TCI votes to Continue DeKalb County Jail Certification Under Plan of Action

December 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The Tennessee Corrections Institute Board of Control met Wednesday, December 4 in Nashville and voted to continue certification of the DeKalb County Jail for another year under a plan of action upon the recommendation of TCI Deputy Director Bob Bass. The facility currently has 52 certifiable beds for male inmates.

County Mayor Matt Adcock, Sheriff Patrick Ray, and Jail Committee Chairman Larry Green attended the TCI Board meeting.

As of today (Thursday, December 5) Sheriff Ray said the DeKalb County Jail has 50 inmates and 30 others from DeKalb County are in other jails where the county pays a daily rate to house them. The number of inmates fluctuates regularly.

A “plan of action” allows a facility to maintain a certified status after failing to meet all minimum standards while demonstrating to the TCI Board of Control that the facility is making measurable progress over a period of time (months or years) to rectify deficiencies found during inspection.

Since 2019 DeKalb County has been under a plan of action with the Tennessee Corrections Institute to keep the jail certified as it works toward a solution with some type of building program. In the election on Tuesday, November 5 the voters of DeKalb County rejected in a referendum issuance of general obligation bonds for construction of a 190-bed judicial center/jail in an amount not to exceed $65 million by a margin of 85% to 15%.

A month ago the jail committee of the county commission met and voted unanimously to drop the judicial center concept for now and pursue construction of only a jail. The committee has not yet settled on the location for such new jail construction.

Bass, who also attended the jail committee meeting last month, made it clear that unless the county could agree to focus on solving the jail problems, he could not recommend to the TCI board that the DeKalb County Jail continue to be certified.

Bass recommended building at least a 150-bed jail with one arraignment court room. Although it wasn’t part of the motion, Commissioner Tony Luna said he would like to see a design for 120 beds with initial shell space for 30 additional beds and future plans (shell space) for 50 more beds “way down the road” as a cost saving move.

“The jail is the problem we have to deal with through TCI right now so if we can build a jail and we find we have extra money we could do courtrooms before we get too far in this process but to keep the jail certified we have to go forward with the jail,” said Jail Committee Chairman Green.

All fourteen members of the county commission make up the jail committee and all were present for the jail committee meeting last month except for Commissioner Susannah Cripps. Since it was only a committee meeting, the action amounted to only a recommendation for the full county commission to again act on which it did on Monday night, December 2 voting 9 to 0 to explore the jail only option. Members Tom Chandler, Sabrina Farler, Greg Matthews, Mathias Anderson, and Susannah Cripps were absent.

Bass, who is soon retiring from his position as TCI Deputy Director, will remain as a consultant and he plans to meet with the jail committee again on January 6 to give advice on the next step in this process.

December 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Ricky Atnip still leads the pack among WJLE’s Fearless Forecasters picking winners after week 14 of the college football season.

Ricky has a record of 145-65 followed by Darrell Gill and Scott Goodwin each at 140-70. John Pryor and Dewain Hendrixson are each at 136-74, Alex Woodward 135-75, Grant James 134-76, Scott Brown 133-77 and Chad Kirby 124-86.

For the week, Darrell Gill and Ricky Atnip tied for the best record at 12-3. Grant James, Scott Goodwin and John Pryor each at 11-4, Scott Brown and Alex Woodward each at 10-5, and Chad Kirby and Dewain Hendrixson each at 9-6

Four of the forecasters hit their underdog picks last week. Scott Brown picked up 14.5 points with the Memphis win over Tulane. Alex Woodward added 11 points to his total with the Syracuse victory over Miami. Scott Goodwin got 2.5 points as South Carolina beat Clemson and Dewain Hendrixson had 9.5 points with Utah’s win over UCF.

Overall, Dewain Hendrixson maintains his lead in underdog points with 53.5 followed by Grant James with 37, Darrell Gill 36, Ricky Atnip 30.5, Alex Woodward 29.5, Chad Kirby 28.5, Scott Brown 25.5, Scott Goodwin 24.5, and John Pryor 20.

Today (Thursday) the Forecasters will be picking winners in the following games:

Penn State vs Oregon, Texas vs Georgia, SMU vs Clemson, Iowa State vs Arizona State, Ohio vs Miami Ohio, Amy vs Navy (December 14), UNLV vs Boise State, Tulane vs Army, Western Kentucky vs Jacksonville State, Marshall vs Louisiana, Idaho vs Lehigh, Illinois State vs UC Davis, UT Martin vs Montana State, Villanona vs Incarnate Word, and in the NFL the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Tennessee Titans.

