Join Kosta and his guest: Sam Sandlin, CPA, Putnam County Commissioner for District 2 and Candidate for Putnam County Commission District 2.

In this episode: It’s March of 2026, and unless you’re literally living under a rock in Putnam County you know we have local elections this year. Let’s start with some background, because while most of our listeners know there’s an election, they might not know why it matters. What is a County Commissioner? What does the County Commission do? You’ve served the 2nd District of Putnam County for eight years, two terms in office and you’re going for a third. What do you see as your greatest accomplishments so far and what do you still want to achieve? This term you’re running as an Independent. Why? How will this change your campaign strategy? When we’re talking about local government, particularly on the county level, what responsibility do you see our county government having in ensuring a quality of life to Putnam County residents that’s better than what they currently have?

Find out more about the Putnam County Commission: https://putnamcountytn.gov/county-commission

Register to vote, check your registration or update your voter registration: https://sos.tn.gov/govotetn

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

Join Kosta and his guest: Cora Hageman, Owner and Founder of Wonderfill Refillery.

In this episode: For most Cookeville shoppers, Wonderfill is their first experience with a zero-waste store. So, let’s start there. What is a zero-waste store? How does it work? What do we need to know before we go? How is garbage and waste from single use items like shampoo bottles and cleaning supplies really impacting our environment? If enough of us move to a zero-waste system how can we better our community in the Upper Cumberland and the world overall? Wonderfill is committed to a sustainable mission that includes: pricing, lifestyle adoption and use. How do you push back against the perception that sustainable living is only for people who can afford it or have the time and resources to implement it into their lifestyle?

Find out more about Wonderfill Refillery:
https://wonderfillrefillery.com/

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Miss Sallie's Market.

Find out more about Miss Sallie's Market:
https://www.misssallies.com

Join Kosta and his guest: Mark Lynam, Director of Research Development and Proposal Services at Tennessee Tech.

In this episode: When most people hear Office of Research, their eyes glaze over. Explained for those of us without a PhD: what does your office actually do, and why should our greater Upper Cumberland community care? What kind of research is TTU doing? Where does the money come from? How is it used? Let’s talk about the Research and Creative Inquiry Symposium. This year it'll be held April 20th through the 23rd. For anyone who hasn't been, paint us a picture. What does this event look like from start to finish and why is it one of the most important events on Tennessee Tech's calendar?

Find out more about the Research and Creative Inquiry Symposium:
https://www.tntech.edu/research/research-day.php

Research and Creative Inquiry Symposium is an event designed to promote student research and creative inquiry and provide a venue for presenting that work. This event is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all departments who want to display their research and creative projects.

Find out more about TN Tech Office of Research:
https://www.tntech.edu/research/about.php

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

Join Kosta and his guest: Mason Harville, Owner of Upper Cumberland Tree Care and Land Management, Vice Chair of Putnam County Young Republicans and Candidate for Cookeville City Council.

In this episode: The next generation of leadership here in Putnam County is making their voices heard. Whether it’s through organizing, running for office or simply showing up for our community, we’re welcoming the freshman class of our next leaders. How does it feel to be part of the change and fresh perspective Cookeville and Putnam County is so desperately seeking right now? You’re running for Cookeville City Council in the 2026 election this August. You’ve taken a more personal approach to campaigning by sharing openly about your faith and political standing. What does being a conservative Christian mean to you in this campaign and what will it mean for you as you serve in office? Serving as a Cookeville City Council member is one of the most demanding and intense local offices in all of Putnam County, it’s also one of the most rewarding. If elected, what do you see as your greatest opportunity to improve the everyday life of voters here in the City of Cookeville?

Find out more about Upper Cumberland Tree Care and Land Management:
https://uppercumberlandtreecare.com/

Find out more about Putnam County Young Republicans:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582624360730

Find out more about Mason Harville for Cookeville City Council:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580063288371

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Miss Sallie's Market.

Find out more about Miss Sallie's Market:
https://www.misssallies.com

Join Kosta and his guest: Tessa Davis, Sales and Marketing Director and Assistant Tourism Director at Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau.

In this episode: In 2024, Tennessee set a new record for tourism after generating $31.7 billion in direct visitor spending and welcoming over 147 million travelers. Most of us probably never think about it, but the Upper Cumberland is a tourist destination. How does increased tourism locally and statewide benefit Putnam County? Let’s pretend our cousin is coming into town and they’ve never been to Cookeville or even Tennessee. We call you, because we know exactly who can plan out the perfect day for a visitor to the Upper Cumberland. What’s the agenda? The new Putnam County Convention Center is outstanding. It was long overdue and we’re not done. In addition to the convention center, we’re getting a 64,000-square-foot Expo Center. Will you tell us about both these projects and what it means for tourism?

