Local Matters

Caroline Moore talks with local sculptor, furniture maker, and fabricator David Fricke. They discuss his artistic upbringing, how he originally wanted to be a photographer, what he ended up getting his degree in, as well as what a typical day looks like for him.

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Ben Rodgers sits down with Putnam County Emergency Medical Service Chief Tommy Copeland, and Putnam County Fire Department Chief Tom Brown. They discuss how the recent heat is affecting the jobs of both departments, the shortage of workers in the county between the two departments, as well as their respective efforts in recruiting and retaining employees.

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Michael Bowen, filling in for Sam Brooks, sits down with Wes Shanks, Head Baseball Coach for the Upperman Bees. They discuss his family, what it means to come from a sports-orientated family, the Upperman Bees' run to the state tournament, the scheduling during the regular season, and how it felt for the team knowing that they were "the team to beat."

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Bob Bell sits down with Dr. Jeff Roberts, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss what the adjustment was like going from his position as Chairman of the Department of History to being a Dean, the value of student exchange, and students being able to experience other countries and cultures, as well as a break down of his role as Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), and what they bring to the school both athletically and academically.

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Ben Rodgers talks with Overton County Executive Ben Danner. They discuss how the budget process for Overton County is going, the ability to place School Resource Officers in Overton County schools, and the support that is there for doing so, as well as how the county is looking to allocate their ARP funding including upgrading patrol cars for the Overton County Sheriff's Department.

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Bob Bell talks with Billy Stepp, Principal of Upperman High School, and the upcoming Director of Cumberland County Schools. They discuss his new role as Director of Cumberland County Schools, the success that Upperman's sports teams and other departments have recently seen, as well as Mark Livesay, the recipient of Upperman's Inspiration Award for most inspirational teacher at the school.

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Ben Rodgers sits down with City of Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton. They discuss the approval of the recent first budget reading, and the benefits that city and county employees can expect as a result, the road projects that the city is looking to complete to improve infrastructure, as well as the upcoming Fourth of July Red, White, and Boom celebration, its origins, and the various events taking place across Putnam County.

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Bob Bell sits down with Sam Brooks, Future Ready Supervisor for the Putnam County School System, and Shannon Pirtle, Principal of the VITAL Online School. They discuss what Future Ready and the VITAL Program are, the various programs offered by the VITAL Program, and how some of them can be used for hybrid learning at different schools, as well as Shannon's experiences as Principal, and what he's learned from the role.

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Ben Rodgers talks with Kathryn Wisinger, the newly appointed Director of the Putnam County Library. They discuss her background, what made her want to go into education, how the library is funded, and how the city and county both play a role in that, as well as how the library's adult learning programs got started, and when some of them take place.

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

Sam Brooks talks with Danny McCoin, former Livingston Academy All Star Quarterback, and former University of Cincinnati Football Player. They discuss his time growing up in Livingston, what it meant to him to get to play three different sports between football, basketball, and baseball, his family and how they influenced him playing sports, as well as an overview of his time at the University of Cincinnati under Head Coach Watson Brown.

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