DeKalb County High School has released the names of this year’s Honor Students including the 2009 Valedictorian Kesha Staley and the Salutatorian Kelly Merriman.
Staley is the daughter of Tim and Debbie Staley. She is in the DCHS Band, French Club, Literature Club, FBLA, HOSA, and Beta Club.
Merriman is the daughter of Ronald and Denise Merriman. She is in the Literature Club, French Club, FBLA, Yearbook Staff, Science Club, and Beta Club.
Students among the top twenty senior academic ranking from numbers one to twenty are as follows:
Kesha Staley, Kelly Merriman, Brooke Pack, Jordan Howe, Anderson Webb, Megan Pack, Rebecca Lawrence, Victoria Bennett, Thomas West, Amanda Reed, Kara Young, Megan Merriman, Jessica Strickland, Krysta Ferrell, Shay Sullivan, Ryan Leiser, Avarie Maynard, Carrie Herrin, Amanda Price, and Tiffany Winchester.
Students earning “Highest Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.8 to 4.0 in alphabetical order are:
Rosemary Apple, Victoria Bennett, Nicole Burger, Allison Curtis, Justin Dunaway, Josh Emerton, Macy Felts, Krysta Ferrell, Caleb Gash, Carrie Herrin, Jordan Howe, Matthew Lawrence, Rebecca Lawrence, Ryan Leiser, Avarie Maynard, Kelly Merriman, Megan Merriman, Jeff Miller, Megan Osborne, Brooke Pack, Megan Pack, Amanda Price, Amanda Reed, Kesha Staley, Jessica Strickland, Shay Sullivan, Anderson Webb, Thomas West, Tiffany Winchester, and Kara Young.
Students earning “High Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.6 to 3.79 include Russell Ambrose, Adam Arnold, Corey Dodd, Cody Hawkins, Dustin Lattimore, Josh Lester, Anna Little, Malinda Mofield, Nathan Neal, Brandon Owen, Corey Poss, and Nikita Young..
Those earning “Distinction” with a grade point average of 3.2 to 3.59 include Preston Adcock, Emilee Anderson, Kirt Bandy, Carolyn Bass, Brian Bates, Chynna Cade, Courtney DeHoet, Kayla Hale, John Herriott, Shane Hickman, Turner Hobby, Amber Judkins, Lauren Kemp, Alisha Majors, Kimberly Majors, Whitney Moss, Justin Poteete, Jessica Richards, Francisco Rodriguez, Stephen Rogers, Logan Roller, Sonny Stults, Allyson Trapp, and Luke Willoughby.
The Class of 2009 at DeKalb County High School will graduate in May.

A fire early Thursday morning destroyed the home of Martha Hall at 3754 Holmes Creek Road.
County Fire Chief Donny Green says the call came in at 1:35 a.m. and members of the Main Station, Cookeville Highway, and Short Mountain Highway Stations quickly responded.
According to Chief Green, Ms. Hall was at home asleep when she was awakened by an alarm and her barking dog. She discovered a large fire in the front portion of her home and escaped with her dog. Ms. Hall ran to a neighbors house and knocked on the door, but could not awake them, so she got in her car and drove to DeKalb Market to call for help.
Chief Green says the fire was well underway by the time firefighters arrived and they could not save the home or any of the contents.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze, to keep it from spreading to a neighbor’s house about thirty feet away.
Ms. Hall and her dog made it out of the burning home without any injuries.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS were also on the scene.

Incumbent Alderman Willie Thomas, former Alderman W.J. (Dub) White, and Gary Durham are the first candidates to officially qualify to run in the Smithville Municipal Election in June.
Three other persons have also picked up qualifying petitions but have not yet returned them including Incumbent Alderman Jerry Hutchins, Sr., former Alderman Aaron Meeks, and Shawn Jacobs.
Lisa Peterson, Administrator of Elections, says candidates have until NOON on Thursday, March 19th to qualify. The deadline to register to vote in time for the election is May 18th.
Three Aldermen will be elected on Tuesday, June 16th. The positions are currently held by Jerry Hutchins, Sr., Tonya Sullivan, and Willie Thomas. Each term is for two years.

In these tough economic times, being creative can get you more than what you originally planned for. Today, Congressman Bart Gordon announced that DeKalb County was awarded $100,000 in federal funds to retrofit two trucks into two ambulances.
“Instead of purchasing a new ambulance for $115,000,” explained Congressman Gordon, “DeKalb County will purchase two new trucks and place refurbished boxes from older ambulances they already have on the new trucks at a cost of $60,000 each.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency (USDA-RD) awarded DeKalb County a $83,000 loan and a $17,000 grant. The loan is repayable over 10 years at 4.75 percent. DeKalb County will provide matching funds of $15,000.
“DeKalb County has found a way to stretch $100,000 in federal funds,” added Gordon. “It’s like getting two ambulances for the price of one.”
“When your budget is like ours, you really have to watch it,” said DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster. “These funds will really help us get equipment that’s relatively expensive. We’re very grateful.”
In addition to purchasing two trucks, the county plans to buy other emergency equipment, including a two-way radio, cardiac monitor, patient ventilator, compact and portable suction units, and a medical chair with straps.
“In emergencies, minutes count and a well equipped modern ambulance provides EMTs with the tools they need save lives,” said Robert Connelly, Jr., USDA-RD’s Acting State Director for Tennessee. “We’re lucky in Tennessee to have a strong congressional delegation, led by Congressman Gordon. They make sure RD has the financial resources to improve the quality of life for people in our rural communities.”
DeKalb County has operated an ambulance service since October 2007.

