DeKalb County Schools will be closed this week for fall break October 16-20.
After this week, the next time off for students will be for Thanksgiving.
The Thanksgiving break has traditionally been for three days, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. This year, schools will be closed for an entire week for Thanksgiving, November 20-24. Those two extra days off for Thanksgiving will be made up at the end of the school year in 2017-18. The last day of school was originally set for Tuesday May 22, 2018 but has now been changed to Thursday, May 24, 2018.
The Christmas break will be December 21 through January 3.
Wednesday, December 20 will be the last day students attend before Christmas break and that will be an abbreviated school day. Wednesday, January 3, 2018 will be a stockpile day for teachers.
Students will return after the holidays on Thursday, January 4.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, October 24 at DeKalb County High School from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will also be held from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, October 26 at DeKalb Middle School, Northside Elementary, Smithville Elementary, and DeKalb West School.
Report cards will be sent home from all schools on Tuesday, October 24

Early voting begins Wednesday (October 18) for the Special 17th Senatorial District Republican and Democratic primaries, set for November 7th.
The election is the result of a vacancy created in the district when State Senator Mae Beavers resigned to focus on her gubernatorial campaign. The District includes DeKalb, Smith, Macon, Cannon, Clay and Wilson counties.
Only one candidate is on the ballot for both primaries. State Representative Mark Pody is looking to move to the upper chamber and is on the Republican primary ballot. Wilson County attorney Mary Alice Carfi is the lone candidate on the Democratic primary ballot. They will face each other in the General Election set for December 19th.
Early voting hours for the primaries are as follows: Mondays 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. until Noon; Wednesdays 9 a.m. until Noon; Thursdays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. until Noon and Saturdays 9 a.m. until Noon. All early voting will be held on the first floor of the DeKalb County Courthouse.
The special senatorial elections are just the beginning of what will be a busy political season in 2018 starting with the DeKalb County Democratic Primary. Candidates may pick up a qualifying petition beginning November 17th at the election commission office.
The primary winners will take on any Republican and Independent candidates in the August DeKalb General Election. Independent candidate petitions will also be available beginning November 17. Republicans will choose their August candidates by caucus. The qualifying deadline for those offices is Noon, February 15.
Meanwhile, there will also be five non-partisan school board seats on the August 2018 ballot. Candidates for school board in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 can pick up petitions beginning January 5, 2018.
All four cities in the county will also have August elections. The first day candidates in those races can pick up petitions is also January 5.

The Macon County Tigers took down the DeKalb County Tigers 62-34 on Senior night in Smithville Friday evening.
DeKalb County drops to 2-7 on the season (0-3) in the region. Macon County improves to 7-1 (3-0).
The last game of the regular season for the Tigers will be in two weeks, Friday October 27 as they travel to Cumberland County. A win would get them in the state play-offs.
In the game Friday night, Macon County struck first on a 53 yard quarterback keeper by Seth Carlisle for a touchdown with 9:56 left in the 1st period. The PAT attempt was no good but Macon County led 6-0.
Macon County’s Chris Oliver intercepted a DeKalb County pass and returned it 20 yards for a pick six. The PAT was good and Macon County led 13-0 with 9:37 left in the 1st period.
After a Macon County miscue on a punt attempt, DeKalb County took over on the visitor’s 20 yard line and scored two plays later on a 1 yard run by Jesse Smith. Andrew Fuson booted the PAT and DeKalb County trailed 13-7 with 6:38 left in the 1st period.
Macon County struck again, this time on a 79 yard touchdown pass play from Carlisle to Ethan Jenkins with 5:42 left in the 1st period. The PAT was good and the visitors led 20-7.
Macon County got a safety after sacking DeKalb County quarterback Tyler Cantrell in the end zone late in the 1st period and went up 22-7
The first score of the 2nd period came on a 14 yard touchdown strike from Carlisle to Chris Oliver. The PAT attempt was no good but Macon County extended its lead to 28-7.
DeKalb County drew closer on a 7 yard touchdown pass from Tyler Cantrell to Braxton Linder. Fuson added the extra point and the home team trailed 28-14
Macon County took a 35 to 14 lead with 3:29 left in the 2nd period on a 3 yard touchdown run by Noah Likens. The PAT was good.
The visitors got one more score before the end of the first half on a 29 yard touchdown pass from Carlisle to Curtis Oliver. The PAT was good and Macon County led 42-14.
Macon County took a 48-14 advantage on a 60 yard quarterback run by Carlisle with 9:40 left in the 3rd period. The PAT attempt was no good
DeKalb County closed the gap on a touchdown pass from Tyler Cantrell to Grayson Redmon. Fuson added the extra point and the hometown Tigers trailed 48-21.
Macon County then scored on a 5 yard touchdown pass from Carlisle to Curtis Oliver. After the conversion, the visitors led 56-21.
DeKalb County scored twice in the 4th quarter, the first on an 11 yard touchdown pass from Cantrell to Paxton Butler. Fuson tacked on the extra point and DC trailed 56-28.
The last touchdown of the game for DeKalb County came on a 19 yard pass from Cantrell to Christian Ferrell with 3:45 left. The PAT attempt was no good. The score was 56-34.
Macon County added its last score on a 44 yard touchdown run with 1:13 left. The PAT try was no good and the final score was 62-34 in favor of Macon County.

