Democrat Cleveland Derrick Bain and Republican Terri Lynn Weaver won their party’s nominations for State Representative in Thursday’s Tennessee Primaries.
Weaver swept all three counties, DeKalb, Macon, and Smith, easily beating challenger Nicky Rittenberry for the GOP nomination 2,020 to 547.
Bain did not carry either of the three counties in his primary race, but finished a strong second place in both DeKalb and Smith Counties, and came in third place in Macon County. His total vote in the three counties combined put him on top, beating out Dean Sircy by 135 votes, 1,200 to 1,065.
Gayla Hendrix carried DeKalb County with 696 votes. Sarah Marie Smith won her home county, Smith County with 673 votes, and Sircy carried his home county, Macon County with 729 votes.
District wide, Sarah Marie Smith finished third with 914 votes, while Gayla Hendrix received 900 votes with a fourth place finish.
In DeKalb County Hendrix carried 11 of the 16 precincts in the Democratic Primary along with early voting/absentees, Bain carried three precincts, Smith carried one and Steven Cantrell carried one precinct. In the GOP race, Weaver carried all 16 DeKalb County precincts along with early voting/absentees. Click on www.wjle.com/node/37 to view the precinct by precinct results for each candidate.
The following are the county by county results for Bain:
DeKalb -540
Smith– 525
Macon- 135
TOTAL- 1,200
Results for Sircy:
DeKalb- 88
Smith- 248
Macon- 729
Total- 1,065
Results for Smith:
DeKalb- 78
Smith-673
Macon-163
Total- 914
Results for Hendrix:
DeKalb- 696
Smith- 168
Macon- 36
Total- 900
Results for Steven K. Cantrell:
DeKalb- 78
Smith– 44
Macon- 16
Total- 138
Results for Carl (Hix) Jones:
DeKalb- 3
Smith- 15
Macon- 87
Total- 105
Results for Jeff Barrett:
DeKalb- 43
Smith- 28
Macon- 13
Total- 84
The following arre the county by county results for Weaver:
DeKalb- 456
Smith- 816
Macon-748
Total- 2,020
Results for Rittenberry:
DeKalb- 29
Smith- 76
Macon- 442
Total 547
Bain, Weaver, and Independent candidate Ray Amalfitano of Dixon Springs will square off in the November General Election for the 40th State House seat, which is being vacated by the retiring Frank Buck.
Meanwhile in U.S. Senate Democratic Primary, Mark E. Clayton carried DeKalb County with 277 votes followed by Robert D. Tuke with 211, Gary G. Davis 201, WM Mike Padgett 74, Kenneth Eaton 73, and Leonard D. Ladner with 20 votes.
Sixth District Congressman Bart Gordon was unopposed Thursday in the Democratic Primary and received 1,148 complimentary votes in DeKalb County. He will also be unopposed in November.
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, also unopposed in the Republican Primary Thursday, received 419 complimentary votes in DeKalb County. He will face the Democratic nominee, Robert D. Tuke in November.
On the retention of state judges, the following are the results in DeKalb County:
Supreme Court Judge William Koch:
Yes- 721, No- 406
Supreme Court Judge Gary Wade:
Yes- 665, No- 394
Court of Appeals Judge Andy Bennett:
Yes- 674, No- 371
Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins:
Yes- 647, No 388
Court of Appeals Judge Steve Stafford:
Yes- 668, No- 393
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Camille McMullen:
Yes- 670, No- 373
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge D. Kelly Thomas:
Yes- 669, No-367

W.J. (Dub) Evins III won re-election to the DeKalb County Board of Education from the fifth district during Thursday night’s DeKalb County General Election, while Bruce Parsley unseated incumbent Linda Fuston in the sixth district.
Evins defeated challenger, Larry Evans, 222 votes to 129 votes. Evins carried both fifth district precincts, Smithville Elementary School and Johnson’s Chapel, and also claimed victory in early voting and absentee votes. Evins had 79 early/absentee votes to Evans’ 43. At Smithville Elementary School, Evins had 104 votes to Evans’ 69, while at Johnson’s Chapel, Evins had 39 votes to Evans’ 17.
In the sixth district race, despite losing early voting/absentees, Parsley carried all three precincts in the sixth district to unseat Fuston. Parsley totaled 176 votes to 129 for Fuston. Fuston carried early voting/absentees with 51 votes to Parsley’s 30, but Parsley carried Belk with 46 votes to Fuston’s 15. Parsley also received 39 votes at Blue Springs, while Fuston had 30, and in Keltonburg, Parsley had 61 votes to Fuston’s 33.
All six constable candidates were elected unopposed Thursday. Their vote totals are as follows:
First District: No Candidate
Second District: Reed Edge- 147
Third District: Wayne Vanderpool- 202
Fourth District: Paul Cantrell- 176
Fifth District: Mark Milam- 199
Sixth District: Cantrell Jones- 177
Seventh District: Johnny King- 135

