DeKalb County currently does not require homebuilders to adhere to any residential building codes, but that will change soon under the Tennessee Clean Energy Future Act.
County Mayor Mike Foster said DeKalb County had three options: to adopt the state requirements for enforcement of residential building codes; to adopt a plan of it’s own and hire a building codes inspector; or to opt out altogether. The county commission, Monday night, voted to let the state enforce the codes. “We have the building codes on file, but we feel like we should let the state do it (enforce state required building codes) for a while and if building (construction) picks back up later we can look at it. But for now, we don’t want to be in the building codes business. We’ll let the state go ahead and initiate theirs”, said Foster.
“I think it’s (building codes) a good thing, especially around the lake. If you see the horror stories of some contractors, the things they have done to some people, I think you’d agree it’s a good thing to have some oversight to make sure the house is structurally correct. They’ll tell them about things they can do to make homes more energy efficient and it will generally make the house be built to a certain level so that the person having the house built doesn’t get ripped off. It’ll be safer, more economical, and it will be a better built house”, Foster added
This new state law calls for the adoption and enforcement of a residential building code to one-and two-family residences across the state. The State Fire Marshal Office’s code enforcement program will begin in October. In the interim, the State will contract with code inspectors, establish a network of issuing agents where the construction permits can be obtained and finalize the process for payments.
Effective October 1st, the State Fire Marshal’s Office will issue residential building permits using a system similar to the electrical inspection program that it presently operates. Owners and licensed contractors will obtain a construction permit from the local issuing agents. Inspectors will then inspect residences during construction to ensure code compliance.
Cities and counties that presently enforce a building code that is current within seven years (the 2003 or 2006 edition of the International Residential Code will qualify) can notify the State Fire Marshal’s Office and continue local enforcement. Local codes may be more stringent than the state adopted code. Cities and counties may also choose to have no minimum one- and two-family residential building code and no inspections to ensure quality home construction by a two-thirds opt-out vote of their governing bodies (county commissions).
New State Fire Marshal’s Office regulations adopt the 2009 International Residential Code and the 2006 International Energy Code. These building codes will only apply to new construction of residential structures. Nonresidential structures, such as out buildings and unattached garages, are not covered. Renovation of existing structures, no matter how extensive, is also not covered. Sprinkler requirements have not been adopted, although a city or county is free to adopt a sprinkler requirement.

Two DeKalb County High School golfers will be participating in the State Tournament after outstanding regional tournament play at Chattanooga Monday.
In the Region, Logan Clark shot a 77 and earned 4th Medalist honors while Mallory Sullivan shot an 87. The DCHS boys golf team finished in third place out of sixteen teams competing in the region while the DCHS girls team tied for third place with Monterey out of fourteen teams.
Click here to listen to Coach Joe Pat Cope’s comments about the Region Tournament

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night voted 12-2 to participate in a partnership with the City of Smithville and the school system to appropriate up to three thousand dollars a year toward the cost of hiring someone to direct traffic in the school zone at Northside Elementary. First district commissioners Elmer Ellis, Jr. and Mason Carter voted against the proposal
The Smithville Aldermen voted to make the same $3,000 appropriation earlier this month with the understanding that the county and school board would each fund one third of the costs as well.
Several county and city officials held an informal meeting at the courthouse a few weeks ago to discuss the plan which calls for the County, the City of Smithville, and the Board of Education to share in the cost of funding the position of one crossing guard or officer to direct traffic in the mornings and afternoons for a total of approximately four hours a day, Monday through Friday, in the school zone at Northside Elementary School. County Mayor Mike Foster said the cost is estimated to be eight to nine thousand dollars per year, which could be split equally between the county, city, and school system.
During Monday night’s county commission meeting, seventh district member Jimmy Poss said he recently discussed the issue with Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger who mentioned that
a plan could be worked out to have someone directing traffic at both Northside Elementary and at DeKalb County High School each day, using the same amount of time and money. According to Chief Caplinger, Poss said instead of paying one person to spend four hours per day at Northside Elementary School (two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon), two people could be hired, one for Northside Elementary and one for DeKalb County High School each to direct traffic for two hours per day (one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon).
The school board has not yet taken up the proposal.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has charged a 21 year old Smithville man in a recent burglary and theft.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says Matthew James Wilbur of West Main Street is charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft of property over $500. Wilbur is under a $10,000 bond and he will be in court on September 30th.
