A fire at 831 Hurricane Ridge Road Saturday morning has claimed one life, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
The name of the deceased has not yet been released.

County firefighters were dispatched at 11:06 a.m. and three minutes later the first station arrived on the scene. Members of the Cookeville Highway, Liberty, Main Station, and other units of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS. The blaze was reportedly well underway by the time firefighters arrived and the home could not be saved.
According to County Fire Chief Donny Green, three people were in the home at the time of the fire, Barbara Arnold, a resident there; Brad Driver, a family member; and the victim. Driver and Mrs. Arnold escaped unharmed. The victim who reportedly tried to extinguish the fire, didn’t make it out. Driver went across the road to the home of relatives to call for help.
The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal. Mrs. Arnold and Driver have told officials they believe the fire started from a portable electric heater.
No foul play is suspected but the body of the victim will be sent to Nashville for an autopsy to make positive identification, before the name is released.
The home and all belongings were lost in the fire. Chief Green said members of the local chapter of the Red Cross have provided food and clothing for Mrs. Arnold. She is now staying with family members.

The TennCare Standard Spend Down program will again offer open enrollment opportunities to new applicants on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 beginning at 6 p.m. CST.
Standard Spend Down is available through a waiver to the Medicaid program for a limited number of qualified low income individuals, or those with high, unpaid medical bills who are aged, blind, disabled, or the caretaker relative of a Medicaid eligible child. Eligible individuals must have enough unpaid medical bills to meet the “spend down” threshold to qualify for coverage.
“We are pleased to again to be able to open enrollment in the Standard Spend Down program,” said DHS Commissioner Raquel Hatter. “This program offers additional assistance to qualified low-income individuals or those with very high medical bills who are not already on TennCare.”
A special call-in phone line through DHS has been set up for interested applicants. The only way to request an application is by calling the toll-free number — 1-866-358-3230 — which will be open between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. CST on Feb. 21. Operators will close the phone line once 2,500 applicants call in. In previous open enrollment periods, 2,500 calls had been taken within one hour. If 2,500 calls are not received on Feb. 21, the phone lines will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on subsequent weekdays until 2,500 interested applicants call in.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to check eligibility qualifications before calling in. More information on the Standard Spend Down program and more detailed eligibility criteria are available here.
The toll-free number system is used to ensure equal access to Tennessee citizens interested in this program. The Tennessee Department of Human Services will send applications to all callers who are not already on TennCare and will review their eligibility for any open Medicaid categories and the newly opened Standard Spend Down category. Advanced notifications will be made to the public and other stakeholders prior to subsequent openings of the application request line.
Standard Spend Down Eligibility:
In addition to being aged (65 or older), blind*, disabled,* or a caretaker relative,
An individual must meet certain income restrictions, or be able to “spend down” qualifying unpaid medical bills to that limit. (*To be considered blind or disabled, an individual must meet standards set by the Social Security Administration.)
The following shows the income limits:
Household Size 1 (Monthly Income $241)
House Size 2 (Monthly Income $258)
House Size 3 (Monthly Income $317)
House Size 4 (Monthly Income $325)
House Size 5 (Monthly Income $392)
House Size 6 (Monthly Income $408)
Applicants also must not have resources that:
Exceed $2,000 for a family of one and $3,000 for a family of two with an additional $100 added per additional individual in the family.
A person’s unpaid medical bill must have been accrued within the past 90 days. Medical bills paid by the applicant within the past 30 days may count towards meeting an applicant’s spend down requirement.
Pregnant women and children still are eligible for the Medically Needy Spend Down program.
The ONLY way to request an application for the TennCare Standard Spend Down Program is through the toll free number (1-866-358-3230). Individuals interested in accessing the Standard Spend Down call-in line who are deaf/hard of hearing/speech impaired and using a TTY (text telephone) device should first call the Tennessee Relay Service at 1 (800) 848-0298. They will be prompted to enter the number they are trying to reach (the call-in line #) and a communications assistant will act as the go-between. Those wishing to apply for other TennCare categories should contact their local Department of Human Services county office, call the Family Assistance Service Center at 1-866-311-4287 during normal business hours, or visit www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/.
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There will be a Master Beef Producer Program to be held in Sparta at the White County Extension Office. The first meeting will be on Thursday, February 16th at 5:00 P.M. The courses will meet over 9 sessions between February 16 and finish on March 20. Perceived as the most extensive educational project ever conducted for the Tennessee cattle industry, the Master Beef Producer program is designed to help individual producers improve their profitability and competitiveness.
The MBP program will focus on 12 issues facing the beef industry. These topics include managing and planning for success, marketing, genetics, carcass traits, feeding and managing the cow herd, forage production, reproduction, herd health, cattle handling and behavior, environmental concerns and food safety. A beef quality assurance (BQA) certification or recertification session will also be included. Specialists and agents with University of Tennessee Extension and faculty of the UT College of Veterinary Medicine worked together to develop the MBP program. The project is part of the overall effort of the Tennessee Beef Cattle Improvement Initiative and enables participants to apply for 50% cost-share through the Tennessee Ag Enhancement program. Along with a sign, participants will receive a certificate recognizing their training and a Master Beef Producer cap. A registration fee of $50 will cover the cost of the course materials, including a beef production reference manual. Interested producers should contact the local Extension office in Smithville at 615-597-4945 or the White County UT Extension Office at 931-836-3348.

