Farm Service Agency is Accepting Emergency Conservation Program Applications

May 21, 2024
By:

Donny Green, County Executive Director of the DeKalb-Cannon County Farm Service Agency (FSA), today announced that DeKalb County has been approved to accept applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address agricultural damages resulting from the May 6 EF-1 tornado and high winds in specific areas of DeKalb County.

The ECP signup will begin June 10 and will continue through July 15, 2024.

The specific damaged areas approved under this signup authorization are the following approved disaster events and general areas in and around the following:

EF-1 Tornado and High Wind Damage (North Central)
Allen Ferry Rd.
North Congress Blvd.

Green says if you are in one of these specific approved areas of DeKalb County and suffered storm related agricultural damage, you should complete an application for ECP cost-share assistance by visiting the DeKalb-Cannon County Farm Service Agency. Approved applicants may receive up to 75% cost-share of approved restoration activity. Limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and beginning farmers and ranchers may receive up to 90% cost-share. If you have already began emergency restoration activities, please make sure you are keeping records of all materials, labor, and other associated expenses.

Eligible practices under this program include: debris removal and fence replacement/restoration.

Damages to residential or farm buildings are not covered under this program. In order to be eligible for
assistance, an onsite inspection by USDA officials must reveal that there is at least a $1,000 of total storm related damage. Cost-share may include all reasonable expenses incurred including: materials, services, labor, equipment, and sales tax. All expenses must be documented and must be limited to restoring conservation structures and all other installations to a similar type and function before the disaster event.

FSA county committees will evaluate applications based on an on-site inspection of the damaged land, taking into consideration the type and extent of damage. An on-site inspection does not guarantee that cost-share funding will be provided.

Farmers who have agricultural damages on cropland or pastureland, and would like to request cost share assistance to remove debris from cropland or pastureland and/or restore fencing for livestock can make application for USDA cost-share assistance during the June 10 through July 15, 2024 signup period by visiting the DeKalb-Cannon County Farm Service Agency office in Smithville. You may also call 615-597-8225, Ext. 2 for more information.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

May 21, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

After two years, the Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool is about to re-open

Memorial Day, Monday May 27 is the targeted opening day.

According to manager Jeania Cawthorn, the pool will be open this year an hour earlier weekdays than in the past. The new hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m.

This year’s admission is $5.00 per person but children aged 4 and younger will get in free. Groups can also book pool parties

Report Card Day is set for Friday, May 31.

“Every child of school age who lives in DeKalb County will be admitted to the pool free on Friday, May 31. Youngsters aged 13 and younger must have supervision. For those not familiar with the meaning of Report Card Day, it’s a free swim day for kids but they do not have to bring their report card or any form of identification. The pool capacity inside the gate is 267,” she said.

The pool was closed last summer due to the lack of lifeguards and although the pool is not overrun with lifeguards this year, there are enough to open and operate.

“When the city raised the wages for lifeguards to $15 per hour that caught a lot of attention,” said Cawthorn. “We started off the summer with 23 lifeguards signed up but are already down to 17 and three of them are still taking their certification classes. If they don’t pass, we’re down to 14 but as long as we have at least 8 lifeguards a day we can operate. Our shifts are 4-5 hours a day and we use 4 lifeguards per shift. That’s why we need 8 lifeguards per day. I want to thank the lifeguards who have stepped up this year and for the extreme training they have done. They work hard,” Cawthorn said.

“Once our lifeguards get their training we begin training as a group. We have some lifeguards from last year. Some certified in Cookeville, Murfreesboro, and McMinnville but we all come together as a team so we know the needs of each other and can put our emergency action plan in place. They started training in the water here at the pool Monday. As we finish up with the chemicals daily, the lifeguards train in order to be ready by next Monday when we open,” said Cawthorn.

Over the winter, the city allocated $100,000 for repairs and rehabilitation of the pool. A Cut Above Outdoors, LLC in Cookeville was contracted by the city to do the repairs for $95,700.

Cawthorn said the pool is much improved and looks great.

“They have added new tile all the way around. It was an old busted up white but now its shiny new blue all the way around. We had some concrete not in very good shape. They took that out and replaced it. New lights have been installed all the way around. They look neat at night. The whole outside of the pool has been resurfaced, painted, and cleaned up. The lifeguards’ chairs have also been redone with a fresh coat of paint,” said Cawthorn.

