DRUCILLA MAKES STRAWBERRY cobbler. A6. Herald-CitizenTHURSDAY,Herald-Citizen FEBRUARY 21, 2019 | COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE 117TH YEAR | NO. 37 75 CENTS Flooding blocks roads, closes schools BY BEN WHEELER sor Randy Jones said he has were covered and with the HERALD-CITIZEN crews working on them as of upcoming rain, additional Thursday morning. fl ooding will most likely The Upper Cumberland “Nothing completely occur,” Boyd said. “Instead saw a number of fl ooded closed, that I know of this of having our families worry areas after receiving heavy morning, but some with some about what might happen, we rain, and the area will see minor issues,” Jones said. made the decision on the in- more rain starting Thursday “We’re doing whatever we formation we had at the time night. can to get everything going. to go ahead and close.” “Most of the roads, the wa- Just have to wait for it to Putnam County saw 2.84 ter has gone down and we’re get over and repair what we inches of rain Wednesday, close to normal,” said Tyler can.” bringing February rain to- Smith, Emergency Manage- Putnam County Schools Di- tals to 9.69 inches, according ment Agency. “The heaviest rector Jerry Boyd made the to the PCEMA website. rain will be Friday night into decision Wednesday to close Earlier this week, the Saturday morning.” for the rest of the week based National Weather Service While most of the roads on fl ooding and continued said Putnam County could BEN WHEELER | HERALD-CITIZEN have been taken care of, Put- predicted rain. see around six inches of rain North Pickard Avenue was one of several roads flooded nam County Road Supervi- “Yesterday, many roads over the next seven days. Wednesday. Election Commission talks census redistricting BY JIM HERRIN HERALD-CITIZEN As the state of Tennessee begins the pro- cess of conducting the 2020 census, Putnam County election offi cials are hoping to cor- rect an issue they say was created by the last census. Administrator Debbie Steidl told the Put- nam County Election Commission Wednesday that the redrawing of county commission dis- trict lines following the 2010 census created a problem in the Poplar Grove area. “We had Poplar Grove, which was in the 5th PAIGE STANAGE | HERALD-CITIZEN District, put into the 4th District,” she said. Alane Boyd and Emily Newman learned a lot when they took over Machelle Staggs’ cupcake shop, She said that initially required those resi- “P-Dilly’s cupcakes,” for one day. From left are Alane Boyd, Machelle Staggs, and Emily Newman. dents to drive to Monterey to cast ballots on Election Day. “We had calls from the people. They didn’t like that they were going to have to go up to You gotta have friends Monterey to vote, so we did open up at Poplar Grove (Community Center) for that voting precinct,” Steidl said. ‘(But) it’s such a small precinct and very few people vote there. We Women take over friend’s cupcake business for a day don’t keep the people busy during the day. BY PAIGE STANAGE go and visit family in Arkansas confi dent she didn’t have a good They’re bored out of their minds.” HERALD-CITIZEN she hadn’t seen in two years,” reason to say no,” Boyd laughed. She also said that while most of District 4 is Boyd said. “So while driving After a few days and a little con- in the 25th state House District, those voters What do you do when you’re down the road on the way to our vincing, Staggs reluctantly gave in the Poplar Grove precinct remained in a business owner who needs a Cocktails, Cupcakes, and Canvas the women the keys to her shop House District 42. break? event that we (Boyd, Newman, for one day. “That puts a diff erent ballot face on it,” she That’s what Alane Boyd and and Staggs) do, I thought of this as “It was the Friday after Valen- said. “Doable, but it just can add to confu- Emily Newman wondered when a way to maybe help Machelle.” tine’s Day,” Boyd said. “We were sion.” they decided to take over Machelle Before pitching the idea to expecting it to be slow, since Val- Steidl said it would be simpler to have those Staggs’s cupcake shop, “P-Dilly’s Staggs, Boyd asked Newman for entine’s Day was so massive.” voters moved back into District 5, something Cupcakes,” for one day. her help. Staggs made the cupcakes that she advocated for ten years ago. “I saw a Facebook post a few “Emily said that I sounded pret- Friday morning, said goodbye to “We’re going to ask once again,” she said. weeks ago that she (Machelle) was ty confi dent Machelle