City Seeks to Amend Charter and Policy on Personnel (View video here)

January 2, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Mayor and Aldermen have taken the first step to make changes to the city charter and personnel policy in the procedures for the employment of department heads, officers, and other employees.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the aldermen adopted a resolution asking State Senator Janice Bowling and State Representative Michael Hale to introduce legislation in the state house and senate to amend the city charter. The aldermen also approved an ordinance on first reading to amend the city’s personnel policy to make it consistent with the charter changes. Ratification of the charter amendments and second and final reading action on amending the personnel policy by the Aldermen will come later this year after the legislature acts on the proposed charter amendments.

John Grubbs, Human Resource Consultant and Warren Nevad, Municipal Management Consultant of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service met with the mayor and aldermen during a work session in November to suggest that changes be made.

Currently, the city charter prohibits anyone from holding city office or employment for a period of ten years after final conviction of malfeasance or misfeasance in office, a felony, or a crime involving moral turpitude.

If amended as recommended by MTAS, the charter would prohibit only someone convicted from holding office in the city for a period of ten years. It would no longer apply to an employee.

Grubbs explained his reasons for the proposed change during the November workshop.

“The reason we are removing employees from that provision is because you need to look at how long it has been (since the offense), the nature of the crime, and the nature of the job. Let’s say I applied for a job as a garbage collector at the City of Smithville but eight years ago I had a small drug charge which may have been an e-felony then that would now be considered a misdemeanor. I have a felony on my record. The offense is not job related to exclude that person from being able to work if he or she can do the job and it wouldn’t create risk to the city. The current provision is over broad so I am recommending that you allow employees (in certain cases) to apply and be employed. Clearly you wouldn’t want to put someone in as a finance director who was convicted of malfeasance, misfeasance, or fraud even twenty years ago. We’ll put in the personnel policy that you look at the crime, the nature of the crime, and how long it has been since the conviction, and the job they are doing and then make a decision (on their employment),” said Grubbs.

If approved the city charter would also be amended to specify that by a simple majority vote the Board of Aldermen has the authority to appoint, promote, transfer, demote, suspend, and remove officers(Officers of the city are the City Judge, City Attorney, City Recorder and Treasurer, and City Administrator) and department heads but that the Mayor and or City Administrator , without a vote by the aldermen, would be authorized to appoint, promote, transfer, suspend, demote, and remove all other city employees. No employee terminated by either the board or mayor/city administrator would be afforded an appeal at the city level under the proposed city charter amendments as had been the case in the past.

“The Board hires and fires department heads including the police chief, fire chief, and public works director as well as the city administrator which is an officer and then the mayor and or city administrator as designated by the board to do so by ordinance and the personnel policy can hire, fire, suspend and manage employees. For example when you (city) hire a sanitation worker you (aldermen) don’t have to have a vote. Other than that in regard to personnel actions, the board’s job is to legislate and to adopt personnel rules and regulations and then let the mayor and city administrator manage it except for the hiring and firing of department heads which is the board’s responsibility. What I am recommending is that you (board) divest yourself from all the minutiae of overseeing who is hired as a garbage collector or police officer, etc and you (aldermen) hire the department heads because they are higher level positions,” said Grubbs.

In other business, the aldermen adopted a rezoning ordinance on second and final reading changing from residential to commercial property belonging to Jerry Hutchins at the corner of South College Street and East Bryant Street. A public hearing was held prior to the vote but no one from the public showed up to oppose the request.

The aldermen also postponed action on the purchase of a security camera system at Green Brook Park.

Mayor Josh Miller said at the December meeting that Green Brook Park has come under attack by vandals in recent years and security cameras are needed there to record activity of that kind at the park. He also commended Smithville Electric System for adding more streetlights in the park.

Quotes have been obtained from two companies interested in selling a security camera system package to the city including one from Holmes Surveillance, LLC for $8,596 and DTC Communications for $9,536.

Two of the aldermen, Beth Chandler and Danny Washer wanted more time to consider the proposals before taking action. The issue will be decided at the next meeting in February.

January 2, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County has a new TWRA officer.

Colby Griffin has been assigned to DeKalb County. Originally from Lenoir City near Knoxville, Griffin relocated to DeKalb County about a month ago after graduating from the Tennessee Wildlife Officers Training Academy. He is a graduate of Bearden High School and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Griffin is engaged to Kendall Martin of Petersburg, Tennessee in Marshall County and they plan to marry in June.