The Smithville Elementary School Cafeteria was filled with teachers Thursday night where the monthly meeting of the Board of Education was held.
These teachers who have health insurance through the school system offered by the state are facing higher premiums soon and that has them concerned because the extra out of pocket expense will affect their take home pay.
Last month the board voted to approve a rate hike as mandated by the state but since the school system did not absorb the increase in the plan in which most teachers are enrolled, the higher costs are being passed on to them. Of the 274 plus employees taking insurance, 146 are enrolled in the “limited ppo” plan that took the hardest hit. The state requires that the school system pay 45% toward its teachers’ health insurance, but according to Director of Schools Patrick Cripps, “we have been paying well over that, 55% and more depending upon the plan teachers have,” he said.
Under the Federal Affordable Care Act, the school system must offer at least one plan that is affordable for its lowest paid employees based on federal poverty guidelines. To meet that mandate, the school system provides a Consumer Directed Health Plan with Health Savings Account.
Since last month, the board of education has heard from teachers who say this extra expense will place a heavier burden on them financially. Some are concerned that many good teachers here will be forced to leave the system and take better paying jobs and health insurance benefits elsewhere if they don’t get more help.
Tena Davidson, a teacher at DeKalb Middle School, addressed the board Thursday night during its workshop with a suggestion.
“My compromise is for the school system not to absorb all the increase, but just the same percentage you absorbed last year. That is what I thought would be a fair compromise. The example for me is that if the school continued to pay the same percentage of my insurance as you did last year, because last year 70% was paid, my insurance, if I keep the same insurance, it would go up from $323 per month to $408, which is a 26% increase. That is manageable. However with the school only covering 57.5% of the insurance this year instead of 70% last year, my premium will go up from $323 per month to $579 per month, which is a 79% increase. That is out of my check. The end result on my paycheck will be monthly I am going to be bringing home $284 less per month and my husband and I will be getting $3,408 less this coming year. That’s a whopping big cut in my pay. But I am just one of many (teachers). We’re all in this together. I am just asking you to do what you can,” said Davidson.
In an effort to ease that burden, the Board, following its one hour workshop on the issue, voted during the regular meeting to add another $50 per month to each teacher who has insurance through the school system . The vote was 5 -1-1.
Second District Board member Jerry Wayne Johnson “passed” saying the board was acting in haste and should take more time to deliberate in another meeting or workshop. “This is a serious matter ladies and gentlemen. I’ve told you before when I got on this board not to try and ram something down my throat. This is just ramming it down our throat. We have not had enough time to study it. We need to set down, meet in a workshop and study this before you pass it. You don’t need to do it on the spur of the moment. I just want these people in the audience (teachers) to know why I’m voting no tonight. I have nothing against none of you. I wish we could pay 100% of your insurance.I am for you getting every dime you can get but I’m not going to have nothing run down my throat. I said that when I got on the board. I still say it and that’s the way I stand,” said Johnson.
Fourth district member Kate Miller said teachers needed a decision from the board because they are facing an open enrollment deadline this month by which time they must decide whether to keep their current health insurance plan or make changes. “I have had this information for several days and have been looking at it and studying it, really comparing the figures. I feel like it is reasonable. Its not as much as I wish we could do. I wish we could afford to pay the entire increase,” said Miller.
Sixth district member Doug Stephens told WJLE later that while he is concerned for the teachers, the board’s action Thursday night would only add to potential budget deficit issues for the school system and not fix the problem of rising health insurance costs, which is beyond the school board’s control.
Still, Board Chairman W.J. (Dub) Evins, III said it is a start toward addressing the teachers’ worries.
“It’s a lot of money but it seems like its no help at all. It’s a start. It’ll be real close to what we paid last year. I hope that (extra expenditure) doesn’t get into reserves but if it does, it does. In my opinion it’s better than nothing but at least it’s a start. We have to give people (teachers) time to make decisions on whether this is enough additional money to keep them from having to choose a different plan ” said Chairman Evins.
“Within the budget realms we have, we crunched the numbers and tried to fit this within our budget. We will go back (to the county commission) and ask for more (money) next year,” said Director Cripps.
In other business, Director Cripps updated the Board on personnel moves since last month.
Those employed are:
Janie Johnson, bus driver
Roger Gaw, custodian
Rochelle Johnson, deaf interpreter at Northside Elementary School
Transfer:
Julie Hale from educational assistant to an art position at DeKalb Middle School/DeKalb West School
Resignations:
Ricky Edwards, bus driver
Jennifer Sykes, teacher at DeKalb Middle School

