Joe Fortner has been honored as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Officer of the Year for the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA).
The recipient of the award was announced by Darren Rider, TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division colonel.
Fortner serves as a wildlife officer in TWRA Region III District 31’s DeKalb County. He was selected among other TWRA law enforcement officers to become the state recipient. He will be recognized during the annual SEAFWA meeting in October to be held this year in Baton Rouge, La. While assigned DeKalb County, Fortner works throughout the district’s 12 counties.
Also honored as their respective TWRA region and district selections were Ricky Lyle, Region I and Chase Taylor, District 11; Daniel Plunkett, Region II and Mark Vance, District 21; Marty Griffith, District 32: David Carpenter, Region IV and Jeff Roberson, District 41. The officers were selected for their efforts in teamwork, public outreach, innovation, attitude, leadership, achievements and accomplishments.
“It’s always a difficult situation when one officer is selected out of a group of officers that have all gone above and beyond the duty of ensuring Tennessee hunters, anglers and boaters are provided safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities,” said Rider. “All these officers are to be commended for their professionalism and efforts they displayed this year. All these officers had a fantastic year, but Joe really excelled in all aspects of his job. His achievements and accomplishments were outstanding.”
Among Fortner’s activities this past year, he conducted educational and outreach events that included a kids fishing rodeo, displaying the “Wildlife on Wheels” educational trailer, “Gigging for Grads,” and the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). He also assisted with several county fair exhibits providing information. He taught several hunter education, boater education and trapper education programs.
“Joe’s efforts in excellence and innovation were also great,” said Rider. He covers one of the premier trout fisheries in the state, the Caney Fork River, and has utilized the use of a kayak to reach these large crowds of anglers and paddlers.
“His determined law enforcement efforts resulted in 4,392 hunters, fishermen and boaters being inspected for compliance. These efforts produced a total of 147 court citations and warnings. He also assisted other officers with another 110 citations and warnings. Through his efforts on a simple tagging violation he ending up prosecuting a poaching ring that concluded with nine individuals being charged and found guilty of the illegal killing of 11 deer.
Fortner is a firearms instructor for the agency, assisting with range preparations and semi-annual qualification of all commissioned personnel in Region III.
“Joe is certainly not only a great asset for the Agency but also for the hunters, anglers and boaters that recreate in the state of Tennessee,” Rider said.

A man who eluded authorities for several weeks, having been involved in two separate law enforcement pursuits and crashes before escaping on foot, was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, August 15.
Judge David Patterson presided.
33 year old Warren Brandon Glasby entered a plea to evading arrest and received a three year sentence to serve at 35% before his release eligibility date. Another case against him has been dismissed. This sentence is to run consecutive to a term he is currently serving. He was given jail credit from October 10, 2015 to August 15, 2016.
The evading arrest charge stems from an incident that occurred on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 in which Glasby wrecked his 2004 Ford Explorer at Liberty while being pursued by a sheriff’s department deputy. Glasby’s wife, Juanita Young was with him at the time and was injured. Glasby fled the scene on foot.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, the incident began to unfold at 12:37 p.m. when the Sheriff’s Department received a call from central dispatch in reference to a wanted person.
“Dispatch stated that Warren Glasby of Clear Creek Road, Liberty had an assault warrant out of DeKalb County and that he had just picked up the victim from the complainant’s home in White County enroute to DeKalb County in a green 2004 Ford Explorer,” he said.
“A DeKalb County deputy made contact with the vehicle on Highway 53 in Liberty and observed it pass several cars and take off at a high rate of speed. The officer activated his blue lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the automobile and pursued it onto highway 70 heading west. The suspect then attempted to turn onto Old Highway 96 but due to his high rate of speed, he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped several times, ejecting the female occupant (Young). Glasby then fled on foot toward Highway 96. Officials of the Tennessee Highway Patrol came to the scene to work the accident,” said Sheriff Ray.
The wreck was investigated by Trooper Adam Cothron and Sergeant Eric McCormick of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Young, the passenger of Glasby’s vehicle was airlifted from near the scene and flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.
The warrant by THP at the time stated that ” Glasby was being pursued by a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department deputy when he turned onto Old State Route 96 from Highway 70 and lost control. Glasby’s vehicle overturned and went off an embankment and rolled into a field. During the crash, Glasby’s front seat passenger was thrown out of the vehicle through the front windshield causing injuries. Glasby fled on foot. He did not remain with the wrecked vehicle and injured passenger.”
