The DeKalb County Democratic Primary is set for Tuesday, May 2.
The polls at all sixteen precincts in the county will be open that day from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. WJLE will have LIVE election return coverage from the courthouse starting at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday night.
Candidates who are seeking office in the primary Tuesday are as follows:
County Clerk: Incumbent Mike Clayborn and Glynn Merriman
County Mayor/Executive: Incumbent Mike Foster and Angela Puckett
Sheriff: Incumbent Lloyd Emmons, Myron Rhody, Randall Stanley, and David C. Redmon
Circuit Court Clerk: Incumbent Katherine Pack
Register of Deeds: Incumbent Jeff McMillen
General Sessions/Juvenile Court Judge: Incumbent Bratten Cook II
Trustee: Anthony (Doc) Green
Road Supervisor: No Democratic Candidate
The following are the democratic candidates for the county commission. Two can be nominated from each district:
County Commission: First District- Charles Griffith and Elmer Ellis, Jr.
County Commission: Second District- Shane Cook, William Reynolds, and Jack Barton
County Commission: Third District- Incumbent Jerry Scott and Incumbent Roy D. Merriman
County Commission: Fourth District- Incumbent Wayne Cantrell, Incumbent Jesse D. Baker, and Chris Smithson
County Commission: Fifth District- Incumbent Jerry Taylor, Incumbent John D. Green, Jeffery Barrett, and Bobby Taylor
County Commission: Sixth District- Incumbent Marshall Ferrell, Incumbent Jeff Barnes; Melvin Young, and Danny McGinnis
County Commission: Seventh District- Incumbent Larry Summers, Incumbent Jimmy W. Poss, and Willie E. Thomas
Democratic nominees will face Republican challengers in the August General Election.
Republicans nominated by the local party include: Incumbent Road Supervisor Kenny Edge, Sean Driver for Trustee, Patrick Ray for Sheriff; Incumbent Second District County Commissioner Bobby Joines; Mason Carter for First District County Commissioner; and Randy Caplinger for Third District County Commissioner
Candidates seeking their party’s nomination for offices in the seven county 13th Judicial District, which includes DeKalb County, are as follows:
District Attorney General: Incumbent William E. (Bill) Gibson of Cookeville (Democrat)
District Public Defender: Incumbent David N. Brady of Cookeville (Democrat) and Samuel (Sam) Harris of Cookeville (Republican)
Chancellor: Ronald Thurman of Cookeville (Democrat) and Jerry Burgess of Cookeville (Republican).
Criminal Court Judge, Part I: Incumbent Leon Burns, Jr. of Cookeville (Democrat)
Criminal Court Judge, Part II: Incumbent Lillie Ann Sells of Cookeville (Democrat), Edwin G. Sadler of Cookeville (Democrat), and David A. Patterson of Cookeville (Independent)
Circuit Court Judge, Part I: Incumbent John A. Turnbull of Livingston (Democrat)
Circuit Court Judge, Part II: Incumbent John Maddux of Cookeville (Democrat)
Democratic nominees from the May Primary will face Republican challengers and Independents in the August General Election.

Groundbreaking for the new Webb House Retirement Center was held Thursday morning at the Webb property on Jennings Lane.
The new facility will be built on the grounds where the original Webb House stood before it was destroyed by fire on Sunday, May 29, 2005.
Gary Keckley, architect and designer of assisted living facilities, says the new Webb House, like the original one, will be a great asset to the community. “This is a tribute to the Webb family, not just this generation but for all the generations that preceded Alan, because this is a ministry. It has to be a business, but it’s a business that can be a ministry, and their (Webb’s) hearts are in this. This is going to be beauty from ashes. It’s going to be beautiful for a lot of different reasons. It will have a lot of features that build on the history and the reputation that you enjoyed at the Webb House before and some new ones. It’s going to be a beautiful building from a design style because it’s going to have a character that is unlike any that I’ve ever been a part of and that is specifically coming from the heart that Alan and Lora are putting into this. It’s also going to be a beautiful building because it will build on the beauty created by those of you who worked here before and who will work here again. This business is about love. Nursing homes and hospitals give care and this business is about giving love. This group of folks are good at this.”
Alan Webb, owner of the Webb House, says this day marks a new beginning and he looks forward to the day when the new facility is completed. “The day after the fire, the most often asked question was ?are you going to build back’? My immediate answer was ?yes’. Had anyone been hurt in the fire, my answer probably would have been different. As a matter of fact, you could’ve probably just buried me in the ashes and rubble, because it would have been very devastating. I admit I had some very down and out times this last year. I had two things that kept me going and pulled me up from the depths of despair. One of them was the words in my favorite church hymn ?Because He Lives’. The second was a card that I got from a young lady after the fire. In it, she wrote the words, ?from our ashes shall arise beauty’. She was referring to Isaiah (chapter) 61 (verse) 3. The Bible verse and the song are the two things that pulled me through the last year. I promise you when the Webb House is rebuilt, you’ll see reminders of those two things through the house. I promise to do my best to make the new Webb House better than ever for the seniors of DeKalb County and surrounding areas. I promise to make it a safer and happier place than before. This place will be a home to all that live there, not just a room with meals. If Lora and I can do anything to help any of you, we’ll do our best.”
Among others making remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony were County Mayor Mike Foster and Smithville Mayor Cecil Burger.
The new Webb House is scheduled to open by early next year.