Certified Nurse Aides (CNA) provide essential care in healthcare settings by assisting patients with activities of daily living. Seven area residents were recently recognized as CNA’s of the Year at NHC Smithville. Maria Amaya, Danna Fults, Opal Parker, Pam Sims, Brooke Goodson, Brittany Bogle, and Cassie Dyer visited the Chattanooga Aquarium with a day of fun and a banquet. Ms. Susie White of Smithville was also an honoree but unable to attend. They celebrated with other honored CNA’s from NHC HealthCare Centers throughout Middle and Eastern Tennessee.
The honorees were evaluated on knowledge and performance of their duties, among other key factors. Mrs. Pam Sims was further recognized as NHC Smithville’s nominee for CNA of the Year for all NHC centers in the Central Region. NHC Smithville Director of Nursing, Melinda Wilson, said, “Each of these CNA’s are hard-working, professional, compassionate, caring, honest, understanding, and highly skilled. They are a tremendous asset to NHC Smithville and we are truly fortunate to have them as valued partners.”
NHC Smithville offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation services to adults of all ages on a short-term and long-term basis. For more information about NHC Smithville, visit www.nhcsmithville.com or call (615) 597-4284.
PHOTO (L to R: Maria Amaya, Danna Fults, Clint Hall, Opal Parker, Pam Sims, Brooke Goodson, Brittany Bogle, Cassie Dyer, Melinda Wilson, and Mike Ussery. NOT PICTURED: Susie White)