Another THP warrant against Glasby alleged that “he failed to give any of his information and he did not render any aid to her (passenger involved in the wreck) though she received critical injuries”.
Almost a month later, Glasby was involved in a separate pursuit and crash near Alexandria.
According to the warrants at the time, a Smith County deputy got in pursuit of Glasby on Saturday, October 10 at 12:20 a.m. The pursuit continued into DeKalb County to Goose Creek Road where Glasby drove off the right side of the road into a fence causing damage to both the vehicle and fence. He and a passenger of the automobile both fled the scene. As a result of the Goose Creek crash, Glasby was charged or cited for failure to exercise due care, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, failure to give information and render aid, and violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance).

Twin K. Construction of Helenwood, Tennessee has been awarded the bid to build the new Holmes Creek Road Bridge over Fall Creek.
In order to expedite the project, the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen met in special session Monday evening to award the bid rather than wait until the next regular meeting on September 12.
Twin K’s bid of $687,791 was the lowest of the five bids submitted and was recommended for approval by the city’s engineer for the project, Professional Engineering Services in Sparta. In addition to the construction bid, other added costs including engineering, design, and inspection fees, geotechnical exploration, right of way, temporary construction easement, asbestos study, and permits, puts the total project at $778,655.
The city will be required to fund a grant match of 25% or $196,625 toward the project.
Kyle Hazel, Civil Engineer of Professional Engineering Services, who met with the mayor and aldermen Monday night, said the paperwork will now go to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for a contract to be drafted and approved, which could take four to six weeks, and then Twin K will have 180 days to build the bridge. “We did specify 180 calendar days from the date of notice to proceed. That is a fair and reasonable time frame knowing the season we will be entering during that 180 days. If we send this (paperwork) out (Tuesday) to TDOT to start drafting a contract to be signed by the mayor within the next week then hopefully by the middle of September we will have notification from Nashville that the TDOT Commissioner has signed the contract between the City of Smithville and TDOT. We will then have a preconstruction meeting. The contracts will be executed at that time between the city and the contractor and a notice to proceed will be issued to the contractor and they will be expected to go to work immediately. From the time we issue them a notice to proceed at the preconstruction meeting, that is when that 180 day time clock will start ticking,” said Hazel.
According to Hazel, Twin K Construction should be available to start the project as soon as they receive notice to proceed. “We had five contractors submitting bids and the lowest qualified bidder we determined was Twin K Construction. We have worked with them in a couple of other counties on these type projects before and have found their work to be adequate. The biggest concern that we had on this project was timing for completion because this bridge has been shut down since October. We know that time is of the essence. Everybody wants it sooner than later. I asked Twin K what their current work load was going to be in the future and they indicated to me that they were not terribly busy right now,” said Hazel.
The project is being funded under the state’s Bridge Grant Program but the matching cost to the city is going to be much more than originally anticipated.
Hazel explained that under the grant program, DeKalb County is allocated funds for certain bridge construction projects but the amount of available grant money is not as much as initially anticipated for this project because the state has taken a share from the grant balance for past projects. The result is that the city will have to fund a larger grant match.
”Whenever I asked for confirmation from TDOT officials I received information that wasn’t necessarily pleasing. They said there had been a $70,000 reduction in the grant fees or grant balance due to a federal bridge project that was done in this county many years ago. When TDOT manages a project for you as a local government they sometimes take five or six years to close out a project. For example, the bridge over Smith Fork on the Alexandria to Dismal Road was a federally funded project. There is another one in the Dry Creek area. There could be others I am not aware of. But under the Federal Bridge Grant Program, 80% is funded. Sixteen percent can be matched under this bridge grant balance that you (city) are using to build this bridge (Holmes Creek Road Bridge), and four percent is paid for by the local government. When TDOT closes out these projects many years later, they come in and settle up their books and they reach into whichever account that payment needs to come from and they take it. Unfortunately in this case that is what they did late in the last fiscal year. They got $70,000 from the bridge grant fund (for DeKalb County). They have the authority to do that. The bridge grant monies that are available to apply to this project is $582,000 but in order to fully fund it the City of Smithville needs to match the 75% grant with 25% in local funds to the tune of $200,000,”said Kyle.
The bridge, at the bottom of town hill behind Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, has been closed since October 30.
The state forced the City of Smithville to close the bridge due to a Tennessee Department of Transportation Evaluation Report which detailed various bridge deficiencies making it potentially unsafe.