Griffin will be joining fellow TWRA Officer Tony Cross in working DeKalb County.

Colby, who enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare time, said he loves this area and is looking forward to living and working here.

December 30, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A woman who perished in a fire at her Smithville home, a Putnam County man charged with murder in the death of a teenager with family ties to DeKalb County, the near completion of the new Highway 56 project, and a Super Bowl Championship for the DeKalb Junior Pro Football Pee Wee Tigers were just a few of the top news stories, happy and sad, that drew attention in the second half of 2022 and lead off WJLE’s Part-4 and Final Year in Review look back.

37-year-old Brittany Schemmer perished in a fire at her Smithville residence Tuesday, December 27 at 201 Hayes Street. According to Detective Brandon Donnell of the Smithville Police Department, city workers spotted the fire as they were passing by and reported it at 10:23 a.m. “The Smithville Fire Department arrived on the scene quickly and found smoke billowing through the roof and all through the house,” said Detective Donnell. “We saw no vehicle parked at the residence but while talking to neighbors we learned that a woman lived there but had no car. We were also informed that the woman’s 6-year-old daughter lived with her but that the child was at her grandparents’ home at the time,” Detective Donnell continued. Fire Chief Charlie Parker said as fire fighters were battling the blaze, they were also looking for the woman and found her body in a master bathroom closet. She apparently succumbed to smoke inhalation. A cat and dog also perished in the fire. According to Chief Parker, the fire is believed to have started in the kitchen, but the exact cause has not been determined. No foul play is suspected. The house was gutted by the fire. The structure and all belongings were lost. In addition to the Smithville Fire Department and Smithville City Police, DeKalb EMS and city workers were also on the scene.

A Putnam County man arrested in connection with the death of 15-year-old Olivia Daryl Taylor is now facing additional charges. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday, October 31 that 63-year-old Charles “Chuck” Carter Jr. has now been charged with second-degree murder and one count of abuse of a corpse. Taylor was reported missing by her parents from her Putnam County home on Wednesday, October 26. The next day, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office reported that the body of Taylor was found in a wooded area east of Cookeville. Officials said Carter admitted to officers he delivered and provided illegal drugs to Taylor which caused her death. Carter was previously charged with aggravated statutory rape in regard to the investigation. District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway said the investigation into Olivia’s death remains active and additional charges are possible.

Champions! The DeKalb County Junior Pro Football Pee Wee Tigers (ages 6 &7) completed an undefeated 9-0 season Saturday, October 8 defeating the Fentress County Bulldogs 19-18 in double overtime to claim the Championship of the Middle Tennessee Youth Football Conference. This Junior Pro “Super Bowl” Conference Classic was played at York Institute in Jamestown. The DeKalb Pee Wee Tigers (8-0) went undefeated during their six-game regular season and beat both of their play-off opponents to win the western division of the conference. Fentress County (5-3) won the eastern division.

An Algood man indicted two years ago in connection with the drug-related death of a Smithville woman was sentenced Monday, November 14 in DeKalb County Criminal Court. 43-year-old Patrick Goolsby entered a plea to a charge of attempted second degree murder and received an effective 15-year sentence as a range I offender to serve at least 30% before his release eligibility date. As part of the plea agreement, the drug charges against Goolsby were dropped with his guilty plea for attempted second degree murder. The charges against Goolsby in November 2020 were the result of a joint investigation by Special Agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. Goolsby was named in grand jury indictments that month charging him with one count of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Sale and Delivery of a Schedule II Controlled Substance. In June, 2020 agents joined deputies in investigating the death of 45-year-old Jennifer Leighann Jacobs. She was found deceased on May 22nd, 2020 in her Smithville home of a drug overdose, with fentanyl determined as a contributing factor. The investigation revealed that on May 18th, 2020 the victim had purchased drugs by an individual identified as Patrick Goolsby.

