14 year old Lauren Elizabeth Colwell captured the Fall Fest Crown Saturday night during the annual pageant at the DeKalb County High School gym. The event is sponsored by the Smithville Business and Professional Women’s Club.
Sixteen young ladies competed for the title.
Colwell,daughter of Trent and Christie Colwell of Smithville succeeds the retiring Fall Fest queen, 16 year old Victoria Dawn Tatrow of Smithville, daughter of Vickie and Corey Funk and the late Shanna Tatrow.
Meanwhile, Camry Lou Colvert White was named Miss Congeniality of the pageant. She is the daughter of Steve and Lou Ann White of Smithville.
First runner-up in the pageant was 16 year old Jasmine Marie Dimas, daughter of Lynda Hamilton of Smithville.
Alyssa Perri Carter was second runner-up. She is the 17 year old daughter of Lindi and Stephen Carter of Smithville
15 year old Zoe Elaine Whaley, daughter of Celia and Scott Whaley, was the third runner-up
Fourth runner-up went to 16 year old Katie Sue Haggard, daughter of David and Vicki Haggard of Smithville.
Others in the top ten were Kristen LaCole Smartt, the 17 year old daughter of Aaron and Paula Taylor of Dowelltown and Leslie and Dedra Smartt; Kami Denise Bogle, the 14 year old daughter of Amy Dobbs and Chris Bogle of Dowelltown; Jessica Dianne Ball, the 16 year old daughter of Donny and Mary Lou Ball; Taneah Brooke Cantrell, the 14 year old daughter of Scott and Tammy Cantrell of Smithville; and Camry Lou Colvert White, the 17 year old daughter of Steve and Lou Ann White of Smithville.
Others in the pageant were Katelyn Lou Ann Goodwin, the 17 year old daughter of Joe and Kathy Goodwin of Smithville; Ashlee Michelle Whitehead, the 16 year old daughter of Keneth and Tina Whitehead of Smithville; Macie LeeAnna Bouldin, the 16 year old daughter of Mason and Renea Bouldin of Smithville; Makayla Shea Funk, the 15 year old daughter of Amie Funk of Dowelltown; Christian Janette Atnip, the 16 year old daughter of Veronica Atnip of Smithville; and Shauna Faith Taylor, the 15 year old daughter of Ken and Cindy Taylor of Smithville.
(Top Photo: Fall Fest Queen Lauren Elizabeth Colwell)
(Second from Top: Left to Right- 3rd runner-up Zoe Elaine Whaley; 1st runner-up Jasmine Marie Dimas; Fall Fest Queen Lauren Elizabeth Colwell; second runner-up Alyssa Perri Carter; and 4th runner-up Katie Sue Haggard)
(Bottom Photo: Miss Congeniality Camry Lou Colvert White)

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has received three bids on the rehabilitation of the Hurricane Bridge. Bids were opened on Friday, October 29th.
Jennifer Flynn, Community Relations Officer in the Chattanooga TDOT Office told WJLE Friday, November 5th that the apparent low bidder is OCCI Incorporated of Fulton, Missouri at $26.9 million dollars. Other bidders were Bell & Associates of Brentwood at $33.7 million and Kay & Kay Contracting of London, Kentucky at $33.8 million. Flynn said TDOT has 30 days after a bid opening to award a contract or reject all bids. TDOT is still evaluating these bids.
This is the second bid opening for the project. TDOT received only one bid the first time, from Bell & Associates of Brentwood, but that company’s bid of $39.5 million was rejected about a month ago for being over estimates .TDOT officials have said that the estimate for the project is $12 to $15 million dollars.
Flynn said the project will entail a rehabilitation of the existing bridge. ” The rehabilitation project will replace the deck at the bridge. New guardrails will be installed and it will strengthen the steel structure underneath and make the bridge a lot safer and it won’t have to be weight posted anymore upon completion of the project.”
According to Flynn, the contractor has until October 31st, 2013 to complete the project
The rehabilitation of Hurricane Bridge is among the projects to be funded through TDOT’s Better Bridge bonding program in the fiscal year 2010-11 state budget, which was approved by the legislature this year.

