With the holiday season fast approaching, the Department of Children’s Services is planning a visit from Santa for DeKalb County children in foster care.
Friends of DeKalb County Foster Children urge you to remember that not all children this Christmas will take part in a celebration with their own families. Children who have lived in an abusive or neglectful home will be sharing Christmas with their foster family, and for many, this means with strangers. Often these children wonder if Santa Clause has their new address, or whether or not he will bring them any gifts this year.
While the department is able to provide for everyday needs of children in state custody, there are not enough funds available to purchase Christmas gifts and for other special occasions such as birthdays and graduations. For this reason, foster care Christmas depends on the generosity of the general public.
Annette Greek, Treasurer for the DeKalb County Foster Children’s Fund, says your support is needed for the 40 children from DeKalb County now in foster care. If you or your organization would be willing to help these children by providing a monetary donation, please make checks payable to “DeKalb County Foster Children Fund” and mail to: DeKalb County Foster Children Fund, Attention: Annette Greek, 400 West Public Square, Smithville, Tennessee 37166.
Greek says she will be glad to accept your cash donation at Webb’s Drug Store.
Greek says since the ages of these foster children vary, a cash donation is preferable to gifts.

There are currently no cases of MRSA in the DeKalb County School System.
That from Dee Anna Persinger, School Health Coordinator, who briefly addressed the Board of Education Thursday night on steps that are being taken in the school system to guard against the infection. ” We’ve taken all the necessary precautions in the prevention of staph infection and we have also gone beyond the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control. With all schools, the restrooms are being cleaned twice daily. Classrooms are being cleaned and disinfected with staph effective cleaners and disinfectants. I have met with all the principals and provided them with tool kits on antibiotic resistance. In that tool kit, I’ve given them links, the CDC facts sheet, and guidelines for nurses and custodians as far as how to handle the staph prevention. We’ve had an in-service with bus drivers. The supervisor and myself met with them and gave them a quick in-service on how to disinfect their buses. We have no confirmed cases of MRSA in the DeKalb County School System, as of right now.”
Persinger added “The federal government has issued a statement that one in three people carry the staph infection. There’s nothing to be alarmed about. It’s always been an issue. It’s a matter of personal hygiene, keeping your hands washed, and not sharing personal items.”
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, MRSA or Methicillin–resistant staphylococcus aureus is a type of infection that is resistant to many antibiotics. MRSA skin infections are generally spread by skin-to-skin contact or by direct contact with the drainage from an infected wound. Research indicates 85% of all serious cases of the infection are associated with health care settings, while the remaining 15% of reported infections are considered community-associated. Community-associated MRSA can be spread by contact with contaminated surfaces or items such as sports equipment or personal hygiene items.
Signs and Symptoms:
Often an infection will look like a spider bite, a boil (large red, painful bump under the skin), a cut or blister that is swollen and filled with fluid, or a turf burn. It is important to report any suspicious skin infection to your health care provider immediately.
The Numbers:
In Tennessee, there were more than 1,800 invasive cases of MRSA in both 2005 and 2006. An invasive case occurs when the infection is found in organs other than the skin. As of September 30, 2007, there were 1,400 diagnosed cases of MRSA in Tennessee. More recent cases have been reported in several Middle Tennessee counties.
Stopping the Spread:
Steps to decrease the possibility of developing MRSA include:
Washing hands frequently with warm, soapy water.
Using 60 %alcohol-based hand gel if soap and water are not available.
Keeping hands away from the face, including the nose, eyes and mouth.
No sharing personal items like make-up, bar soap, razors, towels, washcloths, clothes or athletic equipment.
If participating in sporting activities or exercise, showering immediately afterwards, washing with soap and hot water.
Washing towels, washcloths, and practice uniforms after every use in hot water and soap, and drying in a hot dryer.
Avoiding contact with the skin infection of others.

The Magnolia House is for sale and at least one Smithville Alderman believes the city should consider purchasing it as a community center for youth, senior citizens, and the public at large.
Alderman Tonya Sullivan, during Monday night’s city council meeting, made a motion for a feasibility study to be conducted by the mayor and a committee and to consult with the county mayor on possibly making it a joint venture. The motion was approved 5-0.
Sullivan says the asking price for this 10,000 square foot building, the former location of Walker Funeral Home, is currently $750,000 and believes it would be ideal for community functions. ” It is an Historical building. It was built in 1913. I would like for this board to take a look at some options at possibly purchasing that building or making some type of lease-purchase agreement set up for the next budget year.”
“Mr (Cecil) Burger and Steve (White) both brought up, when the golf course sprinkler system was being discussed, that we need to do something for everyone, as many people as we can. I do agree with that. The senior citizens are meeting in this area (city hall community room) and they host a lot of things, they are very active. I feel like the possibility of purchasing that property, with it being in the downtown area, could serve in many capacities, for senior citizens, for civic organizations. I know reunions are held in this room (city hall). I know there are many things going on which that building could be used for.”
“The building has 10,000 square feet and the upstairs has three large rooms and three bathrooms. Those areas upstairs could be rented out as office space to recoup some of the costs or help the seniors citizens out with the heating and cooling. That space (building) would be large enough for senior citizens, boy scouts, girl scouts and would serve this community for banquets and things like that. I know we have to depend upon some of the churches to help us host the golf banquet. That (building) could become city property so that it could be rented out for those type things. It could be a great asset to this community. Maybe the city could work with the county to see if they would assist as well.”
“We could also reclaim this area (community room) of city hall, and as we’re growing, we could use this space, maybe efficiently for your (mayor’s) offices and different expansions that are going to be taking place here. I know a lot of offices are crowded here in city hall but we have a large nice building that we could be using. The current price (of the Magnolia House) is $750,000 at 10,000 square feet, that’s $75.00 per square foot. I don’t think we could build that building for $75.00 per square foot right now. However, I would hope that is the asking price and that it would be negotiable and I would hope that the county mayor would be interested in a joint effort to provide for this community.”
Mayor Hendrixson appointed Aldermen Sullivan, Steve White, and Jerry Hutchins’ Sr. to conduct the feasibility study and report back to the city council with their findings at the November 19th meeting.

