Workers at Star Manufacturing have voted against representation by the United Steel Workers Union.
Neither officials of Star nor the Union have apparently issued a statement, but sources told WJLE Thursday night that the effort to form a union was soundly defeated 142-73 by employees voting at both the Smithville and Cookeville locations on Thursday.
The vote was scheduled after issues of working conditions, workplace safety, and unrealistic production expectations were raised by some workers at Star Manufacturing, according to a union organizer.
This is not the first time union plans have been upended in Smithville. Efforts for union representation at another local plant failed a few years ago.
Star Manufacturing International, Inc. is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri but has companies in several states. Star has been making durable, reliable, quality products since 1921. That year, Star introduced its first product, a popcorn machine. Since then, the company has grown and expanded into one of the world’s most respected and valued manufacturers of products in six major categories: Counter Top Gas and Electric Commercial Cooking Appliances, Hot Dog Cooking and Preparation Equipment, Popcorn Machines, Specialty Food Warmers ,Display Merchandisers, Toasters & Waffle Bakers.

Babies from one day to twelve months old were the center of attention during the annual Baby Show held Thursday evening at the DeKalb County Fair.
The winners (blue ribbon first place and red ribbon runner-up) are as follows:
Boys (1 day to 3 months)
Winner: Raylin Mark Ashburn, the three month old son of Trista Johnson and Jeremy Ashburn of Smithville
Runner-up: Landon Alexander Collier, the two month old son of Allison and Brent Collier of Smithville
Other participants in this category were:
Colt Ryder Rains, three month old son of Courtney and Hunter Rains of Dowelltown
Lucas River Garrison, one month old son of Rachel Garrison and Ronnie Irwin of Smithville
Tucker James Ludwig, fifteen day old son of Brittany Bone and Tyler Ludwig of Dowelltown
Girls (1 day to 3 months)
Winner: Emma Pettit, the two month old daughter of Nathan and Justine Pettit of Smithville
Runner-up: Makenlee Faith Collier, the one month old daughter of Matthew and Brooke Collier of Alexandria
Other participant: Saralynn Rose Fowler, three month old daughter of Bill and Alayna Fowler of Alexandria.
Boys (4-6 months)
Winner: Easton Jack Harvey, the six month old son of Chad and Kayla Harvey of Alexandria
Runner-up: Ty Carson Vickers, the six month old son of Joe Vickers and Coty Giddens of Smithville
Other participants:
Bentley Hunter Sexton, six month old son of Tyler Sexton and Kyra Hutchins of Smithville
James Casen Reagan, five month old son of Dylan and Kayla Reagan of Smithville
Conner Isaac Redmon, four month old son of Ashton Waggoner and Justin Redmon of Smithville
Camden Robinson, the five month old son of Kayley Robinson of Smithville
Girls (4-6 months)
Winner: Katie Jo Prichard, the six month old daughter of Luke and JoDee Prichard of Alexandria
Runner-up: Josee Irene Cripps, the six month old daughter of Tyler and Jessica Cripps of Alexandria.
Other participants:
Evelyn Claire Farmer, the six month old daughter of John and Tabitha Farmer of Smithville
Kenley Grace Johnson, the five month old daughter of Kenny and Laura Johnson of Smithville
Addison Kate Silcox, the six month old daughter of Cheyenne Swift and Dalton Silcox of Smithville
Anaya Rose Sutton, the five month old daughter of Candice Dolan-Barnes of Smithville
Boys (7-9 months)
Winner: Liam Gannon Brusaw, the eight month old son of Erica Duggin of Smithville.
Runner-up: Cooper Lane Robinson, the eight month old son of Heath and Tiffany Robinson of Smithville
Other participants:
Daniel Wayne Erickson Brandt, eight month old son of Carlie Sexton and Mason Brandt of Smithville
Nathaniel Lee Jenkins, nine month old son of Cody and Michelle Jenkins of Smithville
Arian Pierce Wiggins, the nine month old son of Megan Linder and Destry Wiggins of Smithville
Girls (7-9 months)
Winner: Ripley Anne Barnes, the eight month old daughter of Johnny and Shelly Barnes of Alexandria.
Runner-up: Jacqlin Ila Rose Prichard, the nine month old daughter of Mark and Amanda Prichard of Smithville.
