A Cookeville man died last week after an Independence Day accident on Center Hill Lake.

57 year old Kenneth Farron Young of Spring Street, Cookeville was in the Mine Lick Creek area of the lake in the Austin Bottom Community when the incident occurred just off shore at the end of a road in an area used by boaters to access the lake.

According to Joe Johnson of the Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad, a boater witnessed the man go under the water and then float back up. The victim could not be revived at the scene.

Johnson said the rescue squad was on another call when word came of this incident.

“We were at a boat wreck when we got another call about a drowning at Austin Bottom. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Rescue Squad went by boat to the scene. When we arrived, two people were doing CPR on the victim, giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation. The victim was lying in the edge of the water. He wasn’t breathing and we couldn’t find any pulse. TWRA Officer Joe Fortner and I took over CPR efforts, giving the victim mouth to mouth resuscitation until Putnam County EMS arrived. When they got there, they continued with CPR,” said Johnson.

In addition to the TWRA , Rescue Squad, and Putnam County EMS, Park Rangers of the Corps of Engineers and officers of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were also on the scene.

The initial report was that the man had died that day (Wednesday) but he was taken to Cookeville Regional Hospital where he was reportedly placed on a ventilalor. He died two days later.

Meanwhile, six people were injured in a boating accident last Wednesday on Center Hill Lake.

TWRA officers said two boats collided just northeast of Davies Island. Those injured were transported by TWRA boats to the Johnson’s Chapel Recreation Area where ambulances were waiting to take them to the hospital. None were believed to have been seriously hurt.

According to Johnson, the Rescue Squad was called to the scene and had just arrived at Johnson’s Chapel when they learned that the victims had already boarded the TWRA boats.

“When we got there and launched our boats, TWRA officers had just got the people out of the water and boarded them in their boats so we turned around and followed them back to the bank and then we helped get the people up the bank to the ambulance,” said Johnson.

Any parent interested in applying for the Pre K program for their child may pick up an application at the DeKalb County Board of Education central office downtown.

Children need to be 4 years old on or before August 15.

Parents/Guardians should bring the following items for their child:

*Original Birth Certificate
*Current Physical Examination
*Current Certification of Immunization
*Proof of Income for all Household Members
*Proof of Residency

The DeKalb County School System has been awarded $488,551 from the Tennessee Department of Education to fund five voluntary Pre-K classes to serve up to 100 students for another year.

“We are excited to receive this news”, said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps. “With the funding, the school system will continue to offer four Pre-K classes at Smithville Elementary and one class at DeKalb West School,” he said.

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced in May that 18,320 students in 916 classrooms across the state will benefit from the Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program in the 2018-19 school year. Nearly 95 percent of districts in Tennessee will receive VPK funding designed to serve 4-year-olds who are at-risk and those in high-priority communities.

A special Summer Edition of Reeling in the Years will air Saturday on WJLE.

The program, hosted by former WJLE announcers Dennis Stanley and Shawn Jacobs, will air from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday (July 14th) and will feature pop/rock music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

The show is very fast paced, informative and will include a few of “summer oriented” songs that will bring back many memories for listeners.

Mark your calendars and put the time in your smartphones now for Reeling in the Years, this Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on WJLE