Smithville Family Devastated by Fire

October 1, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville family was devastated by a fire Monday morning which swept through their home causing extensive damage and the loss of two dogs.

The residence of James and Stephanie Baggett at 403 North Mountain Street caught fire while the couple was away however Baggett’s father was home at the time.

According to Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker, neighbors spotted the blaze and phoned it in.

Smithville Police quickly arrived on the scene. Knowing someone was inside, officers banged on the door until Baggett’s father answered it. He made it outside safely but was taken after a fall to the hospital to be checked and released. No one was injured.

Chief Parker said the fire appeared to have started in the rear of the home but the cause has not been determined.

The Smithville Fire and Police Departments were joined at the scene by DeKalb EMS.

September 30, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Recovery House#1 is now open!

The City of Smithville now has a new transitional housing program for up to eight females who are in recovery from substance abuse. Two women have already been placed and six openings remain.

A ribbon cutting was held last week at the home located at 415 Wade Street.

“There is an application process to be placed but the main purpose of the home is to provide safe, affordable housing for those in long term recovery. The key is that they have to come out of some type of program and be on the road to recovery. There is no on-going treatment that would take place inside the home. Its all-post recovery,” said UCDD and UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley.

“Most of the women will be working with certified peer recovery specialists and that is part of their recovery, staying in contact and making sure they have the support system around them that they need”.

“With the funding stream we received on this home, its not permanent housing. They have up to two years to stay and then they would need to transition to long term permanent housing but we will be working with each of the ladies trying to make sure they are able to get employed where they can afford to live on their own and hopefully move back into normal life”, said Farley.

Their monthly rent to live at the home is approximately $125 per month.

“We are working with a lot of the great partners we have including the recovery court to bring us referrals and we will sit down and go through their applications and make sure they qualify,” Farley said.

In March 2022 the City of Smithville learned that it had been approved for a Community Development Block Grant through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in the amount of $433,790 to fund this program.

The Upper Cumberland Development District applied for the grant on behalf of the city and the program is administered by the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency. The grant was 100% funded with no local match requirement by the city.

The Mayor and Alderman approved a Housing Management Plan contract last November with the Cumberland Regional Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Upper Cumberland Development District to move forward with the project. The purchase price for the property on Wade Street was $375,000 (grant funded).

Under the grant program, the UCDD and city will partner with UCHRA to manage the transitional housing facility in serving up to eight women in recovery. In addition to the tenants, the home will have an on-site residential manager.

Myra Walker of CRDC in Cookeville is the contact person for the managing agent of this project.

September 30, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

If you see TWRA Officer Tony Cross after this week you may not recognize him dressed in something other than his uniform.

Officer Cross has announced his retirement with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency after 32 years of service. His last day is Friday, October 4.

Cross started with the agency in 1988 as a fisheries technician. In 1992 he became a TWRA boating officer on Dale Hollow and later that fall, Van Buren County Wildlife Officer. Cross moved to DeKalb County in 1996.

Five years ago, Cross was named Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, District 31 Officer of the Year. He had received this award twice before in previous years. This prestigious title is awarded to officers who excel in teamwork, public outreach, innovation, attitude, leadership and achievements. In 1996, Cross received the statewide Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Wildlife Officer of the Year award.

In an interview with WJLE last week, Cross talked about how his career path brought him from his native Pickett County to Smithville.

“I was born and raised at Byrdstown in Pickett County and went to school there through high school,” said Officer Cross. “I then went to Tennessee Tech and got my degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science and was fortunate enough to be hired by TWRA my sophomore year as a part time fisheries technician in stream fisheries. I had come to Center Hill Lake a few times while I was at Tech,” Cross explained. “I had some buddies, and we came down to fish here at the old Tech Aqua (Lakeside Resort) location and I had a couple of classes there. It was a lot like where I was born and raised. It was very similar to Dale Hollow”.

