Older Dogs Need Love Too! (View video here)

February 24, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Older dogs need love too!

Meet “Matilda”, the WJLE/DeKalb Animal Shelter featured “Pet of the Week”

“Matilda is one of our senior residents here at the shelter. We want to highlight these older pets because they often get overlooked. Matilda is 8 years old and she has already been spayed and up to date on everything. She is in overall good health. Matilda gets along well with other dogs, children, and older people. She is an all around good dog. Her adoption fee has been reduced to $20. We really want to find Matilda a home because she has been here for a while,” said shelter director Emmaly Bennett.

“If you are interested in adopting Matilda please check out the adoptable pet’s link on our website at https://www.dekalbanimalsheltertn.com/to fill out an application and see her picture and we will call you to come in and meet her. Please give us a call so we can find Matilda a good home,” said Bennett.

The shelter is open Monday-Friday from 8 to 4 and Saturday from 8 to 12 at 186 Transfer Station Road. Phone 615-597-3647.

February 24, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County High School continued its monthly observance Thursday of recognizing a teacher, student, and parents of the month.

Each received a certificate from the school and a gift card for a meal from Fiesta Jalisco Mexican Grill Mexican Restaurant in Smithville A different restaurant offers a meal gift card to each month’s honorees.

Tera Mooneyham, an educator at DCHS for six years was selected by the administration as Teacher of the Month while Senior Dixie Hill is Student of the Month, voted on by the teachers. The parents of the month are Jose Hernandez and Elva Avalos, and this honor was based on a winning essay written by their daughter, Yoana Hernandez Avalos, a 16-year-old 11th grader at DCHS.

“I am flattered. I never dreamed I would be nominated,” Mooneyham told WJLE when asked how she felt about being named Teacher of the Month. “I have been here at DCHS for about six years, and I do the dual enrollment program which is college classes on a high school level. The high school kids take the college classes and last year we incorporated the Advanced Placement Program from the state, so I also run an AP lab too. Those students actually have a professor, so I am kind of their go between. They come into the classroom, and they do their classes and turn their work in. I then go between the professors and the students in case we have things we need to do to get them signed up for classes the following year,” said Mooneyham.

Prior to her tenure at DCHS, Mooneyham taught special education at Smithville Elementary School for 11 years and while Tera loves what she does now, she misses the younger kids. “I think one of the biggest things I miss are the hugs. I could walk into the building with the little kids and get all the hugs,” she said.

Growing up Tera went to school in Warren County where she is from and then furthered her education at Motlow State Community College where she earned her associate degree and then through Western Governors University’s online program.

Her goal is to earn a master’s degree and one day move into a guidance counselor position when there is an opening.

Mooneyham and her husband Anthony have three children, Shelby, Christopher, and AJ and four grandchildren, Max, Maddie, Layla, and Everleigh.

Thomas Cagle, Assistant Principal at DCHS, said Mooneyham is among the finest educators at the school.

“Ms. Terra has been doing our Dual Learning Lab program and helps students with their dual enrollment classes that they are taking at Motlow or other various colleges. She does an excellent job in keeping these kids straight and making sure they are staying up on their grades and talking with professors at these colleges. She is also involved in doing our career fair in the fall. She puts together the entire career fair and goes through the process of bringing in all the vendors and people for that. She really is helpful in anything we need. Ms. Terra is another great example of the amazing teachers and staff we have here at DCHS, and we couldn’t be happier to have her as part of our family here,” said Cagle.

Hill, the 18-year-old daughter of Justin and Debra Hill said she is excited to have received the Student of the Month honor.

“I never thought I would ever get this award and I am thankful I got it,” said Dixie. “I am a senior this year and I do try to help out at school, but I don’t do it to get awards. Somebody else could have won the award just as easily and I would have been just as happy for them,” she said.

“My studies here include a focus on shop classes and culinary but when I graduate, I plan to attend Motlow and later become a nurse. The only club I am involved in here is the skills club, but I have been part of the climate crew,” said Hill.

Dixie has two brothers and sisters, James Robert Hill, Kendra Hill, Justin Hill, Jr., and Sherry Goodwin.

“Dixie is a model student for us,” said Cagle. “She does anything and everything to help around the school. She is one of those kids we look at as a leader in her class. Dixie is constantly involved in the FFA program and does a lot of work both inside and outside the school for DCHS. She was a big help to me last year in setting up for graduation. Its wonderful to see Dixie get this award. It’s nominated and voted on by teachers and I think it speaks volumes to the work that Dixie does for teachers to select her as student of the month for January,” said Cagle.

