A total of 1,087 people have cast ballots during the first four days of early voting in DeKalb County.
According to the election office, 280 voted Saturday including 271 in person and 8 by absentee. One provisional ballot was cast.
Early Voting Monday, October 24 will be from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. on the first floor of the courthouse at the election commission office.

Saint Thomas Health, a part of Ascension, celebrated the unveiling of 3D Digital Mammography for three regional ministries including Saint Thomas DeKalb, Highlands, and Stones River hospitals. The community, hospital staff, along with local and state government leaders attended the various receptions that featured pink desserts and ribbon cookies in support of breast cancer awareness month.
“This $350,000 investment of state-of-the-art equipment per hospital is part of continued efforts to re-invest in Saint Thomas rural communities. Our mission is to always focus on what is best for our patients.” said Andy Wachtel, CEO and President of Saint Thomas DeKalb, Highlands, and Stones River hospitals. “The addition of 3-D mammography provides our patients with a valuable choice concerning their health.”
“This advanced technology enables us to eliminate overlying breast densities which may hinder detection of small masses or distortions.” said Chris Mick, Radiology Director of Saint Thomas DeKalb and Stones River hospitals. “We must also remember that 3D is not a replacement for 2D mammography, but an additional tool that can be used to help resolve problems such as dense breast tissue that can hinder early detection of breast cancer.”
The new mammography units will provide state-of-the-art 2D traditional mammography, 3D, and stereotactic computer assist biopsy capabilities. 3D mammograms must be requested when scheduling an appointment. Some insurance providers do not yet cover 3D, so check with your insurance for coverage options.
ABOUT SAINT THOMAS HEALTH
Saint Thomas Health is Middle Tennessee’s faith-based, not-for-profit health care system united as one healing community. Saint Thomas Health is focused on transforming the healthcare experience and helping people live healthier lives, with special attention to the poor and vulnerable. The regional health system includes nine hospitals: Saint Thomas Hospital for Spinal Surgery, Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital and Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville, Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, Saint Thomas Hickman Hospital in Centerville, Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital in Smithville, Saint Thomas Highlands Hospital in Sparta, Saint Thomas River Park Hospital in McMinnville and Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital in Woodbury. A comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities complements the hospital services and covers a 68-county area. Saint Thomas Health is a member of Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system. For more information, visit www.STHealth.com
ABOUT ASCENSION
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2016, Ascension provided more than $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 150,000 associates and 36,000 aligned providers. Ascension’s Healthcare Division operates 2,500 sites of care – including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia, while its Solutions Division provides a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.
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The Christmas season is drawing near. Remember what Christmas was like when you were young? The family gathered together to give and receive blessings and gifts.
Christmas is a time for love, a time for joy, and a time for family. Not all children this year will take part in a celebration with their own families. Local children who are in foster care need assistance. Children who have been taken out of abusive or neglectful homes or sent away from their family by the Juvenile Court system may be sharing Christmas with a family of strangers. Your help is needed to make sure their needs are met during the holidays.
As in years past, your assistance is requested with Christmas gifts for local children who are in foster care with the Department of Children’s Services. This year, there are over 914 children in the Upper Cumberland who are in state’s custody and approximately 56 of those children are from DeKalb County. These local children need your help.
If you or your organization is willing to help provide funds, please send them to Annette Greek, Treasurer of the DeKalb County Foster Children Fund. “We are rounding up money for the DeKalb Foster Children’s Fund. These are the children who have been removed from our county. We have approximately 56 children and we need money” said Greek.
Since the ages of these foster children vary, a cash donation is preferable to gifts. ” We try to do Christmas and birthdays for these kids. It could be $100 to $150 per child. We also do special things if we’re made aware of it like graduation gifts. We’ve bought evening gowns for contests. We’ve bought football uniforms. I always try to get the money (all collected) by the beginning of December in plenty of time for Christmas,” said Greek.
You may send your donation to: Annette Greek, in care of F.Z. Webb & Sons Gifts, 400 West Public Square, Smithville TN 37166. For more information call 615-597-4186.
