A Classroom Hunter Education Course starts Monday, September 9 at the Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church on Highway 83 or Allen Ferry Road.
Classes will be held each night from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The course is offered free of charge.
Participants must attend each night in order to complete the course. “There are actually three classroom nights and on the last day, that afternoon we do the test and the LIVE fire. You do have to attend all of those,” said TWRA Officer Tony Cross.
“You must be at least nine years old by the first night of the class to participate,” he said. “We will take up to fifty persons in the class. You do have to go on-line to register now for any of our Hunter Education classes. Go to the www.tnwildlife.org website. You click on the button “For Hunters”. Click on the section “Hunter Education”. A button will come up in the middle of the page “Find A Class”. Click on that and go to the classroom portion of the Hunter Education Course. Look on the left hand side of the page. It’ll bring up the dates. Just look until you find the one that says Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church. It will then have another button that will allow you to register now,” said Officer Cross.
For more information, call Officer Cross at 597-9625
Author Archive: Dwayne Page
County Clerk Recognized for Support of “Donate-A-Dollar” Organ Donor Awareness Program
In the United States, more than 118,000 people are awaiting a life-saving organ transplant, with 2,500 of those residing in Tennessee, according to Donate Life Tennessee.
Every 18 minutes a patient on the waiting list for a donor organ dies, and every 10 minutes a new name is added to the list.
When a driver in Tennessee renews his or her car registration, the opportunity is provided to make a donation to the “Donate-A-Dollar Program,” which benefits the Tennessee County Clerks Organ Donor Awareness Foundation. The foundation recently announced that it has raised $4 million in donations since its inception in 1996.
DeKalb County Clerk Mike Clayborn has been recognized by Donate Life Tennessee for his work to promote the “Donate-A-Dollar program.
“Thanks to the dedication of our state’s county clerks, we have been able to raise money to provide our citizens with education on the importance of organ and tissue donation,” said Janice Butler, president of the Tennessee Association of County Clerks.
The Tennessee County Clerks Association launched the foundation in 1996 to support organ donation education in Tennessee. The foundation works in cooperation with the non-profit Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation to educate Tennesseans on the importance of becoming an organ and tissue donor.
A board comprised of physicians, donor service professionals and county clerk representatives administer the funds, which over the years have been critical to the development of the Donate Life Tennessee online registry, the creation and distribution of educational materials, school based programs and recognition programs for organ and tissue donors.
As of June 2013, over 1.85 million Tennesseans have signed up on the Donate Life Tennessee Organ & Tissue Donor Registry either online or through the Department of Safety. On average, nearly 3,500 people are added each week. While the rate falls far short of the nationwide goal to register 50 percent of each state’s licensed drivers, Tennessee’s registry is growing quickly. Tennesseans can register to be an organ donor by simply Checking YES when applying for or renewing their driver’s license or by going online at www.donatelifetn.org.
Donate Life Tennessee is a non-profit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry, administered by the state’s two organ procurement organizations (OPO), responsible for facilitating the donation process in Tennessee:
Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation. The Donate Life Registry assures that all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized OPO personnel.
(Pictured Above: Leslie Tramel, Mike Clayborn, Tammy Pack, and Judy Miller McGee)
Donnie E. Wanger
78 year old Donnie E. Wanger of Smithville died Wednesday at DeKalb Community Hospital. She was born in West Virginia, a waitress at Creighton’s Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and a member of Salem Baptist Church. The family has chosen direct cremation with a memorial to be held at a later date. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wilber Wilkerson and Nellie Dawson; husband, Richard Wanger; brothers, Paul Wilkinson, Adrain Wilkinson, Roy Wilkinson, and Larry Wilkinson. Sisters, Gloria Wilkinson and Mary Plantz; grandson, Jake Hoover, and great-grandson, Jake Ryan Davidson. She is survived by two children, Tammy and Craig Hoover of Liberty, TN., and Kim and Beth McDougal of Monticello, Fl. Grandchildren, Ryan Davidson of Ft. Lauderdale; Jason and Julie McDougal and Jacob McDougal of Monticello, Fl. One great-grandchild, Dylan Davidson of Ft. Lauderdale; sister, Dana and Joe Lalley of Norfolk, Virginia. One brother, Ben and Wavelene Wilkinson of Rockbridge, Ohio. Niece, Melissa Wilkinson, and best friend Alene Yarbrough of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria is in charge of the arrangements.
