A 25 year old man is facing a statutory rape charge after allegedly having sex with a fifteen year old girl in an unoccupied classroom at Smithville Elementary while the school was hosting a “Read Night” program on Monday evening, March 7th.
Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger is asking the public for help in locating Roel Celaya Sosa aka Carlos Oliver Aldino, who has not yet been arrested and may have fled. Sosa, who lived in Apartment-A at 615 South Mountain Street, was employed at Zelenka Nursery as a crew leader. Workers there told police Monday, March 14th, that Sosa has failed to show up for work in recent days and indicated that he might have gone to Mexico.
Detective Matt Holmes, who is investigating the case, told WJLE Monday that on the night of the offense, the fifteen year old girl was at the school to look after her younger brother who was participating in”Read Night”, a teacher supervised program where parents and students come to school after hours and read together. The mother of these two children had apparently dropped them off at the school and then returned later to pick them up.
After arriving at the school that night, the fifteen year old met up with Sosa and they separated themselves from others in the building. Police have declined to make public more details about the encounter between the two, fearing it might harm the prosecution of the case. According to Detective Holmes, a custodian later saw Sosa and the victim standing in the hallway and told them they were not supposed to be there.
The next day, Detective Holmes said the custodian informed Principal Dr. Bill Tanner of the incident and he contacted the victim’s mother. She then reported it to School Resource Officer Kenneth Whitehead, who contacted the Department of Children Services and Detective Holmes.
Although Sosa has not been found, Smithville Police have seized his green Chevy Tahoe. The vehicle was found parked at Sosa’s residence. Detective Holmes said police believe he drove it to the school to commit the act, which is use of a vehicle in the commission of a felony.

A bill sponsored by State Senator Mae Beavers makes clear that county governments do not have the authority to make line-item vetoes in the budgets of local election commissions.
Senator Beavers told WJLE Monday that this legislation simply clarifies already existing case law. “I just want to set the record straight on what we’re doing. We are clarifying the law according to the case law. Decisions have been made in court as to some of these things so we’re just clarifying the law to be in line with the case law,” said Senator Beavers.
“The bill says county commissions have no line-item veto authority over the election commission budget. That has been case law for ever and ever as to any entity in the county. I found that out when I served on the county commission (Wilson County). I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’m not going to do anything to harm the county. But county commissioners simply can’t go through each and every budget and cut out the line items that they want to cut out. I know how county commissioners feel. I’ve been there. I’ve felt the same way. But I was told at that time that we did not have line item veto authority over anybody’s budget. So this is just clarifying the law,” said Senator Beavers
“The court has also ruled in the past that (election commissions) are a state agency more or less but they’re funded by the county and they (election commissioners) have to present a reasonable budget. The law already says that the budget can’t be any less than the year before. This bill clarifies that if the county commission does not fund them (election commissions) in a reasonable manner with the money they need to conduct elections, that they (election commissions) can go to Chancery Court and ask the court to make a ruling. That’s not anything new. We’re just clarifying the law,” according to Senator Beavers.
“There’s no reason for anybody to get excited. If they think this is going to cost the county money, it’s not. We got the fiscal note on this Sunday and there is no fiscal impact to the state or the county. Its simply not going to harm the county at all. Its not changing things,” said concluded.
Present law generally requires each county to fund the operations of its election commission. If a county fails to appropriate funds sufficient to pay expenses that are reasonably necessary for the discharge of the statutorily mandated duties of its county election commission, the commission is authorized to petition the chancery court of the county in which such election commission is located to compel the appropriation of such funds.
This bill specifies that counties do not have the authority to make line-item vetoes to items in their election commissions’ budgets. This bill specifies that the decision whether to petition a chancery court for an appropriation lies solely within the commission’s discretion. This bill designates clear and convincing evidence of unreasonableness as the burden of proof that a county must meet in order to defeat a commission’s petition to compel an appropriation. This bill also requires that the county must pay the commission’s legal fees that are associated with the commission’s funding.

