The General Assembly amended Tennessee’s voter photo identification law during its recently-concluded legislative session. Amendments sponsored by Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mount Juliet) seek to clarify and strengthen the law that was successfully implemented during the 2012 election cycle.
Voters may no longer use photo IDs issued by other states as acceptable forms of identification when voting in person. This change mirrors similar laws in other states, including Indiana. Indiana’s photo ID law has been upheld by the United States Supreme Court.
The amendments also clarify the General Assembly’s original intent in passing the law by explicitly excluding photo IDs issued by counties and municipalities. These changes took effect when the amended law was signed by Governor Bill Haslam this week.
“The General Assembly continues to enact laws that protect the integrity of the ballot box,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “I am grateful that our legislators continue to seek out policies to ensure that only eligible voters may cast their ballots in Tennessee.”
“Our poll workers will be ready to implement these changes in our next election,” said Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley.
Examples of acceptable forms of identification, whether current or expired, include Tennessee driver licenses, U.S. passports, Department of Safety photo ID cards, U.S. military photo IDs, and other photo IDs issued by the federal or Tennessee state governments. Voters without one of these forms of identification may obtain free photo IDs for voting at Tennessee Department of Safety driver service centers.

A group of DeKalb County Girl Scouts attended Walt Disney’s Youth Education Series. They were allowed into the park prior to the official opening and spent 3 hours learning about America’s history.
Girls left to right: Rachel Fuson, Baylee Phillips, Callie Cripps, Susan Webb, Karen Johnson, Kristen Parsley, Katherine Parsley. Top row: Zoe Cripps, Ashley Phillips, Ellie Webb.

Registration for GED classes is scheduled for Monday, April 29 at 4:00 p.m. in the DeKalb County Complex on South Congress Boulevard. Please enter through UT Extension/Motlow College doors.
Anyone age eighteen and older may sign up. The ten week course is offered at no charge locally but the cost is $55.00 to take the final GED test. The fee will increase to $120.00 in 2014.
Tom Werling, GED Volunteer Instructor said after a student registers, a test is given to determine his or her grade level in certain subject areas. “Step two is going to be the TABE Test Tuesday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m. The TABE Test will give us an idea of where you (students) are education wise. We have had people from the second grade (level) all the way to the twelfth grade (level) so this will give us an idea of the books we need to give you and the things we need to do for you,” said Werling.
Step three will be the OPT test Thursday, May 2 at 4:00 p.m. which is the official practice test for the GED program, according to Werling. “The GED test is divided into five categories, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science, and Math. To get your GED you just need to average 450 in each one of the those areas. The new GED test will be coming out in 2014. It will be a computer based test and it will be harder. The fee will also be going from $55.00 to $120.00 for the test. Right now it is $55.00. There is no charge or fee for the classes here in Smithville. We’ll provide you the books you need. We teach on a one to one basis because of the variance in the education level of the people we will be seeing,” said Werling.
For more information call 931-528-8685.

