Early Voting times have been set for the August 2nd elections.

The DeKalb County Election Commission met Monday evening to make it official.

Early voting begins July 13 through July 28 on the first floor of the DeKalb County Courthouse.

The times are as follows:

Mondays—1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesdays—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wednesdays—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursdays—2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Fridays—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturdays—9 a.m. to noon.

Four contested races for county-wide public offices will be settled with the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 2.

Those races are for County Mayor, Sheriff, Road Supervisor, and Circuit Court Clerk.

The lineup of candidates as they appear on the ballot are as follows:

County Mayor: Democrat Tim Stribling and Independent Randy Paris

Sheriff: Republican Patrick Ray and Democrat Michael Jay Agee

Circuit Court Clerk: Republican Susan Martin and Democrat Nicole Wright

Road Superintendent: Republican Danny L. Hale and Democrat Jimmy Sprague

Others running unopposed are as follows:

Trustee: Republican Sean D. Driver

County Clerk: Democrat James L. (Jimmy) Poss

Register of Deeds: Democrat Jeff McMillen

The winners will take office September 1.

Each of the seven county commission district races will be contested in the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 2.

The lineup of candidates in each district as they appear on the ballot are as follows:

1st district: Republican Tom Chandler and Democrats Dennis Slager and Julie Williams Young. Two are to be elected.

2nd district: Republican Sabrina Farler and Democrats Nora Harvey and Myron Rhody. Two are to be elected.

3rd district: Republican Renee Steff and Democrats Bobby G. Johnson and Jenny Trapp. Two are to be elected.

4th district: Republican Greg Matthews and Democrats Janice Fish-Stewart and Scott Little. Two are to be elected.

5th district: Republican Jerry D. Adcock, Democrats Lloyd F. Emmons and Anita Puckett, and Independent William Millard Rutherford. Two are to be elected.

6th district: Republican Matt Adcock and Democrats Betty Jean Atnip and Jeff Barnes. Two are to be elected.

7th district: Republican Bruce Malone and Democrats Beth Pafford and Larry Summers. Two are to be elected.

The winners will take office September 1.

The Smithville Municipal Election will feature a contested mayoral race on Thursday, August 2.

The candidates for Mayor as listed on the ballot are Josh Miller, Jimmy W. Poss, and Curtis L. Rust.

Two alderman candidates are running unopposed, Brandon J. Cox and Gayla C. Hendrix.

The winners will take office September 1. The terms are for four years.

The Liberty Municipal Election also has a contested Mayor race on August 2.

The candidates are Darrell W. Johnson and Dwight Mathis.

The five alderman candidates are unopposed including Dwayne Blair, J.D. Bratten, Derek Johnson, Jason H. Ray, and William Howard Reynolds, Jr.

The terms are for four years.

Three aldermen are to be elected in Dowelltown but only one name appears on the ballot, Ronald L. Griffith. The terms are for four years.

Three aldermen and a mayor are also to be elected in Alexandria but only one name for alderman appears on the ballot Lloyd Dale Dyer. Two other persons plan to mount a write-in campaign for alderman including Shane Blair, an incumbent, for a full four-year term and Bridgette Rogers, for a two-year term that fills a vacancy.

There is no name on the Alexandria ballot for mayor although two persons Bennett Armstrong and Donna Davis are planning a write-in campaign for that office.

The mayor’s term is for four years.

A drunk driver involved in a recent traffic accident has been charged with DUI and filing a false report for lying to a law enforcement officer.

30 year old Charles Ryan Riedley of Wildwood Road, Smithville is under a $7,000 bond and his court date is June 28.

(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MUG SHOTS OF PERSONS RECENTLY BOOKED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY JAIL- Intakes & Releases From: 6/04/2018 Thru: 6/12/2018)
Seagate Crystal Reports – REPOR_6.pdf (2.23 MB)

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, June 8 a deputy responded to a wreck on Nashville Highway in front of Twisted Oaks Saloon. Upon arrival, the officer spoke to Riedley who said that he had witnessed the crash while standing on the porch of the bar smoking a vape. After an investigation Riedley was determined to have lied to the officer as he had been driving a black BMW car involved in the wreck. The deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Riedley. His eyes were glazed. Riedley was unsteady on his feet and argumentative. He refused to answer any questions or to submit to field sobriety tasks. Riedley was determined to have been under the influence and he was placed under arrest.

45 year old Ricky Shannon Nokes of Pea Ridge Road, Liberty is charged with driving while license revoked. Nokes’ bond is $1,000 and his court date is June 21.

Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, June 7 a deputy was dispatched to Old Givens Hollow Road due to a truck in the roadway. Upon arrival the officer found Nokes passed out in the driver’s seat. A computer check confirmed that Nokes’ driver’s license were revoked for a DUI in 2016. The officer knew that Nokes had already been cited recently for the same offense (driving on a revoked license) by the Smithville Police Department. He was placed under arrest.

46 year old Wayne Allen Stock of East Bryant Street, Smithville is charged with a third offense of driving on a revoked license. His bond is $5,000 and his court date is July 12.

Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, June 10 a deputy initiated a traffic stop after observing Stock pulling out of DeKalb Market traveling eastbound on Highway 70. The officer had stopped Stock five days before, Tuesday June 5 and found that he had been driving on a revoked license. After making the stop on June 10, the officer requested a computer check and learned that Stock’s license were still revoked. A driving history showed his license were revoked due to a previous DUI and that he had been arrested again for driving on a revoked license on March 11, 2010 and on October 5, 2014. Stock was placed under arrest for the latest offense.

Children and their families are spending quality time together reading this week at Northside Elementary School.

Family Reading Summer Days are underway through Thursday this week from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Smithville Elementary School hosted a similar event last week as part of the Accelerated Reader Program. Children and family members from any school in the system may participate.

DeKalb West School started its Family Read Days Monday and will continue on Friday, June 15 from 8-11 a.m.; Monday, July 9 from noon until 3 p.m.; and Monday, July 16 from 9 a.m. until noon with special activities at 10 a.m.

“Through the summer reading program, family members including parents, grandparents, guardians, aunts, uncles, or older siblings can come to Northside and read books with their children. The students are tested later through the accelerated reader program and the points they accumulate go toward AR Awards for the first nine weeks of school,” said Libby McCormick, Librarian at Northside Elementary School.

In addition to the Family Reading Summer Days at the end of the school year, the schools host Family Read Night events during the school year as an extension of the school day.

Accelerated Reader is a computerized program that tests reading comprehension. Students select books on their reading level, read independently, and take an independent comprehension test on the computer. Each book is worth a certain number of points based on its length and reading level. Students get a percentage of these points based on how many of the test questions they get right. The program tracks their progress over the course of the school year.

“Its nice for parents because they can actually see their children’s growth in reading by participating with them,” said Dr. Danielle Collins, Federal Programs Supervisor for the school system.

Pictured: Kaydence Johnson, Retired Teacher Carolyn Adcock and grandparent, Chrystal Reed, Tristan Reed, Northside Elementary Librarian Libby McCormick, Taylor White, and Hayden Reed