Dee Anna Reynolds, DeKalb County School Health Coordinator, has issued a reminder to parents to make sure your children have their required immunizations up to date.
Speaking during the school board meeting Thursday night, Reynolds said ” for the parents and guardians regarding immunizations for next year, any student who will be entering seventh grade next year will have to be current on their DTP vaccinations. That’s the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. They will also need proof of varicella immunity. That’s the chickenpox. There’s four ways they can do that: date of birth before 1980, which that’s not going to be any of our seventh graders; history of chickenpox illness diagnosed by a healthcare provider; documentation of two doses of varicella; vaccine given at least twenty eight days apart, excluding doses given earlier than four days before their first birthday; or documentation of a blood test if they do not have doctor documentation,” said Reynolds.
“For our high school seniors who are entering colleges or universities this year, they are also going to need proof of that varicella immunity (those same four ways); their second dose of MMR which is the measles, mumps, and rubella; and they may also need an additional tetanus depending upon when they did get their DTP,” said Reynolds.
“I’d like to also remind parents to keep their children up to date on immunizations because we do check those each year a few weeks after school starts up. Those must be on the correct form. Those can be obtained from the health department, the Tennessee Department of Health, or private physicians. If you have questions about immunizations you can learn more on the Tennessee Department of Health website,” added Reynolds.

The following is a weekly legislative update from State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver:
Health Care Freedom Act Passes General Assembly, Headed to Governor for Signature
The “Tennessee Health Care Freedom Act” passed the House this week, meaning the legislation is now on its way to the Governor for his signature. This bill’s passage is part of a larger effort by the General Assembly to not only encourage job growth, but protect the valuable jobs already in Tennessee.
The legislation was an integral piece for many legislators’ agendas over the last two years. A majority of House Members felt it was necessary for Tennessee to take action and protect the State from job losses that would have inevitably occurred due to the onerous mandates stemming from the federal health care law. More importantly, the legislation protects the integrity of individual rights for Tennesseans.
Essentially, the soon-to-be law ensures every person within Tennessee is free to choose or decline any mode of health care services without penalty or punishment from the government. Additionally, it prohibits Tennessee officials from interfering with the health care insurance decisions of every Tennessean.
On Monday, the bill passed in an overwhelming, bipartisan fashion with a 70-27 vote. The bill sponsor said, “I believe this bill sets a precedent for States to begin protecting their citizens from a federal government that taxes too much, spends too much, and regulates too much. Tonight, with one voice that has been a long time coming, Tennessee tells Washington, ‘no’.” It was such a huge honor to carry this bill in the House.
Jobs Agenda Keeps Rolling Along in Tennessee
While the country is still grappling with the effects of a harsh recession, Tennessee’s economy continues to prove many experts wrong. In a mid-week announcement, the Governor and Commissioner of Economic and Community Development announced another company was expanding their facility in the Volunteer State. Tennessee has seen a surge of relocations and growth from many companies over the last few years that view our right-to-work State as a low-tax haven with a strong and qualified worker base.
The Japanese company is expanding its Coffee County manufacturing facility with a $32 million investment that will provide 70 news jobs to the area.
The ECD Commissioner stated this is another win for Tennessee’s push to improve unemployment, especially in rural counties. The Governor added, “Japan has long been Tennessee’s largest foreign investor nation, and we are particularly grateful for the growing presence of Japanese companies in the Volunteer State and the investment and jobs they bring.”
Governor’s Education Reform Agenda Begins Moving in House
On Wednesday, the initial plank of the Governor’s education reform agenda began moving in the House with passage of the teacher tenure reform in the House Education Subcommittee.
The legislation passed the House Education Subcommittee with a strong 9-4 vote. As written, the reforms will require an educator to be on the job five years instead of the current three before being granted tenure. Additionally, in a common sense move, the legislation makes poor performance a reason for tenure to be revoked. These reforms will ensure Tennessee’s next generation is being taught by the best and brightest teachers. The bill places student achievement and excellent teacher performance as the main priorities for Tennessee’s educational system. The bill now goes before the full Education Committee for approval.
In related news, the Education Subcommittee passed an equal access bill that allows for other professional organizations to represent our State’s teachers. Currently, only one union is allowed to represent educators, essentially silencing thousands of teachers across the State. Next week, the Education Subcommittee will deal with legislation that reforms charter school requirements, including lifting the cap on the number of those schools. After that, the Subcommittee will move on to consider changes to the mandatory negotiating authority of the unions.
Agreement Reached That Allows Tennessee Veterans Day Flag Tradition to Continue
House and Senate Members announced this week they have been informed about an administrative change will take place to allow for the long-standing practice of placing American flags on the graves of veterans in Tennessee’s veteran cemeteries on Veteran’s Day. The lawmakers have worked with the Governor and the Veterans Affairs Commissioner to make the appropriate administrative changes to permit volunteers, like the Boy Scouts, to place the flags on the graves.
The cemeteries fall under the federal Floral Regulations for the gravesites of military veterans which prohibits the practice except on Memorial Day. Adherence to those regulations raised many concerns and questions by community organizations and others who sought to decorate the graves with flags last year on Veteran’s Day. The administrative change anticipates a change in the federal regulations.
The VA Commissioner remarked, “Placement of flags on the graves of our heroes reflects honor and respect. It makes a public statement that the State of Tennessee shall never forget the many sacrifices of a few so that all can enjoy our freedom. Changing this policy is the right thing to do.”
Governor to Deliver His First State of the State Address Next Week
In what is often a highly-anticipated speech to highlight the priorities of Tennessee’s government, the Governor will deliver his first State of the State Address on Monday, March 14th. The House and Senate will enter into a Joint Convention in the House Chambers at 5:45p.m., with the Governor delivering the address at 6:00p.m.
The address offers all Members of the General Assembly and the citizens of Tennessee a unique chance to hear directly from the Governor about his Administration’s top initiatives. Tennesseans can expect to hear about economic growth, limiting government, education reform, and budget proposals, among many other important topics.
As always, I am so honored to represent each and every one of you. Please continue to keep me and the rest of the Legislature in your thoughts and prayers. Hope to see you all very soon.