Sheriff Patrick Ray will represent the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association as a member of the Open Records Counsel.
The counsel serves as the contact for concerns on access to local government public records under the Tennessee Public Records Act. The Office assists in obtaining public records from local government, both in guiding citizens to correct offices/officials and in working to resolve disputes regarding access to public records. The Office promotes education and awareness of the Tennessee public records and open meetings laws through direct outreach and through coordination with existing organizations. This effort is addressed both to citizens and to local governments.
“I feel very honored to have been chosen to serve on the Open Records Counsel as a representative of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association”, said Sheriff Ray.
The responsibilities of the Office include: answering questions and providing information to public officials and the public regarding public records; collecting data on open meetings law inquires and problems; providing educational outreach on open records laws and open meetings laws; issuing informal advisory opinions on open records issues; informally mediating and assisting with the resolution of issues concerning records; working in conjunction with the Advisory Committee on Open Government on open meetings and open records issues; and developing forms, schedule, policies, and guidelines.

Operation Medicine Cabinet, a prescription drug take back program, will be held Saturday, November 6th from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the old Smithville Food Center parking lot on South Congress Boulevard in Smithville.
The event is sponsored by the DeKalb Prevention Coalition.
Gingie Braswell, member of the Coalition and Director of Human Resources at DeKalb Community Hospital, urges you to participate. “We want to invite everyone to bring all of their unused, unwanted or expired medications for safe disposal.”
“You may ask, why should we participate?. This gives us an opportunity to have collected medications disposed of in an environmentally safe method. Pharmaceuticals have been found in our drinking water due to their disposal down house drains. So many times we don’t know how to dispose of these drugs. We’re looking for prescription and over the counter solid dosage medications and capsules. We really do not want to accept the liquid medications or syringes at this time.”
“Every day almost 2,500 teens abuse a prescription medication for the first time and the medicine cabinet in their homes and the homes of their friends are the major sources for these drugs.”
“We think this is a wonderful program. Our DeKalb Prevention Coalition is a new program and we’re very happy that this is one of the first projects that we’re presenting for the community. We’re also working with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, the Smithville Police Department, and the Alexandria Police Department, with assistance from the Wal-mart Pharmacy, the City of Smithville, and the Office of the DeKalb County Mayor.”
Jim Hendrixson, Director of the DeKalb Prevention Coalition, said this event is being held as part of the”Upper Cumberland Operation Medicine Cabinet Month.” “Most of the other counties in the Upper Cumberland region are doing theirs on the same day. Two or three of them (counties) will be doing them later in the month. We will identify the drugs, that’s where the pharmacy comes in. We’ll divide the drugs into controlled and non-controlled type substances. From there, they’ll be collected and the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be transporting them to a crematory either in Putnam County or White County. We request that the drugs be brought in their original containers. There will be someone there to take the labels off the containers. No one will know who is turning in what. Someone will be there to make sure your name is not on the container when it’s passed on.”
“We really want to urge everyone to partake of this opportunity. There’s a lot of reasons to do this. We want to get the temptation out of the way for the youth. There’s chances of accidental ingestion by younger children. And if people (thieves) know you have drugs in your house, they’re more likely to want to enter your house.”
“We’re part of a national and statewide organization. Our primary focus is on early intervention and prevention of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco use by youth. We have various programs such as this one that we will be putting on in the county to try to improve the situation. We meet the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at Haven of Hope. We’re just now getting started and we’re recruiting board members every day now.”
For more information, call 615-785-1973.

Tennessee State Fire Marshal Leslie A. Newman is reminding Tennesseans to change their smoke alarms’ batteries this weekend when they set back their clocks late Saturday night for central standard time.
“Smoke alarms, even those that are hard-wired, should have their batteries replaced regularly and should be tested monthly to ensure they’re providing the proper protection,” says Tennessee State Fire Marshal Leslie A. Newman. “Use the extra hour we gain this weekend to make sure your home and family are fire-safe.”
Most home fires occur at night when people are sleeping. The smoke and toxic gases generated by a fire can cause people to sleep more deeply, narrowing the chances of surviving a fire. A working smoke alarm can double the chances of survival by increasing the amount of time a person has to escape a fire in their home.
Nationally, more than 90 percent of all homes have smoke alarms, but it is estimated that one-third of them don’t work because of old or missing batteries. It is critical to replace batteries regularly – even if alarms appear to be working fine. Twice a year is recommended. This reduces the chance of alarms chirping to indicate low batteries. All too often, a battery is removed and not replaced, putting a home’s occupants at risk. There’s no way to predict when a fire will occur, so even one night without an operational smoke alarm can be dangerous.
Here are some other helpful hints on the importance of smoke alarms:
• Smoke alarms should be installed in every room where an occupant sleeps, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of the home. Make sure everyone can hear the alarm and knows what it sounds like.
• Smoke alarms need to be cleaned and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Devise a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room, and be sure to teach it to any children who live in the home.
• When a smoke alarm sounds, get out of the home immediately and go to your pre-planned meeting place.
The Department of Commerce and Insurance works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/