Other participants:
Stella Grace Adcock, the nine month old daughter of Byron and Paige Adcock of Smithville
Alexis Brooke Shepherd, the nine month old daughter of Misty Myers and Donald Shepherd of Dowelltown
Jordyn McKenna Cantrell, the nine month old daughter of Tiffany Frazier and Jacob Cantrell of Dowelltown
Arianna Rayne Herrin, the nine month old daughter of Mitchell and Amanda Herrin of Smithville
Jaylee Marie Ellis, the nine month old daughter of Miranda Ellis of Liberty
Kaylee Rena Kubiak, the eight month old daughter of Zachary and Miranda Kubiak of Smithville
Kimber Nokes, the eight month old daughter of Emily Dawson and Dakota Nokes of Smithville
Piper Leigh Meeks, the eight month old daughter of Randy Meeks and Kristan Gray of Dowelltown
Boys (10-12 months)
Winner: William Martin Key, the eleven month old son of Will and Shana Key of Smithville.
Runner-Up: Christopher Higgins, ten months old. His guardians are Phillip and Natasha Waggoner of Liberty.
Other participant in this category: Jacob Paul Blair, the eleven month old son of Dwayne and Mary Ann Blair of Liberty.
Girls (10-12 months)
Winner: Clara Ruth Cox, the twelve month old daughter of Brandon and Whitney Cox of Smithville.
Runner-Up: Mia Grace Johnson, the ten month old daughter of Clint and DeDe Johnson of Smithville.
Other participants:
Claire Cole Cripps, ten month old daughter of Jordan and Nicole Cripps of Dowelltown
Klara Mai Armour, twelve month old daughter of Nathan and Hannah Armour of Dowelltown
Madison Faye Quarles, eleven month old daughter of Matt and Alana Quarles of Liberty
Marley Leigh Pyburn, twelve month old daughter of Jake and Kelly Pyburn of Alexandria
Zoey Rylinn Frazier, ten month old daughter of Dustin and Gabby Frazier of Dowelltown
Maggie Ann Hendrix, twelve month old daughter of Jared and Jennifer Hendrix of Dowelltown
Trinity Love Orcutt, ten month old daughter of Joshua and Faith Orcutt of DeKalb County
Tonight at the Fair:
Friday, July 24: Toddler Show for contestants 13 months to 48 months at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Zone Status Band at the Lions Club Pavilion: ATV-Mini Road-Outlaws Pulling at 7:00 p.m. at the T.C. McMillen Arena; a Horse Show at 7:00 p.m. at the Grandstand; and (2- $500 cash drawings) at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 25: Blind Draw Horseshoe Tournament at the Tot Kelly barn at Noon.; Gospel Singing at the Lions Club Pavilion at 6:00 p.m.; Super Tractor and Truck Pull at 7:00 p.m. at the T.C. McMillen Arena: and (2- $500 cash drawings) at 9:30 p.m.
Memory Lane Stage Events are as follows:
Friday Night July 24
6:30 – until— Karaoke Night
7:45- UNTIL — Nokes Brothers
Saturday Night July 25
6:30-7:30 pm— Mid State Cloggers
7:45-8:45 pm— Evermean Evergreen Cloggers
Rides on the Midway will be provided by the Family Attractions Amusement Company. Unlimited rides will be available for $18.00 on Friday and Saturday.
Admission to the fair is $4.00 per person. Children age four and younger will be admitted free! Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Friday and at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The exhibit building is open from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Parking is Free!
For more information, call 529-FAIR or visit on-line at www.dekalbcountyfairtn.com.

A Native American artifacts show will be held Saturday, July 25 at the county complex auditorium from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and you can enjoy something to eat while you’re there with proceeds to benefit the DeKalb Animal Coalition.
The food menu includes coffee, doughnuts, sausage and biscuits for breakfast and for lunch enjoy barbeque including Dr. Cripps’ homemade barbeque sauce, homemade pool room cole slaw, homemade baked beans, and homemade carrot cup cakes.
The artifacts show will feature displays ranging from arrow heads to pottery and some items will be available for sale or trade. “This will be the third or fourth year we’ve had it and it’s one of the bigger shows in this area and it’s growing each year,” said Mike Foster.
