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Category: Bledsoe County

Bledsoe County News covers breaking stories, schools, sports, traffic, government, and community updates in Pikeville and Bledsoe County, Tennessee and surrounding communities.

County Unemployment Numbers Fall

Unlike the statewide rate, county rates are not adjusted to account for seasonal impacts on employment. Unemployment rates increased from May to June in 94 of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Maury County was the lone exception; its rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point. Eighty-four counties reported unemployment rates of less than 5%. The remaining 11 …

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Voter Turnout is Way Up Over 2022 Numbers

Early voting is now open to voters through Saturday, Aug. 1. Election Day is Thursday, Aug. 6. Registered voters can find polling locations and hours, view sample ballots and check their voter registration status by downloading the free GoVoteTN app or visiting GoVoteTN.gov. Early voting began on Friday and after 5 days of casting ballots. After …

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Bledsoe Citizens wanting Public Access to Bledsoe State Forest Open Again

On Monday evening, a large crowd attended the Bledsoe County commission meeting to support restoring public access to Bledsoe State Forest. Commissioner Ruth Sapp Burton noted over 100 attendees advocating for reversing restrictions. Josh Stewart shared that a petition with 1,000+ signatures calls on the Tennessee Division of Forestry to: Reopen ATV trails. Expand creek …

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Local Area School Calendars for 2026-2027 School Year

July is quickly reaching it’s midpoint and back-to-school time will soon be here. While most parents and students know the days and dates, sometimes we do need a little reminder…and with that, here’s the school calendars for our area public schools (and others, as provided). We have also linked to a downloadable PDF — just …

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TCAP Testing Results for Area Schools

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has announced the 2025-26 TCAP testing results for schools throughout the state. District-level TCAP assessment results provide a glimpse into each Tennessee school. During the 2025-26 school year, students took TCAP assessments in Englis, Math and Social studies. Below you can see our area counties: Marion County: English language …

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Bledsoe Woman Charged with Animal Abuse facing More Charges

A woman already at the center of Bledsoe County’s sweeping animal‑hoarding investigation is now facing an additional criminal charge—this time involving the welfare of a person found inside her home. Newly obtained court records show Caroline Ruth Adkins has been charged not only with aggravated animal cruelty, but also with abuse of a vulnerable person. …

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Suspected Animal Hoarding Case in Bledsoe County

Deputies and animal welfare officials are investigating a suspected animal hoarding case at Caroline Ruth Atkins’ property in Bledsoe County. Atkins, previously charged with animal cruelty in 2019 after authorities recovered 170 dogs and 60 cats from her Pikeville home, is again under scrutiny. More than 160 dogs and more than 40 cats were reportedly …

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Area Students Attend Washington DC as Youth Tour Delegates

Six High school students in the SVEC service area spent a week in Washington DC learning about legislature, leadership and cooperatives as delegates of the Washington youth tour. This annual event is sponsored by Sequachee Valley Electric and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative. The students were selected for the trip for writing short stories titled “Energizing …

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Gas Prices on the Rise Again

Oil prices surged more than 6% after U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the interim agreement with Iran is “over,” though he will allow talks to continue. Trump made the comments following U.S. strikes on Iran in reaction to their attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude oil jumped 6.3% to$78.80 a …

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Two Local School Systems Receive Grant Funding

The Tennessee Department of Education announced that more than $2.6 million in Perkins Reserve Grant (PRG) funds have been awarded to 58 school districts for the 2026-27 school year to support Career and Technical Education (CTE) statewide. Locally Sequatchie County Schools received $25,824.43 and Bledsoe County Schools $27,554.00 This year’s PRG grant award recipients submitted grant applications …

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