Area News

The Tennessee Department of Health reported the first COVID-19 patient death for Bledsoe County Nursing Home (BCNH) last week. BCNH Infection Preventionist Vicki Sweatt Boynton confirmed one patient had passed while diagnosed with COVID-19. A total of five residents tested positive after the first case was discovered at the facility on December 31, but only…

Bledsoe County Nursing Home (BCNH) has reported its fifth COVID-19 case after announcing its first case on December 31, according to Infection Preventionist Vicki Sweatt Boynton with BCNH. Boynton said BCNH is happy to report one of the patients has recovered so far. For more see the January 21 issue of The Bledsonian Banner.

Pikeville native Cara Rains Sapp joins the 12th Judicial District Attorney General office as an Assistant District Attorney, announced District Attorney Mike Taylor. Taylor appointed Sapp to the position on January 1. “I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Cara Rains Sapp to the position of Assistant District Attorney General for the 12th…

The Bledsoe County Commission re-appointed Tracey Cagle to serve as Bledsoe County Trustee until the 2022 election—after the winner of the November election declined to take the office late last year due to health concerns.  She was first appointed to the office by the commission last fall to serve as interim Trustee until the November…

A home fire on Friday morning, January 15, shut down Cleveland Avenue for several hours on the West side of the U.S. 127 bypass as emergency crews and the Pikeville Volunteer Fire Department worked to put out the flames. Early reports indicate the fire was started by a heater. For more, see thebledsonian-banner.com and the…

Bledsoe County Schools are on a hybrid schedule for the week of January 19-22, Director of Schools James Ellis announced on Wednesday, January 13.  This comes after two weeks of virtual classes to begin the Spring Semester because of high numbers of active COVID-19 cases in the county. Monday, January 18 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day…

The rebuild of the Inn at Fall Creek Falls State Park is on schedule, according to Communications Director David Roberson with the Tennessee Department of General Services. Construction of the new inn, that was demolished the later part of 2018, is expected to be completed this fall after years-long work on the site and construction…

Bledsoe County Nursing Home (BCNH) announced they had their first positive COVID-19 result among its residents reported on Thursday, December 31. Since then, an additional three positive cases have been reported among patients, according to Infection Preventionist Vicki Sweatt Boynton with BCNH. “The CDC guidelines for positive residents were immediately enacted,” Sweatt said in a…

Several Bledsoe County residents received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at an event held on Saturday, January 2, at the Bledsoe County Health Department. The total number of individuals in Bledsoe County to receive the vaccine as of January 4 was 158, according to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH). For more see…

You may have heard a tourism ad for Bledsoe County lately on the radio or on television, which is all part of a recent advertising push promoting the county by Bledsoe County’s Tourism Committee. The ads, running on Sinclair Broadcasting’s media outlets throughout the region, paint a picture of downtown Pikeville, the beauty of nearby…