An Update From the Bench

March 31, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

An update from the bench!

Since taking office last September General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox has implemented some new policies in the hope of bringing more efficiency to the court as he explained in an interview with WJLE Tuesday.

One of them is a standing order issued last month requiring a bond source hearing in certain cases. Judge Cox said the reason for such a hearing is to ensure that persons charged with a crime not be allowed to post bond greater than $50,000 from funds or property derived through illicit means?

“As you may have seen from a recent WJLE article, I implemented a standing order on bond source hearings in cases where the individual bond is greater than $50,000. I did this so that I can be assured that a defendant making such a bond is not using funds from illicit sources, such as the sale of illegal drugs, to make their bond. This is an issue of fundamental fairness, I believe. Since this standing order has been entered, we have had occasion to address the bond at a hearing or by agreed order on two occasions,” said Judge Cox.

Judge Cox is also taking steps to better ensure the confidentiality of all juvenile proceedings.

“Another major change I have implemented is that all juvenile court proceedings, including dependency and neglect proceedings and private juvenile matters, are heard on an individual and confidential basis. This means that when a juvenile case is called the only people permitted in the courtroom are the parties to the case, the attorneys, court staff and court officers. This was the first change that I made and I believe it has had a significant impact on the cases as they progress. Oftentimes, these cases involve very sensitive and serious issues related to small children. No person outside the parties to the case needs to hear about all the issues. Additionally, when the cases are called individually, with no one else in the courtroom, I can focus on each particular case and devote the appropriate time and consideration that the children and families deserve. The only issue I have with the policy is that we are limited on space, and when we have multiple courts going at once, we get quite crowded in the hallway outside the courtroom. But our court officers, court staff and attorneys have done an excellent job making this work,” said Judge Cox.

More changes are upcoming.

“In the coming months, I plan to meet with various groups and individuals to assess the court calendar to ensure that we are being as efficient as possible. I also plan to develop local rules of the General Sessions and Juvenile Court to more clearly establish the procedures and policies that I have implemented. This will be a collaborative effort, involving the local attorneys, and the court clerk. One of the things that I am most excited about is the expansion of our Recovery Court to potentially include a mental health and veterans court. My team is in the exploratory phase of this project and gathering as much information and attending as many training sessions as possible. However, we have a significant need in this community for a mental health court and I believe that it will be a net positive for the county once it is fully operational. I will release details of this as we move along and will be looking for support from the community, the County Mayor, the County Commission and other partners,” said Judge Cox.

“These are some of the changes we have made and some ideas we have for the future. It has been an honor serving the past six months. I am eager each and every day to do this job to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful that you have put your trust in me and I will strive to continue to honor that trust with my work,” Judge Cox concluded.

March 30, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Many counties across Tennessee experienced significant drops in unemployment in February after the end of seasonal employment impacted January’s numbers, according to new data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).

DeKalb County was an exception.

The February jobless rate in DeKalb County was 4.2%, a slight increase from the January rate of 4% and above the rate of 3.6% in February, 2022.

The local labor force for February, 2023 was 8,086. A total of 7,743 were employed and 343 were without work.

Twenty-two counties across the state saw rates decrease during the month, while unemployment held steady in 21 additional counties. Rates did increase in the remaining 52 counties.

One of the most notable decreases was in Perry County. It had the highest unemployment rate in January at 9.8% but one month later, its rate dropped 4.7 percentage points to 5.1%.

Moore County recorded the lowest rate across the state for February at 2.5%, which was unchanged when compared to the previous month. Williamson County had Tennessee’s second-lowest rate at 2.6%, up 0.1 of a percentage point from its January rate.

Cocke County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate for the month. At 6.5%, unemployment in the county was still down 0.5 of a percentage point from January’s rate of 7%. Bledsoe County’s rate was the second-highest at 5.9%, which mirrored its number from the month before.

Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate held steady at 3.5% in February. That marked the fifth consecutive month unemployment across the state remained unchanged.

Nationally, unemployment in February increased to 3.6%, up 0.2 of a percentage point.

Unlike statewide and national unemployment rates, county data is not seasonally adjusted to take into consideration seasonal impacts on unemployment.

Jobs4TN.gov currently has more than 300,00 open positions available around Tennessee and just across its borders. Job seekers can utilize a variety of services on the site that will help them find meaningful employment. They can also go to TNWorkReady.com for information on Adult Education, help for justice involved individuals to find work, and much more.

March 30, 2023
By:

April is Confederate History month in Tennessee. During that month in 1862, the Battle of Shiloh was fought in West Tennessee. With this bloody battle came the realization the War Between the States would bring unprecedented human suffering. The War also ended in April with the surrender of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in 1865. To recognize Confederate History Month and local Confederate Veterans, the Savage-Goodner Camp 1513 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is dedicating a memorial to Confederate Veterans interred at Mt. Holly Cemetery, 1800 Allens Ferry Road, Smithville, Tennessee (near Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church) on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. A brief ceremony at the cemetery with military and civilian reenactors will accompany the unveiling of a memorial sign containing the names of the Confederate Veterans buried in Mt. Holly Cemetery.

The public is invited to attend and witness this ceremony.

Those Confederate Veterans being memorialized are:

Jacob Atnip
George Washington Bond
Joseph H. Bozarth
Samual Arch Carter
William Hayes
James S. Holley
John S. Holley
Henry C. Johnson
Bartemus H. Pack
John Pack
W.M. Pack

Arvine Peyton Page
James D. Robinson
Jeremiah (Jerry) Smith
Chesley Taylor
David C. Taylor
Pete E. Taylor
James T. Trapp
John A. Trapp
E. C. Walker
Henry L. Winfree
William Winfree

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