Puppeteer and Magician Barry Mitchell Entertains Kids at Justin Potter Library (VIEW VIDEOS HERE)

June 13, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Kids at Justin Potter Library were all spaced out in an ultimate fun overload Thursday as children’s storyteller, magician, and puppeteer Barry Mitchell shared with them some space age magic in his aliens, astronauts, and a turtle in space program.

Joined by Sam the Space Cadet turtle and Hyena the Chicken-ronaut, Mitchell kept the children entertained with stories, magic tricks, and some silliness while giving them a little lesson about the history and mystery of the universe in keeping with this year’s Summer Reading program theme about space.

Mitchell, who resides in Pigeon Forge has been a children’s entertainer for over three decades. He is a former street magician and has entertained for country music stars, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, Nabisco’s Oreo magic shows, the Magic Castle in Hollywood, the Magic Circle in England, and schools, churches and corporations across America and abroad. Barry is also an author and inventor of magic tricks used around the world by professional magicians.

He’s a fixture at the annual KIDabra conference and is known for his lectures on creativity which are always well-attended. His easy-to-perform routines are very popular with kids entertainers and his DVDs are filled with original ideas.

Whether he’s doing shows for the public, or lecturing to magicians, Barry Mitchell is all about Entertaining Encouragement that’s more than funny, it makes a difference.

June 13, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Three men have been charged with unauthorized use of an automobile (joyriding) after taking a Kubota UTV on May 26 without the owner’s permission and driving through a nursery on Cripps Lane. The Kubota was later recovered at another location.

18 year old Austin Tyler England of South Bright Hill Street, 18 year old Mason Owen Zechary of Smyrna, and 20 year old Laradon Raine Wiggins of Evins Mill Road will make a court appearance on the charge today (June 13).

Zechary and England are also charged with burglary and theft of property in a separate case after breaking into a 2008 Gold Chevy Malibu on Love Colony Road and taking several identity documents belonging to the owner including a brown leather wallet valued at $70 and a Samsung Galaxy Note8 valued at $700.  Zechary is believed to have taken the lead in the crimes with England assisting him. During the investigation, the detective recovered 1.1 grams of marijuana from Zechary’s front pocket. He was charged with simple possession of a schedule VI drug for that.

Bond for Zechary totals $15,000 and $14,000 for England. Wiggins’ bond is $1,500.

A prisoner who smuggled drugs into the jail by hiding them in his rectum has been charged.

Donald Richard Atnip, Jr. of Belk Road is under a $5,500 bond for bringing contraband into a penal institution. His court date June 27

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on June 9 Atnip was brought to the jail after being arrested on other charges. Correctional officers later spotted him on video surveillance inside the jail trying to retrieve something from his rectum. They investigated and found that Atnip had hidden a small blue pill container there that held four whole pills and three pill pieces believed to be suboxone.

June 12, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The Industrial Development Board of Smithville has been awarded a Site Development Grant by the State of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development. The grant award of $235,080 will fund ongoing efforts to improve the Moog Boulevard property for industrial use.

“We are so pleased that the state recognizes the potential in this site and we’re looking forward to moving ahead with the next phase of development,” said DeKalb County Mayor Tim Stribling. The grant funds will be used to extend the road into the property, providing a much improved vantage point for prospective companies considering locating in Smithville.

The Site Development Grant program is part of the Rural Economic Opportunity Act, which has the support of the Tennessee General Assembly. Representative Terri Lynn Weaver said, “It’s wonderful to see Smithville and DeKalb County’s success in this competitive grant process. I’m looking forward to seeing the new jobs and investment that will come as a result of their efforts.” “Our rural communities in Tennessee, like Smithville, are full of hardworking people and this grant will complement their efforts to help prepare these communities for local economic development and industrial growth,” said Senator Mark Pody. “I was happy to support the legislation that made these funds possible and look forward to seeing the growth that will result from these investments.”

Mayor Stribling is a member of the Industrial Development Board of Smithville. Stribling presented the grant proposal in Nashville to an advisory committee made up of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Environment and Conservation, Department of Transportation, USDA-Rural Development, Tennessee Valley Authority, and professional site selection consultants. The community received technical support throughout the application process from Rebecca Smith, Megan Choate, and Leah Bane with the Upper Cumberland Development District and Kendrick Curtis with the Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Association.

“Today’s industrial recruitment market requires vision and a great deal of preparation. This grant will help us take critical steps toward having a shovel-ready site for a new company or a local business that’s ready to expand,” said Stribling.

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