The Harlem Wizards will bring their trick-hoops and alley-oops back to DeKalb County on Tuesday night, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. but this year the event will be held at the DeKalb Middle School gym. Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
The Wizards, a show basketball team, will play local personalities to raise funds for the DeKalb Middle School Softball Team field construction.
“The Harlem Wizards have been here twice at DCHS and both years we sold out and I expect this year to sell out as well” said DMS teacher Suzette Barnes. “Proceeds from this event will go to the DeKalb Middle School Softball Team. We started construction of a softball field on the campus of DeKalb Middle in 2011. We played our first game there in the spring of 2012 and if you have driven by and seen the field we still have a long way to go. We are still in need of a concession stand and press box area with restrooms and facilities like that. Eventually we will need lights. So this is a fundraiser for our softball team to complete the project we started,” Barnes said.
(SEE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO BELOW)

At a Harlem Wizards game, fans witness amazing basketball talent combined with hilarious comedy. When you’re in the stands, you’re more than a spectator, you’re part of the show with loads of audience participation throughout the game.
Fans will experience a magical display of tricks, coordinated ball handling, fancy passing, and aerodynamic athleticism combined with high-energy comedy and audience interaction. The experience can only be summed up in two words: Awe-Inspiring!
General admission tickets will be available in advance or at the door. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase in advance for reserved seats as well as courtside plus seating. “For this fundraiser we have 850 tickets available at DeKalb Middle School. It’s a little smaller seating capacity than the high school. We’re doing it a little bit different on ticket prices this year. All of our general admission tickets are $10.00 in advance or $12.00 the night of the event. General admission is first come, first served as far as seating. Something new this year is we’re adding reserved seats. We only have 100 of these tickets available and they are $15.00 purchased in advance. They will not be available the night of the event. We’re also offering courtside plus. With courtside plus, you get courtside seating along with a meet and greet with the Wizards players before the game and a free poster. We only have 25 of those tickets and they are $25.00 each. Tickets may be purchased from any DMS softball player or at Kilgore’s Restaurant, DC Fitness beside Food Lion, or if you are an employee at Star Manufacturing contact Sonya Parsley or Jamie Cripps at SW Manufacturing. Tickets may also be purchased at DMS after 3:00 p.m.” said Barnes.
Ticket order forms will be sent home with students at SES, NES, and DeKalb West.”Those will be sent home with the students around mid-February, about a week before the event. So if parents want to order tickets, they may fill out the ticket order form and then send back to the school with their child the ticket order form and a check made to DeKalb Middle School Softball. We will pick those up and send the tickets back home with the child. We’re trying to make this very easy and convenient for people to pick up tickets, ” said Barnes.
The Wizards will take the court against a DeKalb Middle School team which will include DMS Principal Randy Jennings, DMS teachers Tad Webb, Justin Nokes, Josh Agee and Justin Poteete; DeKalb West Assistant Principal Joey Agee; SES teachers Leah Magness and Ashley Barnes; NES teachers January Agee and Mike Crockett, DCHS SRO Officer Keneth Whitehead, DeKalb County School Board member Shaun Tubbs, TWRA Officer Tony Cross, DeKalb County School Bus Supervisor Jimmy Sprague; NHC Administrator Clint Hall, Jason Winningham of Legacy Athletics; Casey Agee of DeKalb Community Hospital; Jonathan Norris of Southern Landscape Supply and Fourth District County Commissioner; and Helping Hands Foundation and three time Grammy nominated Bluegrass Entertainers of the Year Dailey and Vincent.
For students who can’t attend the show, the Harlem Wizards will be making a personal appearance at four of the schools in DeKalb County for a gym assembly program on the day of the event. Members of the Wizards will be at Northside Elementary and Smithville Elementary Schools at 1:00 p.m. and at DeKalb Middle School and DeKalb West School at 2:00 p.m.

The 2015-16 Tennessee hunting and fishing licenses are now on sale. Licenses are available at Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) regional offices, license agents and on the TWRA website, www.tnwildlife.org.