New traffic patterns! State Highway 56 is not what it used to be and motorists traveling from Smithville to the Warren County line are noticing that with new traffic patterns. The Tennessee Department of Transportation in November began diverting traffic from more portions of the old highway to the new highway alignment. TDOT reported in October that the State Highway 56 construction project was running behind schedule and the contractor, Jones Brothers, LLC had asked for more time to complete the work without penalty. The bid was awarded in 2019 for the project which extends almost 8 miles from south of the Warren County line in DeKalb County to East Bryant Street in Smithville. The state is building largely two lanes with 10-foot shoulders along the route. The original bid amount was $43,691,948 and the current contract bid amount including change orders is currently at $44,047, 150. The current approved adjusted completion date was August 17, 2022.

A former law enforcement officer in DeKalb and other counties was indicted in December on sex crimes involving a minor. 39-year-old Dustin James Farris of Star Drive, Sparta (DeKalb County) was arrested Thursday, December 8 for solicitation of a minor by electronic means, sexual exploitation of a minor (2 counts), and sexual contact with a minor by an authority figure. A special called session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury met Wednesday, December 7 and heard testimony against Farris and found probable cause to indict him. A sealed indictment was returned against Farris by the Grand Jury. Farris’ latest employment was with the Overton County Sheriff’s Department where he served as a School Resource Officer. He had also formerly been employed as an officer in recent years by the DeKalb, White, Putnam, and Cannon County Sheriff’s Departments as well as a Child Support Investigator in the 13th Judicial District.

After almost four and a half years, a criminal case against former Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss and his son Tony has been resolved. Both father and son were scheduled to make an appearance in DeKalb County Criminal Court Tuesday, December 6 but subject to a negotiated settlement, the cases against both have been dismissed with them having agreed to make restitution to the City of Smithville in the total amount of $8,100. Former Mayor Poss was named in a July 2018 sealed indictment charging him with one count of Official Misconduct and one count of Theft of Property over $2,500. Tony Poss was also named in a sealed indictment at the same time charging him with one count of Theft of Property over $2,500. The charges stemmed from a move by the former mayor to put his son on the city payroll in the fall of 2017 without the approval of the aldermen. “We entered an agreement with the defense in which Jimmy and Tony would pay full restitution to the city and the cases would be dismissed against them. The reason we entered that agreement is because Jimmy Poss has been diagnosed with a medical condition so there was a very real question as to whether we would ever be able to bring him to trial,” said Assistant District Attorney General Greg Strong. The cases were presented to the grand jury in July 2018 by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation who began a probe after the issue surfaced in March, 2018. In September, 2017, Tony Poss was put on the city payroll to work at the golf course and swimming pool but the aldermen said Mayor Poss violated the city’s hiring and nepotism policies in hiring Tony without their approval. City records showed that from September 1, 2017 to March 2, 2018 Tony earned $300 per week (gross) for a total of $8,100. When the issue came to light on March 5, 2018 Tony’s employment with the city ended. The aldermen censured Mayor Poss for his actions at the time (a symbolic move) and questioned whether Tony actually did any work to earn his salary.

The following is a monthly review of local news highlights from October to December 2022:

OCTOBER
The Smithville Mayor and Aldermen in October paid tribute to a long-time member of the planning commission and board of zoning appeals who passed away in August. Mayor Josh Miller presented a plaque to Jackie Smith, wife of Wade Smith, Jr. The plaque reads as follows: “The City of Smithville honors the family of the late Wade Smith, Jr. He served the City of Smithville faithfully for many years serving on the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. His dedication to the city will never be forgotten. Presented this 3rd Day of October, 2022”.

A brief dedication observance was held Monday evening, October 10 at the “Dylan Kleparek Coach K Soccer Field” at DeKalb County High School. It comes almost a year after the Board of Education named the field for the legendary Tiger and Lady Tiger soccer coach. Coach K, as he is affectionately known, helped start the high school soccer program 40 seasons ago (combined boys and girls seasons) and is the head coach for both boys and girls teams (spring and fall). In addition to his years of coaching, Kleparek is also a veteran teacher with 21 years in the classroom and all of that time has been in DeKalb County.

