Area News

O & W Bridge Gets National Recognition By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] If history helps shape a culture, then Scott County’s received a meaningful boost when one of its most recognizable landmarks gained national recognition. The Oneida and Western (O&W) Bridge’s recent listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) affirms not…

Healing Souls sets a target and asks the community for help By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] As Scott County families begin to rebound from the Christmas season and make New Years resolutions, one local couple hopes that they will make charitable giving a cause they endorse this year. And it’s a cause that’s…

A Look Back at the year that was By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] If you were just reading the headlines, the story of 2025 was landfills, landfills, landfills. But between debates over Roberta II and the steady run of public meetings, protests, and a rebirth of citizen activism, a great deal was accomplished…

SNAP Changes coming to TN By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] Among the many changes coming in 2026 will be those to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, leaving the program’s beneficiaries experiencing changes to their benefits, including in Tennessee. As previously reported by SCN, the White House made several updates to SNAP…

New Laws impact Tennessee in 2026 By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] A slate of new laws will take effect across Tennessee on January 1, 2026, bringing changes to social media use, availability of hemp products, public safety, housing, health care, and consumer transactions. The news codes will largely center on lawmakers’ general focus…

State Rep. Keisling Named Legislator of the Year BYRDSTOWN – State Representative Kelly Keisling (R-Byrdstown) was honored as Legislator of the Year by the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD) and Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) at their annual meeting on Wednesday, December 17, in recognition of his steadfast championship and advocacy for the 14-county…

McCreary Principal sentenced to Federal Prison By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] According to a judgment filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky last week, Aaron D. Anderson, 52, a former assistant principal and superintendent in the McCreary County School District has been formally sentenced to a decade in…

Tragedy Highlights Community Compassion By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] A catastrophic house fire in Winfield last week – the victims of whom SCN will not reveal – became a painful reminder of how quickly life can change, but equally it reminded SCN of how deeply our community cares for one another and rallies…

Local officials reflect on the value of ‘Shop with a Cop’ for regional youngsters By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] For many Scott County families, December dawns with a tradition that has become as meaningful to its participants as any local holiday event, parade, or pageant. That event, of course, is Shop with a…

A Dog’s Story How Lucia inspired a book – and the Children’s Center By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] When children arrive at the Children’s Center of the Cumberlands, an advocacy group that supports victims of abuse and neglect, it’s often during the most difficult times in their young lives. Because of their circumstances,…