First United Methodist Preschool is more than your average Mother’s Day out! It is a place where a child is nurtured physically, educationally, and spiritually. This has been a fun year full of adventure and learning for everyone! In February we kicked off a reading and writing emphasis with a “Dress as your Favorite Book Character Day” in honor of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday. Since then the children have been working diligently to write and illustrate their very own class books! Thanks to the generous donations of parents and businesses in our community, we were able to print and bind a book for each child to keep forever!
On Thursday night, April 18th we celebrated by having an Author’s Debut and Silent Auction. To begin the evening parents and friends were able to browse at an Art Gallery that was compiled of creations that each class had made. Children had fun painting, posing, and creating all of the unique items that were up for auction.
Mrs. Kathy Hendrixson, from the Justin Potter Library, began the program by reading to the children and encouraged them to be a part of the summer reading program at the library.
As the grand finale the kids were then presented with their very own books. The 2 year old class, taught by Mrs. Jennifer Braswell, illustrated their own rendition of Brown Bear, Brown Bear. The kids used fruits and veggies to paint the pictures. The 3 year old class, taught by Mrs. Sharon Bell, wrote the book, Oh Where Will We Be in 2023. It is comprised of future plans and role models for each child in the next ten years. Mrs. Jane Groom’s 4 year old class wrote an autobiography about themselves, All About Me. It included family photos, the children’s favorite things, and plans for the future. Ms. Betty Hickey’s class made an art book, Self Portraits, which included their very own paintings of themselves and special handwriting for each picture.
It was an exciting night that spotlighted the importance of reading and education. Our desire is that these children will have a love for learning and self-confidence entering Kindergarten that they “can do all things through Christ who gives them strength.”
If you are interested in enrolling your child (18 months- 5 yrs. old) in preschool or would like to have more information, please contact Emily Bass at 615-597-6639 or email smithvillefump@gmail.com . Early Enrollment for the Fall has started now and will continue until we are full. We do follow the school calendar and will begin classes the week after public school has started.
Thank you to the following for the generous donations that made this night possible. Bernie’s Pizza, Beshearse Landscaping, Bratten Hale Cook II, Bridgeway Motel and Jewel’s Paving and Construction Company, Bumpers, Caney Fork Electric Cooperative, The Close Family, DeKalb Animal Clinic, DeKalb Community Bank, DeKalb County Ace Hardware, DeKalb Funeral Chapel, Family Medical Center, Federal Mogul, Ford Lincoln of Cookeville, Scott Goodwin Family, Ginos BBQ, Hendrix Financial, Bill House Family, In Honor of DeKalb Tire and Service, In Honor of Light House Christian Camp, In Honor of Teen Challenge of the Upper Cumberland, Janney and Associates, Jeremy Trapp Attorney at Law, Johnson and Sons Cabinets INC, Johnson’s Heating and Air, Judkins Lawncare, Keith W. Blair Attorney at Law, Kilgores’ Restaurant, Kwik-N- Easy Inc., Larry and Frances Johnson, Liberty State Bank, Liberty Stop-N-Buy, Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, Nestle Inc., Optimus Pest Solutions, Peeled Chestnut United Methodist Church, Star Manufacturing International, Sue Puckett-Jernigan Attorney at Law, Tenneco, Tennessee Credit, The Real Estate Team, Turner Auto Parts, United Methodist Women, World Finance Cooperation, In Memory of Aubrey Turner, and In Memory of Paul Hardiman.

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) is proud to announce that 23 of its funded county-level substance abuse prevention coalitions are taking part in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 27. The coalitions will partner with local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in more than 30 locations across the state for the event.
The Smithville Police Department is partnering in the Prescription Take-Back Day which will be Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 a.m. until noon at the city hall on the public square. Motorists should pull into the drive-through on the side of the building where you pay your water bill. Someone will be outside the building to collect the medications.
Drug take-back events remove thousands of pounds of unused and potentially addictive medications and other substances from homes and raise awareness of permanently installed prescription drug disposal boxes in communities. The importance of removing unused medications from homes cannot be over emphasized, as more than 8,000 Tennesseans have died from drug overdoses in the past 10 years. Organizers estimate that more than 5,775 pounds of medication will be collected at these events around Tennessee.

Smithville Police detectives Matt Holmes and Brandon Donnell have solved a local identify theft case with the arrest of a Nashville man.
41 year old Jeffery D. Nelson is charged with four counts of identity theft. His bond totals $40,000 and he will be in court on May 9.
Nelson is accused of using information from a Smithville man’s debit card to withdraw funds from the victim’s bank account to pay his own utility bills on several occasions. The total amount of the theft comes to nearly three thousand dollars.
According to Police Chief Randy Caplinger the Smithville resident hired the All My Sons Moving and Storage Company of Nashville last October to transport furniture from his home here to a condo in Banning, California.
Nelson, who worked in the Nashville office of All My Sons, was able to access the victim’s debit card information from paper work showing where the victim had paid the company for their services.
After Nelson was developed as a suspect, warrants were prepared and the U.S. Secret Service was contacted to make the arrest. Nelson was then handed over to Smithville Police.
Chief Caplinger praised detectives Holmes and Donnell for their work in solving this case.