New lighting and bleachers will be in place at the DeKalb County High School Football stadium within the next few months. During the regular monthly meeting in October, the Board of Education voted to purchase LED lights and poles from Musco Sports Lighting based in Cincinnati, Ohio at a bid price of $151, 951. Installation will be done by the school district’s maintenance crew. The existing six poles and lights will be replaced with four poles and a total of 28 brighter LED lights (seven lights per pole). A show light entertainment package is included with a control and monitoring cabinet and touch screen for onsite theatrical light show effects. The new lights are expected to be in place by graduation next May. The board also awarded a bid to Toadvine Enterprises based in Fisherville, Kentucky in the amount of $477,123 for the purchase and installation of new aluminum handicapped accessible bleachers with a section of VIP seating at the DCHS football field which includes the relocation of a portion of the existing bleachers to the high school soccer field and to make them handicapped accessible. The new bleachers are to be in place by the start of the football season next year. Currently the total stadium seating capacity is 994 including over 600 on the home side and the rest on the visitor side of the field. With the new bleachers, the stadium home seating capacity would more than double to over 1,300 stretching almost the length of the field. There would be no bleacher seating expansion on the visitor side. The benches will also be powder coated providing opportunities to display school colors. A concrete base will be put down to support the new set of bleachers.

The 2022 Fall Fest Queen Royalty sponsored by the Smithville Business and Professional Women’s Club: (age 17-20) – Queen Kenlee Renae Taylor, the 17-year-old daughter of Ken and Cindy Taylor of Smithville; Deanna Marie Agee, 14-year-old daughter of David and Dama Agee of Smithville was crowned queen of the age 14-16 category. Kaydence Shontae Johnson, 12-year-old daughter of Jeremy and Trista Ashburn of Smithville won the Fall Fest Queen crown of the age 11-13 division. Katie Jo Prichard, 7-year-old daughter of Luke and Jo Dee Prichard of Alexandria was the winner of the Fall Fest Pageant among 7-10 year olds. Ansley Grace Snow, 6-year-old daughter of Ashleigh Snow and Andy and Laura Snow of Smithville was the Fall Fest Queen for ages 4-6. Winners were also awarded in baby and toddler categories.

A 70-year-old man is facing an 8-year prison sentence for the rape of a 14-year-old girl. William Kenneth Phillips entered a plea in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Tuesday, October 18 to one count of rape. He received an 8-year sentence to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. His name will also be included in the state’s sex offender registry. Phillips was given jail credit from May 20, 2019 to October 18, 2022. Phillips had been indicted for rape, sexual battery by an authority figure, and incest. According to the indictment, Phillips did unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly expose himself and by force or coercion have sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl between the months of May and August 2018.

For years the DeKalb Utility District has had to purchase water from the City of Baxter to serve its own customers in the Cherry Hill and Silver Point areas in DeKalb County because there is no water line across Hurricane Bridge over Center Hill Lake to connect them. That may change thanks to available American Rescue Plan Funds through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. In October, the County Commission adopted a resolution to make application for the funds on behalf of the DeKalb Utility District as well as the DeWhite Utility District and the City of Baxter which all serve portions of DeKalb County and who are looking to meet their own water improvement needs. The Upper Cumberland Development District is to administer the grants. Under the program, DeKalb County is eligible for a maximum grant of $3,730,767 through TDEC’s American Recovery Plan which can only be used for critical water needs as identified by local utility districts. The local grant match is to be funded half by the county using its own available ARP funds and half by the utilities for their specific projects. DeKalb Utility District has identified as its most critical need extending a water line across Hurricane Bridge to directly serve its own customers (approximately 200 meters) there which is expected to bring down costs to the utility. The total project is two million dollars with a $300,000 local grant match to be funded half by DUD and half from DeKalb County ARP funds. Meanwhile, DeWhite Utility District has identified as its critical need the rehabilitation of the Smithville Highway Waterline in DeKalb County. The total project is $1,453,684 with a $218,052 local grant match to be funded half by DeWhite Utility District and half from DeKalb County ARP funds. The City of Baxter has identified as its critical need a waterline rehabilitation serving the Wolf Creek Community of DeKalb County. The total project cost is $777,778 with a local grant match of $77,778 to be funded half by the City of Baxter and half from DeKalb County ARP funds. The UCDD project administration costs total $111,923 with a local match of $16,788 from DeKalb County ARP funds.

