“The Courthouse Gang-DeKalb County Officials” Takes Top Honors at Habitat Chili Cook-Off and Bake Sale

October 28, 2022
By: Tecia Puckett Pryor, Development Committee Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, Tennessee, Inc

It was a record-breaking day for the 18th Annual Habitat for Humanity Chili Cook-off and Bake Sale, held on Friday under sunny skies on the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Twenty-one chili teams participated in the cook-off; over 600 bowls of chili were served; and $9,300 was raised for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, which will be used towards the building of the next Habitat house in 2023. Habitat officials report that this was the most successful cook-off in the history of its chili cook-off, which began in 2004.

“The Courthouse Gang” from DeKalb County Officials took Top Chili Honors, with the “Top Gunners” from Amvets Post 101 placing second. Third place chili honors went to “First Finest Chili” from FirstBank.

The Best Decorated Booth Award went to Smithville Electric System; with “The Courthouse Gang” from DeKalb County Officials coming in second place and “Great Bowls of Fire” from the DeKalb County Fire Department placing third.

The Golden Spoon Award went to “The Courthouse Gang” from the DeKalb County Officials, who raised the most additional money for Habitat in cash donations at their booth, with Smithville Electric coming in second and the “DCHS Biting Tigers” from DCHS FCCLA coming in third.

Rounding out the participating teams were: “DeKalb Democrats” from the DeKalb County Democratic Party; “Great Bowls of Fire” from the DeKalb County Fire Department; “Dr. Crow’s Chili Shots” from DeKalb County Health Department; “Spot On Chili” from DeKalb Market; “Chil…i To the Bone” from DeKalb Prevention Coalition; “Snatched from the Fire” from First Baptist Church; “Blazin Broncos” from Galaxy Ford; “The Loan Rangers” from Liberty State Bank; “Marines” from Marine Corps League DeKalb VSO; “MTNG – Out of This World Chili” from Middle Tennessee Natural Gas; State Farm, Mallory Pfingstler; “Legal Limit Spice” from the office of Tecia Puckett Pryor, Attorney-at-Law/Center Hill Title, LLC; “Tennessee ‘Meats’ Texas” from WY Forge Co; “Hot Checks Chili” from Wilson Bank and Trust; Adoration Home Health; and Hywater Title.

Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County thanks each of these teams for making this a record-setting day and for their enthusiasm and support of the event; all those who donated the delicious baked goods; City Mayor Josh Miller and his staff and County Mayor Matt Adcock and his staff for facilitating the event space; and all the fine folks of the community who came out to support Habitat and this great community event.

Habitat also thanks the following for their donations: DeKalb Title, Swallows Insurance Agency, and Janney and Associates for sponsoring the “Treat Tent;” Lucas Antoniak for his design services; Evins Mill for water, Dr. Pepper for drinks; Smithville Food Lion for cheese, crackers and drinks; Jack Barton for promotional yard signs; Smithville Fire Department for ice; Smithville Electric System for ensuring we had power and putting up the temporary electric pole; Middle Tennessee Natural Gas for tables and chairs; DCHS Tiger Bakery and local churches for baked goods.

Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity builds and renovates houses in partnership with volunteers and families in need, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged. To contact Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, please call 215-8181 or find them on Facebook @HFHDeKalb TN.

October 28, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A 15-year Putnam County girl found dead in a wooded area east of Cookeville Thursday afternoon had family ties in DeKalb County.

The funeral service for Olivia Daryl Taylor will be held on Monday, October 31, 2022 at 12noon from the chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Bro. Darrell Gill & Bro. Trent Colwell will officiate with burial following at DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation with family will be on Saturday, from 2-8pm, Sunday, 2-8pm & Monday, from 9am until the service time at 12noon.

Taylor was reported missing Wednesday night and her body was found Thursday afternoon by employees of the Putnam County Road Department.

Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said that the investigation is clearly being worked as a homicide. Sheriff’s investigators had worked throughout the night Wednesday trying to locate Taylor since she had been reported missing. There has been one arrest in the investigation thus far. Charles “Chuck” Carter was arrested and charged Thursday night with Aggravated Statutory Rape in the case and is being held at the Putnam County Jail without bond. Now, Carter is also a suspect in the death investigation regarding Taylor. The body was sent for an autopsy at the medical examiners office in Nashville. No other information can be given at this time according to Sheriff Farris.