The American Red Cross in DeKalb County is looking for volunteers to help provide shelter in the event of disasters that leave people homeless such as fires, floods and tornadoes.
A meeting will be held Thursday, February 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Smithville city hall building downtown in the second floor community room and anyone interested in being a volunteer is urged to attend.
Kathy Nesmith, Executive Director for the American Red Cross, Warren County Chapter which also includes DeKalb County, said individual volunteers are needed as well as church and civic groups. “We want to recruit more volunteers. We’ve already had one meeting here and we’ve recruited five volunteers but we want more. You’ve got to have more volunteers when a disaster happens because there is always the risk of some of those volunteers being affected themselves. So we’re primarily wanting to recruit volunteers but we also want to focus on partnering with churches and church groups. We want to seek out churches and community centers that has a facility that we could use as a shelter during a disaster. You always want to know where your possible shelters are going to be before a disaster happens. You want communication in place. You want an agreement in place,” said Nesmith.
Sandra Wilmore, a Red Cross volunteer, said those who attend the informational meeting are under no obligation to commit. “This is only an informational meeting. Its not a commitment for someone to join. Of course we’d like for them to join. We want to just better serve our community because there’s a saying in the Red Cross, its not IF a disaster happens, its WHEN it happens. Our first focus is sheltering and we are interested in partnering with the churches here and with the community as much as possible. I think also that they (volunteers) will find that the training can be fun. Normally its (training) is only a couple of hours in the evening and sometimes on Saturdays. I’ve been in the Red Cross for several years now and I absolutely love it. They’ve got a lot of good people. They’re very well trained and very knowledgeable and that’s what our focus is all about. Its to educate the public on what the American Red Cross does and that we’re here to serve our community and let them know that help is provided for our communities if there is a disaster that should strike home to us,” said Wilmore.
Nesmith said the Red Cross Chapter has an office in the new county complex on South Congress Boulevard. Again to find out more information on how Red Cross is working in DeKalb County you’re urged to attend the meeting on Thursday, February 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the City Hall Building, 2nd floor.

DeKalb County High School has released the names of this year’s Honor Students including the 2012 Valedictorian Adam James and the Salutatorian Heather Vidal
James is the son of Westley and Carol James of Smithville
Students among the top twenty five senior academic ranking from numbers one to twenty five are as follows:
Adam James, Heather Vidal, Whitney England, Laura Martinez, Briana Vidal, Hailey Perry, Heather Hughes, Jessica Garrison, Jonathan Edwards, Erin Colwell, Jessica Ball, Alex Meadows, Victoria Tatrow, Riley Young, Lela Ambrose, Katie Merriman, Laura Pafford, Abigail Hendrix, Allison Little, Mason Merriman, Talisa Cantrell, Elizabeth Sanders, Brooke Hutchings, Sydney Robinson, and Joseph Angaran
Students earning “Highest Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.8 to 4.0 are:
Adam James, Valedictorian 4.0; Heather Vidal, Salutatorian 4.0, Jessica D. Ball 4.0, Erin L. Colwell 4.0, Jonathan D. Edwards 4.0, Whitney N. England 4.0, Jessica B. Garrison 4.0, Heather M. Hughes 4.0, Laura E. Martinez 4.0, Hailey D. Perry 4.0, Victoria D. Tatrow 4.0, Briana Vidal 4.0, Christopher R. Young 4.0, Lela E. Ambrose, Joseph L. Angaran, Talisa M. Cantrell, Taylor M. Cantrell, Morgan S. Garrett, Abigail Hendrix, Nicholaus T. Henry, Morgan B. Hutchings, Allison Little, Alexandria Meadows, Katie L. Merriman, Mason B. Merriman, Jacob A. Odom, Laura S. Pafford, Sydney Robinson, Elizabeth Sanders, Krystal T. White, and Austin T. Willmore
Students earning “High Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.6 to 3.79 include Chelsea L. Cantrell, Megan L. Cantrell, Yesenia L Cintron, Alicia D. Crook, Jamie Florence, James D. Freeney, Tiffini Hendrixson, Johnna G. Hensley, Sarah L. Jones, David S. Phillips, Kidman D. Puckett, Lindsay B. Snyder, Erik Z. Thompson, and Alyssa A. Young.
Those earning “Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.2 to 3.59 include Christian J. Atnip, Michael W. Caldwell, Tiffany D. Cantrell, Tiffany A. Celestino, Emily B Dawson, Jasmine M. Dimas, Katy J. England, John B. Foster, Quinton R. Harbaugh, Allyson R. Judkins, Danielle L. Knowles, Mary F. Knowles, Monserrat Leon, Xing (Tammy) Q. Li, Renny A. Mason, Preston S. Melton, Lorrie M. Merriman, Kalli A. Mitchell, Samanvi R. Munagala, Tevin M. Owens, Bradley C. Pack, Stephanie C. Rackley, Johnna R. Roller, Kayla D. Self, Laura A. Sullivan, and Ashlee M. Whitehead
The Class of 2012 at DeKalb County High School will graduate on Friday May 18th at 7:00 p.m.

Two persons want to become the newest member of the school board in the sixth district.
Boyd Trapp and Doug Stephens have met the deadline for submitting a letter to the county mayor’s office expressing their interest in filling the position, which was left vacant by the recent resignation of Bruce Parsley.
The county commission, on January 23, voted to accept applications through noon on Monday, February 6.
Parsley, who was elected in August 2008, resigned as of December 31 to pursue a career as a certified teacher. His term expires August 31.
The person selected by the commission will serve until August 31.
The county commission will conduct interviews of both Trapp and Stephens during an all-committees meeting on the evening of Thursday, February 23 and then choose one of them to fill the unexpired term during the next regular meeting on Monday night, February 27.
Both Trapp and Stephens have also picked up qualifying petitions at the election commission office and plan to run for a full four year term in the August 2 DeKalb County General Election.
In the August DeKalb County General Election, school board members from both the fifth and sixth districts will be elected, each to serve a four year term. The qualifying deadline to get your name on the ballot in the school board races is April 5.