It was a record-breaking day for the 18th Annual Habitat for Humanity Chili Cook-off and Bake Sale, held on Friday October 28 under sunny skies on the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Twenty-one chili teams participated in the cook-off; over 600 bowls of chili were served; and $9,300 was raised for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, which will be used towards the building of the next Habitat house in 2023. Habitat officials report that this was the most successful cook-off in the history of its chili cook-off, which began in 2004. “The Courthouse Gang” from DeKalb County Officials took Top Chili Honors. The Best Decorated Booth Award went to Smithville Electric System. The Golden Spoon Award went to “The Courthouse Gang” from the DeKalb County Officials, who raised the most additional money for Habitat in cash donations at their booth.

For the first time, members of the DeKalb County Commission Thursday night, October 27 were shown plans for a proposed new 800 student Pre-K to 2nd grade elementary school to replace the existing Smithville Elementary complex. The joint meeting between the County Commission, Board of Education, County Mayor, Director of Schools, and Upland Design Group of Crossville, the Architect of the project was held in an informal work session at the auditorium of the Mike Foster Multipurpose Center. An updated rendering, schematic site, and floor plan were unveiled as to what a new Smithville Elementary School campus would look like, and representatives of Upland Design took questions from the commissioners. Although the Board of Education has settled on the plan, it may be months before the County Commission decides whether to fund it. In the meantime, County Mayor Adcock said he has asked CTAS County Government Consultant Ben Rodgers to conduct a debt study for the county before action is taken. The existing Smithville Elementary School, originally built in 1958, now is 70,557 square feet in size, and has a current enrollment of 581 students. As far back as 2017, a facilities study by Upland Design Group, concluded that the school, which has mold and other concerns, should be replaced and repurposed for other uses. The current estimated project cost to build a new Smithville Elementary School is $46,199,875.

The DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department has ranked #8 among volunteer and combination fire departments in the state of Tennessee for 2021-2022 training achievement. Of the 732 fire departments in Tennessee, both volunteer and career, the DeKalb County Fire Department ranked # 25 for 2021-2022 training achievement. This is the 14th consecutive year the DeKalb County Fire Department has been recognized as one of Tennessee’s elite fire departments for outstanding training achievement. This year, the department logged 2,053 training hours at the state fire academy and was recognized as a Gold Level fire department in Tennessee for 2021-2022.

NOVEMBER
The DeKalb County Tigers made a quick exit from the TSSAA Class 4A Football Play-Offs with a 21-14 loss to the East Hamilton Hurricanes at Ooltewah Friday night, November . The season for the Tigers came to a close with a record of 6-5. The Tigers concluded the regular season at 6-4 and 4th place in Region 4-4A at 2-3 while East Hamilton finished 7-3 and won the Region 3-4A regular season championship at 6-0. It was the second straight meeting between these two schools in the first round of the state football playoffs. Last year the Tigers journeyed to Ooltewah and won 35-21 to advance. This marked the 12th consecutive State Football Play-Off appearance for DeKalb County, the most in school history.

Thirteen DCHS Football players and an assistant coach earned 2022 All-Region honors including Tiger Senior Running Back Colby Barnes who was named the Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player in Region 4, Class 4A with Kaleb Flowers of Stone Memorial. Barnes, who set a school single season rushing record at DCHS with 2,073 yards on 287 carries and 19 touchdowns through 11 games, was joined by Tyler Estes, the region’s Co-Most Outstanding Linebacker with Brady Lane of Stone Memorial; Ean Jones- Co-Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman with Bo Harrel of Upperman; Josh May- Most Outstanding Tight End, Malachi Trapp- Co-Most Outstanding Wide Receiver with Jackson Bush of Upperman; Holden Trapp-Co-Most Outstanding Returner with Nick Osmun of Stone Memorial, and Nolan Gottlied-Co-Most Outstanding Punter with the punter from Cumberland County. Tiger Assistant Michael Shaw was named the Region’s Co-Defensive Assistant Coach of the year with Justin Qualls of Stone Memorial and Spencer Young of Macon County. All Region 1st Team from DeKalb County: Wil Farris, Ty Webb, and Ari White. All Region 2nd Team from DeKalb County: Shadie Rankhorn, Johnny Skinner, and Trace Hamilton.

The D.C.H.S. Fighting Tiger Band saw the marching season come to an exhilarating end at the 41st Annual Tennessee Division II State Marching Band Championship. Under the direction of Don Whitt and Assistant Director Erica Birmingham, the 45-member ensemble performed admirably against some of the biggest bands and strongest schools in the state November 5 at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna. Judges ranked the band and percussion section as Excellent and the color guard and drum major Serenity Burgess as Superior. While the band didn’t make it to the finals, they placed 14th out of 22 bands, and the color guard was 7th overall.