A $2.7 million renovation at the Smithville Waste Water Treatment Plant will soon get underway.
During a special called meeting Monday night, the Smithville Aldermen voted to award a bid to the W & O Construction Company, Incorporated of Livingston as recommended by the city’s consulting engineer, the J.R. Wauford Company.
The bid of $2,794,000 was the lowest of the five bids submitted for the project which includes a renovation of the headworks and to replace the aeration system at the wastewater treatment plant.
In a letter to Mayor Jimmy Poss, Stephen C. Lee, P.E., the Vice President of J.R. Wauford & Company wrote that “This contractor has successfully performed work for our firm in the past and we recommend awarding this contract to W & O Construction, Inc.”
“Please be advised that this project involves some unit price pay items which means the final quantities will determine the final contract amount. The final contract amount may differ from the bid amount as is the case for all unit price contracts,” wrote Lee.
To help pay for the cost of the project, the City of Smithville was recently awarded a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $525,000 from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Although the grant will fund part of the costs, the bulk of the funding to pay for it will be appropriated from the city’s water and sewer fund surplus.
This project has been several years in the making.
Greg Davenport of the J.R. Wauford company addressed the mayor and aldermen on the proposed project in October, 2013. “The existing wastewater treatment plant was designed in 1991 and it went into operation in 1992. It has functioned very well. The operation of that plant is top notch. The operators have done a fantastic job of preserving your infrastructure. Even so there are things that wear out with time and equipment is one of those things. After about twenty years at a wastewater treatment facility, it just gets to a point where it’s time to renew it. There are really two components to the plant. The first component is the headworks which is the primary treatment. That’s the screening and grit removal. Obviously the most aggressive environment is at the front end of the wastewater treatment plant. The second component is the aeration and controls. The aeration system itself is not in a failing mode but there are more energy efficient systems out there nowadays that we feel like you ought to take a look at. This would be a more pro active project. What we’re proposing is a project that would renovate the headworks, which is the primary treatment device and then install a more efficient aeration system. My preliminary calculations on the aeration system show that it could save about $30,000 to $35,000 a year in electricity by switching over. The plant is twenty one years old. It’s time to take an assessment of it and see what needs to be done,” said Davenport.
City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson said Monday night that a pre-construction meeting will soon be held to lay out more specifics of the project and a timeline for completion.

Two teens have been arrested in the recent burglaries and thefts at two homes in Liberty.
18 year old Joshua James Boland and 18 year old Bobby Christopher Maynard both of Clear Creek Road, Liberty are each charged with two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of theft of property over $1,000. Bond for each is $30,000 and they will make a court appearance August 18.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Tuesday, August 2 Boland and Maynard allegedly broke into a residence on West Main in Liberty. Items taken from this home were several pieces of jewelry, an iPod Touch, a Kindle Fire, a Verizon prepaid phone, an Easton ball bat bag, $750 in cash and $300 in assorted change.
Five days later on Sunday, August 7 Boland and Maynard allegedly burglarized a different home on West Main Street in Liberty. Items taken from this home included a Winchester 45 caliber revolver, a 25 caliber semi-automatic handgun, and $350 in assorted change.
According to Sheriff Ray, some of the stolen items have been recovered. The cases were investigated by Sheriff’s Department Detectives.
48 year old Robert Orin Nannie, a homeless man, is charged with indecent exposure. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, August 12 a deputy was called to Maggie’s Landing on Highway 70 due to a complaint of a man sitting on a bench in front of the building exposing his genitals and buttocks to the public. Nannie was placed under arrest.
46 year old David Dwayne Anderson of Dedmon Hollow Road, Liberty is charged with theft of property over $1,000 and vandalism. His bond totals $9,000 and his court date is August 18. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, August 2 Anderson allegedly destroyed a master lock and stole an 18 foot dovetail trailer valued at $2,000. The case was investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.
46 year old Billy Cooper Pruitt of Old Bildad Road, Smithville is charged with being in an accident resulting in damage to another vehicle. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is August 11. Sheriff Ray said that on June 25 Pruitt’s GMC pickup truck allegedly sideswiped another vehicle headed southbound on Hurricane Ridge Road. Pruitt failed to immediately stop at the scene of the accident nor did he return at any time during the subsequent investigation. Other parties involved in the accident obtained the license tag number of Pruitt’s truck and reported it.
