Five and a half years ago, the DeKalb County Board of Education named the theater at DCHS in honor of Ina Ruth Bess.
Although Ms Bess has always been appreciative that the school board would pay her such an honor, she had never publicly thanked the board.
Recently, fifth district school member W.J. (Dub) Evins, III visited Ms Bess at her home. Ms. Bess said she wanted to personally thank him. “I consider it a great honor,” said Ms Bess.
Having retired at the end of the 2006-07 school year, Ms. Bess completed almost 60 years as an educator, a profession she began in 1948. Much of her career was spent at DeKalb County High School, where she taught and directed class plays over the years. “I directed plays ever since I began teaching high school in 1954. I had a play about every year,” she said.
During his brief visit with her, Evins recalled having been in plays directed by Ms. Bess during his high school days. “I never had a lead role because I didn’t want it. Pat Wallace and I were in a (play) at one time. We were supposed to be caretakers of an insane asylum. We were coming to get a couple of people who were needing to go to the asylum. But from the looks of things when the play was going on, we were the ones who should have been put in the straight jackets instead of them. I didn’t want a major role. I enjoyed it just as much (having a small role). I appreciate all she (Ms Bess) did all those years. I don’t now how she dealt with us but she tolerated us and must have enjoyed it,” he said.
On another occasion, Evins remembered that a cast member failed to show up on the night of a play performance and how that Ms. Bess had him (Evins) go looking for that student. “Sam Morgan Love. He’s deceased now. But it was time for him to go on stage. Eddie Hyde and John Ours were already on stage but Sam was no where to be found. Ms. Bess summoned me up. It was a little while before I had to go on stage so I got in my $750 Mustang and went looking for Sam. I found him at the Dairy Queen. There was an audience full of people and John and Eddie did a great job (killing time). They just made up lines as they went. There was a scene where they went to bed and were talking in their sleep, having dreams or nightmares. So the lights went off and on. They did a great job (killing time) for ten or fifteen minutes until I could find Sam Morgan. But when I found him and got him back, Ms Bess got a hold of him. She got him out there on the stage and he knew he was in trouble after the play was over,” said Evins.
“Another disaster is when a character didn’t show up for a night performance for the audience,” said Ms. Bess. “We waited and waited but he didn’t show up. No one (cast member) wanted to do it because they already had parts. My grandson Scott Bess was there so he put on this gun holster and went out there with a play book and did this guy’s part. It was hilarious. They all enjoyed it. We offered to give (public) their money back but they said no that was really good,” said Ms. Bess.
If there was anything she enjoyed more than the play performances, it was play practices. “Play practice was fun. We laughed a lot and fussed a lot,” said Ms. Bess. “It (practice) was after school and at night. Two or three nights a week, and the rest of them after school,” she said.
“I’m amazed she (Ms. Bess) pulled it off as many times as she did,” said Evins. Most of the time they (plays) were flawless. There’s always going to be a time when somebody may forget a line but when it really came down to it everybody had respect for her. We all did (respect her) in the classroom and in the auditorium. She did a great job and she didn’t have to. She did it because she loved it,” he said.
As for naming the theater in honor of Ms. Bess, Evins said “I only wish it had been done sooner”.

Smithville Police have charged a woman with child abuse for taking drugs in the presence of a juvenile.
61 year old Connie J Clayborn was arrested on Tuesday, October 9. Chief Randy Caplinger said that on Thursday, October 4th an officer was called to a residence concerning a possible overdose. Upon arrival the officer spoke with employees of the Department of Children Services who were on the scene. Clayborn told DCS staff that she had taken drugs while a juvenile was present. After obtaining a warrant, Clayborn was arrested without incident. Her bond is $1,500.
27 year old Nicholas D Sapp is charged with four counts of passing a forged prescription at a local pharmacy. According to the warrants, Sapp passed two prescriptions on September 15 from the office of Dr. Graf Hilgenhurst. The pharmacy filled the prescriptions. The doctor’s office later notified the pharmacy that the prescriptions were a forgery. Sapp was arrested on Saturday, October 13 after he returned to the pharmacy trying to pass more forged prescriptions written on Dr. Hilgenhurst. Bond for Sapp is $20,000 and his court date is November 8.
42 year old Ceylon E Taylor Jr. was arrested for disorderly conduct on Saturday, October 6. The warrant states that police were dispatched to a residence on Meadow Brook Drive to answer a domestic call. The officers separated the parties involved in the dispute but Taylor showed up, became very upset and began screaming out loud. An officer told him several times to calm down but he would not comply. Taylor’s bond is $1,000 and he will be in court on November 1.
