News
Drunk Driver Responsible for Crash
November 11, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
A drunk driver was involved in a two vehicle crash Saturday on Highway 53 just across the DeKalb County line in Smith County.
35 year old Jeremy Fitts of Davis Lane, Alexandria is charged with driving under the influence, violation of the open container law, and failure to exercise due care.
According to Trooper Bobby Johnson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Fitts was traveling south on Highway 53 in a 2015 Volkswagen Passat when he crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2005 Jeep Liberty driven by 46 year old Susan Thomas of New Hope Road, Alexandria. 46 year old Patrick Thomas was a passenger with her. Trooper Johnson said Thomas swerved trying to avoid the collision but her vehicle was hit on the side by Fitts’ car. The Volkswagen overturned and came to rest on its top.
Patrick Thomas was taken by DeKalb EMS to Ascension St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital.
Smithville First Baptist Reaches Out to Community (VIEW VIDEO HERE)
November 11, 2018
By: Bill Conger
It was a day of Thanksgiving (Nov. 10) at Smithville First Baptist Church as over 500 individuals were provided with food for the upcoming holiday meal. At the church’s third Community Day this year, volunteers gave out stuffing, cranberry sauce, vouchers for hams from Save-A-Lot, and other Thanksgiving staples to around 187 families.
“We want to continually be a source of love, hope, and light to our community,” says F.B.C. Pastor Chad Ramsey. “We want to help in any way that we can to show the same love God showed us by showing God’s love to others. We do not do these community days to make ourselves feel better. We do them because we care, and we love Jesus. So we want people to know that God loves them and so does Smithville FBC.”
kid getting doll from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Volunteers like Tom Koblinsky enjoyed helping out.
“I felt like the Lord told me to do this,” Koblinsky told WJLE. “I feel called for home missions. I like to help the people locally more than far away. I like to see the joy and the happiness on their faces. It brings me self-satisfaction also knowing I’m doing the Lord’s work.”
The Clothing Closet also set up racks of winter clothing for folks, and a Christmas scene was on display for families to take a nice formal picture for the Yuletide season.
Church Group Braves the Cold to Feed the Needy (VIEW VIDEO HERE)
November 10, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Members of the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church and other volunteers braved the cold weather for several hours Saturday morning to make sure the less fortunate of our community have plenty to eat with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching.
IMG_2628 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
In partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, the church held its biannual drive thru mobile food pantry serving up to 300 families regardless of their income status on a first come, first served basis.
Cars began lining up on South College Street as early as 4 a.m., five hours ahead of schedule, By the time the food drive began, the line of vehicles stretched all the way to near Green Brook Park.
Church Pastor Isaac Gray said Second Harvest brings in pallets of food on trucks. The food is then off loaded and organized in preparation for the distribution.
“It includes vegetables, fruit, canned goods, potatoes, and all sorts of different food items. We unload and sort it out in the alley behind Market Street and people drive through. They can get one box per household or two boxes depending upon how many people are in the car. That’s what makes this food drive unique is that people don’t even get out of their car. They stay in their vehicle the whole time and we do the work for them. They drive thru and we fill up their cars with boxes of food and we give it out until the cars stop coming or until we run out of food. Every time we have done this we have always had enough food for every person who has come through,” he said.
Gray said the church enjoys serving the community in this way and plans to keep on doing it at least twice a year, in the spring and fall.
“We love doing it and people seem to be very thankful and grateful for what we are doing. We just want to try to help our community and help people who need some food. That is what we are about,” said Gray.
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