City to Name Downtown Alley for Hometown Country Music Icon Aaron Tippin

March 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Sixteen months after renaming “Walnut Alley” the “John Anderson Alley” downtown in honor of the local country music legend, the City of Smithville is paying tribute to another hometown country icon.

During Monday night’s monthly meeting, the Smithville Aldermen voted, upon the recommendation of Mayor Josh Miller, to name the alley between Main Street and Market Street in honor of Aaron Tippin. A formal dedication will come later.

“Some of the business owners had come to me and I think it would be a good idea to dedicate this alley to Aaron Tippin but we need to formally do that and get the appropriate signage. By this summer, maybe we can have a formal dedication observance,” said Mayor Miller.

Like John Anderson and wife Jamie, Aaron Tippin and his wife Thea and family have made their home in DeKalb County for many years.

In addition to having been a country music hit maker, Tippin is known as a tireless man full of enthusiasm. He’s a pilot, farmer, winemaker, outdoorsman, bodybuilder and devoted family man.

He’s also known for his patriotism and support of American troops and over the years has journeyed to Iraq and Afghanistan to sing for the troops. In 1990 at the beginning of his music career, he went with Bob Hope to the Persian Gulf to entertain.

Tippin performed at the first 9/11 memorial service in downtown Smithville shortly after the tragedy almost 23 years ago debuting his song “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly” and he returned for the 10th year and 21st year local memorial observance in 2011 and 2022 where he again performed the hit song.

In other business the aldermen adopted a proposed rezoning ordinance on second and final reading involving a parcel of property on Kimberly Lane (Precision Concrete Walls) located across from the L.B.J. & C Head Start Center.

This property, currently zoned partially R-1 (low density residential) and C-1 (general commercial), will be rezoned entirely to C-1 (commercial) for the purpose of eventually building a multi-family dwelling. The action came following a public hearing but no one came forward to oppose the rezoning.

The Smithville Planning Commission had also recommended the rezoning.

The aldermen approved the list of volunteer firefighters for the year as submitted by Chief Charlie Parker.

These firefighters are:

Mackenley Turner, Joseph Taylor, Daine Powell, Max Lahoda, Jayden Mitchell, Eric Gaw, Ryan Evans, (career firefighter), Dylan Goodman, Tyler Cantrell, Mark Riggsbee (Auxiliary), Cole Wright, Dakota Nokes, Kayla Johnson (Auxilary), Andrew Cooper, Seth Wright, Kim Johnson, Dalton Roberts, (career firefighter), Bradley Johnson, Shawn Jacobs (Auxiliary), Becky Atnip, Cory Killian, Glen Lattimore, (career firefighter), Stephanee Tramel, James R. Hunt, Gary Johnson, William (Wink) Brown, Greg Bess (Photographer), Captain John Poss, Assistant Chief Jeff Wright, Deputy Chief Hoyte Hale, Captain Donnie Cantrell, Captain Danny Poss, and Chief Charlie Parker (career firefighter).

March 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Primary Election Day has arrived!

Sample Ballot

Voters will be heading to the polls today (Tuesday, March 5) for the DeKalb County Republican and Democratic Primaries and the Tennessee Presidential Preference Primary. Polls at all 12 precincts in DeKalb County will be open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. WJLE will have LIVE election return coverage starting at 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday night, March 5).

Local parties are selecting nominees for local offices including DeKalb County Assessor of Property; Constables in district 1-7; Board of Education in districts 5 & 6, and Criminal Court Judge-Part III (13th Judicial District).

The DeKalb County Assessor of Property race is contested. The candidates are Republican Incumbent Shannon Cantrell and GOP challenger Amy Clare Lockhart. The winner of the DeKalb Republican Primary in that race will be unopposed in the August 1, 2024 DeKalb County General Election.

The only other local race to be contested in March is in the 5th district for the Board of Education (School Board). The candidates are Republicans Megan Moore and Tom Walkup. Incumbent 5th district member Jamie Cripps is not seeking re-election.