Wilbur allegedly broke into a home July 14th on Old Hickory Place. Sheriff Ray says he entered through a back window and took from the home a hammock, exercise machine, a play house, and a trash can all valued at over $500.
40 year old Jenna Sue Murphy of Restview Avenue, Smithville was arrested on Wednesday, September 22nd and charged with simple possession of a schedule II drug (morphine), simple possession of a schedule II drug (oxycodone), and simple possession of a schedule IV drug (Xanax) Total bond for Murphy is $4,500 and her court date is October 7th.
Sheriff Ray says a deputy, along with Murphy’s probation officer, went to her home to do a home check. While there, the deputy noticed Murphy putting a pill bottle behind her back as she sat down. The officer obtained the pill bottle and searched both the bottle and Murphy’s pocket book. He found two and a half xanax pills, eight oxycodone pills, and two morphine pills.
39 year old Timothy Wade Ford of Brush Creek, an inmate at the jail, has been charged again with possession of a weapon in a penal institution, after correctional officers for a second time in recent weeks, found shanks or makeshift knives while searching his cell.
Sheriff Ray says the shanks were found under Ford’s mattress. The shanks were made in jail from items he gathered around the cell, mostly wooden pieces stripped from mop and broom handles
Ford has taken responsibility for the shanks. His bond on this charge is $5,000 and he will be in court on October 21st.
26 year old Amy Leigh Estes of Vinewood Road, McMinnville was arrested on Tuesday, September 21st and charged with driving on a suspended license.
Sheriff Ray says Estes was operating a motor vehicle on Highway 146 and stopped for failure to drive in her lane of travel. A computer check revealed her license were suspended for failure to satisfy a citation on August 28th, 2006 in Cannon County. Estes is under a $1,000 bond and will be in court on October 6th.
49 year old Jimmy Dwayne Evans of Anthony Avenue, Smithville was arrested on Friday, September 24th and charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,000and he will be in court on October 7th.
While at Mapco, an officer saw a blue Nissan drive across the parking lot and almost hit the side of a deputy’s patrol car. The driver of the Nissan stopped. The deputy got out to speak to the driver and noticed that the man (Evans) had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and very slurred speech. There was also an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The deputy asked Evans to perform field sobriety tasks which he failed. He was unsteady on his feet. He refused to submit to a blood alcohol test.

A 38 year old Liberty man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and felony vandalism after his car crashed into posts supporting a walkway canopy, cut down a small tree, and then hit the brick exterior of the cafeteria’s outdoor dining area at DCHS early Sunday morning
Lieutenant Steven Leffew of the Smithville Police Department says Steven Blake Goad is under a $6,500 bond and his court date is October 7th.
According to police, Goad called 911 early Sunday morning to report that his car, which he said was stolen, had been wrecked at the high school. Goad later changed his story, telling police that he had been driving west on Highway 70 when he went to sleep and hit the high school. When Smithville Police Officer Matt Farmer arrived at the school at 4:49 a.m. he found the car, a 2002 Buick, abandoned at the scene of the crash. There was front end damage to the car, including the hood, fenders, and windshield.
According to Officer Farmer’s report, it appeared “the angle the car hit the school was in line from the main entrance from the football field. The vehicle hit two posts holding up the terrace (canopy), then hit a brick wall, stopping the vehicle. Extensive damage was done to the terrace (canopy). There was no other noticeable damage to the school.”
Goad was picked up in Liberty by a county deputy and returned to the scene to give a statement to police. According to Officer Farmer’s report, Goad said that “he fell asleep and did not remember how he crashed, but when he did he called his wife to come get him. Goad’s wife, Cindy, stated that he (Goad) called her at 4:07 a.m. asking her to come get him at the high school because he had crashed the car.”
Goad then placed his first call to 911 reporting the crash at 4:38 a.m.
Meanwhile in other recent city crime news, an off duty state trooper helped nab a would be thief at a local restaurant on Friday, September 17th.
Smithville Police say 38 year old Phillip John Carroll of Possum Hollow, accused of taking money from an unattended cash register at Peking Restaurant, was apprehended on site, thanks to Trooper Darrell Knowles, who was in the restaurant eating dinner at the time.
Carroll is charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, stop frisk and halt and theft over $500.