A man accused of setting fire to a cabin on Smith Fork Road near Dowelltown almost three years ago was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, November 14. 40-year-old Joseph Huff Ray entered a plea to charges of aggravated arson and aggravated burglary. He received a 10-year sentence in each case to serve as a range I offender at 30% before his release eligibility date. The two terms are to run concurrently. Ray was given jail credit of 1,036 days. His restitution amount is to be determined. The investigation began after a fire was reported at the cabin on January 12, 2020 at 10:27 p.m. The owner was not occupying the cabin at the time having used it as a seasonal residence. The cabin was destroyed in the blaze. During the investigation, a detective of the Sheriff’s Department learned that sometime prior to the fire Joseph Huff Ray and his girlfriend had apparently broken into and taken up residence in the cabin without the knowledge of the owner. The detective later learned that Ray and his girlfriend had posted photos of the cabin on their facebook page which were made prior to the fire. There were also facebook photos of a tractor parked near the cabin and a set of antique keys to the cabin. The keys were posted for sale. The photos were shown to the owner of the cabin who identified the property as belonging to him. TBI assisted in the investigation at the scene.

Honoring a hometown Country Music Legend! The City of Smithville and Chamber of Commerce held a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting Saturday morning, November 19 for the John Anderson Alley, formerly known as Walnut Alley. The alley was recently renamed in honor of the Country Music Icon, who has made Smithville his home for more than 40 years. At one time John and his wife Jamie owned a downtown building attached to the alley. The alley is between buildings extending from Walnut to West Main Street downtown Smithville. Anderson and his family were on hand for the dedication along with several fans and friends.

A Win-Win for Smithville! Christmas came early for the City of Smithville Monday, November 28 with the announcement that it had been awarded grants for two projects totaling more than $1.5 million to install sidewalks/crosswalks and to replace deteriorating sewer lines. The Upper Cumberland Development District applied for the grants on behalf of the city. The largest project is to put down sidewalks on Highway 70 east from near the intersection of Highway 56 (South Congress Boulevard) and to install high visibility crosswalks and ADA compliant curb ramps in the areas where Highway 70 intersects with Bright Hill Road and Colvert Lake Road. The total cost is $934,000 but thanks to the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Access Grant, the city will receive $888,000 for this project with a local grant match of $46,000. The $600,000 sewer line rehab project is to replace 3,800 hundred linear feet of gravity sewer lines and manholes in the Bright Hill and Morgan Creek subsystem areas to keep excessive surface water from entering the wastewater treatment plant especially during heavy rains. Half of the cost ($300,000) will be funded through a Community Development Block Grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The City of Smithville will fund the other half ($300,000) as its local grant match. The matching portion for both projects will be provided from the city’s available general fund and water and sewer fund reserves. TDOT’s Multimodal Access Grant is a state-funded program created to support the transportation needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users through infrastructure projects that address existing gaps along state routes.

DECEMBER
A motorist pulling into a parking space at F.Z. Webb & Sons Pharmacy on South Congress Boulevard Thursday, December 1 lost control of his car and crashed through the front of the building. 84-year-old Robert Terry Little, Jr. of Smithville told Smithville Police that while pulling up to the building to park in his 2015 Toyota Camry, he accidentally accelerated rather than braking causing the car to jump the sidewalk in front of the building and crash through the brick and glass storefront. Although neither Little nor anyone inside the pharmacy was injured, the building sustained extensive damage. The Webb family said the business remains open. In addition to the Smithville Police Department, the Smithville Fire Department and DeKalb EMS were also on the scene.

