Cannon County Hospital, LLC and Saint Thomas Health Services have jointly announced that the sale of DeKalb Hospital, Smithville has been finalized.
Cannon County Hospital, LLC assumed ownership of the hospital at the close of business on Friday.
The sale of DeKalb Hospital to Cannon County Hospital, LLC was announced in April. The transaction was reviewed by the Tennessee Office of the Attorney General and both Saint Thomas Health Services and Cannon County, LLC were notified that the Attorney General would take no action in the proceeding clearing the way for the immediate closure of the sale.
DeKalb Hospital has been a part of Saint Thomas Health Services since 2002 when Saint Thomas Hospital acquired the Baptist Health Care System. The criteria for considering organizations interested in purchasing DeKalb Hospital included commitments to continuing health care services in DeKalb County and to the continued employment and well being of associates employed there.
The principals in Cannon County Hospital, LLC, also own Stones River Hospital,a 65 bed hospital in Woodbury. Stones River Hospital was acquired in 1999 and has grown through the addition of new physicians and services.
Saint Thomas Health Services is a faith based ministry serving Middle Tennessee. Saint Thomas Health Services consists of four hospitals: Baptist and Saint Thomas Hospitals in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, and Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville. It is a member of Ascension Health, a Catholic Organization, that is the largest not-for profit health system in the United States.

Smithville Mayor Taft Hendrixson and Aldermen Stephen White and Cecil Burger, elected on June 20th, were sworn into office to begin their new two year terms Saturday morning during a special meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at city hall.
City Attorney Sarah Cripps administered the oath of office.
After the swearing in ceremony, Mayor Hendrixson appointed each of the alderman to oversee a city department.
The appointments are as follows: Steve White-Vice Mayor and Commissioner of Finance and Taxation; W.J. (Dub) White- Commissioner of Streets and Safety; Paul Young- Commissioner of the Water and Sewer Departments; Cecil Burger-Commissioner of Sanitation; and Aaron Meeks – Commissioner of the Police and Fire Departments.

A Murfreesboro girl took home this year’s top Jamboree award as the best fiddler in the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners.
Maddie Denton was crowned the Grand Champion fiddler Saturday and won the coveted James G. “Bobo” Driver Memorial Award, named for the man who started the children’s competition during the 1980’s as part of the annual Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival.
Denton also received the “Entertainer of the Year” Award, which is presented to the best overall instrumental entertainer among winners in the dobro guitar, mandolin, five string banjo, and flat top guitar competition.
The National Championship for Country Musician Beginners showcases the talents of children up to age twelve in seven categories of competition.
This year’s winners are as follows:
Fiddle: First Place-Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro. Second Place- Danielle Bishop of Fairview, North Carolina. Third Place- Alex Thomlinson of Suches, Georgia.
Buck Dancing: First Place- Emily Dean of Springfield. Second Place- Ty Jackson of Cedar Hill. Third Place- Tanner Dunn of Cookeville.
Clogging: First Place-Emily Dean of Springfield. Second Place- Ty Jackson of Cedar Hill. Third Place- Lindsay Batts of Ashland City..
Dobro Guitar: First Place-Seth Taylor of Bryson City, North Carolina. Second Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro. These were the only two contestants in this category.
Mandolin: First Place-Sarah Jones of Smithville. Second Place- Grant Rigney of Normandy, Tennessee. Third Place- Emma DeJarnette of Snellville, Georgia.
Five String Banjo: First Place- Seth Taylor of Bryson City, North Carolina. Second Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro. Third Place- Aaron Thompson of Benton, Kentucky.
Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro. Second Place- Tyler Sellers of Ashland City. Third Place- Andrew Rigney of Normandy, Tennessee.

