Area News

John Patrick Fields, 49, of Bledsoe County pled guilty to the March 10, 2019 beating death of Lowell Thomas “Chip” Simmons and the March 12, 2019 shooting death of Makayla Laray Manning. He will serve at least 51 years of a life sentence before being eligible for parole. For more see the July 14 issue…

Some very talented local artists have been busy painting murals in Pikeville and Bledsoe County to help draw tourists to the area and make businesses a point of interest. For more see the July 7 issue of The Bledsonian Banner.

The 130-year-old-plus building that served as the Pikeville Seventh-day Adventist Church for many years, was demolished last week to make way for a new church facility, said Pastor Daniel Serban. He said construction of a new building on the site, at the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Washington Avenue in Pikeville, should begin in the…

Some people have the opportunity to visit exotic, unusual, familiar, beautiful places while others cannot. And in those places, many times they enjoyed the destinations so much they leave a piece of their hearts there. That’s why Activity Director Sharla Harris, at the Bledsoe County Nursing Home, created a Facebook page to help the residents…

Authorities are investigating recent tagging incidents throughout Pikeville, reports Pikeville Police Chief Ronald Byrd. Numerous buildings, businesses, playground equipment, vehicles and more were spray painted by vandals over the past couple of weeks. Chief Byrd said he does have three suspects but would not release the names because two are juveniles and the third is…

In the early morning hours Friday, June 10, emergency personnel responded to the scene of an accident on Lowes Gap Road in Bledsoe County. A vehicle had plummeted off a 100-foot bluff and the woman inside had to be rescued, according to a report by Piney Volunteer Fire Department. For more see the June 16…

On the morning of May 27, global poultry breeding company Aviagen® hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its brand new feed processing facility (feed mill) in Pikeville. Joining in this momentous event were members of the Pikeville-Bledsoe County Chamber of Commerce, City Mayor Philip Cagle, County Mayor Gregg Ridley and Deputy Commissioner Jeff Aiken with the…

On May 30 and June 2, Piney and Dunlap volunteer fire departments assisted with rescues at Cane Creek Falls inside Fall Creek Falls State Park. Both incidents involved someone jumping off of Cane Creek Falls. The most recent happened when a 17-year-old male dove off of Cane Creek Falls approximately 85 feet into the swimming…

The University of Tennessee System is on a mission to paint the state orange with its “Everywhere You Look, UT” campaign, and U.S. Route 127 in Bledsoe County just became home to UT’s 28th mural. Former 4-H members and supporters of University of Tennessee Extension, Matt and Farrah Fields, didn’t think twice about volunteering the…

Pikeville Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) recently received a new piece of equipment courtesy of The Gary Sinise Foundation (GSF). The foundation formed by Actor Gary Sinise, a long-time advocate for troops and veterans, provides grants to first responder organizations like fire and police departments. The new Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) will be utilized for special…