was going to going to take a couple days off to say yes to this. But I just felt more SEE CUPCAKE, PAGE A2 SEE VOTE, PAGE A2 Algood makes its way to Burbank BY BEN WHEELER who has shown her a number community center,” Chap- HERALD-CITIZEN of parks throughout Bur- man-Fowler said. “The one bank, and given her ideas for thing that I have approached Algood Mayor Lisa Chap- the park project underway in our council members on is man-Fowler recently gave a Algood. about a van for our communi- key to the city to the mayor of “I toured several of their ty center.” Burbank, California, for her parks and saw a lot of their At the Jan. 15 Burbank help in park ideas. exercise equipment,” Chap- City Council meeting, Chap- Chapman-Fowler regular- man-Fowler said. “I went to man-Fowler presented the ly visits Burbank to see her a concert venue, and all of key to vice mayor Sharon son, daughter-in-law and those were great ideas for our Springer for the city’s help. granddaughter. Her son and park.” “I was just so grateful on daughter-in-law both work in Besides the park, Chap- them sharing these ideas parks and recreation for the man-Fowler also saw some with me,” Chapman-Fowler City of Burbank. of the activities held for the said. “Burbank was just like Algood Mayor Lisa Chapman-Fowler, right, presenting a Through her family, Chap- community’s senior citizens. a bigger Algood. They can’t key to the city to Burbank, California vice-mayor Sharon man-Fowler met Burbank “It gave me some ideas on Springer for the help the city has provided in ideas for Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, what we could do with our SEE MAYOR, PAGE A2 Algood’s new park. herald-citizen.com OBITUARIES Page A3-A5 Jerry Long, Cookeville Paul Jacquin, Cookeville Gerelene Wiley, Cookeville Don Rupe, Cookeville Alene Davidson, Worley Loop Calvin Jackson, Jr., Gordonsville June Vickers, Cookeville Arvil York, Oak Grove Burnece Franklin, Cookeville William Grimsley, Cookeville A2 HERALD-CITIZEN FROM PAGE 1 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 herald-citizen.com 0LOTTERY0 Wednesday Cash 3 Evening 1-1-9, LS: 11 Midday 8-3-4, LS: 15 Morning 4-4-2, LS: 10 Cash 4 Evening 9-0-1-7, LS: 17 Midday 5-9-0-6, LS: 20 Morning 4-3-6-4, LS: 17 Lotto America 12-15-16-21-46, Star Ball: 7, ASB: 3 Est. jackpot: $15.5 million Powerball 27-49-50-51-52, Power- ball: 2, Power Play: 2 Est. jackpot: $282 million Tennessee Cash 05-10-23-25-35, Bonus: 2 Est.jackpot: $220,000 JIM HERRIN | HERALD-CITIZEN UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley addresses the board Wednesday about the agency’s nutrition program. 0READER SERVICES0 Address: UCHRA ‘still struggling’ 1300 Neal St. Cookeville, TN 38501 Mailing Address: with nutrition program P.O. Box 2729 BY JIM HERRIN your costs are going to continue to go Cookeville TN 38502 HERALD-CITIZEN up. It’s just infl ationary,” he said. So the agency has been exploring Phone: 931-526-9715 Several months after making other avenues to provide the program. JIM HERRIN | HERALD-CITIZEN Fax: 931-526-1209 substantial changes to a nutrition “We are looking at every available Remi retired Tuesday night before the program that provides meals to the el- option. Some are good, some are bad. Putnam County commission meeting. From News derly, the Upper Cumberland Human We’re looking at the whole spectrum,” left are Deputy Josh Hull (Remi’s PCSO [email protected] Resources Agency is still trying to Farley said. “It may be that we, the handler), Corporal Philip Akhteebo, and Sports keep that program solvent. human resource agency, are the best Sheriff Eddie Farris. [email protected] “I’m just going to be honest, we’re option providing a nutrition program. Advertising still struggling with nutrition,” said It may be, when we sit down, we fi nd [email protected] UCHRA Executive Director Mark Far- a viable option that’s somebody else Living ley in a meeting of the UCHRA Policy doing it.” PCSO K-9 [email protected] Council. “That is an area that, fi nan- Farley is meeting this week with Circulation cially, we’re still having issues.” other groups that may be able to help. [email protected] Farley said the program’s viability “I don’t want to get into too much Remi retires Business News “has been a thorn in this agency’s side of the specifi cs because we’ve not met [email protected] for some time.” with these groups and we don’t know BY PAIGE STANAGE Church News “It’s not something that’s going to what they’re going to say,” he said.