Names of candidates for other local offices in the March 5 GOP primary are as follows:

Board of Education: District 5- Megan Moore and Tom Walkup

Board of Education: District 6- Jason Miller (Incumbent)- Unopposed

Constable: District 1-Tyler Cripps –Unopposed.

Constable: District 2-Danny Adamson- Unopposed.

Constable: District 3-Travis Bryant (Incumbent)-Unopposed.
Constable: District 4-Lane Ball (Incumbent)-Unopposed

Constable: District 5-Mark Milam (Incumbent)-Unopposed

Constable: District 6- No Candidate.

Constable: District 7-Jeremy Wayne Neal-Unopposed

Criminal Court Judge-Part III (13th Judicial District)- Shawn Fry of Cookeville- Unopposed

Party nominees for local offices on March 5 will run in the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 1, 2024 and those elected will take office September 1, 2024.

The following candidates are on Tennessee’s March 5, 2024, ballot in the Super Tuesday Presidential Preference Primary:

Republican Primary Ballot:
•Ryan Binkley
•Chris Christie
•Ron DeSantis
•Nikki Haley
•Asa Hutchinson
•Vivek Ramaswamy
•David Stuckenberg
•Donald J. Trump

Most of the GOP candidates for President have already dropped out of the race but their names still appear on the ballot.

Democratic Primary Ballot:
•Joseph R. Biden

March 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

As DeKalb County plans for what, where, and how to fund new jail facilities, should it also be doing more to seek or support programs and resources designed to help rehabilitate inmates to keep them from returning to jail.

During last Tuesday night’s Jail Committee meeting, County Commissioner Beth Pafford said studies show that DeKalb County has the highest incarceration rate of any county in the area our size and that drugs and probation violations top the list of criminal court filings here. Pafford suggested that programs to help inmates stay out of jail are worth looking into.

“Our incarceration rate is at 7.67 per 1,000 people,” said Commissioner Pafford. “The next nearest county is Smith County, and they incarcerate 5.41. Are we wanting to help people come out (of jail) and be productive citizens or is it just a place to put people to punish? It can operate as both,” said Pafford. “Should we think that just putting people in jail causes them to make better choices when they come out than they did before they went in? There are programs in which you can get grants and things for facilities that help support rehabilitation”.

Jim Hart, Jail Consultant and Field Manager of the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) updated the jail committee in January on the county’s jail assessment and CTAS recommendations in a revised study. During his presentation, Hart talked about available resources to help reduce recidivism.

“Every inmate that comes into custody should be given a classification assessment which identifies the specific risks and needs,” said Hart. “The risks assessments include escape risks, violent and sexual predators, and others who are a danger or threat to the facility. The needs assessments include the mental health needs, elderly, advanced stages of pregnancy, etc. We try to house them according to those risks and needs to ensure the safety and security of everyone. You have a difficult time doing that in this particular facility because the nature of its design and the number of the inmates you have in custody,” explained Hart.

“In the last two years there has been so much money that has been filtered down to local counties to support evidenced based and job training programs. There is just a myriad of different programs and opportunities that exist to help try to get offenders something or some hope to help better get them released into the community and hopefully not to recidivate and come back into custody. You just don’t have the space or opportunity to provide for those type of services or programs in your particular facility,” explained Hart.

“Through a county corrections partnership or criminal justice coordinating committee, you could consider trying to implement a Stepping up Initiative, which is a national effort to reduce the number of people in jail with mental illnesses. Do you know how many people in your jail have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness? That might be something to know or something you could look at and what kind of resources could be provided to the jail or community to address those issues,” said Hart.

“There are tier one and tier two accreditation initiatives through the Tennessee Corrections Institute that looks at evidence-based programs, job training, staff development, partnerships with local community members and collaborations to address needs of those in custody inside the local jail. You could do a needs assessment and possibly use opioid abatement funding to support certain initiatives. The idea is to not just say that we have a jail overcrowding problem and need new jail construction but to address other opportunities and think about the whole system to better manage it,” said Hart.

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