An inmate at the DeKalb County Jail has been charged with vandalism.
37 year old Nathan Joseph Wilbert of Vandergriff Hollow Road, Dowelltown is under a $2,000 bond and his court date is October 26.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Sunday, October 8 at approximately 6:49 a.m. while incarcerated at the jail, Wilbert damaged a sprinkler head in the holding cell of the jail annex where he was being housed. Wilbert pulled on and broke the sprinkler head which caused water to flood the cell and surrounding area. The charge was brought against Wilbert by a correctional officer.
23 year old Ronnie Martinez, Jr. of Adcock Cemetery Road is charged with criminal trespassing. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is October 26. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, October 5 a deputy was called to investigate a trespassing complaint on Adcock Cemetery Road. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the complainant who said that Martinez, who lives at another address on Adcock Cemetery Road, keeps trespassing on his property. Other homeowners in the area reported that before the deputy arrived they saw Martinez go into the woods onto the complainant’s property. The deputy and other officers searched the area and found Martinez back at his own home. Martinez admitted to having been on his neighbor’s property even after the complainant had warned him at least twice to keep off his property. Martinez was placed under arrest.
36 year old Donna Faye Campbell of Nashville is charged with disorderly conduct. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court on November 2. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, October 6 after leaving a courtroom at the DeKalb County Courthouse, Campbell began screaming and cussing while in the hallways and didn’t stop even after being given a direct order to be quiet and to leave the building. Campbell was placed under arrest.
26 year old Eric Dewayne Judkins of Hendrixson Road is charged with a third offense of driving on a suspended license. He was further cited for no insurance and for failure to carry a registration on his vehicle. His bond is $3,500 and his court date is October 26. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, October 7 a deputy spotted a black Ford car, driven by someone who had possibly been involved in a domestic on Tubb Street. The officer stopped the car and spoke with the driver, Judkins and found his license to be suspended. A computer check confirmed his license were suspended for a truancy law violation on April 27, 2007. The deputy learned that Judkins has two prior offenses for driving on a suspended license.
43 year old Lynn Jay Jones of Hurricane Ridge Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence and driving while license revoked. His bond is $3,500 and his court date is November 2. He was further cited for no insurance and for violation of the light law. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, October 8 a deputy stopped a vehicle on Highway 70 west for no rear tail lights. The officer spoke with the driver, Jones who had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on him and his speech was slurred. His eyes were bloodshot and he was unsteady on his feet. Jones submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He admitted to having consumed two quart sized beers and non-prescribed morphine earlier in the day. The officer learned that Jones’ license were revoked for an unsatisfied judgment in DeKalb County on May 27, 1999 and have not yet been reinstated.
21 year old Zachary Tyler Adams of Adams Street, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is November 2. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, October 8 a deputy was dispatched to the 1200 block of Four Seasons Road due to a one vehicle accident. Upon arrival the officer spoke with Adams who said he was the driver of the 2006 Dodge truck which left the roadway and hit a light pole. Adams was unsteady on his feet. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. Adams admitted to having consumed too much alcohol to have been driving and he performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.

The DCHS Tigers will host the Macon County Tigers in their last home game of the regular season tonight.
Kick-Off is at 7:00 p.m.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO HEAR TIGER TALK WITH COACH STEVE TRAPP AND TIGER PLAYERS ISAAC CROSS, HUNTER FANN, AND BRADLEY MILLER)
http://www.wjle.com/audio/tiger-talk-october-13th
It’ll be a region showdown.
While Macon County has several playmakers, Tiger Coach Steve Trapp said quarterback Seth Carlisle is the straw that stirs the drink.
“He definitely is a great football player. He has already signed to go play at Tennessee Tech. I don’t know if that is for quarterback or not. He plays defense as well. Our guys just have to gang tackle. They have to be motivated to play against a really great football player. Deep down inside if you are a guy that rises up to a challenge then this is where you want to be. You want to play against good football players. You want to play against guys who are going to the next level just so you can leave your mark in your moment. That is the thing we’ve talked about. I feel like our guys have practiced well. The “R” in Tiger Pride is about resilience. We’ve talked a lot about that, being able to bounce back from a very poor performance. A very poor week. We were bad Monday through Friday last week and it showed up a lot on Friday but it has been better this week and I think we’ll have a better performance tonight,” said Coach Trapp.
DeKalb County is 2-6 with losses to Warren County 26-10, Upperman 49-27, Stone Memorial 38-16, Watertown 59-21, Livingston Academy 29-18, and Smith County 53-21. Their wins have been over Grundy County 27-7 and Cannon County 42-0.
Macon County is 6-1 with wins over Westmoreland 10-7, White House Heritage 28-26, Cumberland County 49-13, Trousdale County 42-20, Stone Memorial 28-16, and Portland 36-7. Their only loss was to Smith County 39-22 in the season opener.
WJLE will have LIVE coverage of the football game on AM 1480/FM 101.7 and LIVE streaming at www.wjle.com with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor and Luke Willoughby.
WJLE’s Pre-Game shows begin with “Coach to Coach” at 5:00 p.m. featuring former UT football coach Phillip Fulmer and former UT assistant coach Doug Matthews with broadcaster Larry Stone talking Tennessee and SEC football.
“Coach to Coach” is followed by “Murphy’s Matchups at 6:00 p.m., a look at Tennessee High School Football from Murphy Fair with commentary on games and coaches interviews.
“Tiger Talk” airs at 6:30 p.m. with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor interviewing Coach Steve Trapp and Tiger players Isaac Cross, Hunter Fann, Bradley Miller
The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with play by play coverage on WJLE with John Pryor and color commentary by Luke Willoughby