The final slate of candidates is set for DTC Communications’ election of directors next month.
Directors will be elected in three exchanges, including the Milton (273), Norene (286), and Woodbury (563) exchanges.
Incumbents Charles Dwight Vinson, Terry McPeak, and Greg Rogers are running unopposed in the Milton, Norene, and Woodbury exchanges, respectively.
Voting for directors will take place at the cooperative’s annual meeting on Saturday, Sept. 13. Gates to the DeKalb County Fairgrounds in Alexandria will open at 11:45 a.m., with voting from noon until 4 p.m. The business meeting will begin at 4 p.m. or once the last person in line at that time has voted.
Only DTC members may vote, and each member must present identification. For a single membership, only that individual may vote. Either member of a joint membership may vote, but not both. In the case of a business membership, a business affidavit is required.
Thursday, Sept. 4, will be the last day to make changes to your membership for the 2008 election.
For questions regarding membership and voting guidelines, refer to the by-laws section included in the current DTC phone directory, or call DTC at 615-529-2955.

More than 60 people were indicted by the DeKalb County Grand Jury Monday and Tuesday including ten who were named in sealed indictments.
All those indicted will appear for arraignment in criminal court on Monday, August 18th at 9:00 a.m.
The following persons indicted and their charges are as follows:
Donna J. Harry & Charles W. Harry, Jr.- driving under the influence (2nd offense), DUI per se, and simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance
Jeffrey W. Burton- theft over $500 x 2 and theft over $1,000
Randy M. Hobbs- evading arrest on foot, possession of a schedule III controlled substance, possession of a schedule VI controlled substance for resale, and drug paraphernalia
James S. Leduc- aggravated burglary and theft over $500 x 2 & worthless check x 8
Wendell L. Gibbs and James S. Leduc- burglary and theft over $10,000
Edward L. Judkins, Jr.- theft over $1,000
Joey P. Phelps- burglary and theft over $500
Warren Brandon Glasby- vehicular assault x 2, reckless aggravated assault x 2, driving under the influence, violation of the implied consent law, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of the seatbelt law, violation of the registration law, and violation of the financial responsibility law.
Warren B. Glasby, Ernest Hill IV, and Amy R. Ford- aggravated burglary, theft over $1,000, theft over $500, vandalism, and criminal trespass.
Amy R. Ford- simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance
Royce Duane McCrary- driving on a revoked license (5th offense), speeding, seatbelt violation, financial responsibility, failure to maintain lane of travel, and another charge of driving on a revoked license (5th offense)
Michael Todd Jones- vehicular assault, reckless aggravated assault, driving under the influence (2nd offense), DUI per se, driving on a revoked license (2nd offense), possession of a schedule IV controlled substance x 2, seatbelt violation, registration law, and financial responsibility law.
Scottie Hendrixson- driving on a suspended license (1st offense) and violation of the financial responsibility law
Thomas D. Vickers- driving under the influence (3rd offense), simple possession of a schedule III controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding, and violation of the financial responsibility law
Brandon C. Bias- driving on a suspended license (1st offense), violation of the seatbelt law, violation of the financial responsibility law, and felony escape
Roy Lyndell Layne- auto burglary, theft under $500 x 2, attempted theft over $1,000, possession of burglary tools, possession of a handgun to go armed, resisting arrest, and aggravated assault
Danny R. Certain- driving under the influence (2nd offense), DUI per se, and violation of the open container law
Milton A. Rodriguez- domestic assault
Thomas M. Hatcher, Jr.- driving on a revoked license and unlawful carrying of a weapon
Annie Lee Helton- driving under the influence (2nd offense) and violation of the implied consent law
Joshua W. Goff- driving on a suspended license (3rd offense)
Daniel R. Wilson- driving under the influence (1st offense) and violation of the implied consent law
Leonardo Rodriguez- sexual battery
Danny R. Ponder- drug paraphernalia
Danny Ray Ponder- public intoxication and possession of drug paraphernalia
Johnny W. Trapp- driving under the influence (5th offense) 2 charges, violation of the open container law 2 charges, violation of the implied consent law 2 charges, and violation of the habitual offender order 2 charges
Curtis Lee Adams- driving under the influence (1st offense) 2 charges
Ricky L. Devault- driving under the influence (3rd offense)
Freddy S. Stringer, Jr.- driving on a revoked license (5th offense), 2 charges
April L. Anderson and Allan Lester- auto burglary and theft over $500
Crystal L. Thompson- simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance
John Charles Deck, Jr. and Crystal S. Deck- burglary and theft over $10,000
Harold G. Blackwell- false report
Clinton J. Maples- public intoxication
Lisa M. Pyles- theft under $500
Kelly Ann Gibbs- drug paraphernalia
Patricia D. Hicks- driving under the influence (1st offense), violation of a traffic control device, violation of the open container law, and violation of the implied consent law
Darryl W. Cantrell- possession of a schedule III drug and drug paraphernalia
Vicky Marsh Ferrell- assault x 2
Stacy S. Silcox- driving under the influence (1st offense), DUI per se (over.20), and speeding
20 year old Amanda B. Washer- public intoxication, simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia
Johnny L. Devault- driving under the influence (1st offense), evading arrest with a motor vehicle, and violation of the implied consent law
Brian D. Brannon- driving under the influence (2nd offense), resisting arrest, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, violation of the implied consent law, violation of the open container law, and violation of the registration law
Marco A. Perez- driving on a revoked license (1st offense) and violation of the financial responsibility law
David E. Driver- violation of the motor vehicle habitual offender law and driving on a revoked license (3rd offense)
Megan A. Lann, Somer Abdalla, and Jason R. Chapman- criminal simulation and passing counterfeit bank bills as currency.
Eric W. Tramel- auto burglary, theft under $500, and forgery x 2

