Family Medical Center Pharmacy is under new ownership.
Blake and Susannah Cripps Daughtry have bought the business from Susannah’s parents, Gary and Susan Cripps.
“I’m a Smithville native. I’m living in Dothan, Alabama right now,” said Susannah Daughtry. ” I’m married to Blake Daughtry and we have four children. I graduated from the Auburn Pharmacy School in 1995. I have been a pharmacist for several years. Pharmacy has been a part of my family my whole life. My dad and my sister are both pharmacists,” said Daughtry.
Blake Daughtry, a native of Alabama, said he and Susannah look forward to serving this community. “We’re just excited to be back in Smithville and taking over her family’s pharmacy which has been here for 38 years. We’re looking forward to it, ” said Daughtry.
Rumors have surfaced recently that Family Medical Center Pharmacy was going out of business, but Blake said nothing could be further from the truth. He said “we are alive and well and eager to continue serving our customers. Some of the big chain stores in town sent out letters to people in Smithville saying that we were closing our doors. That’s not the case. We’re happy to be here and proud to be here. We’re really looking forward to the future. One of the things we looked at when this opportunity came along was keeping small town businesses in Smithville. Its been a tough economy for everybody. I know in different places businesses have closed down and moved on. You’ve got your big box stores, your Walmarts and Rite Aids and things coming in. We think its important to keep the community together and have locally owned small town businesses that have been here for years continue to be here and thrive. So we’re excited to be able to keep those jobs here and to be able to give a service back to the community as well as have a good thriving business. We’re excited about the opportunity,” said Daughtry.
The Family Medical Center Pharmacy’s history goes back 38 years. “It started as Price-France Pharmacy, “said Susannah Daughtry. “My dad came back from the University of Tennessee. He taught pharmacy school there. When he came back he bought in with Gordon Price and Erby France. The store was known as Price-France Pharmacy at that time. Later on it became Cripps-France Pharmacy when they bought out Gordon Price. Years later Erby retired and it became dad’s store. He and mother then ran the store. I’ve been raised in that store. We used to be over there by the First Methodist Church. That was the old building where the doctor’s building was. Then when there was an opportunity to move the practice and the pharmacy with it, they built the new building there (North Congress Boulevard) which is really nice. It gives us a great location in Smithville,” said Daughtry
A new pharmacist will soon be joining the staff and some new product lines may be added . A grand opening will be held within a few weeks. “The staff is going to be the same,” said Susannah. “We’ll have all the same friendly faces that have been there for several years. We will have a new pharmacist come December 14. When she comes on board we’ll share with everybody a little bit more about her. The changes we’re making, we’re working on doing things that are going to position us to take better care of our patients and meet all of their pharmacy needs. Things that will make us more efficient and faster. We just want to make sure we’re taking the best care we can of the patients that come into our store. Its really a nice opportunity for me. It just gives me an excuse to come home so much more and be a part of the community that I was raised in. I will be working in the store some too as a pharmacist,” said Susannah.
“We’re bringing in new products and re-stocking shelves so the transition is going to take a few days but you’re going to see some nice new signage and new products in the store,” said Blake Daughtry. ” We’re going to try and freshen things up. Gary and Susan have built a great business there and we just want to continue that going forward. I think over the next couple of weeks everybody will see some big changes. We plan on having a grand opening maybe by the first of the year. We’ll let everyone know because we’d love to have everybody come out and see us,” said Daughtry.

The Christmas shopping season has arrived and local businesses hope you’ll give them a chance to serve you more this year.
Phillip (Fluty) Cantrell of Cantrell’s the home of Fluty says before you go out of town, try home first. “We know you can’t buy everything at home but we would like to encourage people to at least try home first. Merchants have been here for years. We’ve made our living here and we appreciate everything everybody has done for us to keep us here.”
Cantrell says some stores around town will be opening early on Friday morning for early bird shoppers, including downtown. “We started this thing (opening early on the morning after Thanksgiving Day) several years ago. People were shopping out of town and all the big sales were going on. We said let’s try it and see what happens here. We tried it and it went over really good. Some downtown merchants will be open at 7:00 a.m. Friday with door buster specials. We encourage people to shop early.”
Meanwhile, Jerry Lee Cantrell of Cantrell’s Furniture and Appliances says when you buy at home, you’re helping support the local tax base which means you’re helping fund schools and other local government services. “We really appreciate all the people who trade with us. I think it’s a very important thing that we keep our tax dollars in our community. We get the tax dollars back from the state. Of course, we have to send them in. It goes to the state and then comes back to us. This helps our community immensely.”
The Chamber of Commerce is urging businesses in Smithville and DeKalb County to display messages on their marquees or changeable signs to encourage shoppers to spend their tax dollars at home this holiday season.