“We have about sixty people that have committed to come and display their artifacts. Some (artifacts) will be for sale and others won’t. Some (participants) will trade. Some will buy. There’s a lot of people in this area who collect artifacts. One guy is planning to bring about 60 pieces of pottery which you don’t see a lot of here. There will be flint, beads, and about anything else you can think of including some trade goods that Europeans traded to Native Americans. It’s really enjoyable for people who like history or artifacts,” Foster continued.
“It’s open to the public and it’s free. You’ll see some really good collections. I know there will be three or four from DeKalb County. Byron McDonald, who has a lot of super DeKalb and Smith County artifacts that are museum quality will be here. Ben (Franklin) and I will have our stuff there, which may not be museum quality but are pretty good collections. And there will be others from here like Stevie Dedmon and Mike Henry who have a lot of DeKalb County (artifacts) and not necessarily all DeKalb County but Caney Fork and Cumberland River stuff,” said Foster.
You are also urged to support the DeKalb Animal Coalition. “They are going to use this as a fund raiser and hopefully annually too. They will be in the kitchen and cafeteria offering food for breakfast and lunch. We’d like to ask people who are coming to the show to come and support that (DeKalb Animal Coalition Fundraiser),” Foster concluded.
The show is sponsored by the Volunteer State Archaeological Society, a non-profit educational organization devoted to the study of prehistoric America. This society is one of the largest of the independent state societies affiliated with Central States Archaeological Societies.

Colby Barnes has had a busy summer preparing for and exhibiting at the regional and state 4-H Sheep Expositions. As an incoming 5th grader, this was Colby’s first year to be involved in 4-H and showing lambs. The regional show, held on June 27th in Cookeville, was the first test. Colby’s two lambs placed 2nd and 3rd in their classes. He also placed 5th in showmanship. The Tennessee State Sheep Expo was held July 13-15th, also in Cookeville at Hyder-Burks Arena. The competition was much more intense, but Colby lambs still performed well. One lamb was 5th in its class and was 4th place Tennessee bred. The 2nd lamb placed 11th while being 10th Tennessee bred. The show awards those exhibitors who raise locally raised sheep.
At the state show, there is an award called Premier Exhibitor. This award combines showmanship, animal score, and skillathon. During showmanship, Colby is judged on how he shows his lambs. In the market lamb classes for the animal score, the sheep themselves are judged on their quality and muscling. The skillathon is an exam that tests the exhibitor’s knowledge of breeds, nutrition, health, and other parts of the sheep industry. These three scores are tallied for the Premier Exhibitor award. Colby placed 11th in the state for his age category.
Showing sheep or any type of livestock takes time, hard work, perseverance, and responsibility but is fun and rewarding in the end. Colby did an excellent job representing DeKalb County on both the regional and state level. For more information about DeKalb County 4-H activities, please call 615-597-4945.

Northside Elementary School has a new principal.
Karen Knowles, who for the last four years served as assistant principal at Smithville Elementary School, has been named principal at Northside Elementary School.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps made the announcement Wednesday.
Knowles has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and a Masters Degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Tech University. Prior to becoming assistant principal, Knowles served as a first grade teacher at Smithville Elementary School from June, 2002 until August 20, 2011.
She succeeds longtime Northside Elementary Principal Dr. Gayle Redmon, who has retired.

Addison Jean Puckett of Smithville won the Miss Sweetheart pageant Wednesday night at the DeKalb County Fair. She is the eleven year old daughter of Jimmy and Anita Puckett.
The pageant featured eighteen girls ages 10-12.
Puckett succeeds the 2014 Miss Sweetheart, Jaycee Rochelle Johnson of Alexandria. She is the eleven year old daughter of Tim and Shelly Hearn and Jon and Jaylene Johnson.
Ten year old Kenlee Renae Taylor, daughter of Ken and Cindy Taylor of Smithville was first runner-up in the pageant.
Madison Martin was second runner-up. She is the ten year old daughter of Terry and Jennifer Martin of Liberty.
Third runner-up was twelve year old Taylor Nicole Gibbs, daughter of Teesha and Keith Reynolds of Liberty.