The new licenses annually go on sale each Feb. 18. The 2015-16 licenses are valid through February 2016. License sales provide the primary funding for the TWRA, which does not receive any funding from the state’s general fund (i.e. state sales tax). The 2014-15 licenses expire Feb. 28. Licenses purchased before July 1 are available at current prices.
Resident licenses may be purchased by persons who possess a valid Tennessee driver’s license; persons who have lived in Tennessee for 90 consecutive days with the genuine intent of making Tennessee their permanent home; military personnel on active duty in this state and their immediate families, who reside with them, regardless of resident status; students who are enrolled in a Tennessee school, college, or university for at least six months. A Social Security number is required to purchase a Tennessee hunting or fishing license.
Licenses may also be purchased online at TWRA’s website: www.tnwildlife.org or the TWRA On the Go App and charged to a credit card. Licenses may also be ordered by telephone and charged to a credit card by calling 1-888-814-8972. All licenses purchased by credit card will be charged a processing and handling fee. The fees over the telephone are $7.50 for those licenses mailed and $6.25 for those not mailed. Through the internet, charges are $4.25 for those licenses mailed and $3 for self-prints.
To expedite telephone orders, the caller should have ready the name, address, physical description, Social Security number, driver’s license number, TWRA ID number (if renewal), and credit card number.
Licenses are printed on a special tear-resistant, water-proof paper. In case of a lost license, duplicate licenses can be obtained from any REAL license agent for a $7 fee.

Members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department quickly snuffed out a fire Tuesday afternoon at 195 Wildwood Drive off Cookeville Highway in the Holiday Haven area.
The home belongs to Teresa Riedley.
According to County Fire Chief Donny Green, the family has a fireplace in the home and noticed smoke coming out around the top of the ceiling. Thinking the flue was on fire, they called 911.
Firefighters arrived and discovered the fire to be coming from inside a wooden casing around the flue on an outside wall of the home. “We inspected the flue but didn’t see any flame. We went outside and saw smoke coming from the wood casing around the flue. We used a thermal camera to detect the heat source and a chainsaw to open the wood casing. Flames shot out from inside the casing where some insulation had caught fire,” said Chief Green.
The fire was extinguished with no damage to the inside of the home. No one was injured
Members of the Cookeville Highway, Main Station, Short Mountain Highway, and tanker of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with manpower from the Midway station.

The Little Miss & Mister and Spring Blossom Annual Pageants will be Saturday, March 14, beginning at 12 Noon at the DCHS gymnasium. The Spring Blossom will follow the Little Miss & Mister contests. Participants for the Little Miss & Mister must be between the ages of four and six (not younger or older by the night of pageant) and the Spring Blossom is open for girls only ages seven to eighteen.
An entry fee of $25 is required upon submission of entry form for the pageants. Also, any contestant wishing to enter the photogenic category must send a photocopy with the application. The deadline to turn in applications is Monday, March 9. No entries will be accepted past the deadline due to trophy ordering and program designing.
The pageants are open to DeKalb County residents only and contestants must be registered with the DeKalb County School System or a local day school program. Entry forms may be picked up at all DeKalb County Schools, DeKalb Community Bank, Liberty State Bank, Creative Styles, The Tannery, Savvy Scrubs and Clair’s Consignment. Entry forms are also available by email.
Concessions will be open. There will be a $4 admission fee which will apply to all (excluding contestants and children under 3).
The pageants are sponsored by the Smithville Women’s Club. For more questions or details please call 464-7910 or 464-8643.

A DeKalb County woman, who works as a Communications Operator 2 dispatcher for the Cookeville District of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, has been awarded a scholarship to further her education through an online program at Bethel University.
Tonya Hattaway, a resident of the Seven Springs community, said she is honored to have been selected to receive the scholarship as she works toward earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. “Bethel University, through the Department of Safety offered us a chance to get a scholarship. They offered it to Department of Safety employees who were interested in it. We had to submit a resume, three letters of recommendation, and write a five thousand word essay. They went through and picked from that and decided who would get the scholarships for $5,000 to promote and encourage the employees to continue their education in college. I applied and was selected for a $5,000 scholarship. I am already attending Bethel and I am half way through to get my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration so this is going to help me finish my degree. They have an online program and that is what I have been doing for the last eighteen months, attending their online program. With my schedule, working at a job like I have and with a family, it’s a really big help to be able to do this online at my pace when I have time to do it,” Hattaway told WJLE.