DWS Junior Beta President Morgan Vickers won the prestigious John W. Harris leadership award at this year’s state convention. She was one of 25 students Junior Beta students across the country chosen for this honor based in large part for her service to the school and community. Only three were selected from Tennessee. The 400-student body at DeKalb West School has had a winner for this award four out of the last five years.
8th grade Junior Beta students at DeKalb West were asked to turn in a presentation on why they were eligible for the honor. Then, a committee of parents and teachers selected a candidate, and the club’s sponsor wrote a nominating letter to the National Junior Beta office, which made the final choices for the award. Another remarkable candidate for the honor, 8th grader Hailey Walker, was a strong contender for the award.
National Junior Beta Club Sponsor Judy Cummings presented Vickers with the award on stage Monday morning in front of some 7,000 students attending the first session of the convention.
Vickers is the daughter of Joe and Wanda Vickers. In addition to the recognition at the state convention, Vickers will have her photo published on the student Beta website and will have her registration fee paid to attend the Broyhill Leadership Conference in July 2012.

The DeKalb West School Junior Beta Club won its first-ever club award at the annual Tennessee Junior Beta state convention on Tuesday (Nov. 22) at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center . A team of five 8th grade boys took second place in the Tower of Power event. Under the direction of parent John Cain, Will Cain, Ted Tippin, James Sherwood, Kirkland Smallwood, and Lane Davenport constructed a straw tower more than 10 feet tall within 15 minutes.
Each participating team was given 150 plastic drinking straws and a roll of masking tape. They were charged with the task of building the highest free-standing tower they could in a 15-minute time frame. The team with the highest tower that could support a tennis ball at its pinnacle for a minimum of one minute was the winner.
The club also made a specially designed T-shirt geared towards the convention’s theme, “Betas, Start Your Engines.” Participating in the Living Literature event were Chasity Garrett, Katie Roehner, Casey Vickers, Caitlin Tyree, Kyleigh White, Cody Hale, Nate Sherwood, and Jacob Frazier. Participating in the Banner event were Alexis Nokes, Madison Hayes, Nick Staley, and Mackenzie Knowles. Also in the Arts and Crafts category were Anna Malone, black and white photography; Katie Hall, color photography; Breanna Gibson and Noelle Driver, painting; and Hanna Evans, sketching. In the poster contest were Ethan Martin, Jasmine Parker, Samantha Street. In Battle of the Books were Bailey Redmon, Caitlyn Lawrence, and Maegan Harris; and in Spelling, Mary Mofield; in the Quiz Bowl: Keely McKay, Hailey Walker, Alex Foutch, and Morgan Vickers. Thirty-three students from the 6th-8th grades and 16 parental chaperones attended the convention Sunday-Tuesday (Nov. 20-22).

The DeKalb County October unemployment rate was at 8.7%, down from 9.6% in September but up slightly from 8.6% in October 2010.
The local labor force in October was at 10,070. A total of 9,190 were employed and 880 were without work.
DeKalb County’s unemployment rate for October was the fifth lowest among the fourteen counties of the Upper Cumberland region as follows:
Pickett County- 13.7%
Jackson- 10.8%
White- 10.7%
Van Buren- 10.6%
Warren- 10.5%
Clay- 10.3%
Fentress- 10%
Cumberland- 9.3%
Overton- 8.8%
DeKalb-8.7%
Smith- 8.6%
Macon- 8.2%
Putnam-8.2%
Cannon- 8%
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for October show that the rate increased in one county, decreased in 92 counties, and two counties remained the same.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for October fell to 9.6 percent, down from the September revised rate of 9.8. The national unemployment rate for October 2011 was 9.0 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the September rate.
Lincoln County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 5.8 percent, down from the September rate of 6.6 percent, followed by Williamson County at 6.3 percent, down from 7.0 percent. Scott County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 18.1 percent, down from 19.5 percent in the previous month, followed by Obion County at 15.6, down from 16.9 percent in September.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 6.7 percent, down from 7.7 percent the previous month. Hamilton County was 7.8 percent, down from 8.6 percent in September. Davidson County was 7.8 percent, down from 8.7 percent in September, and Shelby County was 10.1 percent, down from the September unemployment rate of 10.8 percent

