News Talk 94.1 Local Matters

Local Matters

Education, Sports, Faith & Everything In Between

Originating from News Talk 94.1 the show deals with community issues and interests that affect listeners closer to home. With topics from major events across the nation and how they impact our area to interesting people and figures from across the Upper Cumberland. Local Matters is where local, matters.

Covering the issues that matter to you. Every weekday.
Daily English United States Society & Culture · Education
1,428 Episodes
660 – 680

Bob Bell & Elementary And Secondary School Relief Fund Board

Bob Bell meets with Lillian Hartgrove, Chairman of the Tennessee State Board Of Education. They discuss her appointment to the Elementary And Secondary School Relief Fund Board and the role that it serves in allocating American Rescue Plan Act funding, her involvement with the Putnam County Community Engagement Group and…
26 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Ben Rodgers & Upper Cumberland County Mayor Roundtable

Ben Rodgers continues speaking with with White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson, Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason, Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, and Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady. They discuss American Rescue Plan funding, how they are looking to spend those funds in their respective counties, how their friendship with…
22 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Sam Brooks & New Monterey High School Head Basketball Coach

Sam Brooks talks with Lynus Martin, the new Head Basketball Coach at Monterey High School. They discuss what sports meant to him growing up in DeKalb County, his family, the sports that his children play, and how becoming a father impacted his style of coaching, as well as what brought…
21 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Bob Bell & Early Post-Secondary Opportunities In Putnam County

Bob Bell talks with Jackie Vester, Early Post-Secondary Opportunities (EPSOs) Specialist with Putnam County Schools. They discuss what EPSOs are and how they benefit high school students in Putnam County, the differences between Honors and EPSOs programs, as well as show parents are able to find out what opportunities are…
19 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Ben Rodgers & Redistricting Across The Upper Cumberland

Ben Rodgers sits down with White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson, Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason, Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, and Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady. They discuss redistricting efforts in their respective counties, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and delayed those efforts, what a census block is…
15 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Sam Brooks & Meet Steve Medlin

Sam Brooks meets with former football coach, teacher, and Putnam County Commissioner, Steve Medlin. They discuss his time growing up in Cookeville and how the town has changed over the years, his time as a student teacher, how his time at Oak Ridge shaped his style of coaching early on,…
14 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Bob Bell & NIET And Learning Loss

Bob Bell sits down with Dr. Sharon Anderson, 9-12 Curriculum Supervisor for Putnam County Schools, and Keely Potter, Regional Director for the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). They discuss what the NIET is and what their partnership with Putnam County Schools entails, what learning loss is and how…
12 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Ben Rodgers & Molly Brown And The Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors’ Bureau

Ben Rodgers meets with Molly Brown, Executive Director of the Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors’ Bureau. They discuss her decision to leave the Bureau for a new opportunity, a recap of her time at the Bureau, the importance of forming and maintaining strong relationships with the community and the Bureau's stakeholders, as…
8 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Sam Brooks & Smith County High School Girls Basketball Head Coach

Sam Brooks talks with Todd Hess, Head Coach of Smith County High School Girls Basketball. They discuss his family and his time growing up in Cookeville, how he came to coach basketball, as well as an overview of his coaching career and its highlights. Listen to the latest Local Matters…
7 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Bob Bell & College Athletics At Tennessee Tech University

Bob Bell meets with Mark Wilson, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss what his role as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics entails, the importance that TTU places on academic accountability and success on their student athletes, as well as recent changes to college athletics at the NCAA…
5 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Ben Rodgers & Putnam County Board Of Education Communications Supervisor

Ben Rodgers sits down with Hannah Davis, the Communications Supervisor for the Putnam County Board Of Education. They discuss her background and career and what brought her to the Putnam County School System, the School Board's stance on the recent student prayer issue, as well as what an average day…
1 Oct 2021 10AM 34 min

Sam Brooks & Meet Steve Jones

Sam Brooks sits down with Steve Jones, former Putnam County teacher and coach. They discuss his early life growing up in Silver Point and playing sports across Putnam County, the mentality that he had when leading student athletes both athletically and academically, as well as an overall recap of his…
30 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Tiffany Anton & The District Creative

Tiffany Anton talks with Zach Buckner, Owner and Creative Director of The District Creative in Cookeville. They discuss what The District Creative is and the marketing and branding services that they provide for small to medium sized businesses, the importance of developing marketing plans and styling guides for a business…
29 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Bob Bell & TTU iCUBE And Tennessee Together

Bob Bell sits down with Alexis MacAllister, Program Manager for Tennessee Together, as well as a member of iCUBE at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss what iCUBE is at TTU and how she became involved with the iCUBE office, what they have planned for the fall 2021 semester at TTU,…
28 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Ben Rodgers & Small Business Development Center

Ben Rodgers meets with Tyler Asher with the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD), and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Cookeville. They discuss his experience serving on the Putnam County Redistricting Committee, how the SBDC is able to assist in County Commission meetings, how the SBDC got its start,…
24 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Sam Brooks & Meet Jere Watson

Sam Brooks meets with Jere Watson, former Upperman High School Baseball Head Coach, and former Cookeville High School Baseball player. They discuss his time growing up in Cookeville and what sports meant to him as a kid, the importance of academics as a college athlete, and how he managed to…
23 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Tiffany Anton & Skip The Line

Tiffany Anton sits down with Luke Ramey, co-founder of Skip The Line. They discuss what the Skip The Line app is, how it works at events that utilize the service, how the app got its start, the issues that they encountered while developing the app, how they had to pivot…
22 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Bob Bell & TTU College Of Education In 2021

Bob Bell meets with Dr. Lisa Zagumny, Dean of the College Of Education at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss the Fall semester launch and the various programs that the college is offering for the 2021-2022 school year, their recent accreditation visit and its results, as well as addressing the teacher…
21 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Ben Rodgers & Updates With Congressman John Rose

Ben Rodgers talks with Congressman John Rose. They discuss what some of the top issues are that he is currently hearing from his constituents, the American Rescue Plan, its funding, and what the timeline is looking like for the final ruling on how those funds can be spent, as well…
17 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min

Sam Brooks & Upperman Baseball Head Coach

Sam Brooks talks with Upperman Baseball Head Coach Wes Shanks. They discuss what it was like growing up in Baxter for him, what it means to him to be a part of Upperman's athletic program and its traditions as an alumnus of the school, as well as how important the…
16 Sep 2021 10AM 34 min
660 – 680