The Smithville Board of Aldermen Monday night, after a failed attempt to override a mayoral veto, voted 3 to 2 to appropriate over $213,000 to fund an irrigation system for the fairways at the Smithville Golf Course and to re-bid the project.
The city budget will have to be amended to fund this project with $86,000 to come from the general fund under the golf course account, and $127,000 from the general fund surplus.
Aldermen Tonya Sullivan, Willie Thomas, and Jerry Hutchins Sr. voted to spend the money, while Aldermen Cecil Burger and Steve White voted against it.
On October 15th, the board voted 3 to 2 to award the bid on the golf course sprinkler system to Oasis Irrigation for $213,716, the lowest of the four bids submitted.
Mayor Taft Hendrixson later cast a veto of the board’s decision based on an opinion of City Attorney John Pryor.
In the letter to Mayor Hendrixson dated October 25th, Pryor wrote that “The Municipal Purchasing Law of 1983 as codified in (state law) requires that all purchases made shall be within the limits of the approved budget for the department which the purchase is made. My review of the budget does not reveal such funds being appropriated for such a purchase. This could be fixed by amending the budget, which should occur before the approval of the purchase.”
“Second, as pointed out by Brian Burns with Rainbird, the bid package required specific parts and or equipment and did not include language that would allow equivalent equipment or parts. Again, the Municipal Purchasing Law of 1983 as codified in (state law) requires purchases to be made only after competitive bids. My concern is our bid may have been too exclusive.”
“I consulted with Don Darden of MTAS and he agreed with me as to these potential problems.”
Monday night, the aldermen attempted to override the mayor’s veto. Aldermen Sullivan, Thomas, and Hutchins voted for the override, but Aldermen Burger and White voted against it. Since four votes are needed to override, the mayor’s veto was upheld.
The city board will formally act on making the appropriation by ordinance on first reading at the next meeting on Monday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m. Second and final reading action will come following a public hearing at the December 3rd meeting at 7:00 p.m. at city hall.
On September 17th, the board voted 4 to 1 to accept bids on the golf course sprinkler system and take half of Jimmy Lewis’ rent to pay for it over time. Lewis is the tenant at the golf course. Lewis would continue to pay his monthly rent of $2,500 per month with half going to the general fund and half going to the city to pay the debt of the irrigation system. Aldermen White voted against it.
On October 15th, the board voted 3 to 2 to award the bid. This time, Alderman Burger joined Alderman White in voting no.
Concerned citizen Warren Johns, who addressed the city board Monday night, said since the mayor chose to veto the October 15th vote by the board, the September 17th action, which was the basis for authorizing the funding of the sprinkler system, is still valid. Johns added that the aldermen, by voting to re-bid the project, may be risking a lawsuit by the Oasis company for breach of contract, and possible personal liability. He also seemed to question whether the mayor’s veto of the October 15th action was valid since he apparently did not sign it before sending it to the aldermen.
City attorney Pryor responded that the advertisements on the bids stated that the city reserved the right to reject any or all bids.
A representative of the Oasis company addressed the board asking for fairness and possible negotiation. ” We were the low bidder. We went by the specs we were given. We are happy to entertain a Rainbird price and see if they meet the specs. If they’ve got the products to meet the specs and can save the city some money, we’re happy to take their prices. I just don’t think it’s fair now that everybody knows what our prices are. We’re obviously the low, qualified bidder that bid on the specifications.”
Alderman Sullivan, who wanted to confirm the bid to Oasis, said “I do think that the equipment and bid price was fair and of good quality by your company and I regret that this was handled improperly. I regret that the bid packet was put out wrong and I regret that it was vetoed and that I did not have the leadership to guide this board at that time.”
Earlier, Alderman White said he felt that Lewis had breached his lease agreement with the city by taking on partners, which the city has not approved, and by not submitting minutes of advisory board meetings to the mayor, as is apparently required under the lease.
The lease states that an alderman, appointed by the mayor, shall be a member of a six member advisory board. White was apparently appointed to serve by former Mayor Burger, but Mayor Hendrixson, since he has been in office, has apparently made no alderman appointment to the advisory board.
Lewis and others claim they have held meetings and that White never shows up, but White claims he is not made aware of any meetings, and when he has tried to meet with the board at appointed times, he could find no one there.
White made a motion on Monday night to send Lewis a notice of the “breaches” of the contract and to give him thirty days to correct them, as is required under the lease. White’s motion died for the lack of a second.