51 year old Karen Louise Edwards of Oak Place Drive is charged with hit and run, damage to a vehicle, and failure to give proper notification. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, August 8 Edwards allegedly lost control of her 2005 Mazda and struck a parked vehicle on Vaughn Lane. She put her car in reverse, ran into a storage building crashing through the wall and damaging items inside, and then she drove off at a high rate of speed. Edwards was located the following day at her home and admitted to being responsible for the crash.
31 year old Christy Mae Bell of Dry Creek Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault. Her bond is $4,000 and she will make a court appearance on August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, August 10 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Nashville Highway due to a domestic incident. Upon arrival, the officer learned that Bell had allegedly struck her ex-husband in the head and tried to strangle the man by grabbing him around the neck leaving scratches and marks on his face and neck. She was placed under arrest.
32 year old Steven Darrell Bly of Forrest Avenue, Smithville is charged with resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. Bly is under a $5,000 bond and he is to make a court appearance on August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, August 11 two deputies went to Banks Pisgah Road to serve a capias warrant on Bly for failure to appear in criminal court. As he was being arrested, Bly resisted by trying to pull away from the officers. Bly is being held without bond on the failure to appear warrant and is to make a court appearance on that charge September 12.
32 year old Amy Leigh Estes of Mountain View Drive, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. She was further issued citations for no insurance and failure to drive with due care. Her bond is $1,500 and her court date is August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, August 13 a deputy was dispatched to the area of Hurricane Bridge on Highway 56 due to a one vehicle accident in which a car had hit a guardrail. Upon arrival, the officer observed a silver Saturn that had wrecked. Estes, the driver, had slurred speech and she was unsteady on her feet. Estes told the officer that she had not been drinking but that she was under the influence of suboxone and xanax. She performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.

Smithville Police arrested a man last week accused of breaking into vehicles parked near the hospital.
47 year old Billy Eugene Cook Jr. was arrested on Wednesday, August 10 for criminal impersonation and auto burglary. Police were called to investigate a complaint of a man who left the emergency room of the hospital and had been seen going through cars in the parking lot. Upon arrival the officer was approached by a man who said that someone had gotten into his vehicle and threatened him. After making the threat, the man jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward the specialty clinic. The officer caught up with the man (Cook) and placed him under arrest. Cook gave the wrong name and birth date when asked to identify himself. Another officer on the scene, who knew Cook, recognized him. His identity was confirmed by a computer picture. Cook was found to have in his possession stolen items taken from a car parked earlier by the hospital emergency room. His bond is $15,000 and his court date is August 25.
22 year old Jacob James Damon was arrested Thursday, August 4 for simple possession, driving on a revoked license, and evading arrest. Police responded to a complaint of a reckless driver on Cookeville Highway coming into the city limits. Officers spotted the vehicle near Northside Elementary School and observed it go through the red light at Highways 70 & 56 at a high rate of speed. Police activated their blue lights but the driver (Damon) refused to stop and continued into Warren County through a residential area. The driver (Damon) then turned onto a driveway and drove through the back yard and field where the vehicle went out of control and spun around before going into the yard of another residence. Due to a safety threat, police determined that the driver (Damon) needed to be stopped. They implemented the controlled pit maneuver and got the vehicle stopped. The driver (Damon) exited and continued to evade on foot. Officers gave chase and apprehended Damon. Incident to arrest, police found 32 pills believed to be Diazepam in a cellophane wrapper on Damon’s person. His bond is $16,500 and his court date is August 18.
25 year old Ashley M. Singleton was cited for shoplifting on Tuesday, August 2. A Dollar General Store employee observed Singleton placing items in her purse. The stolen merchandise was recovered and returned. She will make a court appearance on August 25.
40 year old Michael Dwayne Bennett was arrested on Friday, August 5 on a second offense of driving while suspended. Police initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle failing to maintain its lane of travel. Bennett, the driver, was not able to produce a driver’s license. Central Dispatch revealed that Bennett’s license were suspended for failure to show proof of insurance. Bennett was further cited for registration violation and failure to maintain lane of travel. His bond is $2,500 and his court date is September 1.
22 year old Shane Tyler Hale was cited on Saturday, August 6 for theft of property under $500. A Wal-Mart employee observed Hale taking multiple items from the store shelves and concealing the items in his pockets.

“I didn’t have a care in the world about anything or anyone besides myself. I stole, lied, cheated and hurt many people”.