Greek says she will also be glad to accept your cash donation directly at the store.

You can get scared out of your wits while helping the DCHS Class of 2017 for Project Graduation on Saturday, October 29.
“Your Worst Nightmare Haunted Drive-Thru” will be held from 7 p.m. til 10 p.m. on the Old Snow Hill Road.
“The haunted drive thru is going to be October 29, the Saturday before Halloween. It will start at the top of Trapp Lane and we will go about three miles down Old Snow Hill Road. We’ll have about 25 or 30 seniors spread out over those three miles scaring people as they drive their own cars down the road. You can buy tickets for $4.00 each from any high school senior or you can pay $4.00 per person in the car once you get there that night,” said Bailey Redmon, member of the Class of 2017.
All proceeds will go toward Project Graduation.
(CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VISIT FACEBOOK PAGE)
https://www.facebook.com/Dekalb-County-High-School-Class-of-2017-Project…

Members of the DCHS Class of 2017 are asking for your support of Project Graduation.
Bailey Redmon, a DCHS Senior, urges you to stop by any DeKalb County branch office of Liberty State Bank to make a donation.
“I am a member of the DCHS BETA Club, FBLA Club, and was a Senior Homecoming Attendant at DeKalb County High School. But more importantly, I am a member of the 2017 graduating class. We are raising funds for our Project Graduation event that will take place the night of graduation in May. We will have food, fun activities, and it is designed to keep us safe from the devastating effects of drugs and alcohol. In order to hold this event, we must raise funds and request the community’s help. Please stop by your local branch of Liberty State Bank in Alexandria, Liberty, or Smithville and make a donation to our account. All help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support,” said Redmon

Early voting hours will be extended a couple of days next week due to issues the election office encountered on Thursday (Oct 20).
Just prior to early voting time Thursday (Oct. 20) the server at the election commission office malfunctioned and voting was delayed for 30 minutes to an hour.
“The voting machines were not the problem, but the issue was getting the correct voter data before allowing the voter to cast his/her vote on paper,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections. “Thanks to the GoVoteTN app, we were soon able to look up a voter, find their correct precinct and then allow them to vote a paper ballot. Then just over 2 hours after the voting time began, we were able to allow voters to vote on the machine.”
By state law, a voter who casts his/her ballot early cannot vote on a machine unless the election commission can immediately update the voting history by computer. “That’s why a few voters who did not want to wait until the server was up and going had to vote on paper ballot,” Stanley explained.
As a result of the short down time, the early voting hours will be extended one hour Monday and Friday of next week.
“Early voting on Monday October 24 will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the hours of Friday, October 28 will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Stanley said. Early voting hours the other days will remain the same.
“We appreciate the patience of the voters on Thursday (this afternoon). We know there is a great deal of interest in this election and we worked very hard to get everything back to normal, and we did in just over 2 hours,” he said. “Our thanks also to our vendors and the Tennessee Division of Election staff for their assistance.”

The Autumn edition of Reeling in the Years with D.S. and Shawn is coming up Saturday, October 22 from 6-10 p.m. on WJLE.
“The period between the late 1960s to the early 80s was a very creative time musically with hits ranging from soft pop, to rock to southern rock,” the two former WJLE announcers said. “Our show reflects that diversity and really is a musical history lesson”.
The show will also include hits that were popular during the third week of October for various years throughout the 70s and 80s.
Again, Reeling in the Years airs Saturday night, October 22 from 6-10 on WJLE FM.

After spending years of her life helping care for others, Anna Goodwin, a registered nurse and DeKalb County resident, found herself needing care earlier this year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Goodwin, a 42 year old wife and mother of three, told WJLE Tuesday that she discovered a mast in her breast during a self examination in March and then went to the doctor for a mammogram and later for a biopsy.
“That’s when my world came crashing down around me. I almost had a nervous breakdown at the beginning of the diagnosis just because it was so overwhelming. I just never thought it would be me,” said Goodwin.