In paying tribute to her parents, Cagle said Yoana did an excellent job putting her thoughts down on paper in a winning essay.

“It was a very touching essay about some of the things her parents have done and the struggles they went through making sure she has been able to enjoy the life she has now. It was a very good testament of the things this award is about and that is for us learning things going on outside of school that our parents are doing for our students that we don’t know about. It brings us a little closer to them in knowing where they are coming from and understanding their lives. We are so grateful for Yoana’s parents and for the things they have been able to do to help their daughter to become an outstanding student. We love having her here,” said Cagle.

“What inspired me to write the essay was overall the background of what my life has been,” said Yoana. “My parents have done so much for me. I have grown in their footsteps. Its something I have been connected with ever since birth. Everything they ever do I try to replicate. They have endured life challenges and taught me that nothing in life will ever really come for free and that you have to work hard for it. I appreciate them and everything they do to show their love and support for me,” she said.

Speaking through an interpreter John Jones, a Spanish teacher at DCHS, Yoana’s parents expressed their feelings about being named Parents of the Month.

“We are proud and surprised. We never expected to be coming to school to receive this award. We had no idea Yoana was writing this,” said Yoana’s father Jose.

“We are very proud of everything Yoana has achieved while she has been here and I look forward to seeing what she does in college,” added Yoana’s mother Elva.

Yoana enjoys being a student and is very active at DCHS.

“I do color guard in the fall and winter guard. I am in several clubs like the Student Government Association, FCCLA and BETA clubs. I take honors and dual enrollment classes with Ms Mooneyham and overall, I try to be involved in as much as possible at school. Last fall I worked on the 11th grade float for the homecoming parade,” said Yoana.

After high school, Yoana said she plans to attend Motlow College for two years and then transfer to a university, possibly Vanderbilt and later start a career perhaps in real estate or in criminal justice.
In addition to her parents, Yoana has a brother, Bairon Hernandez Avalos, a freshman at DCHS and a sister, Monserrat Hernandez Avalos at Northside Elementary School. She also has an older brother Gerardo Avalos.

“These monthly awards are a way for us to acknowledge students who are performing exemplary each month. This isn’t always going to be for your straight “A” student. It’s for those putting in the effort to make DeKalb County better each and every month. Every teacher can nominate a student and all teachers vote on the student nominated. Teachers are voted on by the administration. The parent of the month award is determined by student essays. Students can write an essay each month and nominate their parent for a chance to win. In the essays, students can highlight things the parents are doing in their life outside of school that we may not know about,” said Cagle.

February 23, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Complaints about suspected drug activity at a Smithville residence has led to the arrest of two convicted felons charged with trafficking drugs by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

48-year-old Jimmy Wayne Crafton, Jr. and Michelle Ann Stevens both of 328 Cooper Lane, Smithville were arrested Wednesday, February 22 and charged with Sale and Delivery of a Schedule V drug (Gabapentin), Illegal possession of a weapon by a felon, Sale and Delivery of Schedule II drugs (Hydrocodone and Oxycodone), Theft of Property under $500, and Possession of Methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver.

Bond for each is $145,000 and they will appear in court March 9.

After receiving numerous complaints about drug activity there, Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE Thursday that a search warrant was drawn up and executed Wednesday at the home of Crafton and Stevens by TBI agents and detectives and deputies of the Sheriff’s Department

“The search resulted in the discovery of 3.99 ounces of Methamphetamine, over 60 pills of Hydrocodone, over 100 pills of Gabapentin, and four Oxycodone pills. Two firearms were located including a Springfield Armory 1911 45 caliber handgun and a Remington 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun which had been reported stolen out of Rutherford County. Several hundred rounds of ammunition were also located along with numerous items of drug paraphernalia including scales, baggies, pipes, etc. Two vehicles including a 2007 Chevy Tahoe and 2004 Lexus 330 and $2,910 in cash were also seized as well as a black 16-foot trailer attached to one of the vehicles which had drug paraphernalia in the bed of the trailer,” said Sheriff Ray.

Crafton is a convicted felon on prior drug offenses. Stevens is also a convicted felon according to Sheriff Ray. Both remain in jail.

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