A Veteran’s Appreciation assembly program was held Thursday morning at Smithville Elementary School in recognition of Veteran’s Day, which is next Thursday, November 11th.
Featured guests included Lieutenant Commander Allan Midgett, retired from the U.S. Navy. He served 25 years and did tours of duty in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.; Sergeant James Evans of the U.S. Army, who has served a tour of duty in Iraq; Sharon Wolford, President of the local Amvets Chapter and State Sergeant at Arms; and Curtis L. Rust, Second Vice Commander of the Department of Tennessee AmVets

Cindy Brody of Partners for Patriots was also on hand to talk about the dogs she trains to assist disabled veterans. Partners for Patriots is a local, non-profit organization headquartered in Liberty.
Meanwhile each class at Smithville Elementary has written letters to more than 85 local
veterans, which were collected today to be mailed to the veterans.
The purpose of the program was to honor veterans and try to instill in these children at an early
age the importance of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to
the service of our country.

A 42 year old Rutherford County man who rented a pontoon boat from Center Hill Marina and set out on the lake Tuesday has gone missing.
Authorities are looking for Joseph Loupe.
Officials of the TWRA, DeKalb County Rescue Squad, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department conducted a search on the lake Wednesday afternoon in the general area where Loupe was last seen on Tuesday, about three quarters of a mile from the marina.
According to TWRA Officer Tony Cross, Loupe’s boat was spotted unoccupied but still in gear and traveling in a circle, Tuesday afternoon. ” He rented the boat around midday Tuesday from Center Hill Marina. Approximately 50 minutes to an hour later, the boat was discovered unoccupied out on the lake, still moving, in gear. He has not been accounted for. Several different agencies are working on it.. We’ve not officially ruled it a boating accident but we’re treating it as such, working side by side with the sheriff’s department in DeKalb and Rutherford county.”
After getting the boat stopped, an Edgar Evins Marina employee and park ranger began a visual search, scanning the banks and shoreline in the area, before contacting the TWRA.
Officer Cross said there was one sighting of the man on the lake prior to his disappearance. “We had a witness (an employee of Edgar Evins Marina) who saw the rental pontoon and saw that there was a person on board, but he was quite a distance away. He just happened to take notice of it since there is very little boat traffic on the lake right now. He noticed it was a rental pontoon from Center Hill Marina and it looked like one person was on the boat but nothing appeared to be amiss.”
TWRA officers scanned the banks by boat throughout the afternoon and dragging operations by the rescue squad continued until dark, but to no avail. The search is being conducted near where the boat was found in about 110-145 feet of water
Officer Cross said the search is expected to resume Thursday. If you have information contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department at 597-4935.

Natural gas customers could see lower home heating costs this winter.
Les Enoch, CEO of Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, said prices have stabilized. Couple that with a mild winter and energy conservation, and gas customers could reap the benefits. “Fall light up season is underway and it’s a great time to provide a winter update. The information we have at this time is that natural gas prices continue to remain stable due to increased supply, higher production, and robust underground storage balances. As you recall, last winter was significantly colder than normal and we’re expecting a return to more seasonable weather. The good news is that the district’s rates are at their lowest level in years. If you couple a five percent rate reduction when we expect moderate weather, we have a great opportunity for lower gas bills.”
“We want to remind our customers that energy conservation also helps reduce gas bills. The district provides free safety inspections and pilot lightings during this time of the year and we also encourage our customers to take the time to improve insulation, weather stripping, to change their filters, and to keep their thermostats at the lowest possible comfort level. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you save about 3% on your heating bill”.
“We’re committed to providing quality service and we’re well prepared to serve our customers with an abundant supply of clean burning and reliable natural gas. We appreciate our customers and with winter just around the corner, we encourage them to call us at 597-4388 to schedule a free pilot lighting, if they need it, or a safety inspection, if they’d like or to be able to help them with any of their appliance needs before the winter sets in.”