An early morning fire today (Tuesday) damaged Tennessee Credit on West Broad Street.
Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker says firefighters received the call at 3:18 a.m. “We had a fire in a back office at Tennessee Credit. It did damage to the back three rooms of the building. There was already a pretty good fire going when we got here. The alarm company notified the owners and they arrived on the scene and found smoke and fire coming from the building. We got on the scene and knocked it (fire) down. There was some smoke and heat to the rest of the building but the fire damage was primarily contained to the back. Structurally the building is still intact.
Chief Parker says the State Fire Marshal’s Office has been contacted to help determine the cause of the blaze. “It’s still under investigation at this time. The Fire Marshal’s Office is going to come down and take a look at it. We’ve called them to investigate to make sure, just to be on the safe side, that there’s no foul play involved in it. We’re unable to determine exactly what started the fire at this point so we’ve called them in to help us on that.”
Smithville Police and DeKalb EMS were also on the scene. No one was injured.

A Smithville woman was wounded in an accidental shooting Saturday night at her residence.
In his report, Smithville Police Officer Tyler Wix wrote that “I responded to 848 Foster Road, apartment 210-B at 6:41 p.m. for what was dispatched as a domestic that had occurred. One subject had already left the scene but no vehicle description was given.
When I arrived on the scene, I spoke to Tammy Stanley, who advised she had been fighting and arguing with the woman she lives with, Paula Neal.
Stanley told me that during the course of the fight, the 22 mag pistol she had in her pocket fell out and as she was picking it up, it went off, shooting Neal in what she believed was the leg.
At this time, I recovered the gun and placed it into evidence. Ms. Stanley, stated she did not mean to shoot Neal and that it was an accident.
Neal also stated at the emergency room to Officer Joey Jones, that the shooting was an accident and that she did not want to press charges.”
Neal was apparently not seriously wounded in the shooting.
In another case, Smithville Police were called to Wal-Mart early Saturday morning where two people were detained for shoplifting.
According to Officer Joey Jones report, ” On Saturday at 5:07 a.m., I was dispatched to Walmart where the manager had two young men detained for shoplifting. I made contact with 22 year old Tommy R. Bowen of Murfreesboro, who admitted that he had been smoking marijuana with a 16 year old, Nathan Ray King, in the car of King’s father. Bowen had very slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet.”
Bowen was charged with public intoxication and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He will appear in General Sessions Court on November 15th.
King was charged as a juvenile with public intoxication and simple possession.
According to the police report, King was very unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. Walmart employees reported that King had fallen two or three times in the store, and upon his arrest, a small clear sandwich bag fell out of his coat, which contained a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. The report states that King admitted that the marijuana belonged to him.
Police also filed a report on three cases of vandalism at residences on Lincoln Street and Earl Avenue Friday.
Lieutenant Steven Leffew reports that “On Friday, November 2nd at 2:50 p.m. I responded to 501 Lincoln Avenue in reference to a vandalism. Upon arrival, Debra Tramel showed me where 501 and 503 Lincoln Avenue had been seriously vandalized. The windows and doors had been busted out. She showed me that someone had also seriously vandalized a house at 1121 Earl Avenue where windows and doors were busted out, holes were punched in several walls, wiring had been cut, food was slung on several walls, and the ceiling fan was broken.”
No arrests have been made.
Smithville Police arrested a Watertown woman Friday with driving under the influence and a second offense of driving on a revoked license while the man with her was charged with simple possession.
Officer Travis Bryant reports that “On November 2nd, on Highway 70, Shelley Lynn Burton was operating a motor vehicle and was stopped for a registration violation. A computer check revealed her license was revoked for failure to satisfy a citation in Sumner County and other offenses in Smith County. She had an odor of alcohol on her person and she was unsteady on her feet. Burton performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks and she refused to take a breathlyzer test.”
Officer Bryant further reported that “A deputy and I asked for permission to search Burton’s vehicle and 24 year old Robert Hicks of Milton exited the car. As he got out, the deputy and I observed something fall off his person. The deputy picked it up and handed it to me. I observed it to be a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana.”
Burton and Hicks will be in court November 15th.
Smithville Police also charged 49 year old Ricky L. Dowell with driving on a suspended license (7th offense).
Officer Joey Jones stopped Dowell on Friday, November 2nd on Miller Road for a light violation. A computer check revealed he had failed to satisfy his child support and had other offenses in Putnam, Cumberland, and DeKalb County.
Dowell will be in court November 14th.