Hattaway has worked for the THP, a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety for almost eleven years. She began as a Communications Operator 1 dispatcher, before advancing to Operator 2 status a year later.
She is one of only two Department of Safety (THP) employees to receive this scholarship in the Cookeville District. Similar scholarships were also made available to employees in the other THP districts across the state.
In addition to her work and studies, Hattaway is active in her community having been a leader in forming a neighborhood watch program in the Seven Springs area. “I am very proud of that. I came up with the idea after coming home from work one night and finding some people in my yard at eleven o’clock. I also knew there are elderly people in our community that live alone so that concern for the safety of my neighbors is what led me to the idea (Neighborhood Watch). Plus I wanted to be involved in the community and have our neighbors know each other,” said Hattaway.
Bethel is a private, 4-year institution affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Located in McKenzie, Tennessee, Bethel also has satellite campuses in Jackson, Clarksville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis and Paris.

Traveling in DeKalb County and across Tennessee has been perilous since Monday morning as a winter storm swept through producing mostly freezing rain and sleet in this area and causing layers of ice to form on highways, backroads, trees and power lines. Many customers of Caney Fork Electric Cooperative were without power overnight due to the winter storm. Mid morning problems arose at the sub-station Tuesday causing another power interruption for CFEC customers in DeKalb County. Although that issue has apparently been resolved, still some customers are without power.
“Caney Fork Electric Cooperative is experiencing widespread power outages throughout its service territory,” said Angel Wood, Communications Coordinator for CFEC. “All of our employees are working diligently to restore power to our members. Please remember our linemen are working long hours in extreme weather conditions. Due to numerous outages, we are unable to make any guarantees at this time. We are asking any of our members with a medical need for electric power to please consider alternative arrangements or call 911 if you feel you are in a life-threatening situation,” she said.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Monday night activated the Tennessee Emergency Management Plan and declared a State of Emergency in Tennessee as road conditions across the state began to deteriorate. “The roads are still extremely slick. We want everybody to stay inside today if you can,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray. ” TDOT was out all night long. They would come through and do a good job salting and then a couple of hours later the roadways would become slick again. We had a few wrecks throughout the night. Nothing real serious. Most of them had just run off the roadway,” he said.
Downed trees overnight became a particular concern.”A lot of the southern and eastern end of the county seems to be the worst that we’ve had as a call volume of trees being in roads,” said Sheriff Ray. “Highway 70 east, Keltonburg, Antioch, and Belk Roads have been the worst hit. The Smithville-DeKalb Rescue Squad, DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department, EMS, DeKalb County Highway Department, TDOT, and private citizens and neighbors were all out throughout the night helping cut trees out of the roads trying to make paths where people could get through,” he said.
With temperatures expected to remain below freezing, Sheriff Ray there is little chance for a lot of thawing to occur today. “We want to ask people (motorists) to watch for trees that might be half way out in the road and there may be some blocking roads completely. Be very cautious if you have to be out. If anyone sees a tree down across a road, call the central dispatch at 615-215-3000 and we’ll try to get somebody out there to clean it up. It’s going to take some time for the highway department to get all these trees cleaned up. There’s a lot of them down . Another danger is the trees falling. I know school is out and children want to go out and play but it could be dangerous if they were to get under any trees that are loaded down with ice,” he said.
Although a few people chose to relocate temporarily overnight because of the winter storm due to power outages, no one had to be evacuated according to DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Charlie Parker. “We’ve had several people who have relocated to family and friends homes. I know of two or three different families with small children who went to other places but we did not physically evacuate anybody. We did open the Smithville Fire Hall Monday night for a short period of time. We had some people who came up there because their electricity was out all afternoon. Most ended up going to motel rooms to stay the night. Others went to stay with family,” said Parker.
It’s still a good idea to keep a regular check on family members and others who may be at risk during this winter blast. “We are encouraging everybody to do a welfare check with family, friends, and neighbors. You can call them. I know the sheriff’s department was doing several welfare checks yesterday and last night just to make sure everybody was alright. If you do have a medical emergency call the 911 center and they will send the appropriate people,” he said.