May 20, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Three men charged in a case 18 months ago stemming from a road hunting incident were sentenced last Tuesday, May 14 in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

43-year-old Jeremie Donald Johnson, 22-year-old Isaac Daniel Hall, and 23-year-old Elijah Thomas Hall were each originally charged with two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of vandalism. Johnson was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon. Isaac Daniel Hall was later charged and indicted for aggravated burglary and theft of property over $2,500 in a separate case.

All three men appeared in DeKalb County Criminal Court May 14.

Johnson entered a plea to the felony charges of reckless endangerment and attempted possession of a firearm. He received a 2-year sentence in each case to run consecutively for a total of 4 years, but all suspended to probation. A restitution amount is to be determined. On January 20, 2023, Johnson entered a plea in General Sessions Court to the misdemeanor offense of hunting from across the road or within 100 yards of a house and spotlighting deer. In that case, Johnson received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on probation, and he lost his hunting privileges for 2 years.

Elijah Hall pleaded guilty to vandalism under $1,000 and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to supervised probation. Restitution is to be made jointly and severally with the co-defendants in the case. On January 20, 2023, Hall entered a plea in General Sessions Court to the misdemeanor offense of hunting from across the road or within 100 yards of a house and spotlighting deer. In that case, Johnson received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on probation and lost his hunting privileges for 2 years.

Isaac Daniel Hall entered a plea to aggravated burglary and vandalism over $1,000 and he received in the burglary case a 4-year TDOC sentence on supervised probation and a 2-year term for the vandalism with supervised probation to run consecutively for a total of 6 years. On March 13, 2023, Hall entered a plea in General Sessions Court to the misdemeanor offense of the illegal taking/possession or destruction of wildlife and received a six-month sentence suspended to supervised probation with a lifetime suspension of his hunting privileges.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said at the time of the incident that on November 5, 2022 after receiving a report from a resident on Lower Helton Road, Alexandria that someone had fired a shot through his home, sheriff’s department detectives started an investigation which pointed to two men, Johnson and Isaac Hall, who had allegedly fired a shot from the roadway while deer hunting which went through the residence where a man and woman were present placing them in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Although the residents were not injured from the shooting, more than $1,200 in vandalism was reported inside their home including damage to a window, interior walls, and a light fixture.

Johnson, a convicted felon for different offenses of aggravated assault in DeKalb and Wilson County, was found to be in possession illegally of several firearms upon his arrest on November 11, 2022.

Isaac Hall was also found to be in possession of several weapons at the time of his arrest on November 11, 2022 which the detectives learned were stolen from a residence either that day or the day before on Hurricane Ridge Road.

Sheriff Ray said the investigation revealed that Isaac Hall had allegedly broken into the home on Hurricane Ridge Road and taken a Remington 7-millimeter rifle, 22 caliber Ruger rifle, and a 50-caliber muzzleloader all valued at $3,900 which were all in Isaac Hall’s possession upon his arrest. The homeowner also reported missing from his home a 357 Magnum Remington.

In other cases, 38-year-old Jennifer Dawn Johnson entered a plea by criminal information on May 14 to possession of over 0.5 grams of methamphetamine with intent to sell and she received an 8-year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. She was fined $2,000. Johnson was given jail credit of almost one month.

28-year-old Quajonta Jeremies Cason entered a plea by criminal information to possession with intent to sell under 0.5 grams of the schedule II drug methamphetamine and received a 6-year TDOC sentence suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000. Cason was given jail credit of almost three months.

55-year-old Theodore Aguayo entered a plea to possession with intent to sell under 0.5 grams of the schedule II drug methamphetamine and received a 6-year TDOC sentence suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000 and is to be granted judicial diversion if eligible.

36-year-old Randi Renee Dossett entered a plea by criminal information to possession with intent to sell over 0.5 grams of the schedule II drug methamphetamine and received an 8-year TDOC sentence suspended to supervised probation. She was fined $2,000.

32-year-old Joshua McAllen Beckham entered a plea by criminal information to possession with intent to sell under 0.5 grams of the schedule II drug methamphetamine and received a 6-year sentence suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000 and given jail credit of almost two months.

51-year-old Laura Carol Ratliff entered a plea to first offense of driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended to CPS probation except for 48 hours to serve. She will lose her driver license for one year.

24-year-old Damion Alexander Dishman entered a plea to attempting to sell a schedule I drug and received a 6-year sentence all suspended to TDOC probation pursuant to judicial diversion. He was fined $2,000.

54-year-old Angela Joan Close entered a plea to attempted sale of a schedule II drug and received a 3-year sentence suspended to TDOC probation pursuant to judicial diversion. She was fined $2,000.

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