DeKalb Middle School held a Back to School Celebration Wednesday on the first full day of school.
Members of the school administration and faculty welcomed students as they entered the building.
(VIEW VIDEOS BELOW BY MARY ANN PUCKETT)

In order to provide a secondary source of power especially in times of emergencies and to ensure continued reliability for current and future demands, Smithville Electric System has acquired property to develop a new substation.
The facility, to be called the John Robert Nixon substation, will be located on just over five acres at 1233 South College Street. The name is in tribute to the man who has served as a member and Chairman of the Board of Smithville Electric since the utility was established 45 years ago. Construction is expected to begin soon with completion anticipated by late 2016 or early 2017.
While SES will continue to share the existing substation on West Main Street with TVA and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative, the new one will be solely for the use of Smithville Electric System.
“We’re getting ready to build a second substation so we can have an alternate power source for the City of Smithville. This way we will be able to supply power to the entire city from either substation. We can do maintenance work on the West Main Street substation without shutting off the power to the entire city. Initially, we will transfer part of the supplied load from the West Main substation to the new one, ” said Richie Knowles, Interim Manager of Smithville Electric System in an interview with WJLE Wednesday.
A secondary substation could also serve as a means of new industrial recruitment. ” It will provide us a secondary feed for industries that might be looking at possibly coming to Smithville. That is usually their first question ” do you have a dual feed”? At the moment we have to say no but we’re working on that so in the future when they call we’ll be able to say “yes we do”. Hopefully that will help attract new industry and help us keep the industry we have,” said Knowles.
According to Knowles, this location is ideal because it is directly beneath an existing transmission line route. Efforts will be made to keep it hidden from public view as much as possible. “It’s going to be just one transformer. A small compact substation. It will set back off the road. Hopefully, it won’t be unsightly to the neighborhood. We’ll make it as clean as possible with fencing and landscaping. We’ll try to make it as nice to the neighborhood as we possibly can,” said Knowles.
TVA has already approved plans for the new substation, which will be approximately 105 feet x 192 feet in size. “TVA has approved the site. We got that approval before we purchased the property. We now have to get the substation designed, engineered, and do the grade work. Of course, we’ll have to order all the materials and start assembling it. We hope to get the plans done in the next couple of months and maybe start the grade work before this winter. We hope to have it up and operational by late 2016 or early 2017,” said Knowles.

Area young people ages 8-17 will have a chance to take to the skies on Saturday, August 8, as Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 1378 hosts a Young Eagles Flight Rally at the Smithville Municipal Airport (0A3).
The rally is part of the EAA Young Eagles Program, created to interest young people in aviation. Since the program was launched in 1992, Volunteer EAA pilots have flown more than 1.9 million young people who reside in more than 90 countries.
Following the flight, each young person, will receive a certificate making them an official Young Eagle. In addition to the Certificate the new Young Eagle will be given a Logbook with an access code for a complete free online Flight Training course offered by Sporty’s. Their name will then be entered into the “World’s Largest Logbook,” which is on permanent display at the EAA Air Adventure Museum in Oshkosh, WI. The Logbook is also accessible on the Internet at www.youngeagles.org.
Those wanting to participate in the flight rally on August 8, 2015 are asked contact Mr. Lonnie Hitchcock at lonnie.hitchcock@woodsnswings.com to pre-register. Registered participants will then come to the Smithville Municipal Airport (0A3) starting at 8:30 AM in preparation for their flight. The 20 minute flights will begin at 9:00 AM and end at 11:30 AM. Additional information about EAA and the Young Eagles program is available on the EAA’s Home Page at www.eaa.org.