Parker also encourages you keep a close watch on any alternate heat source you may be using during a power outage. “You need to be extremely careful with kerosene and space heaters along with other live fire burning appliances such as stoves and fireplaces. Be careful with the heat, fire, smoke, and fumes,” said Parker.

Students at DeKalb West School have a new subject in their physical education classes this year – archery.
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) teaches international-style target archery in physical education classes. It’s available for students in grades 4-8 at DeKalb West School.
Students at DeKalb Middle School may soon have the same opportunity.
The course, taught by Coach Ricky Hendrix at DWS, covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, concentration, core strengthening, physical fitness and self-improvement. Before presenting the archery course to students, Hendrix had to undergo a rigorous eight-hour NASP training to become a certified archery instructor.
Although students are not required to take archery, DWS Principal Sabrina Farler said most students want to participate. “A year ago we let the (school) board know that we had an opportunity from the TWRA to get a $1,000 grant for an archery program. DWS paid the remaining approximately $1,500 to cover the cost. Coach Hendrix had to attend an eight hour training before he could start teaching the classes. He is now introducing it to all DWS 4th-8th graders and the kids are so excited,” she said.
Farler said DWS was made aware of the program by TWRA officer Tony Cross. “Really, my and Officer Joe Fortner’s involvement was just to help the school systems get set up in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). Both DeKalb West School and DeKalb Middle School last year were able to purchase archery set-up kits to get the program started in the schools. Right now at DeKalb Middle School we’re still waiting to get PE instructors certified to be able to teach it at DMS,” said Officer Cross.
NASP is a joint venture between state departments of Education and Wildlife. Several archery equipment manufacturers and organizations are also partners. The program promotes student education, physical education and participation in the lifelong sport of Archery. The program’s focus is to provide International Style Target Archery training in physical education classes. “There are hundreds of schools across the state and thousands of schools nationwide involved in this program. It’s really a great program. It’s not just geared for hunters. There’s a lot of kids that maybe this is the first time they’ve ever picked up a bow. It’s actually a compound bow that they shoot which is set up for beginning archers. But it’s not just about shooting a bow and arrow. It teaches a lot of different things from discipline, responsibility, and respect for others,” said Officer Cross.
The archery course, which normally runs from two to eight weeks, is designed to teach International Style target archery in 4th–12th grades. The students shoot at bulls-eye targets placed in front of an arrow resistant net in their gymnasium. The core content covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, core strengthening, physical fitness and self improvement which is necessary in order to participate in and enjoy the sport of archery as a lifetime activity. The safety and instructional guidelines were adopted from the National Archery Association (NAA) and the National Field Archery Association (NFAA).
Equipment to get started:
Bows* (Original Genesis) 12 – (10 right / 2 left)
Bow rack
2 boxes of arrows (10 dozen)
5 Targets
1 Arrow Curtain
1 Equipment repair kit*
1 set of Safety rules and posters*
Arrow quivers 12 (made by the school)
Whistle (one is included in the BAI materials)
Blue painter’s tape (purchased by the school)
Clearly defined shooting range (in gym)
Coach Hendrix will be teaching archery during PE classes from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. or from 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. each day for a few weeks, according to Principal Farler.

A Cookeville man was found with methamphetamine during a Sheriff’s Department traffic stop in Smithville last week.
44 year old Anthony Leon Tindle of North Pine Hill Road, Cookeville is charged with possession of a schedule II drug (methamphetamine). His bond is $25,000 and he will make a court appearance March 12. Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, February 13 a sheriff’s department detective spotted an older model Cadillac setting near a convenience store at the intersection of Highway 56 & 70 in Smithville. Another vehicle was parked behind the Cadillac. The driver of the Cadillac appeared to be slumped over the wheel. The detective stopped and spoke with the driver, Tindle. During the conversation Tindle told the officer that he had a pipe in his pocket and produced a plastic container which held a wet rock like substance which field tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 4.8 grams. Tindle was placed under arrest.