Officer Scott Davis was dispatched to Peking Restaurant and upon arrival he made contact with Trooper Knowles who had Carroll restrained on the ground outside the restaurant. Officer Davis assisted Trooper Knowles in placing Carroll under arrest. Carroll kept pulling his hands underneath his body in an attempt to keep the officers from placing handcuffs on him. Once Carroll was arrested Officer Davis spoke to Trooper Knowles who stated that he was eating when he saw Carroll open the cash register and start removing money from the till. Trooper Knowles stated that Carroll covered the register with a menu as he took the money and placed it in his front pockets. Trooper Knowles stated that he identified himself, showing Carroll his state issued identification and then asked Carroll if he worked there. Carroll replied “yea” or words to that effect. Trooper Knowles asked Carroll to wait but he took off out the door. Trooper Knowles followed him out the door and took him to the ground, holding him there until police arrived. Carroll had an odor of an alcoholic beverage about his breath at the time of his arrest. Bond for Carroll is $8500 and his court date is September 30th.
29 year old Corey Wade Thomas of Sparta Highway was arrested on Saturday, September 18th for simple possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. Corporal Travis Bryant was called to a location on East Main Street where a man had reportedly entered someone’s house at random. After speaking to the homeowner and getting a description of the man, Corporal Bryant found him walking on Smith Road. While talking with the man, Thomas, Corporal Bryant saw him remove a pill from his left pocket and drop it to the ground. The pill was recovered and Thomas was placed under arrest. Bond for Thomas is $1,500 and his court date is September 30th.
48 year old James Allen Hargrave of Old Bildad Road was arrested on Monday, September 20th for a second offense of driving under the influence and a second offense of driving on a suspended license. Corporal Travis Bryant was going home when he got behind a vehicle on Bright Hill Road which was traveling in and out of his lane, almost striking another vehicle head on. While following the vehicle, Corporal Bryant began flashing his headlights signaling the driver to pull over. After making the traffic stop, Corporal Bryant discovered that the driver, Hargrave, had a revoked license. He also noticed Hargrave had a strong odor of alcohol on his person. Hargrave, who refused to submit to field sobriety tests, stated that he was drunk and that he had consumed over twelve beers.
50 year old Victor G Gingerich of Liberty was arrested on Wednesday, September 22nd for a third offense of driving on a suspended license. Corporal Travis Bryant reports that Gingerich was operating a motor vehicle and he was stopped for having the wrong tags on his vehicle. A computer check by central dispatch revealed his license to be suspended. Bond for Gingerich is $3000 and his court date is September 29th.
25 year old Jordan Thomas Adams and 20 year old Leah Marie Grandstaff both of Game Ridge Road were arrested on Thursday, September 23rd for public intoxication. Corporal Travis Bryant, Officer Brad Tatrow, and Deputy Jeremy Taylor were called to McDonald’s restaurant in response to a complaint of two intoxicated persons there. Upon arrival the officers made contact with Adams and Grandstaff who appeared to be unsteady on their feet and had slurred speech. Bond for each is $1000 and they will be in court October 14th.

Smithville Police are asking for your help in solving a couple of recent home burglaries.
Lieutenant Steven Leffew took a report on Wednesday, September 15th of a burglary at a residence on Woodland Street. The home was burglarized sometime on September 12th.
K-9 Officer Bradley Tatrow took a report on Friday, September 17th of a burglary at a residence on East Main Street. The home was burglarized sometime between September 10th & 17th.
Anyone having any information on these offenses is asked to please contact the Smithville Police Department at 597-8210 or the Tip Line at 464-6046.
Any information received that will help Smithville Police solve any criminal offense will be greatly appreciated. All information is confidential
Meanwhile in other city crime news, 34 year old Darrell Shane Lyle of Donelson was arrested for criminal impersonation on Saturday, September 11th. He is under a $1,500 bond and his court date is October 7th. Sergeant Randy King was called to break up a fight at a location on Broad Street. Upon arrival, Sergeant King spoke to a man at the residence and asked for his name. The man, Lyle, gave a fake name. Upon further investigation, Sergeant King confirmed that Lyle was his real name and that he had a warrant against him in Cheatham County for (non-payment of ) child support. Sergeant King says that was apparently the reason Lyle gave a fake name.
27 year old Samantha Brooke Mathis of West Broad Street was arrested on Saturday, September 11th for assault. Sergeant Randy King was called to break up a fight at a location on West Broad Street between female roommates. Upon arrival, Sergeant King spoke with everyone at the residence and those involved and it was determined that Samantha Mathis became irate and began hitting her roommate. Bond for Mathis is $2,000 and her court date is October 7th.