“I had zero relationship with my son and my behavior was so manipulative that the rest of my family and friends had no respect for me anymore.”
“I never thought I would be here graduating the Drug Court program. I was always getting drunk every day and didn’t care about life or my family or kids or how I was hurting them all and myself”.
Testimonials and recovery stories were shared by three individuals who have successfully completed requirements for graduation from the DeKalb County Drug Court Program during a recent recognition ceremony.
The graduates, Michael Briley, Crystal King, and Blake Goad, were presented plaques for their efforts during the program held at the New Life Connection Center in Smithville. Briley, King, and Goad are among 54 individuals who have successfully completed the local drug court program since its inception.
The ceremony, held on Monday July 25, featured remarks from the Honorable Judge Bratten Hale Cook II, a performance by Suzanne Slager of the song “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again,” and a keynote address from Monty Burks, Director of Faith Based Initiatives for Tennessee’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Drug courts attempt to get at the heart of recidivism with a different tactic that emphasizes recovery over punishment. One of the first drug courts in Tennessee started in Nashville in 1996. Now there are courts that serve 76 counties across the State. According to the DeKalb County Drug Court program it costs about $4,000 annually per participant, while it costs about $20,000 to keep someone in jail.
Most of the drug courts in Tennessee offer similar recovery programs with some varying details in operation. There are now about 3,000 programs across the country. All require participants to be nonviolent offenders, suffer from an addiction and comply with the requirements of the local programs, which by all accounts are demanding. Offenders must first be assessed that they are eligible, and the District Attorney’s offices must sign off. Program participants then commit to four phases of treatment. In DeKalb County, this includes at least a 28-day inpatient substance abuse treatment program, outpatient treatment, individual and group counseling, and they must get and maintain employment, and attend countless 12-step-based meetings such as Narcotics Anonymous. They also are subjected to an unlimited amount of random drug testing all along the way.
“For participants who violate program rules, there are swift consequences, but each case is handled individually,” Norene Puckett, Program Coordinator said. “Some participants cannot handle the rigorous program and ask to be terminated, choosing to serve their sentences in jail rather than submit to the intensive therapy and substance abuse treatment. It’s a very hard program, and it should be. Drug and/or alcohol addiction is something that our participants will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Eventually they will get that serenity for which they are searching, but that will come only after working hard for it. The drug court program is for people who are ready to make that change,” Puckett said.
The program is funded by multiple sources which include State funded grants through the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, court fees and fines of individuals charged with drug or alcohol related offenses, additional funding appropriated through the County Commission and through donations of time from Judge Cook, the Office of the District Attorney General, the Office of the District Public Defender, Sheriff Patrick Ray, Haven of Hope Counseling and Community Probation Services. If you would like to help support the DeKalb County Drug Court Program, please contact Norene Puckett at 615-215-8690 or norene.drugcourt@gmail.com for more information.

Although patrons of the county clerk office still have to pay a visit for most services, the Tennessee County Clerk website can be a useful tool to help them prepare for completing their transactions.
Applications for such services as duplicate titles, new businesses, marriages, notary public, etc. can be accessed, filled out, and sent online through www.tncountyclerk.com. according to County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss.
“Online renewal allows the customer to pay online leaving the mail process to us. Once you submit your request we process, mail and automatically submit a return email confirmation of completion,” said Poss.
The state website offers a variety of links and options for patrons to select. “Of the many applications and forms available, each allows the customer to complete prior to arriving at our office. Many forms are printable from the site and hand printed. Others such as marriage, notary, and business license applications may be completed and saved online leaving minimal information to be added once arriving at our office,” Poss continued.
A direct link is available providing information for individuals interested in becoming an auto dealer and the associated fees. A link is also provided for Boat registration fees and information related to that process.
After accessing the website, you are to select your county (DEKALB), which will then give you the county clerk’s office hours, phone number, and any other information regarding the office. On the left side of the screen you will see a list of links to select including motor vehicles, title applications, dealers, and handicap placards/plates. “With most of these placards/plates, you will have the option to renew online or by mail. Either way comes with a mail fee but whether by online or mail it is a convenience to be able to do this from home,” said Poss.
The website further offers online filing conveniences for business and motel owners. “For business owners contact information for taxpayer service/Department of Revenue is available through this site and a new business application can be done online. That can be mailed in with the fifteen dollar fee and can be taken care of without the applicants actually coming into our office. Blank forms are also available for individuals who submit the Hotel/Motel tax. It’s not a requirement that they bring those into our office. About half the people mail them in and the other half drop them by,” Poss said.