Eight people were sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Monday.
Judge David Patterson presided.
46 year old Linda Lawson Barrett West pleaded guilty to two counts of sale of a schedule II controlled substance. She received a five year sentence in each case to run concurrently. The sentence was suspended with nine months to serve. She will then be on supervised probation for the balance of the sentence. She must make restitution of $100, perform 100 hours of community service work and pay a $2,000 fine.
33 year old Earnest P. Barnwell pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and theft over $1,000. The burglary charge was dismissed. He received a four year sentence committed to time served. He will be on TDOC probation. Barnwell must perform 100 hours of community service work and pay restitution. He was given credit for 255 days of jail time served.
33 year old Tabatha Shantell Murphy pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of a schedule II controlled substance for resale. All three cases are to run concurrently. She was granted judicial diversion for a period of three years . She will be on TDOC probation. Murphy must make restitution of $188 to the Sheriff’s Department, perform 100 hours of community service work, and pay a $2,000 fine. She was given jail credit of 25 days.
21 year old Kara L. Funk pleaded guilty to sale of a schedule VI controlled substance. She was granted judicial diversion for a period of one year. She will be on supervised probation by DOC and must perform 100 hours of community service work. Funk must also pay restitution of $120 to the sheriff’s department and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the prescribed treatments. This sentence is to run consecutive to a judicial diversion sentence in another case against her.
26 year old Christina Johnson pleaded guilty to possession of a schedule VI controlled substance for resale. She received a two year sentence, all suspended to time served. She was fined $2,000.
41 year old Barry Ford pleaded guilty to a second offense of driving on a revoked license. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days on supervised probation. He was fined $50.
41 year old William Ray “Tojo” Cantrell pleaded guilty to theft of property over $500 and two counts of sale of a schedule II controlled substance. All the cases are to run concurrently. He received a total of five years in these cases to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He must make restitution of $120 to the sheriff’s department and pay a $2,000 fine. He was given jail credit of 186 days. The five year sentence is to run consecutive to a violation of probation against him in which he must serve the balance of a six year sentence on a previous drug conviction. Cantrell will have to serve a total of eleven years.
25 year old Renee Fields pleaded by information to reckless driving and received a six month sentence, all suspended to probation and a $50 fine.

The Board of Directors of DTC Communications announced it is refunding $500,000 this month in capital credits to members.
DTC ranks among the highest in the state in member refunds.
The capital credit refunds are issued to current and former members who paid for service in 1998 from DTC Communications. DTC’s unique structure as a member-owned cooperative gives it the option, based on its financial strength, of offering these capital credit refunds.
“Given the current economic conditions, we are especially pleased to be able to continue our history of refunding capital credits for the fifteenth consecutive year, bringing the total refunds for this period to more than $19 million,” said Leslie Greer, CEO.
“Members who have moved or changed their names since 1998 should contact our customer service office with the updated information. We want to make sure everyone receives their refunds in a timely manner.”
Current and former members of DTC who paid for service during 1998 should receive checks by the end of August. Members’ checks will be based on what they paid that year. Therefore, the amounts will vary from member to member. For more information about capital credit refunds, please call 615-529-1999.

