Area News

Bledsoe County Schools will be operating on a virtual setting for the week of November 30 through December 4, due to a shortage of staff amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Director of Schools James Ellis. All students will be virtual during the week. “We understand not all students have the ability to connect virtually to…

A new partnership between Communities in Schools (CIS), local students, and the Pikeville-Bledsoe County Chamber of Commerce seeks to engage young people with the local community and get them involved. The new Young Chamber Ambassadors program seeks to give Pikeville and Bledsoe County an allure to young people and make them more invested, and has…

The company behind the mostly undeveloped Hawks Bluff community venture on the Cumberland Plateau in Bledsoe County is being held accountable for a “misstatement penalty” by the Internal Revenue Service and a Federal Tax Court judge. Glade Creek Partners, LLC, the owners of Hawks Bluff, claimed a $17.5 million charitable contribution deduction for its 2012…

Republican candidate for Bledsoe County Trustee, the winner of the November 3 election, did not take office last Wednesday as expected when the election was certified. Fields, who received 1,665 more votes than his next closest competitor in a five-person race, said in a letter after much prayer and deliberation he decided not to take…

Due to the shortage of staff, and the need to conduct deep cleaning of all school buildings and further continuous contact tracing, Bledsoe County Schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24. Thanksgiving break will be November 25 through November 27. Virtual students, traditional students and all staff will be off these two days. The…

The fifth Bledsoe County resident to die from complications related to COVID-19 was reported on Thursday, November 19, by the Tennessee Department of Health. At this time, it is unknown if the death was a general population resident or an inmate at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX). Also reported in Thursday’s data was a new…

An entire kindergarten classroom at one of Bledsoe County’s three elementary schools is in quarantine for 14 days out of an abundance of caution, according to Bledsoe County Schools Health Supervisor Michelle DeBord-Rains, RN, BSN, NCSN. She said the teacher and school cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality guidelines and the size of the school…

First Lady Maria Lee’s Tennessee Serves challenge for service has moved some service challenges online through the smartphone app “Purposity.” The first challenge focuses on meeting the needs of Tennessee students and families, including in Bledsoe County. “We have Bledsoe County Schools listed on this app and if you would like to give back to…

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic hindering businesses across the country and even shutting down some for good, several local business owners have pushed through adversity and pursued new opportunities in Pikeville. Coffee Cup Antiques, Nickel Row Antique Mall, Hilltop Meats, and most recently The Venue have all made their debut to the public during the pandemic…

Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Donald Sieber denies the majority of claims alleged against him in a lawsuit by a Pikeville hemp producer in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Rose Hembrook, 66, filed suit claiming she lost her job due to an arrest and felony charges related to transporting…