Other than high blood pressure, Goodwin had never experienced any significant health issues prior to her diagnosis but she decided to have a checkup after talking with the wife of one of her patient’s. “ She had a mammogram and they found a spot on her breast. It prompted me to check mine. I found a hard mast in my right outer upper breast area. I had a couple of friends to feel of it too and they said I needed to get it checked out,” Goodwin said.
“My nurse practitioner friend gave me an order for a mammogram so I went to Cookeville for that on March 18 and had a mammogram. They did an immediate ultrasound because it looked abnormal and when my nurse practitioner got the results she told me I needed to go for a biopsy. I went to McMinnville to Dr. Bradford Brock and had a biopsy on March 31. I had a follow up appointment with him on April 4 to get the results and that’s when I learned I was triple positive. I had triple positive breast cancer meaning that it was estrogen and progesterone receptor positive. There was a third factor which is the HER2 factor. It’s a protein that we make in our bodies and it was over producing those cells making it a little bit more aggressive than it normally would be. They immediately put me on Tamoxifen because that blocks the estrogen and progesterone to keep it from spreading any further. I had several scans and a few (cells) showed up in my lymph nodes but my full body scans were all clear. I didn’t have any metastasis anywhere other than the local lymph nodes,” said Goodwin.
After undergoing a double Mastectomy in May, Goodwin still takes treatments to keep the cancer from recurring but she is on the road to recovery. “I had a double Mastectomy May 11 with immediate reconstruction where they put tissue expanders in so when you’re through with treatment you can get your implants put in. They got all the cancer during surgery. They removed fourteen of my lymph nodes. Four were positive. I started chemotherapy on June 14 with Taxotere and Carboplatin. I have six treatments of those every three weeks. I also had to have Herceptin and Perjeta which targets the HER2 protein to keep it from producing. I have to remain on that every three weeks through June 2017. It’s not supposed to be as hard on your body as the chemo with the Taxotere and the Carboplatin. Then I must have six weeks of radiation. I went Friday for my CT planning for the radiation. It’s where they map out how strong the radiation beams are going to be to the area being treated. The chemo and radiation are just to prevent it (cancer) from coming back,” Goodwin continued.
Born and raised in Cookeville, Goodwin resides in the Belk Community with her husband Roy. She is the mother of two boys, ages 19 and 17, and a 9 year old daughter. She is a registered nurse and has worked in home health care for almost nine years. “I started out as a CNA. I was an LPN for five years and did the LPN to RN bridge program and graduated from that in 2003”, said Goodwin.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Goodwin urges women to schedule a mammogram because, as she discovered, it could save your life. “When in doubt, check it out. If you do a self examination and you’re not sure what you’re feeling, tell your doctor and let him get an order for a mammogram. Get your mammogram. Don’t hesitate. The earlier you find it the less aggressive your treatment will be. When you hear the word cancer, a lot of patients begin planning their own funeral at first until they get further out from their diagnosis. It took me a couple of months to really let God have it all and know that He is in control. If you do get a diagnosis, don’t be afraid of the treatment processes. It’s hard but it is doable. With God all things are possible. You can overcome anything,” said Goodwin.

Smithville Police arrested a suspected drug dealer recently after finding him passed out in his vehicle with pills, meth, and drug paraphernalia while they were making a welfare check at a Village Place residence.
34 year old William Travis Malone is charged with possession of Schedule II, III, and IV drugs with intent to sell or deliver. Police were called to conduct a welfare check on September 24 at Village Place after a vehicle was observed setting in a driveway for over an hour with the motor running. Upon arrival, the officer saw the vehicle in the driveway with its reverse lights on. He approached the automobile and spotted a man, Malone, passed out at the wheel with the motor running with the gear in reverse. When the officer reached inside the vehicle to shift the gear in park, he saw a tray in Malone’s lap which contained a large baggie of blue pills believed to be Xanax and Suboxone along with a baggie of a white crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine and $304 in cash. The officer awoke Malone and placed him under arrest. After conducting a probable cause search of the vehicle, police also found a set of digital scales and two more baggies of a white crystal like substance. A total of 121 pills were recovered along with eight grams of methamphetamine. The cash, believed to be proceeds from illegal drug sales, was also seized. Bond for Malone is $15,000.