A Smithville man has been arrested in a rash of recent forgeries for passing stolen checks to an individual and at three local businesses.
22 year old Enrique (Ricky) Adelaido Lomas of Bright Hill Road, Smithville is charged with eight counts of forgery and one count of theft of property under $500. His bond totals $121,500 .He will be in court on August 6. The cases were investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Monday, July 6 Lomas stole a check from the glove box of a truck. He was charged with theft in that case.
Lomas then passed forged checks to another individual for $150 on Tuesday, July 7 and for $130 on Friday, July 10. In at least one case, white out was used as Lomas changed the amount of the check.
Meanwhile on Thursday, July 16, Lomas passed forged checks in amounts of $120 and $80 at Kwik N Ezy.
Five days later on Tuesday, July 21 Lomas passed forged checks in amounts of $100 & $65 to Disco Tienda Latina, $100 to Kwik N Ezy and $100 to Mercadito Chabelita
In some cases the checks were flagged as stolen and returned to the merchants.
31 year old Lynda Erika Brown of Punta Gorda, Florida and 28 year old David Colby Johnson of North Fort Myers, Florida are each charged with being a fugitive from justice. Bond for each was $50,000. Both had a failure to appear warrant against them in Florida for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) over 20 grams. Since their arrests, the two have been extradited back to Florida.
46 year old William Andrew Cantrell is charged with a third offense of driving on a revoked license. He is under a $5,000 bond and will be in court on September 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, July 22 a deputy saw Cantrell driving a vehicle on Braswell Lane. Knowing that Cantrell’s license were revoked, he stopped the automobile. Cantrell could not produce a valid driver license. A computer check confirmed that his license were revoked on September 25, 1992 for DUI. His previous DRL offenses were on September 2 & 8 2005.
49 year old James Danny Troglen of Doyle is charged with driving under the influence. He was further issued a citation for driving on roadways laned for traffic. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on September 24. Sheriff Ray said that Wednesday, July 22 a deputy spotted a white car crossing the white dotted line and white emergency line of the road. He made a traffic stop and spoke with the driver, Troglen whose speech was slurred. When asked if he had been drinking or taking medication, Troglen said he had just left the hospital. Troglen said he had been given some medication including a pill intended to make him sleep. When asked what day it was, Troglen said July 16 when it was actually July 22. He also did not seem to know where he was at the time. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He also took a blood test and was placed under arrest.
28 year old Jonathon Charles Hall of Magnolia Lane, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court August 27. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, July 23 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Magnolia Lane due to a domestic complaint. Upon arrival, the officer determined that Hall had assaulted his brother by punching him in the face during a fight. The victim’s right eye was swollen from the blow. According to the deputy, Hall got off the couch and went into the kitchen where he got into an argument with his brother which resulted in a fight. Hall was placed under arrest.
47 year old Kimberly Ann Patterson of Toad Road, Dowelltown is charged with possession of a schedule II drug (Dilaudid) for resale. Her bond is $25,000 and she will be in court on August 27. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, July 24 a sheriff’s department detective went to Patterson’s residence on Toad Road and spoke with her. During a discussion about a search, Patterson produced money and a silver container from her bra. The cash totaled $200. Inside the container were four and a half pills believed to be Dilaudid. She was placed under arrest.
39 year old Larry James Pedigo Jr. of Luttrell Avenue is charged with driving under the influence. He was further issued a citation for violation of the implied consent law and driving on roadways laned for travel. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on September 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, July 28 a deputy saw a red Mustang driving 25 miles an hour in a 40 mile per hour speed zone. The car crossed into the turning lane multiple times. The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Pedigo who had a difficult time retrieving his wallet. His speech was also slurred. Pedigo performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and refused to submit to a blood alcohol test.
35 year old Rebecca Jade Andrews of Smithville is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,500 and she will be in court on August 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, July 30 a deputy responded to Cookeville Highway after receiving a report that a woman had fallen by the road. Upon arrival, the officer spoke to a man who said that he and Andrews had been in an argument but that she had left. The man said Andrews was very intoxicated and had asked him for $250. When he refused to give her money, Andrews became irate. He claims Andrews began calling him names, spat on him, threw a beer can at him, and slapped him in the face. When he pushed her away from him, Andrews ran toward the road where she fell and busted her mouth. He said a man in a red truck stopped and picked her up. She was apparently dropped off at the sheriff’s department. The officer came back to the jail and spoke with her there. She was determined to have been the primary aggressor and was placed under arrest.
43 year old David Earl Hickman, Jr. of Pea Ridge Road, Elmwood, Tennessee is charged with failure to appear. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court August 13. Sheriff Ray said that on March 28 through April 4 Hickman failed to report to the DeKalb County Jail to serve a weekend sentence as part of a 30 day term due to failure to pay child support.
29 year old Jennifer Nicole Miller of McMinnville Highway, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,500 and she will be in court August 13. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, August 1 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on McMinnville Highway due to a domestic complaint. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a man and his wife, Miller who said they had gotten into an argument which escalated into a fight resulting in the man suffering a bloody nose. The deputy found no marks or injuries to Miller. She was determined to have been the primary aggressor and was placed under arrest.
39 year old Christopher James Sherfield of Pine Grove Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court September 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, August 1 a deputy was dispatched to 186 Page Drive due to a report of an unresponsive man in a truck. Upon arrival, the officer found Sherfield asleep in the driver’s seat with his foot on the brake and the keys in the ignition. Beside of Sherfield in the truck was a glass bottle of liquor, a bottle of juice, and some beer. The deputy detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the truck. After waking him, the officer noticed that Sherfield’s eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred. He was also very unsteady on his feet. He performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and he submitted to a blood test.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has scheduled a public information meeting on a project to reconstruct State Route 56 from south of the Warren County line to Magness Road in DeKalb County.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MAP)Dekalb 56 Location Map (EPD).pdf (307.76 KB)
Bids are to be opened in December.
The public meeting will be Thursday, August 20 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the DeKalb County Complex at 712 South Congress Boulevard in Smithville. The meeting will consist of a presentation of the project followed by a question and answer session. The public is invited to ask questions and make comments during the meeting. Representatives of TDOT will be present to answer questions on any aspect of the project.
Funding for the construction, $6.8 million, is included in the state’s 2015-16 budget under the general Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) category of the 2015-17 three year work program. However, the new stretch of highway to be built will look different from TDOT’s original, more costly plan.
Instead of building a four lane divided and five lane road, TDOT now proposes to build a two lane undivided section containing two 12 foot travel lanes and two 12 foot shoulders (10 feet paved). This proposed project will maintain corridor preservation and allow for future expansion. The project is 3.25 miles in length.
Meanwhile plans are available for public inspection at the offices of Robert Rodgers, 4005 Cromwell Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421. Phone 423-510-1138.