Work has been completed on a $2.8 million upgrade at the Smithville Waste Water Treatment Plant.
In August, 2016 the Smithville Aldermen voted to award a bid to the W & O Construction Company, Incorporated of Livingston to do the work as recommended by the city’s consulting engineer, the J.R. Wauford Company. The bid was $2,794,000 for the project which included a new headworks and pump station, a new electrical building to power the system, a new bar screen used to remove large objects, such as rags and other debris from wastewater, and a new grit classifier that separates rock, sand, and grit from screened wastewater and a new SCADA automation and monitoring system which the operators use to help maintain efficiency of the system.
“The new headworks is designed to hold 8 million gallons a day to run through it. We’re operating an average of 1 to 1.2 million gallons a day so we have a lot of room for growth,” said Anthony Hasemann, one of the sewer plant operators.
To help pay for the cost of the project, the City of Smithville was awarded a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $525,000 from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Although the grant funded part of the costs, the bulk of the funding to pay for it was appropriated from the city’s water and sewer fund surplus.

Clothing donations are being accepted now for the next Tiger boutique, sponsored by the Climate Crew at DCHS.
“ We are accepting gently used clothing with no tears, rips, stains, or odors. Also, we are accepting shoes and accessories now through October 25 here at the high school. Anyone interested in donating can contact Sara Halliburton or Sara Young at DCHS. Call 615-597-4094,” said Sarah Halliburton, DCHS Biology Teacher.
Hundreds of clothing items were given away to students in need at DCHS during the second “Tiger Boutique” held during the spring.
Members of the Climate Crew collected donations of name brand clothes and set up shop for one day only in the DCHS library for other students to take advantage of for free.
The DCHS Climate Crew is made up of students who have a desire to change the school culture at DCHS. “The DCHS Climate Crew is a group of kids that I started a couple of years ago that just want to make a positive impact here at DCHS. We saw a need for students to have clothing,” said Halliburton.
Plans are for the “Tiger Boutique” to become a twice a year event

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is observing National Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 8-14) by reminding citizens to follow simple safety practices to prevent wildfires. The official start of wildfire season in Tennessee is Oct. 15.
Burning permits can be obtained from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday by calling the DeKalb County office of the Division of Forestry at 615-597-4015. In Smithville phone 615-215-3000. Burning permits can be obtained after hours and on weekends by visiting www.burnsafetn.org.
“It’s important, and required by law from October 15, 2017 to May 15, 2018, that citizens call for a burning permit and follow outdoor burning safety recommendations,” State Forester Jere Jeter said. “Tennessee experienced a historic fall fire season last year due to exceptional drought conditions. Fortunately, that underlying condition does not exist this year, but we’re not going to let our guard down. The permit system helps us communicate to the public when and where it is safe to burn and focuses attention on safety. We need all Tennesseans to volunteer to prevent wildfire.”
The online burn permit system is free, fast and simple. If you are burning a leaf or brush pile that is smaller than 8 feet by 8 feet in size, log on to www.BurnSafeTN.org for approval. More than 300,000 permits are issued each year, and the online system provides a quick and efficient way to apply.
Burn permits are only issued when conditions are conducive to safe burning. If you live inside city limits, there may be additional restrictions. Check with your municipality before you burn.
To learn what materials may not be burned, check the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Open Burning Guidelines at https://tn.gov/environment/article/apc-open-burning.
Burning without a permit is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine. Wildfires caused by arson are a class C felony punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Anyone with information about suspected arson activity should call the state Fire Marshal’s Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017. The hotline is answered 24 hours a day, and you may remain anonymous when providing information. Cash awards are offered for information leading to an arrest or conviction. To report illegal burning, please call 1-888-891-TDEC.
Visit www.BurnSafeTN.org for additional tips to burn safely and to protect your community.
The Division of Forestry promotes the wise use of forest resources by assisting landowners, fighting wildfires, providing quality seedlings, monitoring insects and diseases, improving urban forests, managing state forests, protecting water quality and collecting forest inventory data. The Division also works to promote primary and secondary forest industries to stimulate the state’s economy. Visit http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/section/forests for more information.