With the statewide unemployment rate at a 22-year high, Tennessee’s Labor and Workforce Department announced that DeKalb County’s unemployment rate increased from 8.2% to 9.2% from the month of November to December.
“More than 100 people in DeKalb County alone lost their jobs in one month,” said Congressman Bart Gordon. “My heart goes out to each of these workers and their families. I have heard from a number of people who live in DeKalb, and we all share the concern that things are going to get a lot worse before the economy recovers.”
According to the preliminary statistics from Tennessee’s Labor and Workforce Department, 940 people are currently unemployed in DeKalb County. Many more people have either stopped looking or are underemployed. In November, the number of unemployed persons in the County was 835. These figures stand in stark contrast to the economic situation in December of 2007 when the unemployment rate was 5.0% in DeKalb County.
“We are at the defining moment in this economic crisis – if we don’t pass an Economic Recovery bill, the next two years are going to be painful for Middle Tennesseans and people across the country.”
Economists from across the political spectrum have stated that the current economic situation is likely to last for another two years unless strong action is taken. Many have indicated that unless the government intervenes, the nationwide unemployment rate could reach, and possibly exceed, 10%.
“It is about jobs, jobs, jobs – we must do everything we can to create more jobs in Tennessee and throughout the country,” added Gordon. “Last week, the House started the process of crafting an Economic Stimulus package. I am committed to working in a bipartisan way with my House and Senate colleagues, and the President, to ensure that the bill is improved. The final form should include a combination of tax cuts and smart spending initiatives that will effectively help to get our economy back on track.”
The House and Senate are working to pass a final draft of the Economic Stimulus package and have it ready for President Obama’s signature before President’s Day on February 16th.

The Smithville Aldermen Monday night adopted on first reading an ordinance to rezone property
that may soon become the location for an apartment complex for low-income grandparents raising a child.
The two acre site, owned by Bruce Medley and David Bryan , is located at 721 Bright Hill Road and to the rear of Fiddler’s Manor and other property owners on Walker Drive.
The Smithville Planning Commission voted on January 5th to recommend to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen the re-zoning of the property from R-1 low density residential to R-3 high density residential.
The proposed Fiddlers Manor Annex would actually be situated on 1.76 acres of the property. Site plans have not yet been considered for approval by the planning commission.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded a $1.67 million grant to build eight apartments in Smithville for low-income grandparents who are raising a grandchild.
The grant was awarded to the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD) as part of HUD’s Demonstration Program for Elderly Housing for Intergenerational Families.
UCDD was one of only two organizations to receive HUD’s Demonstration grant (the other organization is based out of Chicago).
Larry Webb who runs the Cumberland Regional Development Corporation – UCDD’s nonprofit housing construction partner – explained, in a prepared news release, that the grant money will be used to build six two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units. Rent will be based on 30 percent of the grandparent’s income minus any medical expenses they have. In addition, UCDD will pay the utility bills.
The proposed re-zoning of the property will be up for second and final reading passage following a public hearing at the next city council meeting on Monday, February 16th at 7:00 p.m.
In other business, the Aldermen approved the list of officers and members of the Smithville Fire Department for 2009 as presented in a letter by Chief Charlie Parker.
Officers and members of the department are:
Chief Charles Parker; Honorary Assistant Chief Robert Eller; Deputy Chief Hoyte Hale; Captain Jeff Wright; Lieutenants Danny Poss, John Poss, Donnie Cantrell, and Kevin Adcock; Firefighters, Anthony Wright, William Brown, Davey Ferrell, Charles Young, Wallace Caldwell, Dusty Johnson, Gary Johnson, James R. Hunt, Stephanie Brown, Stephanie Wright, Joseph Hall, and Glenn Lattimore; and Photographer, Greg Bess.
Glen Lattimore is a new member who has met the 90 day requirements of the department and has been approved for membership.
Mayor Taft Hendrixson wanted to appoint Walter Burton to replace the late John Bill Evins as a member on the Smithville Electric System Board but the aldermen said no. The vote was 3 to 2. Aldermen Tonya Sullivan, Willie Thomas, and Jerry Hutchins, Sr. voted against the appointment while Aldermen Steve White and Cecil Burger voted in favor. The position will remain vacant for now.
Meanwhile, the city apparently gets good marks in it’s latest compliance evaluation of the wastewater treatment plant.
During the city council meeting Monday night, Mayor Hendrixson read a letter from an official of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Cookeville Field Office. “On January 15th, personnel from the Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control conducted a compliance evaluation inspection at the Smithville Wastewater Treatment facility. The purpose of this inspection was to determine compliance with the NPDES discharge permit and to evaluate the reliability of the data submitted on the monthly operation reports.”
“The Smithville Wastewater Treatment Facility is operating under a permit re-issued in 2007. The permit and laboratory records were available for review at the facility. The review of the MOR for the year 2008 was conducted. No affluent violations have been noted. The wastewater treatment plant laboratory was found to be clean and well equipped. with an established quality control and quality assurance program in place. Calibration records indicate the laboratory instruments are being properly maintained.. I would like to thank Mr. Bobby Pinegar and his staff at the Smithville Wastewater Treatment Facility for their time and courtesy during the inspection.”
Mayor Hendrixson, after reading the letter, added ” I, for one, would like to congratulate Mr. Bobby Pinegar, Mr. Gary Prater, and Mr. Anthony Haseman for their diligent work at our wastewater treatment plant. There were no violations found.”