Donnie E. Wanger
78 year old Donnie E. Wanger of Smithville died Wednesday at DeKalb Community Hospital. She was born in West Virginia, a waitress at Creighton’s Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and a member of Salem Baptist Church. The family has chosen direct cremation with a memorial to be held at a later date. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wilber Wilkerson and Nellie Dawson; husband, Richard Wanger; brothers, Paul Wilkinson, Adrain Wilkinson, Roy Wilkinson, and Larry Wilkinson. Sisters, Gloria Wilkinson and Mary Plantz; grandson, Jake Hoover, and great-grandson, Jake Ryan Davidson. She is survived by two children, Tammy and Craig Hoover of Liberty, TN., and Kim and Beth McDougal of Monticello, Fl. Grandchildren, Ryan Davidson of Ft. Lauderdale; Jason and Julie McDougal and Jacob McDougal of Monticello, Fl. One great-grandchild, Dylan Davidson of Ft. Lauderdale; sister, Dana and Joe Lalley of Norfolk, Virginia. One brother, Ben and Wavelene Wilkinson of Rockbridge, Ohio. Niece, Melissa Wilkinson, and best friend Alene Yarbrough of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria is in charge of the arrangements.
Bounds Up for Another Parole Hearing
66 year old Gerald Wayne (J.B.) Bounds of McMinnville, serving a life prison sentence for the 1981 fatal shooting of Sherman Wright of Smithville will be up for another parole hearing next month.
The hearing will be held Wednesday, October 16 at the Southeast Regional Correctional Facility in Pikeville where Bounds is incarcerated.
Bounds is serving a life sentence for the first degree premeditated killing of Wright, who was shot once in the head just outside the Odyssey Arcade on West Broad Street, across from the Dairy Queen. The incident occurred on the afternoon of February 2nd, 1981, allegedly over a gambling debt. The game room no longer exists. The building now serves as the location for the Discount Tobacco Outlet.
Bounds was found guilty of first degree murder by a DeKalb County Circuit Court Jury following a trial in October 1981 and he has been in prison since, having served more than 32 years. Bounds admitted to shooting Wright but said it was unintentional.
He has been up for parole four times, in September 2002, August 2005, October 2010, and October 2011.
Following Bounds’ latest parole hearing on October 20, 2011 board member Yusuf Hakeem voted that Bounds be “put off” for two years before his next parole hearing and that in the meantime, he become involved in cognitive behavior programs including “Thinking for a Change’, “Criminal Thinking”, and “Victim Impact”. These programs, which were to be made available to him in prison, are designed to emphasize the role of altering thinking patterns in bringing about change in an offender’s life.
Three members of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to concur with the vote of board member Hakeem that Bounds be denied parole due to the seriousness of the offense.
Richard Ray Lockhart
77 year old Richard Ray Lockhart of Smithville died Wednesday at NHC of McMinnville. He was a Mason of Liberty Lodge #77, Shriners, and American Legion. Lockhart was also a member of the Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church and a retired business owner of Village Market. Mr. Lockhart was a U.S. Air Force Veteran. The funeral will be Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Bill Robertson will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. A Masonic Service will be Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Lockhart was preceded in death by his parents, Lorenzo and Hattie Billups Lockhart; his wife, Frances Johnson Lockhart; a step-son, Gus Johnson; three brothers, Howard, Edgar, and George Lockhart; and a sister, Ruth Lockhart. Survivors include a son, Gene Lockhart of Smithville. Two step-sons, Larry Johnson of Kentucky and Mike and wife Jeana Johnson of Lebanon. Seven grandchildren, Ashley Bogle of Smithville, Jay Lockhart of Woodbury, Melissa Muskopf and John Johnson both of Smithville, Nathan Johnson of Alexandria, Ben Johnson of Lebanon, and Mollie Johnson of Kentucky. Eleven great grandchildren. Three brothers, Wesley and Leveda Lockhart of California, Buck and Mary Lockhart of Oklahoma, Bob and Margaret Lockhart of West Virginia. Two sisters, Lucy Lockhart of West Virginia and Judy Lockhart of North Carolina. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations please be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children, in lieu of flowers.
