Local Matters

Sam Brooks sits down with Josh Heard, Head Basketball Coach at Cookeville High School. They discuss his early life growing up in Georgia, his family and the importance of having support from family while coaching, his experience coaching his boys in middle school, and learning how to separate the role of father from coaching, as well as how he would rate his first year as a coach at Cookeville High School.

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Tiffany Anton talks with Lily and Anthony Nguyen, leading members of the Cookeville band The Smoky Nights. They discuss their backgrounds and what brought them to the Upper Cumberland area, the story behind how they formed their band, as well as the process of making their latest album, Waking Up In Wonderland, including finding a studio, budgeting, and other aspects of the business side of the music industry.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Bob Bell sits down with Julie Smith, a School Counselor at Cookeville High School (CHS), and Michelle Bowman, Assistant Principal at CHS. They discuss what College Application Month is and how CHS celebrates the occasion, what dream schools and programs are and some of the common pitfalls that students may not realize when exclusively focusing on those dream opportunities, as well as the roles that parents and guardians play in the college application process, and how they can better assist their children when looking into post-secondary education.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Ben Rodgers sits down with Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter, and Putnam County Election Commission Administrator Michele Honeycutt. They discuss their experiences with past redistricting efforts, how technology has changed the process over the years, how the primaries in Putnam County impact the redistricting process, as well as some of the changes that have been recommended by the Putnam County Redistricting Committee.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Sam Brooks meets with Jeff Comer, former Putnam County teacher, supervisor, and coach. They discuss his family, his time growing up in Cookeville, his time at Tennessee Tech University studying education, and how it prepared him for adult life, as well as the role that faith played in his coaching philosophy over the years.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Tiffany Anton sits down with local entrepreneur Randi Strong Barksdale. They discuss her background and education, how her event planning business, Jet Set Planning, got its start, how she became involved with the Clover Lake Cottage in Granville, as well as what her upcoming project, Upper Cumberland Women, is, and how she aims to help and connect businesswomen across the Upper Cumberland.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Bob Bell meets with Lillian Hartgrove, Chairman of the Tennessee State Board Of Education. They discuss her appointment to the Elementary And Secondary School Relief Fund Board and the role that it serves in allocating American Rescue Plan Act funding, her involvement with the Putnam County Community Engagement Group and the issues that they tackle across the county, as well as the Continuous Learning Plans Policy that was passed by the State Board, and the waivers associated with it.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Ben Rodgers continues speaking with with White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson, Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason, Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, and Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady. They discuss American Rescue Plan funding, how they are looking to spend those funds in their respective counties, how their friendship with each other got its start, and how that dynamic helps them in serving their communities, as well as what being a County Mayor/Executive means to each of them.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Sam Brooks talks with Lynus Martin, the new Head Basketball Coach at Monterey High School. They discuss what sports meant to him growing up in DeKalb County, his family, the sports that his children play, and how becoming a father impacted his style of coaching, as well as what brought him to coach in Putnam County.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Bob Bell talks with Jackie Vester, Early Post-Secondary Opportunities (EPSOs) Specialist with Putnam County Schools. They discuss what EPSOs are and how they benefit high school students in Putnam County, the differences between Honors and EPSOs programs, as well as show parents are able to find out what opportunities are available for their students.

Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.