Find out more about Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau:
https://www.visitcookevilletn.com/

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

Join Kosta and his guest: Virginia Fillers, Director of SoulSong at First Presbyterian Church of Cookeville, Board President of Restoring Childhood Initiative and Candidate for Putnam County Commission District 12.

In this episode: Being a parent in 2026 isn’t easy. To be clear, it’s never been easy, but now we get to post it on social media. As someone that’s a parent, the Director of a Montessori Program and serves as the Board President for our Restoring Childhood Initiative, why do you think parenting today is so difficult? What is Montessori? What makes SoulSong different from other pre-kindergarden options here in the Upper Cumberland? Kids need the opportunity to mess up. That’s something we learned from the Restoring Childhood Initiative that’s really hard for modern day parents. How do we let our kids mess up and have real independence without compromising their safety or wellbeing? As we mentioned in the introduction, you’re running for Putnam County Commission in District 12 (Algood). If elected, how will you use your experience as an educator and child advocate to serve your district and Putnam County?

Find out more about SoulSong:
https://www.firstprescookeville.org/soulsong

Find out more about Restoring Childhood Initiative:
https://www.restoringchildhoodputnamcounty.com/

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Miss Sallie's Market.

Find out more about Miss Sallie's Market:
https://www.misssallies.com

Join Kosta and his guest: Trenton Strode, Vice President of Putnam County Young Democrats, District Representative of Putnam County Democratic Party and Candidate for Putnam County Commission District 11.

In this episode: You’re running multiple races in 2026. As we said earlier, you’ll be seeking one of the two seats in Putnam County Commission District 11, but you’ve also announced and qualified on the ballot to run against Incumbent Ryan Williams for Tennessee House of Representatives District 42. Why? As our listeners might remember, last summer you were arrested and charged with a felony at the June 2025 Putnam County Commission meeting. Several months later those charges were dropped and you are now pursuing your own bid for Putnam County Commission District 11. We’re not here to rehash the events of last summer, but I’m curious the impact it had on your decision to run and the explosion of democratic candidates running in our local 2026 elections? On social media the Putnam County Republican Party has taken every opportunity to link Putnam County Democratic Party, Putnam County Young Democrats and anyone that puts a (D) next to their name with as much political chaos and bad behavior as possible. You are one of the few, if at times only representatives to hold the line and call out this bad behavior. Why do you think our local republican party is so fixated with disparaging the opposing party when there isn’t one Democrat currently serving in local office?

Find out more about Trenton Strode:
https://www.facebook.com/tyler.strode.71

Find out more about Putnam County Young Democrats:
https://www.facebook.com/PutnamCoYoungDems

Find out more about Putnam County Democratic Party:
https://putnamdemocrats.org/

Putnam County Election Dates:
Primary Election: May 5, 2026
General Election Date: August 6, 2026

Voter Registration/Polling Information: https://sos.tn.gov/govotetn

Find out more about Putnam County Elections:
https://putnamcountytn.gov/election-commission

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

Join Morgan and her guests: Tracey Franklin, Owner of Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy and Kosta Yepifantsev, Owner of Home Caregivers. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the Producer of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev, and I run the behind the scenes of this podcast.

In 2025, Tracey and Kosta became the Putnam County Representatives for a dance competition hosted by WCTE called Let’s Dance. In honor of their upcoming performance and the continued success and longevity of our local PBS: WCTE we hope you enjoy this special episode.

In this episode: Will you tell us about Let’s Dance? What is it? How did you get involved? On a scale of 1-10, how likely is it for you to both be on next season’s Dancing with the Stars? Other than winning, what do you hope to accomplish by competing on Let’s Dance? What’s been the challenging part of training? Has it been easier or harder than you thought?

Find out more about WCTE Let's Dance: https://www.wcte.org/events/lets-dance/

Buy tickets for Let's Dance: https://e.givesmart.com/events/IzN/
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Location: Putnam County Convention Center
2121 Event Ctr Dr, Cookeville, TN 38501
Doors Open at 5:30 PM Dinner at 6:15 PM
Comedy Show at 6:30 PM | Dancing at 7:00 PM

Make a donation to WCTE PBS with the Yepifantsev/Franklin Team: https://e.givesmart.com/events/IzN/c/:b9ugCjYbzuH/

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Miss Sallie's Market.

Find out more about Miss Sallie's Market:
https://www.misssallies.com