Church to Host Mobile Food Distribution Saturday, January 29

January 28, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church is again sponsoring a drive thru mobile food pantry on Saturday, January 29 starting at 9 a.m.

The church plans to prepare enough food boxes to serve up to 300 families regardless of their income status, on a first come, first served basis.

Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and the food will be distributed starting at 9:00 a.m. Unlike most food distributions, those being served by the mobile pantry will not have to get out of their automobiles. They will drive thru in a pickup line and volunteers will deliver the food directly to their vehicles, placing the food boxes either in the back seat or trunk. Cars will line up facing north on College Street across from the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

“We will line up right across from the church (Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church) on College Street. We’ll start registration at 8:00 a.m. We’ll need the name of the recipients and how many families are being served. We’re limited to two families per vehicle to make sure we have enough food,” added Isaac Gray, Minister of the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Others who wish to volunteer may show up Saturday, January 29 or call for more information at 615-597-4197.

January 28, 2022
By: Mykaela Young, DeKalb 4-H Agent

“If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.” -Gerald R. Ford.

A group of 4-H students from 4th to 12th grade participated in the DeKalb County 4-H Public Speaking Contest on January 11 and one of them, 11th grader Jacklyn Kleparek will be competing at the Central Region Senior High Public Speaking Contest on February 5 at Cumberland University in Lebanon.

The county contest is open to all 7th-12th graders each year and students in 4th-6th grade have individual classroom contests to earn a spot in the county contest.

Students who won 1st or 2nd in their age group at the county contest were eligible to compete in the regional competition held on Monday, January 24 in Putnam County. Jacklyn Kleparek placed in the top 5 in the 11th grade division there which made her eligible to compete in the Central Region Senior High Public Speaking Contest to be held on February 5 at Cumberland University in Lebanon.

“We are extremely proud of our students for all their accomplishments in that they are doing what most adults fear: Public Speaking! They have worked hard and overcome obstacles to be able to speak in front of a crowd. We look forward to the things they will accomplish in the future,” said DeKalb 4-H Agent Mykaela Young

Pictured: (4th Grade) back row: Natali Johnson, Riley Scarbro, Haydin Stacy, Chaelyn Hollingsworth, Austin O’Connor, Elyza Collier, Travis Childers. Front Row: Kara Kelso, Emily Roberts (1st Place), Grady Thomason (2nd place), Bentley Martin (3rd place), Aiden Cook

(5th grade) back row: Balei Benson, Kenna Sykes, Ella Kirksey, Hannah Tobitt. Front Row: Adam Brown, Payne Bryant (2nd place), Cora Cox (1st place), Emmaline Hendrix (3rd place) not pictured: Kinli Fish

(6th-12th grade): Bella Franz (1st place in 7th grade), Chaylea Lunsford (2nd place in 8th grade), Jacklyn Kleparek (1st place in 11th grade), Cali Agee (1st place in 8th grade), Triniti Kelsor (1st place in 6th grade)

January 28, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

An increase in Tennessee’s unadjusted labor force participation had a slight impact on county unemployment rates in December. According to newly released data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, unemployment increased in 87 counties during the month including DeKalb. Five counties saw rates go down, while the numbers remained the same in three counties.

The DeKalb County unemployment rate for December was 3.7%, up slightly from 3.5% in November but well below the 6.4% rate for December 2020. The local labor force for December was 7,579. The number of employed was 7,296 while 283 were without a job.

The new county-level data comes after Tennessee recorded its lowest statewide unemployment rate in two years. The December 2021 seasonally adjusted figure of 3.8% was down 0.2 of a percentage point from November and the lowest the state has recorded since January 2020.

Unlike statewide unemployment data, county data is not seasonally adjusted to account for economic influences such as school breaks and severe weather events.

The state’s unadjusted labor participation increased to 60.6% in December, from 60.2% in November. When people join the labor force, they are typically unemployed, and that can drive unemployment rates up.

While the unadjusted number of employed individuals did increase during the month, which is consistent with seasonal hiring, the number did not grow enough to offset the labor force growth, which caused the county unemployment rates to inch upward.

Williamson County topped the list of counties with the lowest unemployment in December. It recorded a rate of 2.1%, which mirrored its number from the previous month. Moore County had the state’s second-lowest rate at 2.3%, which was up 0.1 of a percentage point compared to November.

Perry County recorded the highest unemployment rate in Tennessee during December. The rate there jumped 2.7 percentage points to 7.9%. Cocke County followed with a rate of 5.4%, up 0.6 of a percentage point from November.

Nationally, unemployment for the month dropped 0.3 of a percentage point to 3.9%.

Tennessee has many different services that can help unemployed residents find a new job or assist someone looking to skill up for a new career. There are nearly 100 American Job Center locations across the state where job seekers can meet with career specialists and come up with an action plan. They can also find assistance online. The journey to a new job in the Volunteer State starts at www.TNWorkReady.com. The site offers multiple resources in an easy-to-access format.

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