Another option to select on the website is licenses. Information is there regarding marriage licenses and requirements for marriage. “Actually by going online you can put in your information on a marriage license application at home and then come to our office to finish it. It speeds up the process by having the application almost completed before you get here. Once you arrive, we can search online by last name and finish the process which cuts down considerably on the amount of time,” he continued.
Under the forms column, Poss said patrons interested in a title and registration form have access to a variety of options. “By clicking the link for title and registration it opens up to a full page of options with several different forms to choose from including blank bills of sales for watercrafts or motor vehicles, etc. There are separate forms for each including medium speed vehicles. We’re having several people purchasing medium speed vehicles now and they’re registering and putting plates on them.”
“You’ll also see a license link for game and fish. However our office in DeKalb County does not provide hunting and fishing licenses. We are not set up to do those here and haven’t been for several years”,” he said.
” There’s just a variety of different applications and affidavits available there that we use in our office daily. Whether you are requesting duplicate titles, noting of liens, specialty license plates, certificates of ownership, etc. you’ll find applications for them online as well as information regarding such services as organ donor awareness,” said Poss.
” We hope this website will help you find the resources or information you need to complete your desired task and cut down on your wait time while in our office. This service is not intended to keep people out of the office but a means of offering convenience especially to those who do like to use computers,” he said.
“Remember too that when you visit our office you can take advantage of our drive thru service. Our lobby is very busy as we average more than 90 transactions daily and we ask for your patience but we strive to provide the service you need in a timely and efficient manner as staffing allows upon your arrival regardless of whether its at the drive thru or the lobby. We appreciate you and always look forward to serving you,” Poss concluded.

WJLE begins its annual fall sports programming this week with the return of DeKalb County High School Football.
The Tigers open the 2016 campaign hosting the Warren County Pioneers Friday night, August 19 at 7:00 p.m. WJLE will have LIVE coverage with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor. Before kick-off, WJLE will feature “Tiger Talk” at 6:30 p.m. hosted by John Pryor with Tiger Coach Steve Trapp and members of the Tiger football team.
WJLE’s Friday night programming lineup prior to Tiger Football and “Tiger Talk” starts with “Coach to Coach” at 5:00 p.m. followed by “Murphy’s Match-ups” at 6:00 p.m.
Former UT Coaches Phillip Fulmer and Doug Mathews go Coach To Coach every week with one hour of intense football discussion. It’s just like you’re in the coaches’ meeting, talking offense and defense with the men who called the plays to win the big games.
Share the lessons from last week’s game. Breakdown the SEC slate. Talk about the issues inside college football. Coach To Coach comes your way every weekend, hosted by one of the state’s premiere sports broadcasters, Larry Stone.
Get inside the 2016 Tennessee football season. Go Coach To Coach with Phillip Fulmer and Doug Mathews each week. The program airs Fridays at 5:00 p.m. and repeats Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. on WJLE.
“Murphy’s Match-ups” is hosted by Murphy Fair with commentary on high school football matchups across the state and interviews with coaches.
Meanwhile Tennessee Football returns Thursday night, September 1 as the Vols host Appalachian State in Knoxville. Coverage begins on WJLE and the Vol Network with the Kick-Off Call-In Show at 5:00 p.m. with kick-off at 6:30 p.m. All other regular season Tennessee games this season will be on Saturdays.
WJLE will also bring back the “Fearless Forecasters” on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. with local personalities talking about college and Tennessee Titans football and making their predictions on winners of each week’s games. The program debuts Wednesday, August 31 at 4:30 p.m. due to the Tennessee game on Thursday, September 1.
Join WJLE for all these fall programs each week on AM 1480 and FM 101.7. Many of these programs will also be streamed LIVE at www.wjle.com

The new girls basketball coach at DCHS has resigned.
Nathaniel (Nate) Kennard who was recently named to succeed former Coach Joe Pat Cope, submitted his resignation this week. He will be returning home to accept a teaching position at Livingston Academy.
Principal Kathy Bryant told WJLE Friday that Danny Fish has been hired to replace Kennard as the new girls head basketball coach at DCHS. Fish will be coaching two sports at the school. He was recently selected to succeed longtime Tigerette softball coach Danny Bond.
Fish, who served as an assistant to coach Bond for the last four years, has moved from Northside Elementary School to DCHS where he serves as a physical education teacher.