Two people, 24 year old Jessica Yvonne Lane and 25 year old Lonnie (J.B.) Brown, are scheduled to be in court Thursday after being cited earlier this month for cruelty to animals.
Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger said on Monday, April 1 an officer was dispatched to a residence on West Main Street concerning a couple of dogs being starved. The officer found one dog deceased, chained to a stake in the back yard. It appeared the dog had been dead for at least a day. Another dog was chained and appeared to be sick. There was no food with the dogs at the time of the complaint.
Meanwhile in other cases, 24 year old William Morris is cited for simple possession of a schedule IV drug. Chief Caplinger said that on Saturday, March 30 while investigating a possible DUI at Mapco, an officer made contact with Morris. The officer noticed a pill holder hanging from Morris’ key chain and asked if he could see what was inside it. Morris willingly showed the officer the pills inside the bottle. There were nine pills believed to be xanax.
44 year old Michael Lynn Vance was arrested for domestic assault on Thursday, April 4. According to the warrant, Detective Brandon Donnell responded to a fight in progress on Andrew Street where one person had a knife. As he arrived, Detective Donnell saw two persons fighting in a field behind Andrew Street. One of the men involved in the fight was Vance. The other man was a member of Vance’s family. As Vance was ordered to get on the ground Detective Donnell saw Vance drop a knife. Upon further investigation it was determined that Vance was the primary aggressor. The victim had a cut on his hand and a small cut on his upper lip. Bond for Vance was $2,500
26 year old Jamaal Ahmad League was arrested for public intoxication on Sunday, April 7. According to the warrant, Officer Steven Barrett responded to Mapco Express where a man was in the store cussing the customers and asking for money. The man was apparently intoxicated. Upon arrival, Officer Barrett made contact with the man, League, who had a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. He was unsteady on his feet. League had been asked several times to leave the store and not to bother the customers. League was placed under arrest due to his being a nuisance to the public and for his safety. His bond was $2,000.
35 year old Terika Diana Faux was cited for shoplifting at Dollar General Store on Thursday, April 11. Faux was observed by store management concealing items in her purse. She will be in court on April 25
36 year old Rickey Lee Tisdale was arrested on Tuesday, April 16 for aggravated assault, simple assault and simple possession. Tisdale allegedly threw a family member onto a couch and strangled her. When she went into the bedroom to call 911, Tisdale allegedly broke the phone and strangled her again leaving marks on her throat. Tisdale also allegedly grabbed a neighbor, who had gone in to check on the victim, throwing her on the bed and leaving bruise marks on her arms. Tisdale was asked to sit in a chair while Officer Barrett conducted an investigation. When Tisdale sat down a metal pill container fell out of his pocket and onto the floor. The container held eleven pills believed to be xanax. Bond for Tisdale is $10,000 and he will be in court on May 2.
38 year old Ignacia Hernandez was recently arrested for a third offense of driving on a suspended license and cited for a violation of the vehicle registration law and for failure to maintain lane of travel. Police said Hernandez was operating a motor vehicle but was stopped for failure to maintain lane of travel. He told the officer he didn’t have a license and a computer check revealed his license were suspended for driving on a prior suspended license in Macon County. A computer check of the vehicle tag came back to a different vehicle. Bond for Hernandez is $5,000 and he will be in court on May 9.
Anyone with information on any criminal activity is asked to please contact the Smithville Police Department at 597-8210 or the Tip Line at 464-6046.
Any information received that would help Smithville Police solve any criminal offense will be greatly appreciated. All information is confidential.

Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto will be the guest speaker for the 2013 graduation program at DeKalb County High School on Friday, May 24.
Hutto is a life long resident of Wilson County. Growing up in Watertown, he attended Watertown Elementary and graduated from Watertown High School. Randall earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 1984, and would continue his education with a Master’s plus 30 degree in Education from Trevecaa Nazarene College.
He began his career in education at Lebanon High School in1984, teaching U. S. History, Math, and Physical Education. During his tenure at Lebanon High, he utilized his passion for both young people and athletics as an assistant varsity football coach for 16 years, and led the Blue Devils Boys’ Varsity Basketball team as head coach for 12 years.
After an 18 year career at Lebanon High School, Randall accepted the opportunity to serve as Assistant Director of Schools for the Lebanon Special School District in 2003.
Randall began a new and challenging career in September of 2010, when the citizens of Wilson County elected him to serve as Wilson County Mayor.
He and his wife, Paula, have been married for over 24 years, and have three children, Alex, a student at Tennessee Tech, Megan, a student at Lebanon High School and Brett, a student at Winfree Bryant Middle School. Randall and his family are members of Immanuel Baptist Church, where he teaches Sunday School and serves as a deacon. He is a member of the Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, and Watertown Chambers of Commerce, and an active member of the Lebanon Breakfast Rotary Club.
The graduation program starts at 7:00 p.m. on the DCHS football field.