The Grand Champion Fiddler of the 35th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival is Jeremy Stephens of Danville, Virginia.
Stephens won the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award Saturday night after the Grand Finale Fiddle-Off between the best Junior and Senior Fiddler.
Stephens made it to the fiddle off by winning the Junior Fiddling competition and he won the Grand Championship by beating Carl Franklin of Hendersonville, the winner of the Senior Fiddling contest.
Other winners in the Saturday session of the Fiddler’s Jamboree are as follows:
Junior Fiddlers (Ages 13-39): First Place- Jeremy Stephens of Danville, Virginia. Second Place- Greg Hallums of Lebanon. Third Place- Ashley Sullivan of Mount Juliet.
Junior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages up to 39): First Place- Jacob Campbell of Murfreesboro. Second Place- Justin Frazor of Smyrna. Third Place- Chris Gray of Saint Joseph, Tennessee.
Senior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Danny Campbell of Murfreesboro. Second Place- Thomas Maupin of Murfreesboro. Third Place- Tommy Scruggs of Hartsville.
Senior Buck Dancing (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Stanley Reece of Whitleyville, Tennessee. Second Place- Darrin Stryker of Crossville. Third Place- Danny Campbell of Murfreesboro.
Senior Clogging (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Tammy Scruggs of Hartsville. Second Place- Michael Oliver of Hartsville. Third Place- Tommy Jackson of Franklin.
Bluegrass Banjo: First Place- Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg. Second Place- Jeremy Stephens of Danville, Virginia. Third Place- Tyler Collins of Allons, Tennessee.
Bluegrass Band: First Place- Tennessee Bluegrass of Jackson, Tennessee. Second Place- Crosswind of Olive Hill, Tennessee. Third Place- Stoney Lonesome of Cookeville..
Senior Fiddlers ( Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Carl Franklin of Hendersonville. Second Place- Delmer Holland of Waverly. Third Place- R.B. Scruggs of Hartsville.
Square Dancing: First Place- Rhythm-N-Motion of Cookeville. Second Place- Rocky Top Revue of Franklin, Tennessee. Third Place- Rhythm-N-Motion Xplosion of Cookeville.

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night authorized a property search in the Austin Bottom community for the construction of a fire hall to serve that portion of the county, difficult to reach because of Center Hill Lake.
County Mayor Mike Foster says Putnam County, which has been providing primary emergency services to the 235 homes in the Austin Bottom/Cookeville Boat Dock area, is no longer interested in covering that portion of DeKalb County. “We’ve been meeting with the people over there and the committees that have already met have recommended, subject to your (county commission) approval, that we build a fire hall and equip it subject to those people over there getting a minimum of seven volunteer firemen and at least five emergency medical first responders.”
Foster says hopefully the county can find a site large enough to perhaps offer other services. “I think it’s everybody’s feeling that we need to buy an acre of land because, in addition to the fire hall, we’re probably going to need some other things, like a garbage collection center.”
“Under our mutual aid agreement, Putnam County has been answering the 911 calls in that area for some time and we have been covering a little more of their insurance than normal, but they have decided to stop doing that (answering calls) as of August 1st of this coming year.”
“Our 911 people have gone over there, gotten the GPS and mapping done, and have obtained the numbers from Cookeville, Baxter, and those areas, and are ready to change it over on a trial basis July 1st so that we can start answering those 911 calls.”
“We’ve already responded to fires in that area even though Putnam County is still responding. We’re sending our trucks and when our trucks get there they (Putnam County) leave. The two or three (calls) that we responded to lately had under 30 minute response times, which is good. In fact, it’s better than Putnam County’s has been.”
“The thing that concerns everyone connected with it, is the true emergency ambulance service call, like a heart attack victim and that’s why we’re trying to get so many first responders over there.”
“There’s also an assisted living home over there that has about eighteen residents and lot of the ambulance calls from that area are to take those people back and forth to the hospital.”
Foster says once a site has been located, he will propose that the county commission make the purchase so that construction on a fire hall can begin.

Fires damaged two homes late Monday night in DeKalb County.
Firefighters responded to the residence of Chris Dodson at 906 Parkway Drive around 11:17 p.m. after a neighbor spotted smoke coming from the house and called 911 to report it.
County Fire Chief Donny Green says firefighters made entry to the home and contained the blaze to a front bedroom of the house, where the fire apparently started.
The rest of the home received heat and smoke damage.
Green says the Dodson’s were reportedly at work when the fire started. No one was injured.
Members of the Cookeville Highway, Short Mountain Highway, and Midway Stations responded along with the tanker truck. DeKalb EMS also stood by at the scene as a precaution and officers of the Sheriff’s Department assisted with traffic control.
Meanwhile, Assistant County Fire Chief Roy Merriman says another fire call came in around 11:45 p.m. at the residence of Danny Rigsby at 1863 Bethel Road.
Firefighters, responding to an alarm, found fire coming from a back bedroom of the house. They made entry to the home and quickly extinguished the blaze. Merriman says the fire was mostly confined to the bedroom although there was some damage to the ceiling, living room, and hallway.
No one was home at the time of the fire and no one was injured.
Members of the Blue Springs, Keltonburg, and Belk Stations responded to that fire.
DeKalb EMS and a county officer also stood by at the scene.