DeKalb County’s unemployment rate jumped from 9.4% in December to 10.3% in January according to new numbers released Thursday by the state. Still, the local jobless rate was better than the rate of 11.3% recorded in January, 2010.
DeKalb County’s Labor Force in January, 2011 was at 9,990. A total of 8,960 were employed and 1,030 were unemployed
Among the fourteen counties of the Upper Cumberland, DeKalb County recorded the second lowest jobless rate for the month of January.
Pickett County- 18.4%
Van Buren- 14.1%
White- 14.1%
Clay- 13.6%
Fentress- 13.1%
Overton-13%
Cumberland-12.9%
Jackson-12.4%
Warren-12.3%
Macon- 12.2%
Cannon-11.6%
Smith- 11.5%
DeKalb-10.3%
Putnam- 9.6%
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for January was 9.5 percent, up 0.1 from the December rate. The national unemployment rate for January 2011 was 9.0 percent, 0.4 percentage point lower than the December rate.
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for January 2011, show that the rate increased in 95 counties.
Williamson County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 6.7 percent, up from the December rate of 6.2 percent. Scott County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 23.2 percent, up from 19.7 percent in the previous month, followed by Pickett County at 18.4 percent, up from the December rate of 15.4 percent.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 7.5 percent, up from 6.8 percent in December. Hamilton County was 8.7 percent, up from 7.6 percent the previous month. Davidson County was 8.6 percent, up from 8.1 percent in December, and Shelby County was 10.4 percent, up from 9.4 percent in December.

