Good morning, Cookeville!

We made it through commencement.
Through Mother’s Day.
Through the primary.

Now the calendar finally takes a breath. So can you.

Big stories this week: Cookeville just landed another major manufacturer. Tech graduated more students than it ever has before. Cookeville Regional landed in the WSMV spotlight for the wrong reasons. And Life Church is rolling out free dental, vision, and medical care Saturday.

Plus: the Cornbread Festival is creeping up, and Jake Hoot is coming home on May 28.

Let’s get into it.

Cookeville isn’t slowing down. It’s stacking wins.

Two weeks. Two manufacturers. Putnam County is on a run.

The Cookeville City Council approved the sale of approximately 27.4 acres in the Highlands Business Park this week to the Hollingsworth Company, who will build a facility for a foreign company that makes special purpose vehicles. The project is being called Project Green, and the company itself has not been named publicly yet.

The numbers are big.

$25 million in real property improvements.
$15 million in personal property investment.
168 new jobs three years after construction wraps.

Community Development Director Jon Ward called it a “significant foreign direct investment opportunity for Cookeville and Putnam County.” No PILOT incentives, meaning the property hits the tax rolls as soon as it’s built. There’s also a clawback provision in the contract, so the city is protected if the project stalls.

Translation: last week was RadLife EV in Algood with 280 jobs. This week is Project Green in the Highlands with 168 jobs. Add them up and that’s 448 paychecks heading into Putnam County over the next handful of years.

The agreement still needs Putnam County Commissioners to sign off at their May meeting.

Friday morning, the Hooper Eblen Center was full. By Friday afternoon, it was full again.

More than 1,600 students walked the stage at Tennessee Tech University’s spring commencement on May 8, the largest graduating class in school history. The Class of 2026 represents 85 Tennessee counties, 32 states, and 22 countries.

The oldest grad was in their late 60s. The youngest was born in 2006. Somewhere in between, a lot of families saw something they hadn’t seen before: their kid walk across that stage.

Dean of the College of Business Thomas Payne, filling in for an under-the-weather President Phil Oldham, told graduates: “You belong to this community and campus, making sure everyone knows that Cookeville is Tennessee’s College Town.”

A record class means a record number of new alumni who showed up here at 18 and are leaving as something else. Some will go. A lot will stay.

If you got stuck on South Jefferson on Friday, this is what it was for.

WSMV reported this week that Cookeville Regional Medical Center, a not-for-profit hospital, has filed lawsuits against more than 2,000 patients since 2021 to collect medical debt.

It’s the second Middle Tennessee not-for-profit hospital identified as taking that approach. Not-for-profit hospitals receive significant tax benefits in exchange for community service obligations, which is what made the story land where it did.

If you’ve ever been sent to collections by CRMC, or know someone who has, this story is worth reading. Even if you haven’t, it’s the kind of reporting that shapes how a town thinks about its hospital.

WKRN-TV ran a feature this week putting Putnam County at number 11 on the list of fastest-growing counties in Tennessee.

County Mayor Randy Porter credited a mix of affordability, jobs, and “we have about everything they would want, without having to drive to bigger cities.” Sales tax revenue is keeping the county financially healthy without property tax hikes.

The reporter stopped by Ralph's Donut Shop, which has somehow been quietly catching every wave of growth since 1962. Owner John MacDonald said more transplants keep walking in, ordering glazed, and turning into regulars.

Translation: the apartment-complex era continues. So does the donut.

This is exactly why this newsletter exists.

Life Church Cookeville is hosting a free mobile medical mission this Saturday, May 16, at 2223 N. Washington Avenue.

The Duo Mobile Medical Mission, led by director Vinnie Scardino, offers free medical, dental, and vision care alongside food and haircuts. All services are provided by certified and licensed volunteers donating their time and equipment.

The mission is built for the people most likely to fall through the cracks. Families dealing with insurance gaps. Parents who can’t take time off. Older residents who haven’t seen a dentist in years.

“We want to be the church outside the walls of that building,” Scardino said. “If we can help provide that for people that may not have it and try to reduce the amount of hardship they may go through when it comes to health, then we’ve accomplished much.”

If you’re a dentist or optometrist with hours to give, they’re actively looking for more volunteers.

A few quick things worth knowing this week:

🔥 Burn ban officially lifted May 4. Permits being issued by the TN Division of Forestry. Check weather before you light.

🍦 Lovebirds Creamery is somehow already a year in. If you haven’t tried them yet, the brown butter is the one.

🎤 Sounds of Summer is coming. The Cookeville Arts Council’s free Third Thursday concerts at Dogwood return later this month.

🛒 The Willows is still on track for an October opening. Target, Home Depot, and 350-plus jobs at Exit 286.

📞 Hometown Grid reminder: 866-502-7411. Call or text. Put it in your phone now, not when you’re sitting in the dark.

Send your sightings, weird local moments, or “did you see that” stories. Best ones go in next week’s issue. 📷 #CookevilleCardinal

⭐ Pick of the Week: Life Church Free Medical Mission (Saturday)

Monday, May 11
Court day at the Putnam County Courthouse
Social Line Dancing at Cane Creek Rec · 12:30 to 3:30 PM ($5)

Wednesday, May 13
Cookeville Blues Jam at Red Silo Brewing · 7 PM (free, open mic)

Thursday, May 14
Business After Hours at Hurricane Marina · 4:30 to 6:30 PM ($15 / $25)

Friday, May 15
Traditional Dance at Cane Creek · 6:30 to 8 PM ($1 drop-in)
Mega 2-Neighborhood Yard Sale opens · 3937 Shipley Rd

Saturday, May 16
🩺 Life Church Free Medical Mission · 2223 N. Washington Ave
Mega 2-Neighborhood Yard Sale continues
Middle TN Cornbread Festival & Car Show · downtown Smithville
Strawberry Festival · Sparta
Cookeville Farmers Market · 127 W. Broad Street

Sunday, May 17
A genuinely quiet day on the calendar. Take it.

Circle this one.

Cookeville’s own Jake Hoot headlines a free outdoor show at Trackside on May 28 from 6 to 8 PM.

Andrew Buckner opens. Food trucks roll in. Lawn chairs encouraged.

Start your summer here.

That’s your week, Cookeville.

To everyone who hosted a graduate, drove three states to be in that arena Friday, or fed a family of six at Mauricio’s: well done.

To everyone who got Mom what she actually wanted yesterday: also well done.

To the dentists, optometrists, and volunteer cooks showing up at Life Church on Saturday: thank you. That’s the town at its best.

The quietest week of the year is here. Then Memorial Day kicks summer wide open and Jake Hoot kicks it off in style.

Use the breath while you’ve got it.

Have a great week,
Noah