Meanwhile, 62 year old Terry Wayne Owens was cited for theft on Monday, October 3. Owens was seen on Wal-Mart’s surveillance video taking a purse belonging to the victim out of a shopping cart without permission and putting it in his vehicle. His court date is November 3.
48 year old Lou Ann Sanders was arrested Saturday, October 8 for driving under the influence and cited for failure to carry a driver’s license and violation of the open container. Sanders was involved in a motor vehicle crash and when the investigating officer approached her vehicle, he immediately detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the automobile. The officer further noted that upon exiting the vehicle, Sanders had the smell of an alcoholic beverage on her person and she was unsteady on her feet. Sanders submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. She was then taken into custody. Bond for Sanders is $1,500 and her court date is October 27.
42 year old Charlotte Marie Hill was cited Tuesday, October 11 for criminal impersonation. While police were attempting to serve a warrant on Hill for failure to appear, she told them that her name was “Marie Floyd”. They later learned that “Floyd” was actually Hill. Police served the Rutherford County warrant on Hill and transported her there. Her court date is October 27.
27 year old Travis Allen Bogle was arrested on Wednesday, October 12 for driving under the influence and cited for improper passing and violation of the light law. Police initiated a traffic stop at the Marathon Gas Station and identified Bogle as the driver. The officer detected a strong odor of alcohol on Bogle’s breath and noticed that he was unsteady on his feet. Bogle submitted to but performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tasks. Bond for Bogle is $1,500 and his court date is October 27.
32 year old Christopher Lee Lewis was arrested on September 12 for violation of bond conditions. Police received information that Lewis and his victim were living together which placed Lewis in violation of court ordered bond conditions established on September 2 for aggravated assault. Upon arrival at the residence, Police found Lewis in the company of the victim and he was taken into custody. His bond is $1,500.
45 year old Sherry Diane Butler was cited on September 11 for theft of property and criminal trespass. Police responded to Wal-Mart due to a shoplifter and spoke with Butler in the store office where the merchandise had been recovered. Butler is banned from all Wal-Mart stores for previous shoplifting offenses.
33 year old Johnny Lynn Devault was cited September 12 for theft of property. Police were called after Devault was stopped by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department for a traffic violation. Devault had been a suspect in the theft of flowers earlier that day from Wal-Mart.
25 year old Dylan C. Myers was arrested on September 14 for a second offense of driving under the influence and cited for violation of implied consent. Police responded to a possible drunk driver traveling westbound into town. Officers initiated a stop of the vehicle at Kwik N Ezy and spoke with the driver, Myers who had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person. His eyes were also glossy and bloodshot. Myers submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. His bond is $3,000.
37 year old Janice Rena Velasquez was cited on September 17 for possession of drug paraphernalia. Police were called to Wal-Mart in reference to a possible shoplifter. The officer spoke with Velasquez’s probation officer and found that she had two warrants against her for violation of probation. She gave consent for a search of her vehicle and police found a black & white bag in the driver door containing a pipe with residue, a straw with residue and other items.
35 year old John Brent Williams was arrested September 17 for aggravated assault. Police responded to a domestic call where Williams allegedly pulled a handgun on his victim and left the scene before officers arrived. Upon investigation, it was determined that Williams had been the primary aggressor and he was later taken into custody. His bond is $3,500.
46 year old Ricky Lane Evans was arrested on September 18 for tampering with evidence and cited for simple possession and drug paraphernalia. Police were assisting the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department on a stolen property call when a city police officer asked for and received verbal consent to search Evans’ vehicle. During the search, nine Schedule II and seven Schedule III pills were recovered for which Evans had no prescription. The officer placed the pills on the roof of the vehicle and verbally warned Evans several times to not touch them. After a few minutes, the officer observed Evans walk toward the vehicle, grab the pills, open them up and attempt to pour them down a nearby storm drain. Bond for Evans is $3,500.