The Putnam County Schools district also released the following statement on her death Friday:

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of Olivia Taylor. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and the students, faculty and staff at Upperman High School and surrounding Baxter community schools.

Olivia was born on June 21, 2007 in Cookeville, TN to her parents, Ronnie Taylor and Stephanie Machelle Harness. Olivia was a student attending Upperman High School in Baxter, TN where she was a member of the Wrestling Team and the ROTC. She loved baking, sewing, singing, being an artist and playing the ukulele.

Olivia was preceded in death by her Brother, Justin Taylor. Step Father, Jon Morris. Maternal Grandmother, Vivian Hoose. Maternal Grandparents, Larry and Marge Morris. Paternal Grandmother, Brenda Taylor & Paternal Grandfather, John Wright.

Survivors include her Father, Ronnie (Stacy) Taylor of Smithville, TN. Mother, Stephanie (Jeff Burchett) Harness of Cookeville, TN. 5 Siblings, Jared Taylor and Chad Taylor both of Smithville, TN, Tyler Whitcomb of Cookeville, TN, Haley Grace Taylor of Smithville, TN, Keegan Taylor of Smithville, TN and Emily (Arrion) Matthews of Smithville, TN. Maternal Grandfather, Darrel (Joy) Harness of Cookeville, TN. Paternal Grandfather, Grady Taylor of Smithville, TN. Paternal Grandmother, Kathy Wright of Smithville, TN. 3 Special Aunts, Megan Harness and Leatrice Myers both of Cookeville, TN and Vickey Atnip of Smithville, TN. Several Nieces, Nephews, Cousins and Friends also survive.

In addition to flowers, donations can be made to the Lighthouse Christian Camp of Smithville, TN or to the Upperman High School ROTC of Baxter, TN in memory of Olivia.

Love – Cantrell Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements.

October 28, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A new beer ordinance

During a special called meeting Thursday evening, the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen adopted on second and final reading a new beer ordinance to replace one that had been in effect for several years.

Many provisions in the new ordinance mirror existing regulations such as the 400 feet distance requirement between a business permitted to sell beer and a church or school but one change is the implementation of the Tennessee Responsible Vendors Act, which was adopted by the state in 2006 that municipalities may also enact as part of city regulations for vendors permitted to sell beer.

The Responsible Vendor program is voluntary but requires participating vendors to comply with employee training requirements. In exchange for complying with the program, certified vendors receive reduced punishments for any illegal sales to minors. Once certified, participating vendors are not subject to permit revocation or suspension upon an initial violation. Instead, they are subject to only a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000 per offense of sale to a minor or other offense. Permanent revocation will not be allowable absent two violations within a 12-month period under state law. Nonparticipating vendors face higher civil penalties. A noncompliant vendor guilty of sale to a minor is subject to suspension or revocation or a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500. These discrepancies in punishment provide a major incentive for retail vendors to become certified.

Mayor Josh Miller said the primary reason for the city adopting a new beer ordinance was to include the Tennessee Responsible Vendors Provision.

“The only reason we even brought up the beer ordinance is because of problems in the past with people not selling alcohol legally. When I say that I mean selling illegally to minors. There was some verbage we had to clear up (in the ordinance) and the state’s recommendation and that of MTAS was to put in place the Tennessee Responsible Vendors Act. This gives us teeth to enforce the law,” said Mayor Miller.

The new ordinance was amended with final passage removing “residence” and “place of public gathering” from the 400-foot distance requirement. City attorney Vester Parsley said the word “residence” was not in the old ordinance and was added inadvertently to the new ordinance. He suggested that it be removed. Parsley also advised that the term “place of public gathering”, which was in the old ordinance, be stricken from the new ordinance because it was too vague.

The term “place of public gathering”, as previously included in the ordinance, pertained to all such places as defined by applicable state law along with all public buildings, whether such public buildings are owned by a governmental entity or agency or leased by a governmental entity or agency, a church, or school.