A hidden courthouse historical treasure discovered! More than 50 years after being placed within a cornerstone of the present-day DeKalb County Courthouse after its construction and dedication in 1971, a time capsule was found in December by County Mayor Matt Adcock. But instead of being in its original place, the historic cache of memorabilia contained within a 14” x 10” x 3” copper box was discovered in a closet at the mayor’s courthouse office. No one seems to know for sure why the time capsule was moved from inside the cornerstone or how long it had been in the closet. The cornerstone on the bottom of the southwest end of the courthouse has a removable concrete cover dated 1970 on its exterior with a hollowed-out space inside the cover in the exact dimensions of the time capsule. Speculation is the time capsule may have been moved at some point after its original placement to prevent it from being stolen. On Friday afternoon, December 16 Adcock, Chamber Director Suzanne Williams and members of their families met at the County Mayor’s Office and decided to open the box, which had been soldered shut, to see what was inside. Among the memorabilia were several editions of the Smithville Review, a Model City publication called DeKalb Citizen along with photographs of the courthouse in various stages of construction, the dedication ceremony after the courthouse was completed attended by local, state, and federal dignitaries, and even a reel-to-reel tape recording by Mickey Driver and played at the time on WJLE containing an account of the DeKalb County Courthouse history, among other treasures. County Mayor Adcock said the contents of the time capsule will be preserved possibly for a county historical display and a new time capsule may also be created with artifacts of today for future generations.

A family was left homeless after a fire destroyed their residence at 1576 Vandergriff Hollow Road near Dowelltown Friday afternoon, December 16. Ann-C.S. White and three children were not at home at the time of the fire, but they lost their dwelling and all belongings including three pets in the blaze. The cause is undetermined.

Now Open! After seven months, motorists traveling Big Rock Road no longer have to detour because the new bridge over Pine Creek is now completed. Road Supervisor Danny Hale held a ribbon cutting at the bridge Wednesday afternoon , December 21 accompanied by his secretary Rena Willoughby; the Project Engineer, Kyle Hazel of Hazel Engineering, LLC in Cookeville; and Project Manager Justin Garmany of Dement Construction in Jackson. Construction began on the new bridge in May and was finished on Tuesday, December 20. The price tag for the bridge was $1,554,000 but the good news is no local tax dollars were needed to fund it. The state picked up the tab under the state’s IMPROVE Act high priority bridge replacement program.

Director of Schools Patrick Cripps has announced the 2022-23 Teachers of the Year at the building level of the five schools in the county. This year’s honorees chosen by their peers are Special Education Pre-K teacher, Sydney Johnson at Smithville Elementary School; Positive Behavior Interventionist and Lead District Positive Behavior Support Interventionist, Meagan Humbert at Northside Elementary School; Rachel Desimone, 5th grade teacher and Instructional Coach at DeKalb West School; Sarah Jacobs, an 8th grade ELA teacher at DeKalb Middle School; and Lesa Hayes, a CTE Teaching as a Profession, Human Studies and Business teacher at DeKalb County High School. According to Michelle Burklow, Supervisor of Instruction, “Competition for the district-wide John Isabell Teacher of the Year award continues through January and will be announced this spring. Additionally, a DeKalb County teacher will be chosen by a committee to compete at the regional level in March, and if selected the teacher will represent DeKalb County at the state level competition.”

The DeKalb County Highway Department is getting a big financial shot in the arm from the county. During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, December 22 the county commission, as recommended by the ARP committee, voted to allocate one million dollars of remaining ARP funds to the local road department at the request of Supervisor Danny Hale specifically to be spent on improving roads. Also as part of the vote, the commission allocated another$65,000 in ARP funding toward a playground at the Belk Community Center and $11,890 for repairs to the Midway Community Center. A proposal to remodel the county complex office (Re-locating County Complex Main office closer to the front door) using $20,000 in ARP money will instead be reassigned from the budget’s capital projects fund. “I am honored to get this ARP money, but the bigger honor is that the citizens are going to be honored that the county commission is helping with their roads,” said Road Supervisor Hale after the meeting Thursday night. “Unless we get help from the county commission, we are limited to what we can do because of revenue. I am thankful to the commissioners who supported me in this, and it will be put to good use. All the money will be put into chipping roads,” Hale continued.

A Christmas Eve fire destroyed a home at 596 Hurricane Ridge Road. DeKalb County Volunteer Firefighters were summoned to the home of Tania Ramsey Saturday at 12:42 p.m. where flames were reported to be showing through the roof. They were unable to save the home and its contents. The cause of the fire is undetermined. No one was home at the time. Ramsey was reportedly away on a trip.