58 year old Neal Bernard Keenan of West Main Street, Dowelltown is charged with driving on a revoked license. He was further issued citations for not wearing a seatbelt and for violation of the responsibility law (no insurance). His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court March 5. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, February 9 Keenan was operating a motor vehicle and stopped for not wearing a seatbelt. A computer check revealed that his driver’s license were revoked for DUI on August 5, 2013. He was arrested and brought to the sheriff’s office for booking.
48 year old James Michael Phipps of Cookeville is charged with possession of a schedule II drug (Opana) for resale. His bond is $10,000 and he will make a court appearance on March 12. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, February 9 a sheriff’s department drug detective arrested Phipps, who was a passenger of a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation. Phipps gave the detective consent to search his person and in his coat pocket, six loaded syringes were found. Phipps admitted that the syringes were loaded with the drug Opana. He was arrested and brought to the sheriff’s department for booking.
27 year old Billy Douglas Ferrell of Dale Ridge Road, Dowelltown is charged with driving on a suspended license. He was further issued citations for violation of the financial responsibility law, for no license plates on his vehicle, and for not giving immediate notice of an accident. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court March 26. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, February 9 a deputy was dispatched to New Home Road in reference to someone hitting a mailbox and then leaving the scene. When the officer arrived, he found a piece of a bumper that had broken off in the accident. The next day, Tuesday February 10 the deputy was informed by central dispatch that someone had witnessed the wreck and followed the vehicle to the home of Ferrell. According to the caller, Ferrell was the driver. The officer went to Ferrell’s home and spoke with him. Ferrell admitted to being the driver of the automobile which hit the mailbox on New Home Road. According to Sheriff Ray, Ferrell further admitted to leaving the scene after the mishap and driving to his home. A computer check revealed that Ferrell’s license were suspended for failure to maintain proof of insurance on April 2, 2014. The deputy had previously cited Ferrell on January 23, 2015 for a first offense of driving on a suspended license and advised him at that time not to be driving anymore. Ferrell was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
29 year old Justin Ray Lohorn of Driver Street, Smithville is cited for violation of the light law, simple possession of marijuana, and failure to maintain his lane of travel. He will be in court March 12. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, February 12 a sheriff’s department detective saw a red pickup truck with no tail lights swerving on Braswell Lane in Smithville. The detective stopped the truck and spoke with the driver, Lohorn. After receiving consent to search, the detective found a marijuana joint inside the vehicle.
41 year old Steven Lee Gebhardt of Hurricane Ridge Road, Smithville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $3,000 and he will be in court March 12. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, February 12 a sheriff’s department deputy was dispatched to Turtle’s Bar and Grill on Sparta Highway on a complaint of a customer who was trying to start a fight. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with Gebhardt who was unsteady on his feet and he had a strong odor of alcohol on his person. Gebhardt was placed under arrest.
32 year old Teesha Nicole Reynolds of Lovers Lane, Liberty was arrested on Monday, February 9 after an investigation by detectives of both the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Smithville Police Department. She is charged with two counts of fraudulent use of a debit card and theft of property under $500. Her bond totals $6,500 and she will be in court February 19. In the sheriff’s department case, Reynolds allegedly took a debit card belonging to another on West Main Street, Smithville without the owner’s consent and used it at the Dollar General Store at Snow Hill. The purchase amount was for $45.52.
35 year old David Allen Sloan of Tramel Branch Road, Alexandria is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will make a court appearance May 7. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, February 14 Sloan was in the parking lot of Turtle’s Bar and Grill and he was asked to leave when he started a disturbance with employees. He was highly intoxicated and acting very belligerently. The arresting officer asked Sloan several times to calm down but he refused to comply. He was placed under arrest.
24 year old John Wesley Curtis of Braswell Lane, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. He was also issued a citation for violation of the implied consent law and for stopping on the highway. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on March 26. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, February 16 a deputy was dispatched to Highway 70 and Dale Ridge Road due to a car blocking two lanes of travel. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the driver, Curtis who had urinated on himself. Curtis had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol on his person. He allegedly admitted to drinking six- 24 ounce beers. He performed poorly on field sobriety tasks but he refused to submit to a blood test. Curtis was placed under arrest.