Shane Talbert Usrey
35 year old Shane Talbert Usrey of Smithville died Wednesday in the emergency room of DeKalb Community Hospital. He was a former employee of Star Manufacturing and he helped coach the DeKalb Junior Pro PeeWee Football Team. The funeral will be Friday at 1:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Brad Trapp and Listeth Hale will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until the service at 1:00 p.m.. He was preceded in death by his Father, Harold Usrey. Survivors include his wife, Renee Usrey of Smithville. Three sons, Tyler Malone of Alexandria, Cameron and Matthew Usrey both of Smithville. His mother and father, Wilma and Ernest Bouldin of Smithville. A brother, B.J. Bouldin of McMinnville. A sister, Krystal Usrey of Cookeville. Mother-in-law, Carlene Greene of McMinnville. Several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins also survive. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made to DeKalb Funeral Chapel to help with funeral expenses, in lieu of flowers.
Richard Ray Lockhart
77 year old Richard Ray Lockhart of Smithville died Wednesday at NHC of McMinnville. He was a Mason of Liberty Lodge #77, Shriners, and American Legion. Lockhart was also a member of the Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church and a retired business owner of Village Market. Mr. Lockhart was a U.S. Air Force Veteran. The funeral will be Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Bill Robertson will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. A Masonic Service will be Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Lockhart was preceded in death by his parents, Lorenzo and Hattie Billups Lockhart; his wife, Frances Johnson Lockhart; a step-son, Gus Johnson; three brothers, Howard, Edgar, and George Lockhart; and a sister, Ruth Lockhart. Survivors include a son, Gene Lockhart of Smithville. Two step-sons, Larry Johnson of Kentucky and Mike and wife Jeana Johnson of Lebanon. Seven grandchildren, Ashley Bogle of Smithville, Jay Lockhart of Woodbury, Melissa Muskopf and John Johnson both of Smithville, Nathan Johnson of Alexandria, Ben Johnson of Lebanon, and Mollie Johnson of Kentucky. Eleven great grandchildren. Three brothers, Wesley and Leveda Lockhart of California, Buck and Mary Lockhart of Oklahoma, Bob and Margaret Lockhart of West Virginia. Two sisters, Lucy Lockhart of West Virginia and Judy Lockhart of North Carolina. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations please be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children, in lieu of flowers.
Shane Talbert Usrey
35 year old Shane Talbert Usrey of Smithville died Wednesday in the emergency room of DeKalb Community Hospital. He was a former employee of Star Manufacturing and he helped coach the DeKalb Junior Pro PeeWee Football Team. The funeral will be Friday at 1:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Brad Trapp and Listeth Hale will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until the service at 1:00 p.m.. He was preceded in death by his Father, Harold Usrey. Survivors include his wife, Renee Usrey of Smithville. Three sons, Tyler Malone of Alexandria, Cameron and Matthew Usrey both of Smithville. His mother and father, Wilma and Ernest Bouldin of Smithville. A brother, B.J. Bouldin of McMinnville. A sister, Krystal Usrey of Cookeville. Mother-in-law, Carlene Greene of McMinnville. Several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins also survive. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made to DeKalb Funeral Chapel to help with funeral expenses, in lieu of flowers.
Parents Asked to be Patient as Bus Drivers Become Familiar with After School Routes
After school programs have begun and for some students that means getting home later in the day.
Jimmy Sprague, Transportation Supervisor, is asking parents of these students to be patient as bus drivers become familiar with the after school routes.
“We’re getting ready to start the second part of our After School Program,” said Sprague. “The first part is what is called the 21st Century Program. It deals with our middle school and high school students. It started off real well. We haven’t really had many issues at all. We’re getting ready now to start what is called the LEAP’s Program. That is our elementary school students from Northside and Smithville Elementary. These are young children and they often don’t know their address. They will tell us, I live in the white house. Well, every street has a white house. The schools are working with us to provide address forms on their shirts when they get on the buses. I ask the parents to be patient with us. We’ll get them home safely. Just bear with us because everybody is new and we’re learning our routes on the After School Program. Please be patient. Times will get better as we learn our routes and things (times) will be more consistent. Last year we got a lot of calls from the 911 center, people looking for their kids. I understand that. But please understand, we’re working our way to you. We will get to you and the times will get better. Just be patient with us,” said Sprague
Currently, the latest some students may arrive home is approximately 6:45 p.m. “Starting out, you’re looking at 6:45 p.m. My goal is to get them all home by 6:30 p.m. We’ll accomplish that goal buts it’s going to take trial and error in getting our routes down. We’ll get there. That’s where the patience comes in. I ask the parents to be patient with us and give us an opportunity to get them home. As we get further into it, the times will get better and be more consistent,” said Sprague