Member Vince Pendergrass allegedly recently violated sanctions imposed on him by the Bledsoe County Board of Education in September, forcing the Board to meet in a special called meeting next Tuesday, May 28, to possibly begin ouster proceedings. The Board will meet to determine if Pendergrass “is to be referred to the District…