A Cookeville man has been charged with kidnapping and assaulting his uncle and a woman at a residence on Avant Circle in Alexandria.
23 year old Courtney D. Barrett has been arrested on two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault. The case was investigated by Sergeant Chris Russell of the Alexandria Police Department.
Alexandria Police Chief Mark Collins told WJLE that on Tuesday, November 1 Barrett allegedly kidnapped Glenda Hutchinson at 127 Avant Circle by forcing his way into the residence, holding her at gunpoint and threatening to kill her. He allegedly forced her into the bathroom and told her not to move until he left.
While in the home, Barrett is also accused of kidnapping his uncle Roger Barrett at gunpoint, hitting him with his fist and the gun, causing serious bodily injuries. He was forced into the bathroom where he stayed until Courtney Barrett left. Roger Barrett was later taken to the emergency room of DeKalb Community Hospital for treatment.
A county deputy backed up Sergeant Russell at the scene
Bond for Barrett was set at $150,000. He appeared in DeKalb County General Sessions Court last Thursday, November 17 and had his case bound to the April term of the Grand Jury.

Smithville Police helped Putnam County authorities nab a suspect in a Silver Point burglary with the recent arrest of a Lancaster woman.
25 year old Candice Deshay Daniels of Hayes Ridge Road, Lancaster is charged by Smithville Police with public intoxication. She is under a $1,000 bond and will be in court on December 7. In Putnam County, Daniels has been charged with aggravated burglary and theft of property. Her bond is $15,000 in that case and she has a December 5 court date in Putnam County.
According to Chief Randy Caplinger, Corporal Travis Bryant and Officer David Phillips responded to a call at the Discount Tobacco Outlet on West Broad Street on Friday, November 11. They went there to investigate a complaint of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, they made contact with Daniels who was unsteady on her feet and had slurred speech. She allegedly told the officers that she had taken four pills.
Inside her car, officers found a clothes hamper and pillow cases containing numerous bottles of pills, checks, tools and other items. Arousing their suspicion, the officers checked and found that a burglary had been reported in Putnam County earlier that day in the Silver Point Community at a residence on Buffalo Valley Road. The items found apparently came from that home.
A Putnam County officer was still at the scene of the burglary taking a report when Smithville Police notified Putnam County authorities that a woman had been arrested here and that she was in possession of stolen items.
No one was with Daniels at the time of her arrest in Smithville, but authorities believe she had a companion in the Silver Point burglary who may also be charged in the case.
Meanwhile, 28 year old Jimmy Ray Culwell of King Ridge Road, Dowelltown is charged with one count of a schedule II, III, IV, and VI controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He will appear in court on December 8.
Police report that on Friday, November 18, Detective Brandon Donnell was dispatched to a business at 309 West Broad Street. As he was sitting in his patrol car, Detective Donnell saw Culwell get out of his vehicle and walk over to the passenger side of another vehicle and do an exchange. Detective Donnell approached Culwell and asked what he had in his pocket. Culwell said he had some hydrocodone pills and some marijuana in his pocket. He took the bottle out and Detective Donnell saw two different kinds of pills in the prescription bottle. Detective Donnell then searched Culwell and found two bags of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, a white round pill believed to be Soma, a green crushed up pill believed to be Valium, 14 blue oval pills believed to be hydrocodone that was in the prescription bottle, and there was a small bong in his jacket pocket with marijuana residue still inside.

At least three people may be in the race for Assessor of Property in the DeKalb County Democratic Primary on March 6.
With two weeks left until the qualifying deadline Incumbent Timothy (Fud) Banks, Scott Cantrell, and Jonathan Bryan Keith have submitted their petitions to the DeKalb County Election Commission.
Candidates for Assessor of Property and all seven constable positions have to be qualified to run by noon on Thursday, December 8.
The term of each office is four years.
Incumbent constables Wayne Vanderpool in the third district, Paul Cantrell in the fourth district, Mark Milam in the fifth district, and Johnny King in the seventh district have turned in their qualifying petitions to seek re-election. Richard Bullard in the sixth district has picked up a petition.
While the local Democratic Party will be selecting its nominees through the primary process, the DeKalb County Republican Party will choose any nominees it has by convention.
“Petitions can be picked up for all of the local offices on the March ballot,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections. The qualifying deadline is NOON, December 8, 2011. The same
qualifying deadline will apply to the Republican Party nominees (chosen by caucus) and Independent candidates.
Any Republican and Democratic nominees for the offices of Assessor of Property and Constable will face off in the August 2012 DeKalb County General Election.
(Pictured Above: Constables Cantrell Jones in the sixth district, Johnny King in the seventh district, Reed Edge in the second district, Wayne Vanderpool in the third district, Mark Milam in the fifth district, and Paul Cantrell in the fourth district)