“A place of public gathering can be construed by a lot of people and I actually went to MTAS attorneys today (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) and got opinions from them and they had the same issues with it. Our old ordinance which is #361 did in some ways define public gatherings and that too was a little vague so in order to clarify that it is my recommendation that we take out residence and place of public gathering from our new ordinance by amendment to make it clear for people who in the future want to open a restaurant in the city,” said Parsley.

Under the new ordinance, as adopted by the aldermen Thursday night, the language states that “In no event will a permit be issued authorizing the manufacture or storage of beer, or the sale of beer within 400 feet of any school or church. The distance requirement shall be measured in a straight line from the primary entrance of the establishment seeking a permit to sell beer to the primary entrance of the school or church.

Prior to final passage of the ordinance, Todd Cantrell, a downtown property owner, addressed the mayor and aldermen during a public hearing claiming that the city has previously issued beer permits in violation of the beer ordinance and he specifically mentioned one business in particular, the Harvester Performance and Event Center downtown owned by Bert Driver.

“His (Driver’s) primary business (Harvester) is to sell tickets, rent space, sell liquor and sell beer. He creates a public gathering every time he rents space in his building or joins in the street festivals downtown. The Harvester is not even 300 feet from where the streets are blocked off for the event. The requirement is 400 feet”, said Cantrell.

Cantrell also claims that the Harvester violates another section of a city beer ordinance in that it isn’t considered a restaurant permitted to sell beer.

“According to Section 1(a) of the Ordinance 445 passed on December 12, 2012, in order to have a Class 1 on premises beer permit an establishment must, in addition to meeting the other regulations and restrictions in the Chapter be primarily a restaurant or eating place. The Harvester would have to become a food court for downtown Smithville in order to meet the requirement of being primarily an eating place,” said Cantrell.

As it stands, the beer ordinance does not permit Cantrell to be granted a city beer permit even if he wanted one because the location of his building at 119 West Market Street is within 400 feet of the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Cantrell told WJLE earlier this month that he got the idea of possibly opening a small restaurant and serving beer after a tenant in his building recently decided to move to another location on the public square.

City Attorney Parsley said Driver is in compliance with the distance requirement under the beer ordinance, but he did not specifically address Cantrell’s complaint that the Harvester doesn’t qualify for a beer permit because it is not primarily a restaurant or eating place.

“Mr. Driver’s attorney contacted me, and they did a survey (prior to issuance of beer permit) and he is compliance with the 400-foot rule. The issue of public gathering was never brought up (at that time). I understand what Mr. Cantrell is saying about this other provision (Section 1 (a) of Ordinance 445) but he complied with everything in my opinion (related to distance),” said Parsley.

Cantrell accused the city of showing favoritism and requested a public hearing to determine if the Harvester’s beer permit is valid based on the beer ordinance at the time it was issued.

“I have an issue with favoritism, and when I see something resembling a Good Ole Boy Network, I always feel compelled to speak out, no matter how many people it upsets. Eliminating the phrase place of public gathering from the ordinance now seems to only benefit Mr. Driver and the Harvester Performance and Event Center because the Harvester will no longer be in violation of the 400-foot rule going forward,” said Cantrell.

“I request a public hearing to decide if the Harvester was granted a beer permit in violation of Section 1 (a) of Ordinance 445. Anything short of a public hearing on the Harvester’s beer permit will simply prove my case that favoritism is being shown to Mr. Driver and the Harvester,” Cantrell continued.

Alderman Shawn Jacobs said that it is the city beer board’s responsibility to issue permits and ensure compliance.

“The city council does not issue beer permits. That is done by the beer board. We have absolutely nothing to do with that. They are in charge of knowing the ordinances and statutes and any action taken is their responsibility and the city council has nothing to do with that,” said Jacobs.

Going forward the city, at the mayor’s suggestion, will require all future applicants to have a survey done to ensure they comply with minimum distance requirements before being issued a beer permit.

After the meeting Mayor Miller told WJLE that he takes issue with Cantrell’s allegations of favoritism by the city. He said the city does not operate under the good ole boy system and no one is given special treatment or shown favoritism.

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