21 year old Benjamin C Bryson of Woodbury was arrested on Monday, September 13th for evading arrest and reckless driving. While on patrol and running mobile radar on Allen Ferry Road, Officer Scott Davis saw a silver Nissan and a red Mustang near Holmes Creek Road. He clocked their speeds at 65 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. Upon activating his emergency equipment, Officer Davis turned around to try and catch up with both vehicles, but as he got to Pack’s Circle he could only see the Nissan. After stopping the vehicle and speaking to the driver, Officer Davis was told that the operator of the Mustang was a man named “Ben”. Officer Davis learned that the driver had turned his lights off when the patrol car’s blue lights were activated and he left the scene. According to Officer Davis, the action of driving at night with no lights at a high rate of speed was very reckless. Upon conducting a follow up, Officer Davis confirmed that the driver of the Mustang was Benjamin Bryson and he was charged in the investigation. Bond for Bryson is $3,500 and his court date is September 30th.
21 year old Kendrick R Burton of Foster Road was arrested on Monday, September 13th for driving on a suspended license. Officer Scott Davis stopped a vehicle on West Broad Street for speeding. A computer check revealed that Burton’s drivers license were suspended for failure to satisfy a citation. His bond is $2,000 and his court date is September 29th.
35 year old Jennifer Gail Pursley of McMinnville was arrested by Corporal Travis Bryant on Tuesday, September 14th for failure to report to jail to serve a 30 day sentence in Warren County.

School spirit was on display Friday afternoon as students from DeKalb County High School celebrated the last day of Homecoming Week with a parade from the school to downtown.
The Tiger football team’s homecoming opponent Friday night was the Hixson Wildcats and the floats in the parade had a Tiger versus Wildcats theme.
The parade featured Homecoming Queen Quincie Paige Winchester and her court, the DCHS Fighting Tiger Band, lots of decorated cars and trucks, county and city law enforcement officers, and fire fighters, among others. The event concluded with a pep rally on the square led by DCHS Football cheerleaders.
The Senior Class took first place with their float called “Seniors Servin’ up Wildcat Soup”
Second place went to the Junior Class with their float called “Whack- A-Wildcat”
The Freshman Class received third place with the theme “Rumble in the Jungle”
Winners of the best decorated vehicles in the parade were: First place-Camry Lou Colvert White; Second place- Martha Webb; and Third place- Alex Meadows. Tanner Davis and Justin Bragg received honorable mention.

IBMA Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent are proud to announce their inaugural homecoming charity concert to raise money for the newly formed Dailey & Vincent Fund to benefit disadvantaged children in DeKalb and Jackson County. The concert will be Saturday, October 2nd at 5:00 p.m. at the Jackson County High School Football Field in Gainesboro
Funds raised will be distributed through the Cookeville Regional Foundation, an affiliate of Cookeville Regional Medical Center, The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that is exclusively charitable. The Foundation is an independent corporation with its own Board of Directors. The purpose of The Foundation is to solicit and receive gifts of money and real or personal property to aid Cookeville Regional Medical Center Authority in fulfilling its obligation to the community and to make contributions and grants in the furtherance of this purpose.
The Dailey & Vincent Fund exists to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged children of Jackson and DeKalb Counties to meet immediate medical, nutritional and educational needs not covered by insurance or other means, while acknowledging the God-given gifts, potential and dignity of each child.
Concert tickets are $15 and are available in Smithville at Cantrell Furniture and Webb’s Drug Store, or by calling Julie Vincent (615-418-5759). Tickets are also available online at www.daileyvincent.com. Tickets will also be sold on the day of the concert in the Gainesboro town square.
Those attending the concert need to bring lawn chairs. The first 1,000 tickets sold will be accompanied by preferred parking privileges at the football field. Additional free parking will be off-site with shuttle service provided to the concert. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved indoors. No refunds.
Fans of award-winning bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent know that they take their music seriously. It’s also obvious that they believe strongly in giving back—to their community, their industry and their fans, as first seen with the release of Singing From the Heart, a CD that helped raise fund for Tennessee Bible College. Now, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent are taking it a step further with the formation of their own charitable fund and an annual homecoming charity concert.