The DeKalb County Commission is expected to adopt the budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year this month.
Total expenditures in the proposed budget come to $33-million 452-thousand 127.
The current property tax rate is $1.70 per $100 of assessed value but the new certified property tax rate, following reappraisal or Current Value Update, is $1.4599, which is expected to generate about the same amount of local tax revenue as the $1.70 rate
County Mayor Mike Foster says the county commission may vote to round off the new tax rate to $1.46. “The assessed value of property, as a result of the CVU, went to $445-million 187-thousand 839. One cent of the property tax rate at $1.46 generates $44,518 or $42,181 after the county figures in a tax delinquency rate of 5.25%.”
The new proposed property tax rate would break down as follows:
County General- 55 cents
General Purpose Schools- 49 cents
Debt Service 20 cents
Highway Department- 3 cents
Solid Waste- 19 cents
Foster says no property tax increase is needed this year because of revenues generated by the local option sales tax increase, which was approved by the voters last year. Plus, he says all county departments concluded the 2007-08 fiscal year under budget by from 10 to 20%, which has saved the county some money.
The proposed county general budget includes funds for an employee pay raise of about $600 for the year. Foster says this would help offset a 17% increase in their insurance premiums.
He says more money is also included in the budget for gasoline and diesel fuel.
The county budget committee will meet again on August 11th to make some final revisions before making a formal recommendation for passage of the budget to the county commission.

Frank Gibson, Executive Director of Tennessee’s Coalition for Open Government, received Smithville first ever “Citizens Appreciation Award” during Monday night’s city council meeting.
The award was presented to Gibson by Alderman Tonya Sullivan.
In making the presentation, Alderman Sullivan stated that “Smithville is honored this evening by the presence of Frank Gibson, a distinguished state leader who has devoted his career to opening government action to the inspection of every citizen”
“The executive director of Tennessee’s Coalition for Open Government, Mr. Gibson, perhaps more than any other single State leader, has been the driving force behind the formation and implementation of Tennessee’s current Sunshine Law.”
“Following a forty year career as a reporter and editor of The Tennessean, including a 12 year stint in Washington D.C. as the paper’s political editor, our guest chaired the Tennessee Press Association’s Freedom of Information Committee, and is it’s first and only receipient of the TPA Presidents Award.”
“A graduate of the University of Tennessee and an Army vet, Mr. Gibson is a past national president of the Society of Professional Journalists and chaired the group’s First Amendment Education campaign. As a humanities Fellow at the University of Michigan, he studied First Amendment law and southern history.”
“He retired in 2005 to run TCOG, an influential leadership organization that works to improve and preserve public records and sunshine laws. His most recent appointment was to represent the Tennessee Press Association to the Advisory Committee on Open Government. Thanks to his courageous leadership, the sun shines with increasing brightness on Smithville’s municipal government.”
‘In recognition of your dynamic leadership and consistently courageous commitment to the rule of law and open government, it is my honor to present you with this plaque commemorating your service and to present you with Smithville’s first ever Citizens Appreciation Award.’
“I would like to thank you for the encouragement that you have offered the city of Smithville. You have led by example! Open government is important to every citizen.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has announced plans to make repairs to the College Street Bridge (Veteran’s Memorial Bridge) in Smithville apparently due primarily to collision damage caused by large trucks that have hit the bridge.
Plans are to replace Beam “C” in Span “3” and to repair damaged beams in Spans “2” & “3”.
Construction work could begin as early as mid-October. It should take about a month to complete the project.
TDOT officials say there is an eight inch water main attached to the underside of the bridge along side Beam “C”. Since Beam “C” in Span “3” is being replaced, the state is requesting that the water main be relocated. There are also telephone, cable, and electric lines running parallel with the bridge on the right side and also perpendicular to both the abutments. TDOT does not anticipate the utility lines being involved in any way.

Democratic and Republican voters in DeKalb, Macon, and Smith will be selecting nominees for State Representative on Thursday.
The winners of the primaries will face off in the November General Election.
The turnout for early voting has been significantly higher in both Macon and Smith Counties than in DeKalb County.
Macon County reported early voting totals of 1,813 including 788 in the State Democratic Primary and 838 in the State Republican Primary.
In Smith County, 1,268 voted early including 873 in the State Democratic Primary and 352 in the State Republican Primary.
A total of 795 voted early in DeKalb County including 586 in the Democratic Primary and 151 in the Republican Primary.
Like DeKalb County, Macon and Smith have other races on their ballots that could be contributing to greater voter interest there, in addition to the State Representative races.