WJLE’s Fearless Forecasters Airs Today (Thursday)

November 29, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

WJLE Fearless Forecaster Dewain Hendrixson holds a commanding lead in the standings going into championship week of the college football season.

Hendrixson has an overall record of 126-67.

Overall records of Hendrixson’s fellow forecasters are as follows:

Darrell Gill: 117-76 (9 games back)

Grant James of the James Gang: 117-76 (9 games back)

Will Graham: 114-79 (12 games back)

Scott Brown: 113-80 (13 games back)

Chad Kirby: 113-80 (13 games back)

Ricky Atnip: 112-81 (14 games back)

John Pryor: 108-85 (18 games back)

Guests: 105-88 (21 games back)

Meanwhile Dewain Hendrixson and Grant James of the James Gang each had the best record for the week at 10-5 followed by Will Graham and Chad Kirby each at 8-7, Ricky Atnip and our guest Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley each went 7-8, while Darrell Gill, John Pryor, and Scott Brown each went 6-9 for the week.

Grant James picked Ohio State to upset Michigan and got 4 underdog points.

Overall Will Graham remains in the lead with the most underdog points at 45. Grant James of the James Gang has pulled into second place with 42 points. Scott Brown is next with 41 followed by Ricky Atnip and the guests who have 24.5, John Pryor 21.5, Darrell Gill 14, Dewain Hendrixson 11, and Chad Kirby 5.

Today (Thursday) the Forecasters will be picking winners in the following games:

Northwestern vs Ohio State, Memphis vs UCF, Utah vs Washington, Marshall vs Virginia Tech, Stanford vs California, Fresno State vs Boise State, Clemson vs Pittsburgh, UAB vs MTSU, Texas vs Oklahoma, East Carolina vs N.C. State, UL Lafayette vs Appalachian State, Northern Illinois vs Buffalo, Norfolk State vs Liberty, Alabama vs Georgia, and in the NFL the Tennessee Titans vs the New York Jets.

Today’s special guest is Tom Duggin of DTC Communications.

Catch the Fearless Forecasters on WJLE today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m. on AM 1480/FM 101.7 and LIVE streaming at www.wjle.com.

The program is sponsored by the Charles D. Atnip Realty and Auction Company, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, Liberty State Bank, DeKalb County Insurance, Gill Automotive, Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, and DeKalb County Ace Hardware.

November 28, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Depending upon the weather, the Smithville Christmas Parade could be postponed.

Sponsored by the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department, the parade is set for Saturday, December 1 beginning at 1 p.m. from Smithville Elementary School with the line-up starting at 11 a.m.

However if it is raining Saturday the parade will most likely be postponed until the following Saturday, December 8 at 1 p.m. with the line-up starting at 11 a.m.

A final decision will be made and announced by Saturday morning, December 1 at 10 a.m. or sooner.

Keep tuned to WJLE or check the WJLE website for any updates

Currently the deadline for entering the parade is Friday, November 30. Any entry after the deadline will be placed at the back of the parade line. To enter contact Jeff Wright at 615-597-6750 or John Poss at 931-349-5598.

November 28, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Almost two and a half years since a fire at the courthouse, the man accused of setting the blaze has not yet gone to trial.

56 year old Gary Wayne Ponder, charged with arson, made a brief appearance Monday in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

Judge Gary McKenzie set the trial date for April 3 but the case will be back on the court docket again on January 16.

One of the reasons for the delay is to determine whether Ponder’s medical condition is affecting his mental state and ability to stand trial.

Assistant District Public Defender Scott Grissom announced Monday that while Ponder’s most recent medical evaluation has been completed the results have not yet been made available to the District Attorney General’s Office. Once state prosecutors review the findings, they will determine whether to ask the court for another independent medical evaluation of Ponder. He has already undergone mental evaluations.

The trial had been scheduled for May but Grissom asked for and was granted a delay. In his motion for a continuance, Grissom included a letter from a nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who saw Ponder on March 21 and found him to be confused. According to Wright, Ponder is being treated for cirrhosis of the liver and that complications from this condition causes confusion. Wright added that she had started a medication to help with his condition.

Smithville Police charged Ponder on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 after he was observed on the courthouse surveillance video system intentionally lighting fire in a newspaper recycling bin on the first floor vestibule. The video showed that on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 Ponder grabbed newspapers from the recycling bin and started the fire by lighting them with a cigarette lighter. The fire damaged the wall behind the recycling bin and cracked a window in the vestibule near the first floor entrance of the courthouse.

Local attorney Jim Judkins was the first to spot the blaze. He tried to activate the fire alarm and accessed a fire extinguisher which he used to try to put out the blaze.

Members of the Smithville Fire Department were notified and quickly responded.

County Mayor Tim Stribling said the total damages to the courthouse caused by the fire came to $120,706.52, which was the amount of the claim paid by the county’s insurance provider.

After the fire smoke had to be cleared from the courthouse, new ceiling tiles and dry wall work were required and a broken glass in the vestibule doorway had to be replaced.

The county also installed a new fire alarm system in the courthouse provided by FireTeam of Tracy City at a cost of $35,363.81. The system meets the latest International Fire Codes.

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