Qualifying Deadline Approaching for August 6th Elections

March 20, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The qualifying deadline is drawing near for candidates interested in certain positions that will be on the ballot on August 6th.

Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections, said petitions are available for school board seats in Districts 5 and 6 along with the following city races: three aldermen seats in Smithville; five aldermen seats in Alexandria; and a mayor and two aldermen seats in Dowelltown. In addition, any local voter interested in running for State House 40 and 46 can also get a petition at the local election office.

“All the local offices will be for four-year terms, except two of the five aldermen seats in Alexandria will be for two-years to fill unexpired terms,” Stanley said. “The state house seats are also two-year terms.”

The qualifying deadline for the August election is Noon April 2.

Three aldermen seats will be filled in the Smithville Municipal Election on August 6th. Those who have picked up a petition to run for alderman are Danny Washer, Shawn Jacobs, Donnie Crook, Timothy Perricone, and Jessica Higgins. All petitions have been returned and checked.

For the school board in the 6th district Jason Miller and Billy Washer have obtained petitions. Miller’s petition has been returned and checked. Washer’s has not been returned. Incumbent Doug Stephens has said he will not seek re-election.

In the 5th district Jamie L. Cripps and W.J. (Dub) Evins, III have obtained petitions. Cripps’ s petition has been returned and checked. Evins has not returned his petition. He has told WJLE he will not be a candidate for re-election.

In Dowelltown Pam Redmon has picked up a petition to run for Mayor but she has not yet returned it.

Phillip Byford, James C. Walker, and James H. White have obtained petitions to run for alderman in Dowelltown. Byford’s petition has been returned and checked. Walker and White have not yet returned their petitions.

In Alexandria Charles William Anderson, Jr. and Lynne Dickerson have obtained petitions to run for a 4 year alderman term while Bridgette Rogers has picked up a petition for a 2 year alderman term. So far Dickerson is the only one of the three who has returned a petition.

March 20, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Clerk’s Office says an executive order by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has given the green light for residents to delay getting their vehicle registration and driver’s license renewal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor’s order delays vehicle registration renewals set to expire March 12 through May 18, 2020 to June 15, 2020.

The order also suspends the expiration dates on valid driver licenses and Class ID photo identification for 6 months from the current expiration date. This extension applies to driver’s license and IDs set to expire March 12 through May 18, 2020.

Below are the two sections issued by Governor Bill Lee that are applicable to the Clerk’s office:

• Section 22. “The provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-4-104(a)-(d), are hereby suspended to the extent necessary to delay the expiration of all valid motor vehicle registrations set to expire between March 12, 2020, and May 18, 2020. Such motor vehicle registrations shall instead expire on June 15, 2020; provided, however, that such registrations shall return to their original renewal schedules in subsequent years.”
•
• Section 23. “The provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated, Sections 55-50-336 and 55-50-337, are hereby suspended to the extent necessary to delay the expiration of all valid Class A, B, C, D, P, and M driver licenses and Class ID photo identification licenses set to expire between March 12, 2020, and May 18, 2020. Such licenses shall instead expire six (6) months from the current date the license is set to expire.”

The deadline for renewals of all Driver Licenses, Learner Permits, Commercial Driver Licenses, Photo Identification Licenses (ID), and Handgun Carry Permits that would expire between March 12, 2020, and May 19, 2020 has been extended by six months from the original expiration date.

The Department of Revenue will issue a letter of extension to the individuals affected and they will be required to keep the letter with them during the extension period.

The new deadline for obtaining registration renewals is June 15, 2020. The Department of Revenue hopes this extension of time will alleviate concerns of motor vehicle registrants so they can focus on their health and safety amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

Meanwhile, County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss reminds patrons that all of its transactions in the County Clerk’s Office will be completed by the drive-thru service beginning today (Friday, March 20).

“As a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, we are offering online and drive-thru service for the safety of our customers and employees, based on recommendations from the CDC and the Tennessee Department of Health”.

• “We recommend utilizing online services available at www.tncountyclerk.com whenever possible”.

• “While the DeKalb County Clerk’s office is implementing the CDC’s recommended social distancing practices, we are still committed to serving you. Full staff will continue working normal business hours providing services for both businesses and citizens”.

• “In-person services are currently Not available”.

• “Please contact our office for assistance. Our phone number is 615-597-5177. We apologize for the inconvenience during this time”.

Office Hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.

March 20, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The COVID-19 Coronavirus has forced big changes within the past week and at least one local physician is happy to see the community response to the pandemic threat.

“I applaud everybody who has been responsible because what we are doing is protecting the older and more vulnerable population,” said Dr. Hugh Don Cripps in a WJLE Radio program this week.

https://www.wjle.com/corona-virus-interview/

Although DeKalb County still has no confirmed case of the disease among the local population, schools have closed and so have libraries, senior citizen centers, and other public facilities. Community events and meetings have been canceled. Local government officials have locked their doors although they continue to carry on business inside over the phone and online with the public. Local nursing home and assisted living centers are restricting public visitation. The hospital and local clinics are screening visitors and patients. And many DeKalb County businesses are cutting their hours of operation while some local restaurants are restricting customers to drive through or takeout orders.

(For more information about COVID-19 click the link below)

https://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus-2020.html

Dr. Cripps said he is pleased to see the community act responsibly and would like to see more churches respond in the same way.

“I think It is responsible not to gather in groups of over 10 and I believe public gatherings should also include churches. I think it is irresponsible to invite older people to come together in churches when we could do the Lord’s work a lot better if we would get out and do shopping for older people including grandparents. I think that is doing God’s work also. That may not be accepted well by some people but that is what I feel in my heart and feel I need to say,” said Dr. Cripps.

While people of all ages could get or spread the disease, it is the elderly who are most vulnerable.

“Twenty year olds are not going to die with this disease. It’s going to be a grandmother, great grandmother, or your parents. A hug from a grandchild is a wonderful thing for a grandparent but it may be the very thing that kills them so I think it is responsible to close down visitation to nursing homes (NHC Health Care Center) and assisted living places (Webb House Retirement Center) which they have done. It should be pretty well a lock down. We have all seen on TV where people (at similar facilities) are visiting at the telephone and through a window with their grandparents,” said Dr. Cripps.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cripps has some advice on what you can do at your home or business to prevent the spread of infectious diseases including COVID-19.

“The flu virus is droplet contamination and that is mostly the way this (COVID-19) is also passed on to recipients but the difference between this and the flu virus is that it can be on fomites, inanimate objects. It could be on door knobs, table tops, etc. especially the more slick something is like glass or plastic. For more porous items like clothing, the virus absorbs into the threads and fibers. It wicks the moisture out and dries quickly so it’s not very likely you will get it from clothing even though it may be contaminated. Harvard and the Centers for Disease Control did an evaluation and their joint recommendation was that we not consider clothing. Even contamination gowns are probably safe in a matter of hours. One study showed that on fomites if it is copper covered it probably doesn’t last but four hours even if you don’t wipe it down. On cardboard it’s about a day. Metal and plastic anywhere from two to three days. But if you wipe it down with your favorite agent like Chlorox or Lysol which are two good products and if you wipe it down frequently and let it dry, the surface is clear. We should all do that in our homes. Wipe down counters frequently and things we touch like door knobs especially after going to the bathroom,”Dr. Cripps said.

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