The DeKalb County Board of Education has scheduled a workshop for Monday, April 4th at 6:00 p.m. at DCHS to discuss plans for addressing science needs at the high school.
Fifth district member W.J. (Dub) Evins, III, during Thursday night’s monthly school board meeting, said the science labs at the school haven’t been updated in many years and its time for the board to act. “We want to do this right. Its going to take some time. If the county mayor and county commission deem this to be appropriate to amend our budget for this year then hopefully we can get started on this and have something done and completed through the summer months so that the classes coming back in 2011-12 can take advantage of this,” said Evins.
“We have students leave this school and go to college. Some of them do okay in physics and chemistry. Some of them struggle with it. But its not because of the teachers. We have some teachers who are capable of teaching in any school but they need the facilities to work with and we’re not providing that. We need to get with the program, meet, and then ask for a budget amendment. This may even involve having a portable classroom for the actual class and turning that into a full fledged lab. We need to do what’s needed. If we’re going to just take a band aid approach we might as well not do anything. If we can do it and do it right, that’s great. Its not going to be money wasted because if we have a long range plan of five years or more for a new high school and it be the wishes of the board and community that (existing high school building) be turned into a middle school, then what better opportunity could the (future) middle school students have than to have a chemistry, physics, biology, and science lab? That would be a blessing,” said Evins.

The DeKalb County High School Guidance Department is urging parents to encourage their high school seniors to submit scholarship applications by the deadlines.
Lori Barnes Myrick, DCHS School Counselor says almost all local scholarship applications are due at the DCHS Guidance Office by March 30th.
The following local scholarships are available:
Smithville Women’s Club (This scholarship is for female students and applications are due on April 8th)
DeKalb Democratic Party Scholarship (applications due April 8th)
DCHS PTO
DeKalb Community Hospital
Eddie Crips Memorial
Love Cantrell Funeral Home
Alan Hooper Memorial
DeKalb Farmers Coop
Class of 1966
DeKalb Soil Conservation
Smithville Rotary
DeKalb Republican Women’s Club
DeKalb County Firefighters Association
Kyle and Kenny Robinson Memorial
Jolly Angels
Lucille Stewart Memorial Scholarship
Agee Oil
Smithville Business and Professional Women’s Club
DeKalb Scottish Rite
Liberty State Bank
Elzie and Nell McBride Memorial
Class of 1969
AmVets
AmVets Auxiliary
First Bank
DeKalb County Retired Teachers
Jeff Garrett Memorial
David Wayne Alexander Memorial
Dailey and Vincent
Local Scholarship Applications are now available in the Guidance Office or
on the DCHS website: http://www.teacherweb.com/tn/dekalbcountyhighschool/guidance/

Core drilling has not yet been conducted on the property the school board is hoping to purchase on Allen Ferry Road because of recent rainy weather.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby said Thursday night during the school board meeting that the core drilling has been re-scheduled for next week. “We were supposed to have core drilling done last Wednesday but the rain came in and we didn’t get to have it on that day. We were going to have it on Monday but that didn’t happen either because of the rain. Now it’s set up for the core drilling to be done next Monday depending upon the weather. We’re hoping to have that complete to give you (school board) a report pretty soon.”
Meanwhile, Willoughby said he is hoping to negotiate a better price for the property with the owners after a recent survey of the site. “When we had the land surveyed, it came out to 52.97 acres which is about 4.68 acres less than what we thought it was going to be. When we looked at the survey the discrepancy in the 4.68 acres was actually an area that we could not use anyway so I am talking with the owners about lowering the price. I think that may be a good possibility that we may be able to purchase the property a little bit cheaper than what we had planned on.”
Willoughby added “I think that particular site is going to suit our purposes really well. We will go forward once we get the core drilling and the professional opinions from the people that do this all the time. We’ll find out whether we go ahead or not. Some people have been concerned but I just want to let everybody know that if the site doesn’t meet the professional opinions of the engineers and it’s not found to be a good building site, we won’t go forward. If it does meet the opinions and the requirements of the architects and engineers then we will go forward with it. We’re just waiting on the core drilling.”
The school board voted last month to request that the county commission adopt a budget amendment to appropriate $374,000 of Basic Education Program (BEP) Reserve funds to purchase 57.59 acres more or less on Allen Ferry Road to be used for future educational needs. So far, the county commission has not acted on the request.

