Smithville Municipal Election to be Uncontested August 1

April 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Municipal Election will be uncontested on Thursday, August 1.

The three incumbent aldermen up for re-election, Shawn Jacobs, Danny Washer, and Jessica Higgins will be running unopposed. The terms are for four years each.

The deadline to qualify for the August 1 municipal elections in Alexandria, Dowelltown, and Smithville was 12 noon today (Thursday, April 4).

Only three people qualified for the Alexandria Municipal Election on August 1.

In this election, the positions to be filled are for mayor (unexpired term), three aldermen, and three other aldermen (unexpired terms).

Beth Tripp will run unopposed for the unexpired mayor’s term while Jeff Ford is without opposition for an unexpired alderman term and Jonathon Tripp is unopposed for a full alderman term. No one qualified to run for the other positions.

No one qualified to run in the Dowelltown Municipal Election on August 1 in which a mayor and two aldermen are to be elected.

The offices of County Commission District 6 and District 7 will be on the DeKalb County General Election Ballot August 1 to fill unexpired terms.

Andy Pack in the 6th district and Mathias Anderson in district 7 were recently nominated and certified as Republican candidates through the local GOP caucus process.

Meanwhile, Keith Elkins will be a write-in candidate for 6th district constable in the county general election August 1. Elkins recently filed with the election commission a certificate of write in candidacy for the position.

All the local Republican nominees from the March primary will be unopposed in the August 1 DeKalb County General Election including Incumbent Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell, Sixth district incumbent school board member Jason Miller, Fifth district school board candidate Megan Moore; Constable candidates 1st District: Tyler Cripps, 2nd District: Danny Adamson, 3rd District: Incumbent Travis Bryant, 4th District: Incumbent Lane Ball, 5th District: Incumbent Mark Milam, and 7th District: Jeremy Neal, and Judge Shawn C. Fry for the newly created Criminal Court Judge position in Part III of the seven-county 13th Judicial District.

The Voter Registration Deadline for the August 1 elections is Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Early Voting: Friday, July 12 – Saturday, July 27, 2024 (times not yet set)

April 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has picked up five people who were named in sealed indictments by the grand jury last week.

All either have been or will soon make an appearance in DeKalb County Criminal Court for arraignment.

54-year-old Angela Joan Close of Carter Street, Smithville, was indicted on two counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver. Her bond is $100,000 and she will be arraigned on April 17. Sheriff Patrick Ray said the indictment against Close is from an undercover drug buy by the sheriff’s department.

Three people were indicted by the grand jury on charges in a companion case made by the sheriff’s department including 51-year-old Melissa Faye Murphy, 34-year-old Cody Lynn Murphy, and 33 year old Michaela Lynn Murphy all of Ferrell Road, Smithville.

“This was a search warrant that was done by the sheriff’s department on a death at that residence on Ferrell Road. The detective obtained a search warrant, served that, and found drugs, paraphernalia, and weapons,” said Sheriff Ray.

Melissa and Cody Lynn Murphy are each charged in the indictment with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Cody is also charged, along with Michaela Murphy with possession of a schedule V drug with intent to sell or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond for Melissa and Cody is $50,000 each and $25,000 for Michaela.

53-year-old Donnie Lee Ramsey of Gassaway Main Street, Liberty, is indicted on two counts of possession of a schedule VI drug with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. According to Sheriff Ray, the marijuana was discovered during a traffic stop in Liberty. Ramsey’s bond is $75,000 and he will be arraigned April 17.

April 4, 2024
By:

The Sozo Children’s Choir from Uganda, Africa will perform at Smithville First Baptist Church on Sunday, April 7. The choir will perform in the morning service at 10 a.m. and will host a full concert at 6 p.m. The free performances are part of a schedule of more than 80 concert dates on the U.S. portion of the choir’s 2024 Revolution Tour.

The choir, which performs in churches, schools and businesses around the country, is comprised of 13 children from Uganda who launched their 5th U.S. tour in February with performances in Alabama. The choir, which last toured in 2022, will perform at stops in New York, Maryland, Delaware, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. The children performed in churches in Uganda for most of 2023 before beginning the trip to America.

“The choir began as an outreach program for us in 2016 and is a great experience for the kids we serve in Uganda,” said Suzanne Owens, CEO of Sozo Children. “The choir tour is a mission trip but it’s more than just a chance for the kids to visit America. We want the kids to come away from this knowing they are loved and that they matter,” said Owens.

The performance is appropriate for all ages and will feature a traditional Ugandan dance, a video tour, upbeat Christian music and a chance to meet some of the children and staff after the show.

“Our goal as a ministry is to equip each of the children in our care to be effective disciples for Jesus,” said Owens. “They are the next generation of leaders in their homeland, so we aren’t trying to westernize them but we equip them by walking alongside them in faith sharing the common faith in Christ.”

Sozo Children is a Birmingham-based ministry serving children in Uganda who have been rescued from extreme circumstances such as abuse, abandonment and trafficking. The ministry provides housing, healthcare, counseling and an education to more than 150 children in Uganda and operates an upscale thrift store, Sozo Trading Co. in Birmingham which provides a portion of funding for the ministry and serves as a launching point for local outreach opportunities.

Doors at the church will open approximately one hour prior to the performance. Admission to the performance is free of charge. To learn more about the choir’s tour schedule or to make a donation to support the children, visit www.sozochildren.org/sozochoir.

About Sozo Children

Sozo Children was founded in 2010 to serve the needs of vulnerable children in the nation of Uganda. Currently, Sozo provides for more than 150 children and maintains an upscale thrift store, Sozo Trading Co. in Avondale, benefitting the ministry. To learn more about Sozo Children, or to support the ministry, visit www.sozochildren.org.

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