“Reeling in the Years” Returns to WJLE Saturday Night

April 9, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Spring edition of “Reeling in the Years” is coming up Saturday night on WJLE.

Former local announcers Dennis (DS) Stanley and Shawn Jacobs host the four-hour program, which features the top pop and rock hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

“It’s something we really enjoy doing,” the hosts said. “It brings back a lot of good memories for our listeners and reminds all of us just how good and creative the music was doing that era.”

This particular program will also feature many of the hits during the week of/nearest April 11 for many different years. The program will air from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday (April 11) on WJLE.

April 8, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

If you’re a census slacker and haven’t yet filled out the form for the 2020 head count, the federal government is trying another way to get in touch with you.

Starting Wednesday (today), the U.S. Census Bureau is mailing out paper forms to 65.6 million homes nationally whose residents haven’t yet answered the once-a-decade questionnaire.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the DeKalb County response rate at 33.5% is approximately 12% below the Tennessee and national averages. Response rates for the cities are as follows: Liberty-28%, Alexandria 33.9%, Smithville 36.5%, and Dowelltown 39.8%. The final county wide response rate for 2010 was 62.3%.

Most U.S. residents started getting notices about a month ago that they could respond online or by phone. But about 20% of households automatically received a paper questionnaire, either because their area lacks consistent internet connectivity or their neighborhood has a high percentage of people over age 65.

Now the rest of the nation, at least those households that haven’t responded, are getting paper questionnaires.

About a month into the start of the 2020 census for most U.S. residents, the self-response rate is approaching half of all households, with most responding online. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa and Virginia are setting the pace with response rates over 50%. But in other states — Alaska, West Virginia and New Mexico — only between a quarter and a third of households have responded.

The Census Bureau’s suspension of field operations between mid-March and mid-April due to the spread of the new coronavirus may be affecting response rates.

The Census Bureau says the current national response rate is on track for what was expected. Because the 2010 census only used paper forms, and the schedule was more compressed, a side-by-side comparison of response rates from the two decades is flawed. But almost a month into the 2010 census, about two-thirds of households had responded.

The 2020 census will guide the distribution of some $1.5 trillion in federal spending and help determine how many congressional seats each state gets in a process known as apportionment.

April 8, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Tornado warning sirens were on the minds of the Smithville mayor and aldermen during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting.

Mayor Josh Miller raised the issue during a work session last month with the aldermen and Smithville Fire Chief and DeKalb Emergency Management Agency Director Charlie Parker.

Automated tornado sirens strategically placed across the city could be set up to activate when tornado warnings are issued for this area. When the sirens are activated, they would sound alerting the public to seek shelter immediately.

Currently the city’s only outdoor warning alert is an antiquated siren atop the city hall building.

Since the work session last month Parker has contacted a company which conducted a survey of the town and made a recommendation on a system for the City of Smithville. In the package, Parker said the city would get two sirens, placed near either the hospital or high school, and at the airport. The projected costs for the sirens and automated software system to trigger it would be about $73,000. While the survey showed that two sirens would be sufficient to cover the city limits, Parker said the system would have the capability of adding more sirens if needed.

The mayor and aldermen will consider including funding for tornado sirens for the 2020-21 fiscal year during budget preparation meetings which are expected to begin soon.

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