“I finished up working as a part time technician and then became a boating officer on Dale Hollow for one summer right after I graduated and then worked almost five years as an officer in Van Buren County. Mike Foster was my TWRA supervisor while I was there and I got to work with him and TWRA officers Ben Franklin, Wayne Blair and later with Tommy Alexander and Tommy Stockling here in DeKalb County and got to know a lot of folks here. Once Wayne retired and the position came open, I transferred from Van Buren to DeKalb County. I moved here in October 1996. Up until about five years ago you had to live in the county where you worked as a TWRA officer. Initially I thought when the position here came open that I would move here and then at some point move back closer to home in Pickett County but once I got here, I decided I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” said Cross.

“My wife Shelly and I met in the spring of 1993 and married in the summer of 1994. After moving here in 1996 we started our family in 1999 when our first child was born. We have five children Eli, Ally, Isaac, Silas, and Abby. This is the only home they have ever known,” said Cross.

Well-known and respected locally and beyond, Officer Cross partners with many civic and sportsman’s groups on and off duty because part of the job is to educate. For almost 20 years, Cross had his own Monday morning radio program on WJLE to share important hunting and fishing dates and news along with current events and humorous stories. It’s a program he took over from former TWRA officer Ben Franklin when he retired. The radio program will continue sponsored by Belk Grocery & Sporting Goods every Monday at 7:05 a.m. with TWRA Officer Colt Elrod.

“Yes, the vast majority of our time is in enforcing hunting laws, especially this time of the year but because of the flexibility in what we do there is such a variety of things from one day to the next. I often go into a classroom typesetting and talk to young kids either about wildlife management or conservation or teaching a hunter or boater education class,” explained Cross.

“A misconception about wildlife officers is that you only work with animals, and you do sometimes but 98% of the job is people management whether its hunters, fishermen, boaters, classrooms, whatever the case. For example, I have an educational program scheduled with some boy scouts on a little farm in the northern part of the county and most of these kids have never been outside of Nashville or the bigger cities. We have an informational box or bones box with pelts, skulls, tracks that kids here have gotten to see over the years but for these kids its something we will introduce them to that they may have only seen on TV,” said Officer Cross.

In this job, Cross said developing and maintaining good public relations is important and its that part of it that he will miss most.

“I originally met some people by having to write them a citation, but they are now good friends of mine. They are good folks. Thankfully most of the hunters and fishermen try to do the right thing. I will miss interacting with people in this role although I will still do it in a different capacity,” said Cross. “I will also miss working with the guys (TWRA Officers) I work with on a day-to-day basis. I also want to give a shout out to all the emergency services from EMS, police and sheriff’s department, fire departments, rescue squad, state parks, corps of engineers and others. They have all been fantastic to work with,” said Cross.

While he didn’t have to retire just yet, Cross said after 32 years with the agency, the time had come for him to step aside.

“With TWRA in the law enforcement section, you can work until you are age 60. That is a mandatory retirement age. I am 55 but I have 32 years of service. I still enjoy what I do but I don’t want to become that grumpy old guy they have to push out the door at the last minute,” said Cross. “Hopefully I can enjoy a few things I couldn’t do before just because of the job. I couldn’t go hunting on opening days. I’ll get to do that now. I hope to do a lot more hunting and fishing. I also look forward to spending more time with my wife and to take an occasional trip or two. There are not a lot of free weekends and holidays with this job”.

For the last several years, Cross has also maintained a successful construction business as a sideline job, and he plans to continue that.

Being a wildlife officer is not a 9 to 5 job, but Officer Cross said his wife and family have stood by him over the years and been supportive.

“You may go out on a call that you think may be a couple of hours long and it turns out to be 15 hours. Something may happen on the lake and I’m down there all night long or half the next day. Shelly has understood that and been very supportive,” said Cross. “She has had to put up with a lot for a lot of years with the phone ringing and people literally coming to our house to ask about something. She and my kids get asked questions frequently including how they can get in touch with me. I appreciate that especially with Shelly. I couldn’t have done it without her,” said Cross.

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