48 year old Robert Orin Nannie was arrested on September 20 for public intoxication. Police were called to McDonald’s concerning an individual who was walking around asking people for money. He appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. Upon arrival the officer found Nannie a short distance from McDonalds lying on his back in a field. He appeared to be asleep. The officer awoke Nannie and detected a strong odor of alcohol on his person. Nannie was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. Due to his level of intoxication and for his safety, he was placed in custody for public intoxication. His bond is $1,500.
27 year old Corey Lee Cripps was cited September 23 for shoplifting from Wal-Mart. Cripps allegedly cut open a package and concealed a crossbow cocking device in his pocket.
44 year old Timothy Scott Bennett was arrested September 27 for public intoxication. Police were called to Miller Road in reference to an intoxicated man lying under a tree in the front yard of a residence. Bennett was found to have a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage about his person and upon standing was unsteady on his feet. Bennett was not a resident of the property and didn’t have any family who would allow him to remain there due to his excessive drinking. For his safety and that of the public, Bennett was taken into custody without incident. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is October 27.
Bennett was arrested again on September 29 for public intoxication. Police were called to Highland Street in reference to an intoxicated man causing a disturbance. Bennett was found to have a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage about his person. His speech was slurred and he couldn’t stand without assistance. Bennett was not a resident of the property so for his safety and that of the public he was taken into custody without incident. His bond is $2,500 and his court date is October 27.
40 year old Shannon Elaine Taylor was arrested September 30 for Domestic Assault. Police responded to a residence in reference to a domestic assault where Taylor allegedly assaulted her victim by striking him with her fists, elbows, and a piece of broken railing from a staircase. Her bond is $2,500 and her court date is October 27.

Early voting begins Wednesday, October 19 for the November 8 U.S. Presidential Election and Tennessee General Election.
Voters will make their choices for President of the United States, Sixth District U.S. House of Representatives, and Tennessee House of Representatives in the 40th & 46th Districts.
The ballot in the City of Smithville also includes two referendums, one concerning liquor by the drink in restaurants and the other regarding wine in food stores.
Early voting will be held October 19-November 3 on the first floor of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Hours are Mondays 1-5 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.; Thursdays 2-6 p.m.; Fridays 9a.m.- 1 p.m.; and Saturdays 9 a.m. – Noon.
Candidates names listed here are in the same order as on the ballot.
The Presidential candidates are:
Republican:
Donald J. Trump for President and Michael R. Pence for Vice President
Democrat:
Hillary Clinton for President and Tim Kaine for Vice President
Independent:
“Rocky” Roque De La Fuente for President and Michael Steinberg for Vice President
Independent:
Gary Johnson for President and William F. Weld for Vice President
Independent:
Alyson Kennedy for President and Osborne Hart for Vice President
Independent:
Mike Smith for President and Daniel White for Vice President
Independent:
Jill Stein for President and Ajamu Baraka for Vice President
Candidates for 6th District U.S. House of Representatives (Congressman) are:
Republican:
Diane Black
Democrat:
David W. Kent
Independent:
David Ross
Candidates for Tennessee House of Representatives 40th District:
Republican:
Terri Lynn Weaver
Democrat:
Gayla Colvert Hendrix
Candidates for Tennessee House of Representatives 46th District:
Republican:
Mark Pody
Democrat:
Amelia Morrison Hipps
On the Premises Referendum City of Smithville:
“For legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in City of Smithville”
“Against legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in City of Smithville”
Wine at Food Stores Referendum City of Smithville:
“For legal sale of wine at retail food stores in the City of Smithville”
“Against legal sale of wine at retail food stores in the City of Smithville”
(see ballot here)nov. newspaper master ballot.pdf (18.55 KB)
The ballot is available online at www.dekalbelections.com and wjle.com.