The Smithville Aldermen Monday night adopted on first reading an ordinance amendment to the city code to give full time employees three new paid holidays including one for the day after Thanksgiving. But since the ordinance will not take effect until after Thanksgiving this year, the aldermen voted to reimburse any employee who wants to use a sick day or vacation day to take off this Friday.
The NEW paid holidays in this ordinance amendment are Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and the Friday of the Fiddlers Jamboree.
The following ordinance would amend Title 4 of the City of Smithville Municipal Code to read as follows:
Holidays: Full time employees are allowed a day off with pay on the following days:
New Year’s Day(January 1st)
Martin Luther King Day (Third Monday in January)
Good Friday( Friday before Easter)
Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
Independence Day (July 4th)
Jamboree (First Friday in July)
Labor Day (First Monday in September)
Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday and Friday in November)
Christmas (December 24 & 25)
Second and final reading passage will follow a public hearing on Monday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m
Meanwhile, in other business the aldermen voted to allow Golf course tenant Tony Poss to install, at his own expense, sand traps on the 6 and 9 hole at the golf course.
Poss was not at the meeting. Aldermen Steve White brought up the issue on Poss’ behalf.
Sand trap drainage plans are to “dig a hole at the lowest point of the trap near the edge where the sand meets the sod for the drainage tile”
“Wrap the tile to keep it protected’
“Cover the tile with gravel”
“Place a layer of dirt on top of the gravel”
“Fill the sand trap with sand”

A 39 year old man has been charged with two counts of violation of an order of protection and one count of filing a false report while his 40 year old girlfriend is facing two counts of filing a false report.
Don Diamond Groshon is under a $7,500 bond and bond for Tisha Elaine Burns is $5,000. They will be in court on the charges December 1.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Monday, November 14 a deputy from his department went to Groshon’s home on Sparta Highway to serve a warrant on him for violation of an order of protection, taken out against Groshon by Burns, his girlfriend. Under the order of protection, Groshon is to keep away from both Burns and her eight year old daughter. But when the officer arrived to serve the warrant, he found Burns in the residence with Groshon along with her young child.
The violation warrant, sought by Burns, stems from incidents which occurred on Wednesday, October 12, Tuesday October 18, and Wednesday October 19. According to Sheriff Ray, Groshon went onto property where Burns was living on October 12 and took several items from the property without her consent. Groshon was also seen kissing Burns’ young daughter, a violation of the order of protection. Six days later on October 18, Groshon allegedly sent a friend to the property to pick up items, also in violation of the order of protection. While there, the friend allegedly threatened Burns that if she did not cooperate with him, he would call Groshon. The next day, October 19, Groshon allegedly sent his son and a friend to pick up a dog cage at the property, a further violation.
Sheriff Ray said that Groson failed to answer the door when the deputy arrived at his home to serve the warrant on November 14. The officer knew Groshon was there because he could see him walking through the house. As the deputy was making forcible entry into the home, Groshon made his way to a bedroom and jumped into bed, pretending to be asleep. Burns was also in the bedroom. Her daughter was in the living room, covered by a quilt.
After being found with Burns and her daughter, the sheriff’s department charged Groshon with another count of violation of an order of protection. Groshon was also charged with filing a false report for not answering the door knowing that he was in violation of the order of protection.
Burns was charged with one count of filing a false report for not answering the door when the officer arrived to serve the warrant on Groshon. According to Sheriff Ray, Burns was trying to hide Groshon in the bedroom, knowing that he was going to be arrested.
As she was being arrested, Burns told the officer that Groshon was holding her and the daughter hostage, not allowing them to leave or use the telephone. She later told a detective that she had been lying about the alleged kidnapping. She was charged with a second offense of filing a false report.