The Tennessee Department of Transportation still does not have the go ahead for right of way acquisition for the new Sligo bridge.
WJLE contacted TDOT Thursday and in response, Jennifer A. Flynn, Regional Community Relations Officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation replied with the following message by email. “I spoke with Chief Engineer/Deputy Commissioner Paul Degges about the Sligo Bridge. He told me that TDOT has redesigned the bridge project to take into account the Marina’s concerns and provided the redesign to the Marina. We have not yet been able to finalize any transaction at this time, but we remain optimistic that we can come to a settlement that is satisfactory to all parties. That’s all there is to tell at this point. If I hear of any news on the progress of the project, I will certainly let you know,” wrote Flynn
State Representative Mark Pody, who was in town Friday, December 21, said he is hopeful that the new Sligo bridge project can be let for bids during the first quarter of 2013, pending a new lease agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Sligo Marina.
Pody, in an interview with WJLE, said any new agreement between the parties should address granting TDOT the right of way to proceed with the project. The marina’s current lease with the Corps is due to expire next month.
Degges told WJLE in August that the state had redesigned plans for the proposed project hoping to address concerns to the satisfaction of Sligo Marina.
Degges has said one of the major concerns is that the marina owners want the state to pay for “potential loss of business”to them during the construction of the bridge. The problem is the state cannot legally pay for those types of damages. “They’re wanting to be paid for some things. In particular, he (lessee) wants to be paid for some potential loss of business due to loss of some of his parking and the impact of construction. Under state law in Tennessee, we (TDOT) are prohibited from paying those types of damages” said Degges.

A resident of 639 Crestlawn Avenue received burns to his arm Sunday morning after he fell asleep in a chair that caught fire from a lit cigarette.
Ricky Lawrence was treated by DeKalb EMS and then transported to the DeKalb Middle School parking lot where he was airlifted by a Life Force helicopter ambulance and flown to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville.
Central dispatch received the call at 7:37 a.m. and members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department, DeKalb EMS, and Smithville Police responded.
Fire Chief Charlie Parker told WJLE that the chair was the only thing in the house that was damaged in the fire. The small blaze was quickly extinguished and the chair was removed from the residence and taken outside.
Lawrence apparently had fallen asleep in the chair while holding a lit cigarette. The chair caught fire and he received burns to his arm.
The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department was called out again Sunday night to a car fire at the city park on Martin Street. The car was destroyed. The cause remains under investigation.

A man, his ex-wife, and her father were all charged with domestic assault last Thursday, December 27 after a child pick up incident turned ugly.
31 year old Mark Denver Young of McMinnville Highway, Smithville; his ex-wife, 32 year old Amy Carole Young of Steeple Chase Drive; and her father, 57 year old Joe Wayne Pack of Rolling Acres Road are each under a $1,500 bond.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Amy Young and her father, Pack came to Mark Young’s residence to pick up her children. A confrontation ensued and Young assaulted Pack by punching him in the face several times with his fists, causing cuts and bruises to his eye and face. Both Young and Pack hit each other several times in the face and head, causing injuries to both. Sheriff Ray said that Amy Young got into a confrontation with her ex-husband, Mark Young and hit him in the head several times with a rubber hammer, causing injuries. Mark Young had to go to the emergency room for treatment.
All three will be in court January 31.
Meanwhile, a local man was arrested twice last week after allegedly assaulting a woman on Wednesday and then attacking his nephew, three days later
32 year old Anthony Doel Atnip of Johnson Chapel Road, Sparta is charged with two counts of domestic assault. He was first picked up on Wednesday, December 19. His bond is $3,500 on that charge and he will be in court on January 17.
Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, December 19 a deputy responded to a complaint of a physical domestic on Banks Pisgah Road. Upon arrival, the officer made contact with Atnip and a woman. The officer saw that she had a busted lip, scratches to her face and a bruise on her jaw. The deputy also noticed hair on the floor that had apparently been pulled from the woman’s head. She told the officer that Atnip was intoxicated and that he started beating her after becoming irate over missing coins. The officer determined that Atnip was the primary aggressor. The deputy also observed that Atnip had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and was very angry.
Three days later, on Saturday December 22, Atnip was arrested again for domestic assault against another person. His bond on that charge is $15,000 and he will be in court on January 17.
Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, December 22, a deputy responded to Johnson Chapel Road to a complaint of a domestic assault. Upon arrival, the officer spoke to a female who said her brother, Atnip, had gotten into a verbal argument with her son which turned physical. Atnip punched him in the face on the right side causing bruising and swelling. Atnip admitted to hitting him. It was determined that Atnip was the primary aggressor.
27 year old Jordan Thomas Adams of Allen Street, Smithville is charged with evading arrest. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court January 17. He was arrested on Thursday, December 20.
Sheriff Ray said that Adams had been on the run since September 12 after he fled from drug court. “After running out of drug court, Adams was spotted about an hour later at a location on Holmes Creek Road.When the deputy got out of his vehicle, Adams started running. The officer yelled for him to stop, but he kept running. Adams has a hold on him from drug court,” said Sheriff Ray.
39 year old Freddy Sylvester Stringer of Church Street, Liberty is charged with a second offense of driving on a revoked license. His bond is $7,500 and he will be in court January 10.
Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday December 29, Stringer, operating a vehicle, pulled up beside an officer at DeKalb Market. The officer knew that Stringer’s license were revoked and placed him under arrest. A computer check confirmed Stringer’s license were revoked for driving under the influence in 2004. On December 12, 2012 Stringer was issued an arrest warrant for driving on a revoked license, which is still pending in court. Another offense was filed against him on September 28, 2007. According to Sheriff Ray, Stringer has five convictions against him for driving on a suspended license from June 17, 1996 to April 10, 2004.

DeKalb County’s jobless rate for November dropped to 6.9%, down from 7.5% in October and well below the 8% rate recorded for November 2011.
The local labor force for November was 9,540. A total of 8,890 were employed and 650 were without work.
DeKalb County’s unemployment rate was fourth lowest among the fourteen counties of the Upper Cumberland Region.
Here’s how they ranked from highest to lowest:
Pickett County: 11.2%
Van Buren County: 10.7%
White County: 10.6%
Clay County: 9.6%
Warren County: 8.8%
Jackson County: 8.5%
Fentress County: 8.3%
Cumberland County: 7.8%
Macon County: 7.3%
Overton County: 7%
DeKalb County: 6.9%
Smith County: 6.4%
Putnam County: 6.4%
Cannon County: 5.8%
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for November show the rate decreased in 91 counties, increased in one, and remained the same in three.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for November decreased to 7.6 percent, down from the October revised rate of 8.2 percent. The national unemployment rate for November 2012 was 7.7 percent, 0.2 percentage point lower than the October rate.
The state unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 5.2 percent, down from 5.9 percent in October. Davidson County was 5.7 percent, down from 6.5 percent. Hamilton County was 6.4 percent, down from 7.3 percent, and Shelby County was 7.8 percent, down from 8.7 percent in October.