Kyleigh Breanne Hill was fourth runner-up. She is the ten year old daughter of Kyle Hill and Colleen Clary of Smithville.
The Miss Congeniality of the pageant was Riley Michelle Overstreet, the twelve year old daughter of Michelle Overstreet of Alexandria and the late Billy Overstreet
Ellie Grace Vaughn, the ten year old daughter of Randy and Natasha Vaughn of Alexandria was Miss Photogenic
Others in the top eleven were twelve year old Monica Carlton, daughter of Amanda and Leroy Hale and Travis and Toni Carlton of Smithville; eleven year old McKenzie Elizabeth Brown, daughter of Shelly Brown and Adam Davis of Smithville; ten year old Addison Roller, daughter of John and Chana Roller of Smithville; eleven year old Alonna Leshae Eaton, daughter of Lonnie Eaton and Wendy Stepp of Alexandria; twelve year old Alexis Grace Atnip, daughter of Veronica Atnip of Smithville; and ten year old Carlee Elizabeth West, daughter of D.J. and Megan Stewart of Smithville.
The remaining contestants were eleven year old Jenna Lea Cantrell, daughter of Tony and Amee Cantrell of Smithville; ten year old Hannah Paige Trapp, daughter of Jeremy and Jenny Trapp of Smithville; eleven year old Natalie Morgan Snipes, daughter of Tim and Michelle Snipes of Smithville; ten year old Kailey Nichole Harvey, daughter of Kevin and Angelia Harvey of Lebanon ; and ten year old Elizabeth Carlene Gaines, daughter of Beverly Anderson of Smithville.
Tonight’s events at the Fair:
Thursday, July 23: Junior Goat Show at 6:00 p.m. at the Tot Kelly Barn; Baby Show at 6:00 p.m. followed by The Almost Anything Goes Game Show at the Lions Club Pavilion; Omega Force Strongmen at 7:00 p.m. at the T.C. McMillen Arena; and (2- $500 cash drawings) at 9:30 p.m.
Memory Lane Stage:
Thursday Night July 23
6:30-7:30 pm—Bryan Keith
7:45-8:45 pm— Terri Lynn Weaver
Rides on the Midway will be provided by the Family Attractions Amusement Company. Unlimited rides will be available for $18.00 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Admission to the fair is $4.00 per person. Children age four and younger will be admitted free! Gates open at 4:30 p.m. through Friday and at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The exhibit building is open from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. through Friday and Saturday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Parking is Free!
For more information, call 529-FAIR or visit on-line at www.dekalbcountyfairtn.com.

The 2015 Miss Princess of the DeKalb County Fair is Annabella Eleni Dakas, the eight year old daughter of John and Mandy Dakas of Smithville.
Fifteen girls ages 7-9 competed for the title Wednesday night at the DeKalb County Fair.
Dakas succeeds the 2014 Miss Princess, Carlee Elizabeth West, the ten year old daughter of D.J. and Megan Stewart of Smithville.
Nine year old Ansley Faith Cantrell, daughter of Tony and Amee Cantrell of Smithville was first runner-up in the pageant.
Second runner-up was seven year old Isabella Faith Rackley, daughter of Gordon and Jessica Rackley of Smithville
Keara Milligan, the eight year old daughter of Josh and Cyndi Milligan of Smithville was third runner-up. She was also named Miss Photogenic.
Camri Layne Johnson was fourth runner-up. She is the seven year old daughter of Jeremy Johnson and Julia Bolton of Alexandria.
Danica Hope Collier, the seven year old daughter of Matthew and Brooke Collier of Alexandria and Britany George of Smithville was Miss Congeniality.
Others in the top ten were seven year old Averie Nicole McMinn, daughter of Nathan and Amanda McMinn of Smithville; seven year old Danica Hope Collier, daughter of Matthew and Brooke Collier of Alexandria and Britany George of Smithville; eight year old Makinzy Lynn Jenkins of Smithville. Her father is Wally Rackley and the main caretaker is her aunt Maranda Washer; seven year old Bailey Elizabeth Kidd, daughter of Kelli Bess and Brandon Kidd of Smithville; and eight year old Brooklyn Ponder, daughter of Brownie and Peggy Barnes of Smithville.
