Close & Paschal

News

Habitat Chili Cook-Off Raises $4,500. Smithville Police Department Wins Bragging Rights for Best Chili

October 18, 2019
By: Tecia Puckett Pryor

The 16th Annual Habitat for Humanity Chili Cook-off and Bake Sale, held Friday, October 18,  2019, under sunny skies on the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse.  There was a record crowd, with 500 bowls of chili being served and approximately $4,500 being raised for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, which will be used towards the building of the next Habitat house (the 7th house).

“Pick It or Ticket” from the Smithville Police Department took Top Chili Honors, with the “Power House Chili” from Smithville Electric System placing second.  Third place chili honors went to “The Courthouse Gang” from The DeKalb County Officials.

The Best Decorated Booth Award went to “MTNG-Take a Chance Chili” from Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, with “Power House Chili” from Smithville Electric System coming in second place and “Boo Boo Crew” from the DeKalb County Health Department placing third.

The Golden Spoon Award went to “The Courthouse Gang” from the DeKalb County Officials, who raised an additional $180.00 for Habitat in cash donations at their booth.

Rounding out the fifteen participating teams were Adoration Home Health, “25th Anniversary Chili” from Evins Mill, “Hot Checks Chili” from Wilson Bank and Trust; “Tennessee Tradition” from DeKalb UT Extension; “First Choice Chili” from First Bank; “Indian Summer Chili” from Indian Creek Baptist Church; “Good Neighbors” from Jackie Smith State Farm; Smithville Rotary Club, “Loan Rangers” from Liberty State Bank, and The Retreat at Center Hill Lake.

Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County thanks each of these teams for their enthusiasm and support of the event; all those who donated the delicious baked goods; City Mayor Josh Miller and his staff and County Mayor Tim Stribling and his staff for facilitating the event space; and all the fine folks of the community who came out to support Habitat and this great community event.

Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity builds and renovates houses in partnership with volunteers and families in need, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.  To contact Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, please call 215-8181 or find them on Facebook @HFHDeKalb TN.




Woman charged with aggravated assault for threatening her sister with a knife

October 18, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A 57 year old woman was arrested recently for aggravated assault after allegedly threatening her sister with a knife.

Janie Lou Green of Gene Vaughn Road, Smithville is under a $5,000 bond and she will be in court October 31.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on October 9 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Gene Vaughn Road due to a domestic incident. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a woman who reported that when she got home she found that Green had locked the door and that when Green unlocked the door she had a knife pointed at her and threatened to kill her.

Two inmates at the jail have been charged in separate cases of assaulting fellow prisoners

39 year old Christopher Pearson Myers of Sparta is charged with assault. His bond is $4,500 and he will make a court appearance on October 31

Sheriff Ray said that on October 8 Myers assaulted a fellow inmate with a closed fist in the annex of the jail.

Meanwhile, 20 year old Michael Timothy Hersam of Sparta is charged with assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will make a court appearance on October 31.

Sheriff Ray said that on October 14 while incarcerated in the jail, Hersam assaulted another prisoner causing injuries to the inside of the victim’s mouth and swelling to his eye. The victim was taken to the hospital where he received stitches inside of his mouth.

24 year old David Joe Parrott of McMinnville is charged with driving under the influence and filing a false report. He was further cited for driving on a suspended license, possession of an open container of alcohol, expired registration,  no insurance,  failure to exercise due care,  and violation of implied consent. His bond is $8,000 and he will make a court appearance October 31.

Sheriff Ray said that on October 12 a deputy was dispatched to a truck wreck and upon arrival spoke with Parrott who was inside the truck and smelled of alcohol. Although he was the only person in the truck and the keys were in his pocket, he told the officer a friend of his had been driving and left the scene after the wreck. But witnesses said no one but Parrott had been in the truck at the time of the crash. Parrot refused to submit to field sobriety tasks and implied consent. A search warrant was obtained for a blood sample from him.

36 year old Joseph Harvey Clark of Patterson Road, Smithville is charged with public intoxication and resisting stop, frisk, halt, search, or arrest. His bond totals $4,000 and his court date is November 14.

Sheriff Ray said that on October 12 a deputy responded to Patterson Road where an individual was reported to be sitting in a driveway yelling, throwing rocks, and hitting himself in the head. Upon arrival the officer found the man, Clark sitting in the driveway and talking to himself. After determining that Clark was under the influence, the officer asked him several times to place his hands behind his back and stop resisting but he refused. Clark was forcibly handcuffed and placed under arrest for public intoxication for his safety and that of others.




DeKalb Jobless Rate in August Dropped to 4%

October 18, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Unemployment rates for each of Tennessee’s 95 counties dropped during August 2019 according to data released recently by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).

 The DeKalb County Jobless rate for August was 4%, down from 5.2% in July and below the 4.6% rate in August, 2018. 

The local labor force for August was 7,920. A total of 7,602 were employed and 318 were without a job. 

Unemployment is now less than 5 percent in 89 of the state’s counties. The August rates in six counties currently sit at 5 percent or greater.  

“Many counties saw unemployment decrease by more than a percentage point in August, while several dropped by two percentage points,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “To see lower rates in every county across the state is always a positive sign coming out of the summer months.” 

Sevier and Williamson counties had Tennessee’s lowest unemployment in August with a rate of 2.5 percent. Williamson County’s rate dropped by 0.7 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month, while Sevier County decreased by 0.8 of a percentage point. 

At 2.6 percent, Davidson and Cheatham counties had the next lowest rates in the state. When compared to July, Davidson County saw a decrease of 0.6 of a percentage point and Cheatham County experienced a 0.7 of a percentage point drop in unemployment. 

Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, Maury, Robertson, and Smith are the remaining counties that have the 10 lowest unemployment rates for August. 

Clay County recorded the state’s highest August unemployment rate at 6.1 percent, but that represents a 1.9 percent drop from July’s rate. At 6 percent, Hancock County has the second-highest rate which is 2.1 percent lower than the previous month’s statistic.

Statewide, seasonally adjusted unemployment across Tennessee held steady in August matching July’s rate of 3.5 percent. 

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also remained the same in August at 3.7 percent for the second consecutive month. 

Job seekers can find more than 200,000 current openings from across the state on Tennessee’s workforce development website www.Jobs4TN.gov.




« First ‹ Previous 1 1607 1697 1705 1706 17071708 1709 1717 1807 2492 Next › Last »

WJLE Radio