Dailey & Vincent signed with Rounder Records in 2007 and released their self-titled debut in 2008. They are the reigning International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainers of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year, taking home the coveted trophies in 2008 and 2009. They are the only bluegrass act ever to win IBMA’s Emerging Artist and Entertainer of the Year awards in the same year (2008). Their current release, Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers, features bluegrass versions of 12 of the Statlers’ most-loved hits and is available exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and www.crackerbarrel.com. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart, where it has spent nine weeks at #1 and 19 weeks in the top 3. It also debuted at #19 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The album, as well as lead track “Flowers on the Wall,” were the most-played on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction during the month of June. More information on Dailey & Vincent, including tour dates, is available at www.daileyvincent.com.

The DeKalb County unemployment rate for the month of August was 9.6%, down slightly from 9.7% in July. The rate for August 2009 was 10.6%
The local labor force for August was 9,880. A total of 8,930 were employed and 950 were without work.
DeKalb County’s jobless rate for the month was sixth lowest in the fourteen county Upper Cumberland region. Here’s how they rank from highest to lowest:
Pickett County-12.8%
White- 12%
Fentress- 11.4%
Jackson- 11.2%
Warren- 11.1%
Clay- 10.9%
Van Buren- 10.7%
Cumberland-9.9%
DeKalb-9.6%
Overton-9.5%
Smith- 9.3%
Cannon- 9.1%
Putnam- 8.9%
Macon- 8.7%
Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 9.6 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the revised July rate of 9.7 percent. The national unemployment rate for August 2010 was 9.6 percent.
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for August 2010 show that the rate decreased in 46 counties, increased in 33 counties and remained the same in 16 counties.
Lincoln County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 6.4 percent, unchanged from the previous month. Scott County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 19.8 percent, up from 19.4 percent in July, followed by Marshall County at 16.0 percent, up from July’s rate of 15.7 percent.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 7.6 percent, up from 7.5 percent in July. Davidson County was 9.5 percent, up from 9.3 percent. Hamilton County was 8.7 percent, up from 8.4 in July, and Shelby County was 9.9 percent, unchanged from the previous month.

The Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps is returning to DeKalb County on Saturday and Sunday, November 13th & 14th at DeKalb County High School providing free health care services to people of all ages regardless of income. A similar event took place in DeKalb County at the high school in August, 2005.
Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a non-profit, volunteer corps dedicated to serving mankind by providing free health care, dental care, eye care, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world.
Founded in 1985, Remote Area Medical is a publicly supported all-volunteer charitable organization. Volunteer doctors, nurses, and support workers participate in expeditions (at their own expense). Medical supplies, medicines, facilities and vehicles are donated.
County Mayor Mike Foster says the November clinic will be open to anyone, no matter where you live. There are also no income guidelines. All you have to do is show up. “We had this remote area medical clinic here a few years ago. That year they treated, checked, or had dealings with about six hundred or seven hundred people. I believe they pulled about eight hundred or nine hundred teeth, prepared two hundred or three hundred pairs of glasses, and did lot of other things. I know of one woman they discovered had breast cancer and she was referred to a doctor. They told me that this absolutely saved her life. Because of the economy, they’re expecting maybe 1,200 patients this year.”
“They’re planning on having about forty doctors here. Some of them will check eyesight, some will be dentists, and it’s all free to the public. There will also be some other checks and screenings for things like blood pressure, and general health concerns.”
“We’re looking for volunteers from the medical profession to assist. The last word I heard is that they are hoping to have forty doctors here. They do extractions, pull teeth. They fill teeth. They check your eyes. They offer free glasses and they grind them on site and provide them. We don’t know for sure yet but we think they will have a truck there to provide mammography services. ”
“Again it’s all free to people inside or outside the county but we have to seek donations to help pay for the hotel expenses for the doctors. We would ask that some of the churches help provide meals on Saturday and Sunday, November 13th & 14th.”
“It’s going to be at the high school. They’ll come in on Friday, November 12th and get everything set up. There’ll be people (patients) lined up all night I’m sure, there always are. We actually had this set up for January but they had a cancellation and moved it up to November so the weather should be better. We applied four years ago (for this visit) so it’s something that’s hard (to get scheduled) but it’s a very useful thing.”
“If anybody wants to donate their time, we need about one hundred people to actually help fill out forms and assist doctors. We need people from all walks of life but especially if you are a dentist assistant, if you work for an optometrist, if you work for a doctor, any of those type people, we need you. Of course, we need doctors, dentists, and eye doctors too. Anyone who wants to volunteer for this, you may donate as much or as little time as you want to.”