Area News

No Indictment in School Sodomy Case By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] There will be no criminal charges filed in an alleged sodomy case that drew widespread attention to the McCreary County School District. A Casey County, Kentucky, grand jury returned a “no true bill” last week following the allegations that have plagued the…

Ethics Committee Meets on Mysterious County Violation By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] A mysterious meeting of the County Ethics Committee on Monday raised more questions than answers, as county officials declined to release details about an alleged ethics violation by a county employee that may now rise to the level of a criminal…

Lawmaker seeks Death Penalty law in Child Rape Cases By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] Republican lawmaker State Rep. Greg Martin, who represents part of Hamilton County, is seeking to expand Tennessee laws to allow prosecutors greater authority to pursue the death penalty in cases involving the rape of a child. Martin has introduced…

Election Heats Up By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] More than a dozen potential candidates picked up applications for petition to seek office in Scott County when the December 22, 2025, deadline came. As the deadline for those petitions approaches next month (February 19, 2025), as of press time, three candidates have picked up…

Savanna’s Law brings hope to domestic violence cases By Shane Gilreath SCN Contributing Editor [email protected] As reported by SCN last week, the new year sees the launch of Tennessee’s first-of-its-kind tool aimed at combating domestic violence across the state. A free, searchable, public database, accessible by the public, will house the information of persistent domestic…

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…