Thanks to quick action by the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department, a home on Allens Chapel Road was spared from possible widespread fire damage Thursday night.
County Fire Chief Donny Green said that firefighters were called to the home of Ronnie Redman, Jr. at 222 Allen’s Chapel Road at 7:46 p.m.
According to Chief Green, a passerby driving by saw smoke coming from the home and called 911. “When we arrived, we found no one at home. We later learned that the family had left about an hour prior to the fire to go visit friends at Gordonsville,” said Green. “We made entry and found a fire in the laundry room which started in a trash can. We put out the fire and contained the damage to the laundry room and hallway outside of the laundry room. The rest of the house received extensive smoke and heat damage,” said Chief Green.
Members of the Cookeville Highway, Tanker Truck, Main Station, and Short Mountain Highway Stations responded along with the Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS. Smithville Police officers were also there to control traffic. No one was injured.

A couple of bills important to both voters and taxpayers cleared major hurdles in the Tennessee General Assembly this week.
A measure that would require all counties to use optical scan voting machines with paper ballots by November 2012, adopted by the legislature in 2008, has been a concern to virtually every county election commission and legislative body throughout the state due to the tremendous costs associated with the plan.
That issue was addressed Tuesday in the House State and Local Government Committee with the approval of a bill that would implement the plan only if the General Assembly includes a specific recurring appropriation in the
General Appropriations Act for the 2011-2012 fiscal year to cover all increased costs to the counties. That measure now goes to the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee. The Senate version of the bill is still pending in the Senate State and Local Government Committee.
“The legislation passed by the committee is a win-win for local property taxpayers,” said DeKalb County Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley. “If the legislature insists on counties using this type of voting system, state dollars would be used to pay for the recurring costs of printing the ballots and other expenses associated with the plan. Also, if the bill
passes, but money is not included in the state budget adopted by the General Assembly, the plan would not have to be implemented, and we would continue to use the voting machines we use now.” Stanley was one of about
20 administrators in the state to attend the committee meeting to show support of the bill.
“Even if state or federal funds were used to purchase the actual machines, we estimate it would cost this county a minimum $60,000 during the 2012 calendar year to go to this type of voting system,” said Election Commission Chairman Walteen Parker. “This cost would include the printing of ballots, the purchase of voting booths, educating election workers and the additional costs of transporting the machines to and from the voting precincts. The bill that cleared the committee this week would do one of two things, use state funds rather than local property tax
revenue to finance all the costs, or the plan would never be implemented. Either way, the local taxpayer wins.”
“We want the public to know that, through the legislative process, we are working to save tax dollars while still providing voters with a safe, accurate voting system,” Parker added.
A bill sponsored by State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver and State Senator Mae Beavers that would save small city governments money cleared the Senate State and Local Government Committee.
As passed, the bill would “eliminate the early voting period for a municipal election in a municipality having a population of 5,000 or less, if there is no opposition for any office in the election and the election is held on a date which does not coincide with the August or November general election, unless the municipality files a request with the county election commission for an early voting period to apply.”
The bill now goes to the Senate Calendar Committee. The House version of the bill cleared the House State and Local Government Subcommittee this week and will be heard by the full committee next week, March 15. “We commend Senator Beavers and Rep. Weaver for looking out for the interest of taxpayers,” Stanley said. “This bill would only apply if there is no opposition in a city election and only for cities that have a population of 5,000 or less.”