The remaining contestants were seven year old Leah Grace Davis, the daughter of Nelson and Jennifer Davis of Smithville; eight year old Shaelee Foster, daughter of Margie Tiner and Doyne Glass of Smithville; eight year old Allison Goodwin, daughter of Roy and Anna Goodwin of Rock Island; nine year old Emily Rose Satterfield, daughter Sherry and Derrick Satterfield of Liberty; and seven year old Hailee Ann Marie Merriman, daughter of Jake and Joyce Merriman of Smithville.

Levi Hamilton Cripps and Ella Grace Kirksey were crowned Little Mister and Miss at the DeKalb County Fair Tuesday night.
Cripps, who was also named Mister Photogenic, is the five year old son of Kevin and Liz Cripps of Alexandria. Kirksey is the four year old daughter of Graden and Sabrina Kirksey of Smithville.
They succeed the 2014 Little Mister and Miss, Abram James Koegler and Graycie Bowman. Koegler is the six year old son of Brian and Leticia Koegler of Smithville and Bowman is the six year old daughter of Phillip and Natasha Waggoner of Liberty.
First runner-up in the Little Miss contest was Cora Marie Cox, the four year old daughter of Brandon and Whitney Cox of Smithville.
Second runner-up was Lakelyn Brooke Nelson, the four year old daughter of Dustin and Kristian Nelson of Smithville.
Kaydence Shontae Johnson was third runner-up. She is the five year old daughter of Trista Johnson and Jeremy Ashburn of Smithville.
Jaycee Kaylin Daley, the six year old daughter of Megan Linder and Destry Wiggins of Smithville was fourth runner-up.
Meanwhile, Mia Nicole Hall, the four year old daughter of Bradley and Lacy Hall of Alexandria was named Little Miss Manners.
Little Miss Photogenic went to Caitlyn Lee Adcock, the four year old daughter of Jessie and Tia Adcock of Smithville.
Others in the top ten were 4 year old Caitlyn Lee Adcock, the daughter of Jessie and Tia Adcock of Smithville; 4 year old Mia Nicole Hall, the daughter of Bradley and Lacy Hall of Alexandria; 5 year old Tanisha Owens of Smithville. Her guardian is Julia Owens; 6 year old Leah Elisabeth Trapp, the daughter of Jeremy and Jenny Trapp of Smithville; and 6 year old Kaylyn Isabelle Prichard, the daughter of Andy and Chrissy Prichard of Liberty.
Remaining participants were 5 year old Cassidy Orcutt, daughter of Josh Orcutt and Olivia Taylor of Smithville; 6 year old Charlotte Annabelle Cripps, the daughter of Kevin and Liz Cripps of Alexandria; 5 year old Savannah Faith Stibil, the daughter of John and Glenda Stibil of Smithville; 6 year old Khloe Grace Lawson, the daughter of Josh Lawson and Kelly Ring of Alexandria; 5 year old Shelby Jean Elam, the daughter of Andrew and Bethany Elam of Sparta; 5 year old Karah Jo Ford, the daughter of Amanda Ford of Dowelltown; 4 year old Jessica Lauren (Jessie) Gribble, the daughter of Tara Jane Atnip-Summers and Dale Gribble of Smithville;6 year old Makenlee Gard, daughter of Nathan and Brittney Gard of Smithville; and 4 year old Annabelle Paige Merriman, daughter of Jake and Joyce Merriman of Smithville.
First runner-up in the Little Mister contest was five year old Austin Cadence Merriman, the son of Jake and Joyce Merriman of Smithville.
Five year old Jaxsen Theryn Speaks, son of Justin and Donna Speaks of DeKalb County was the second runner-up
Third runner-up was Wyatt Randall Ware, the six year old son of Charles and Jennifer Ware of Smithville.
Fourth runner-up went to Adonis Jaxon Cooprider, the four year old son of Heath and Rebecca Cooprider of Liberty.
Five year old Zachary Elijah Cooprider was named Mister Manners. He is the son of Heath and Rebecca Cooprider of Liberty.