Just a month after preparing and delivering hot Thanksgiving Day meals to hundreds of underprivileged and underserved people in the community, members of the DeKalb Emergency Services and other caring volunteers did the same on Christmas Eve. According to Blake Cantrell, spokesperson for the DESA, 830 meals were sent to homes across the county Saturday morning, December 24. On Thanksgiving morning 700 meals were delivered. Cooking and food preparation started early at the county complex kitchen. Volunteers then loaded their personal vehicles with food trays and set out to deliver them to homes along the routes in time for the recipients’ noon time meal. Feeding the hungry during Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve has become an annual effort of the DeKalb Emergency Services Association (DESA), in partnership with local businesses and volunteers.

God’s Food Pantry continues its mission to feed the hungry through the holidays and year-round. For 15 years the pantry has provided food and other essentials to help meet the needs of the medically frail and elderly, children, veterans, the homeless, and the working poor. The pantry receives no local, state, or federal government funding but is able to operate from donations of caring individuals and businesses, among others. Pat Zornow, God’s Food Pantry volunteer and coordinator, said between 800 and 900 families are served per month which includes about 80 home deliveries to those with special needs. Food is distributed on the first Friday after the first Thursday and on the third Friday of every month from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon from the pantry at 430 East Broad, Smithville in a drive through pickup line. A long line of cars forms along East Broad Street near the pantry every time the twice a month event is held. Smithville Police are always on site to assist with traffic control and the sheriff’s department provides inmate work crews under guarded supervision by correctional officers to help pantry volunteers with the distribution. The first Friday the food boxes consist basically of staples with perishables and the third Friday is the staples, perishables, and meats. Beverages are included when possible. Friday, December 16 was the final regular food distribution before Christmas and families got a little something extra. “They received holiday food boxes donated by Food Lion, staples from our food pantry such as additional rice, pasta, sauce, and we put in perishables including fruits and vegetables we had received or purchased not only from Food Lion but from Second Harvest, and then we added breads and meats. For families of four or more, they got a big turkey while others had chickens and other meats we had put in their boxes,” said Zornow. The next food distribution is Friday morning, January 6.

‘Twas a merry and delightful Saturday night, December 3 in downtown Smithville as thousands of spectators celebrated the arrival of the holiday season during the Smithville Christmas Parade and Christmas on the Square. It is believed to have been the largest parade in Smithville’s history in terms of participants with the long line stretching from the New Life Connection Center down Congress Boulevard to the public square. Country music legend John Anderson served as Grand Marshal of the Parade with his wife Jamie riding with him. Mr and Mrs. DeKalb County Alex and Ashby Woodward were this year’s honorary Grand Marshals. DeKalb Funeral Chapel won 1st place for their float entry. Second place went to Hurricane Marina and the Memorial Baptist Church took 3rd place. The DCHS Fighting Tiger Band won the Spirit Award presented by the Smithville Business and Professional Women’s Club. Winners of the Chamber of Commerce sponsored “Live” Windows Contest were: First Place-The Attic on Walnut Street; Second Place- The Purple Door Antiques and Uniques; and Third Place- Real Source. The parade was sponsored by the Smithville Fire Department. The Town of Liberty was filled with many smiling faces Sunday afternoon, December 4 for the annual Christmas parade. Right on Time, a popular local gospel group, served as the Grand Marshal of the parade. DeKalb Funeral Chapel took 1st place for their “Tender Tennessee Christmas” float entry. Second place went to Gallatin Fire Extinguisher of Woodbury. (The Vickers Family). In the category old classic cars and trucks, Dale and Cameron Purcell of Liberty won 1st place for their entry of a 1966 Mustang convertible 289 four speed. Second place went to Steve Merriman of Smithville for his 1987 Chevrolet Silverado 4 x4. In the entry for children, the Memorial Baptist Church took 1st place and 2nd place went to Toby Agee of Smithville. First place in the entry for animals went to the Harvey Family & Grinch of Davis Hollow Road. Second place was awarded to Bill Stanton of Liberty. Santa made another appearance in DeKalb County on Sunday night for the Alexandria Christmas Parade. The town’s annual holiday tradition, held for the third consecutive year after dark, gave onlookers a chance to experience the spirit of the season under the glow of lights along the parade route from West Main Street to the downtown square. The Grand Marshal was Sandy Brown, outgoing Director of the Alexandria Senior Center. She was accompanied by driver, Alexandria Alderman Lynn Dickerson, who is also recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award.

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