The DeKalb County High School Future Business Leaders club recently attended the FBLA State Leadership Conference in Pigeon Forge.
Thirty-three club members competed in several different categories and attended FBLA sponsored activities. The advisors of the FBLA club, Amanda Brown and Steve Trapp, would like to thank all the participants and their parents for the hard work and support.
Those attending were: Justin Nokes, Ashleigh Wright, Andrew Moore, Kristen James, Brandon Shaw, Luke Willoughby, Jessica Cantrell, Heather Cantrell, Travis Woodward, Dustin Hood, Jacob Moore, Caleb Gash, Martha Robertson, Justin Duke, Tyler Cantrell, Tiffany Walls, Sara Jared, Aaron Young, Casey Curtis, Megan Pack, Brooke Pack, Danny Pirtle, Jessica Bain, Colton Rhody, Jordan Atnip, Ron Patel, Megan Merriman, Rachel Garrison, Kelli Bess, Rolando Delafuente, Tera Menix, Kane Pack, and Kris Robinson.
Congratulations to:
Rachel Garrison ? 2nd place in Banking and Finance
Justin Duke, Justin Nokes, Kris Robinson ? 2nd place in Entrepreneurship
Rolando Delafuente ? 2nd place in International Business
Megan Pack ? 3rd place in Introduction to Business Communication
Travis Woodward ? 4th place in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
Casey Curtis, Kane Pack, Jacob Moore ? 2nd place in Network Design
Luke Willoughby ? 3rd place in Public Speaking I
Brandon Shaw ? 4th place in Mr. FBLA
Kristen James ? 2nd place in Ms. FBLA
Kris Robinson ? Nominated for Who’s Who in FBLA
Amanda Brown ? Nominated for Adviser of the Year
DeKalb FBLA ? 4th place in largest membership (105 members)
DeKalb FBLA ? 2nd place for Annual Business Report
DeKalb FBLA ? Gold Seal Award of Merit ( Highest Club Honor)
Dustin Hood and Travis Woodward served as voting delegates. While at conference they voted on the state officer candidates and amendments to the FBLA By-Laws.
The DCHS FBLA was also recognized for donating to the FBLA state scholarship funds in memory of Jared Bryant and Dr. Bill Radcliff.

Twenty Beta Club members from DeKalb High School, along with the Beta Club sponsor, attended the State Beta Club Convention April 17-19.
The students competed in various academic subjects.
Competing at the convention were:
Matthew Taylor – Math
Ben Malone -Social Studies
Kevin Colvert – Creative Writing
Ashley Rowland – English
Keitha Pryor and Susan Willis – talent
Kealah Curtis, Caitlin Robinson, Paige Preston, and Krista Puckett – scrapbook
Samantha Emerson, Elise Cantrell, Kheela Blair, and Courtney Rhody, Courtney Curtis, Cody Randolph, and Rebecca Hendrixson were voting delegates.
Samantha Emerson, Elise Cantrell, and Kheela Blair created the Banner and Ben Malone won 3rd place in the State in Social Studies.
The Beta Club officers for 2005 – 2006 also attended. The officers are:
President – Daniel Alexander
Vice-President – Bethany Davis
Secretary – Justin Hooper
Historian – Jacob Norton
Sponsor – Debi Loring

Being physically active is one of the best things you can do to improve and maintain your health, yet nearly two-thirds of Americans aren’t getting the activity they need. Consider taking up walking with friends or your family by participating in Walk Across Tennessee, which is an eight-week program that will spark some friendly competitions in DeKalb County. Teams of eight will compete to see who can log the most miles walking, jogging or even biking in their community. The miles walked are not literally across the state, but on a map posted at the UT Extension Office and Greenbrook Park. Since everyone participates in a variety of sports, the Walk Across Tennessee program also has an exercise conversion chart so that participants can count aerobics, swimming, weight lifting, etc. For example, 16 minutes of high intensity aerobics would equal one mile.
The Walk Across Tennessee kickoff for DeKalb County is Saturday, March 24 at Greenbrook Park. “Teams will keep track of their miles, which will be posted in the Extension office and other places around the community. Teams can be composed of coworkers, teachers, students, neighbors, etc. This is an excellent team competition for the workplace and schools” said April Martin, DeKalb County Extension Agent.
Many people are unaware of the positive benefits of exercise. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the No. 1 problem in the United States. The risk of heart disease could be significantly reduced by regular exercise. According to the Center for Disease Control, the positive effects of physical activity are not limited to lowering the risk of heart disease. Not only does regular exercise help relieve stress and anxiety,”physically active people outlive inactive people. Participating in Walk Across Tennessee DeKalb County is not only a great way to get involved with our community, it’s a healthy habit,” Martin stated.
To participate in Walk Across Tennessee, first get a team together. Biking and jogging teams are limited to four people. Choose a team captain and name your team. Team captains need to pick up a captain’s packet, available at the DeKalb County Extension Office, 115 West Market St. Smithville, located right beside Fuston’s Antiques. Each team member will need to complete a registration form which is included in the team captain’s packet or at the Walk Across Tennessee website. Individual as well as team forms should be returned to the Extension office.
Awards and prizes will be given to the individual who walk the most miles as well as the team who walks the most miles.
“Competition kicks off at 9:30 A.M. at Greenbrook Park under pavilion one,” Martin said. “Come out and plan to have lots of fun.” For more information, call the Extension office at 597-4945 or visit http://eteamz.active.com/WalkAcrossTennesseeDeKalbCounty/