Catch the Fearless Forecasters on WJLE today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m. on AM 1480/FM 101.7 and the LIVE stream at www.wjle.com.

The program is sponsored by the Charles D. Atnip Realty and Auction Company, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, FirstBank, DeKalb County Insurance, DeKalb County Ace Hardware, Gill Automotive, Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, Wilson Bank & Trust, and Domino’s Pizza.

December 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Get ready to embrace the spirit of the season as Smithville gears up for an unforgettable holiday celebration. The Smithville Christmas Parade and the 23rd Annual “Christmas on the Square” are again joining forces to make Saturday, December 7th, a day filled with joy, festivities, and cherished memories.

The Smithville Christmas Parade will kick off the festivities at 4 PM, but the line-up for the participants begins at 2 PM at the New Life Connection Center, 750 S. Congress Blvd., Smithville. The parade route will commence from the New Life Connection Center, proceeding along South Congress Blvd. and culminating in the heart of Downtown Smithville Square. Grand Marshalls for the parade will be this year’s Mr. DeKalb County – Smithville Mayor Josh Miller, and Ms. DeKalb County – Smithville Alderman Beth Chandler. Honorary Grand Marshalls will be Aaron and Thea Tippin.

Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker has issued the following statement about the parade on Saturday.

“The city will block vehicles from entering the north side of the public square around 12 noon on Saturday. East Main Street and Walnut Street will also be blocked for pedestrians only”.

“We have a pre-parade show this year starting at 3 p.m. downtown in the front of the judges reviewing stand. First will be Mary Ann Puckett’s Square Dance Teams from 3 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The groups to perform are Smithville Select, DeKalb Dancin’ Delights, Center Hill Hoedown, Caney Fork Circle Eights, and the Ragland Bottom Roundup”.

“Following the square dancers will be “Smithville’s Frosty Flakes” with Queen Bee Tubbs performing from 3:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.”, said Chief Parker.

Following the Smithville Parade, the enchanting “Christmas on the Square” and “Downtown Live Windows” extravaganza will begin at 5:30 PM. The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber cordially invites all attendees to stay and immerse themselves in the joy of the holiday season with an array of delightful activities in downtown Smithville.

Highlighted Events at “Christmas on the Square” include:

Chamber of Commerce “Live Windows” Contest: People of all ages love the “Live Windows.” Downtown businesses and offices will adorn their windows with amazingly creative “live” scenes, and beautifully decorated interiors for the occasion starting at 5:30 PM. Smithville Mayor Josh Miller and Chamber Director Suzanne Williams will present awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, in addition to a “Chamber Choice” award. Mayor Miller will personally donate $350 to the 1st place winner to be donated to the charity of their choice.

DeKalb Courthouse: Make sure to visit the DeKalb Courthouse to visit with elected county officials and partake in complimentary refreshments within a festive atmosphere. The courthouse’s exterior will dazzle with large Christmas trees adorning both sides.

Smithville City Hall: Experience the magic of the season with festive outdoor Christmas displays, accompanied by holiday music playing outdoors. Inside, you can enjoy cookies and admire the interior decorations.

FREE Photo Booth: Sponsored by the City of Smithville, a photo booth will be available on the main floor of the courthouse for visitors to capture cherished moments.

Refuge Church: After the parade, head to Refuge Church at 303 Public Square, where they will be serving hot soup while it lasts and providing a place to warm up.

Justin-Potter Library: Bring your camera! Santa himself will be making a special appearance at the library from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, offering photo opportunities for children. Each child will also receive a Christmas take-home craft.

Christmas Shopping: Discover an array of holiday specials and extended shopping hours at downtown stores, making it the perfect opportunity to select unique and wonderful Christmas gifts. Shops will be open until 8 PM.

Smithville Electric: Be captivated by the dazzling lights at Evins Park’s Open-Air Stage, beautifully decorated by Smithville Electric employees, creating a magical atmosphere.

Parking Information

Parade Participants: Only parade entries will be allowed to enter the New Life Connection location. Overflow parking will be at the DeKalb County Complex.

Downtown: The Downtown Smithville square will be partially blocked off for the event to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Streets on the north side of the square will be closed. But the Smithville city parking lot will be open and accessible from Don Cantrell Road (behind Evins Park).

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