DeKalb Jobless Rate 3.8% in December

February 17, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County’s unemployment rate for December was 3.8%, down from 4.1% in November and just under 3.9% in December 2017.

The local labor force for December 2018 was 7,860. A total of 7,560 were employed and 300 were without work.

More than three-quarters of Tennessee’s 95 counties experienced a drop in unemployment during December 2018 according to data by Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Dr. Jeff McCord.

Seventy-six counties saw a decrease in unemployment in December; the rate remained unchanged in three counties, and 16 counties experienced an uptick in their jobless numbers.

Williamson County continued to have the state’s lowest unemployment during the final month of 2018 with a rate of 2.1 percent.

Hancock County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 5.7 percent, which increased by 1.1 percent from November’s figure.

Statewide, Tennessee’s December unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent for the second consecutive month. Nationally, the United States’ unemployment rate saw an uptick to 3.9 percent, which was 0.2 of a percentage point higher than in November.

February 17, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A DeKalb County Neighbors Helping Neighbors Blood Assurance Drive will be Monday, February 18 from noon until 5:30 p.m. at the County Complex Senior Citizens Center inside the Bloodmobile.

All donors will be given a FREE t-shirt. All donors will also be entered for a chance to win a $250 Zales gift card.

To schedule an appointment, go to Bloodassurance.org/dekalb or contact Jimmy Poss at 615-464-7426 or jimposs72@yahoo.com. Please remember to EAT A GOOD MEAL and drink additional water and bring a photo ID.

Blood Assurance is the sole blood provider for local hospitals

February 16, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Should medical marijuana be legalized in Tennessee?

State Senator Mark Pody wants to know what you think.

State Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) introduced a bill earlier this month that would pave the way for legalized medical marijuana across the state.

If passed, the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act would create a framework to allow “qualified” patients to access medical cannabis on a regular basis, as well as regulate the process of licensing growers to cultivate, produce, distribute, transport, sell and acquire marijuana for medical use and scientific research.

“People say different things about what the definition of medical marijuana is. Some people believe if they are a little bit stressed they should be able to smoke a little marijuana to relieve the stress and those people call that medical marijuana. Others say the hemp oils and related products are currently enough. I am anxious to hear what the people of DeKalb County think the appropriate legalization of any of this should be. I have always been against anything that you can get high from but if it helps kids medically for seizures for example, I have been okay with that,” said Senator Pody.

Senator Bowling’s bill proposes that patients with “qualifying conditions” diagnosed by their healthcare provider would be able to apply for a medical cannabis card for $65 that expires every two years. An approved caregiver can also be appointed to purchase marijuana for patients under 18

The “qualified conditions” listed in the bill are Cancer, Glaucoma, Epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s Disease, Muscular sclerosis, Opioid addiction, Renal failure, Severe nausea or chronic pain, Any medical condition producing cachexia, persistent muscle spasm or seizure, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic radiculopathy, Severe psoriasis, Post-laminectomy syndrome, Psoriatic arthritis, Complex pain syndrome, including trigeminal neuralgia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease, End-of-life pain management or palliative care, All “terminal” conditions, and any conditions approved by the commission pursuant to rule-making

For patients under 18 years old, the following conditions also apply: Cerebral palsy, Cystic fibrosis, Osteogenesis imperfecta, and Muscular dystrophy

The bill stipulates that, if passed, the program should be operational by no later than July 30, 2020.

Send correspondence to Senator Pody at

425 5th Avenue North
Suite 754 Cordell Hull Bldg.
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-2421
Fax: (615) 253-0205

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