Tonight at the Fair:
Wednesday, July 22: WSMV-TV’s Snowbird will greet fairgoers from 5-7 p.m. at the main gate; Little Miss Princess Pageant for contestants ages 7-9 at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Miss Sweetheart Pageant for those ages 10-12 at the Lions Club Pavilion; 4 Wheeler and Motorcycle Racing at 6:00 p.m. at the T.C. McMillen Arena; Kids Peddle Tractor Pull at the Grandstand at 7:00 p.m. ; and (2- $500 cash drawings) at 9:30 p.m.
Memory Lane Stage Events:
Wednesday Night July 22
6:30-7:30 pm—Kitty Steadman
7:45-8:45 pm— DCHS Cheerleaders
.
Rides on the Midway will be provided by the Family Attractions Amusement Company. Unlimited rides will be available for $14.00 on Wednesday and $18.00 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Admission to the fair is $4.00 per person. Children age four and younger will be admitted free! Gates open at 4:30 p.m. through Friday and at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The exhibit building is open from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. through Friday and Saturday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Parking is Free!
For more information, call 529-FAIR or visit on-line at www.dekalbcountyfairtn.com.

All students in the DeKalb County School System, regardless of income, will have access to free lunches when school begins in August under a federal program the Board of Education has decided to join. But the current rate of students participating in the lunch program has to increase by at least five percent to keep the school’s nutrition program from losing money.
During the regular monthly meeting in May, the school board voted to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Program and offer free lunches starting this fall on a trial basis. If the program is not self supporting, the school board can opt out.
CEP is a universal meal plan under the National School Lunch Program that permits eligible districts and schools to provide meal service to all students at no charge. DeKalb County schools are already offering free breakfasts under the Universal Breakfast Program.
According to Amy Lattimore, School Nutrition Supervisor, rather than collecting and processing individual applications for federal free and reduced priced lunches under the National School Lunch Program, schools would serve all meals at no cost under CEP.
The school system would then be reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students identified as eligible for free meals, one that relies on information from other programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“We are in the National School Lunch Program and we are currently reimbursed for school meals across three categories: paid, free, and reduced. How that works is a “free” child comes through the lunch line and they don’t give us any money. The state gives us $3.06 . A “reduced” child comes through the lunch line and they give us 40 cents while the state gives us $2.66. A paying student comes through the lunch line and they give us $1.50 or $1.75 depending on their age range and the state gives us 36 cents. So we’re always getting the student payments and the reimbursement combined. That’s how we fund our program. With CEP we don’t get reimbursed across three categories. They do away with the categories and its through a formula that we would get reimbursed,” said Lattimore.
The school system’s nutrition program also receives income from a la carte sales, teacher meals, and visitor meals and that would continue under CEP.
While the school system would get a greater reimbursement of funds under CEP, it would no longer receive income from students who are currently paying for their lunches resulting in the nutrition program actually losing money overall unless more students take advantage. Currently school nutrition is self supporting in DeKalb County.
“With CEP we will actually receive more reimbursement but we would no longer receive any student payments. If we serve the same amount of kids with CEP we would lose money. For CEP to work in DeKalb County, participation has to go up. That’s how we would make it work. Currently we have about 67% of our students eating lunch with us every day. About 44% are eating breakfast. When we started Universal breakfast we had a 3% increase in participation. We should see a higher increase for lunch but participation has to come up by at least 5% to stay where we are now (self supporting). That’s in a perfect world where our a la carte sales stay the same. Our teacher meals stay the same and our visitor meals stay the same. If we don’t we’ll lose money,” said Lattimore.
Should the free lunch program fail to be self supporting, the school board would have to move funds from the general purpose budget to the nutrition program to cover the costs, which could be as much as $3,000 per month. However, the school board could chose to opt out of CEP at any time and stop offering universal free lunches.
If free lunches were stopped under CEP during the midst of the school year, Lattimore said it could create hassles for parents and staff with having to again begin processing free and reduced priced applications so late in the year. “Kids must apply for a free and reduced application or they are directly certified through the state. If we do CEP at the beginning of the year they are not sending in those applications. If we have to stop CEP in mid year because we’re losing money, we’ll have to get in all those applications in mid year. It’ll be a hassle for parents and staff,” she said.
Danny Parkerson, First District School Board member, made a motion to start the free lunch program saying it would save families money. Fourth District member Kate Miller offered a second to the motion. All board members voted in favor.

A convicted sex offender accused of making inappropriate comments to three teenage girls at the Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool last summer was in DeKalb County Criminal Court Monday, July 20.
Judge Gary McKenzie presided.
43 year old Timmy Eugene Bowman of Smithville pled guilty to violation of the sex offender registry and received a four year sentence to serve as a range III offender at 45% before parole eligibility. The term is to run consecutive to a sentence he is currently serving in White County. Bowman was given jail credit of 224 days served.
Bowman was originally charged with three counts of solicitation of a minor along with violation of the sex offender registry.
According to Smithville Police, officers were dispatched to the Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool in response to a complaint about a man making obscene sexual remarks to three juvenile girls. A computer check revealed that Bowman is a convicted sex offender and is not to be in the presence of children. He is on the sex offender registry.
Police said Bowman allegedly made sexual comments to three girls, a 14 year old, 13 year old, and 16 year old on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 and to the same 13 year old girl on Friday, June 13 while at the pool. Bowman also allegedly asked one of the girls if she would like to see the inside of his vehicle.
44 year old Anthony Lynn Colwell pled guilty to aggravated burglary and received a TDOC sentence of eleven years at 45% before parole eligibility. The term is to run concurrently with a Warren County case against him. He was given two days of jail credit. Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on July 8, 2014 Colwell allegedly broke into a residence on Man Hill Road and took several pieces of jewelry. Colwell then pawned the items at a DeKalb County jewelry store and a pawn shop in Warren County. The case was investigated by a sheriff’s department detective.
26 year old Terry Ray Barnes pled guilty by criminal information to attempted initiation of meth and received a five year sentence. He was fined $2,000. The term is to run concurrently with a Warren County case against him. He was given 255 days of jail credit. A co-defendant in the case, 32 year old Christopher Sam White pled guilty last month to initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine and is facing a nine year sentence but he will be furloughed to a treatment facility. If he completes the program, White will be placed on probation. He was fined $2,000 and must make restitution of $35 to Walmart.
Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, November 7, 2014 a sheriff’s department deputy received a call from a resident on Jefferson Road that two men had been seen in a barn and that an odd smell was coming from there. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a woman, apparently the owner of the barn, who said she had seen the two men and that the odor coming from the barn was making her sick. The officer asked for and received permission to search the barn and there he found the two men, Barnes and White sleeping. He also found a meth lab consisting of five plastic funnels, a Coleman cook top stove, Coleman butane fuel, digital scales, Coleman fuel, plastic tubing, a Pyrex dish, large Mason jar, 50 coffee filters, Crystal Drano, lithium batteries, ph test strips, and an electric pill grinder, a metal plate containing a white powdery substance, and a bottle containing four ounces of muriatic acid. Barnes and White were awakened and placed under arrest. A computer check revealed White had been convicted earlier that year in a separate meth case.
23 year old Nathaniel Dylan Tippens pled guilty to six counts of auto burglary and one count of theft over $500. He received two years in each auto burglary case to run concurrently with each other but consecutive to the theft case for which he received one year. His total TDOC sentence is three years and he must make restitution to the victims totaling $759.75
Sheriff Ray said that Tippens allegedly broke into and stole items from two vehicles on Midway Road and four automobiles on Redman Road on Monday, November 24, 2014. Items taken in all the thefts combined include a JVC stereo, two TomTom GPS units, a Cobra radar detector, a bone handled knife and a brown sheath, a black air compressor, prescription eyeglasses, a class ring, a multi-colored handbag, an mp3 player, and a total of twenty dollars in change. The total value of the stolen goods amounts to $790. The cases were investigated by criminal detectives of the Sheriff’s Department.
In the other case, Sheriff Ray said on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 Tippens allegedly stole a 1997 white Ford Aspire from a residence on Redman Road and took it to a local recycling business with the intent to sell the vehicle. The attendant informed Tippens that the business could not purchase the automobile because it was reported stolen. Before leaving, Tippens told the attendant to report that the vehicle had been found. The case was investigated by a sheriff’s department detective.
39 year old Joey Williams pled guilty to simple possession of a schedule VI drug (marijuana) and received a sentence of eleven months and twenty nine days suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $250. Williams may seek unsupervised probation after six months if all fines and costs are paid.