25 year old Terri M. Brucker was arrested for domestic assault on Saturday, October 6. The warrant states that officers were dispatched to a fight call at a residence and upon arrival found Brucker lying on the ground and a family member beside her. Upon separating them and speaking with each of them it was determined that Brucker was the primary aggressor. She had punched the victim in the face several times causing injury. Bond for Brucker is $2,500 and her court date is November 1
.
19 year old Skyelar Patrick was arrested for domestic assault on Monday, October 8. Patrick was invited to the residence of a family member and while there a conflict occurred and Patrick punched and choked the victim. His bond is $5,000 and his court date is October 25.
18 year old Alexis Carrasco was arrested for DUI on Sunday, October 14. The warrant states that Carrasco, operating a motor vehicle, was sitting at a traffic light and that he failed to drive through, even after the light had changed twice allowing him to proceed. Carrasco had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and he was very unsteady on his feet. He performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court on October 25.
Anyone having information on any criminal activity is asked to please contact the Smithville Police Department at 597-8210 or the Tip Line at 464-6046.
Any information received that would help Smithville Police solve any criminal offense will be greatly appreciated. All information is confidential.

The Upper Cumberland Development District’s (UCDD) former executive director Wendy Askins called an independent living facility for seniors “one of the sweetest projects in the history of [her] career.” However, only a small handful of seniors lived in the facility after it was completed. And their accommodations were significantly less luxurious than those Askins and her daughter enjoyed after they moved into the publicly-funded facility’s main living quarters.
A report released today by the State Comptroller’s Division of Investigations identified numerous UCDD transactions that did not appear to serve a public or governmental purpose. The report concluded that the volume and type of inappropriate transactions identified indicates that the UCDD board of directors failed to uphold its duty to follow sound business and accounting practices, to ensure that all disbursements were appropriate, and to act in the best interests of the district and its goals.
Development districts are created to promote economic growth and development and to serve those in need within each district’s boundaries. The vast majority of funding for the Upper Cumberland Development District and its programs comes from taxpayer dollars from state and federal government.
The Living the Dream Project was designed and planned by Askins while she served as executive director of the UCDD. The Comptroller’s investigators questioned numerous transactions Askins ordered which did not appear to be in the development district’s best interests. The investigators pursued a trail of improper spending on a project that appeared to primarily benefit Askins and certain members of her family.
Askins personally selected tens of thousands of dollars in upgrades for the main area of the home which she and her daughter occupied by themselves. Askins paid more than $6,000 for steam showers for both her and her daughter’s bathrooms, more than $1,500 for a double-sided fireplace in the home’s main living area, nearly $1,000 for a fireplace in her own master bedroom, and more than $7,000 for decorative fountains. Askins also spent more than $25,000 on a curved staircase for the home which led to her daughter’s upstairs living area.
By last February, the project had a price tag of nearly $1.4 million, the Comptroller’s report revealed.
Among the many unnecessary purchases for the Living the Dream home, Askins and various family members received more than $24,000 in direct personal benefits from transactions she orchestrated with the development district. Askins used nearly $10,000 in district funds to purchase used furniture, televisions and exercise equipment from herself for use in her Living the Dream home and more than $14,000 to purchase other used furniture and items from her immediate family. She also submitted a false reimbursement request and received nearly $3,000 from UCDD for catering expenses related to a political campaign event not associated with the development district. Additionally, Askins reimbursed herself $1,229 for other personal expenses such as fuel for her personal out-of-state travel and her personal credit card fees.
In 2011, Askins spent $2,000 in UCDD funds to purchase a 3-D capable computer and $99 for 3-D glasses, and incurred over $600 in costs for ring-back tones, premium texts and music downloads on her district cell phone, according to investigators.
The Comptroller’s report further details that at its 2010 annual meeting, the UCDD treated board members and approximately 80 other guests to food and entertainment at a local winery. This meeting alone cost the agency more than $6,200 and appear to further no public or governmental purposes.
Investigators attribute the magnitude of such waste and abuse to the fact that Askins and her deputy director had unfettered discretion to spend public funds on a far-too-wide range of items and that board members were not providing adequate oversight to protect the public’s interests.
“Even though the board may not be directly to blame for such rampant misuses of public funds, it was inherent in their fiduciary responsibilities to supervise Wendy Askins, the Living the Dream project, and to ensure that all development district funds were spent entirely for the benefit of those who are served by the district,” said L. Rene Brison, Assistant Director of Investigations for the Comptroller’s office.
“These types of abuses of the public trust are likely to outrage many citizens who live within the Upper Cumberland Development District boundaries – and rightfully so,” Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said. “Every public dollar that’s spent for the personal benefit of a government official is one less dollar that can be spent to benefit the people who need government services. I hope and trust that the Upper Cumberland Development District will put safeguards in place to guard against this type of waste and abuse in the future.”
To view the full report online, go to: http://www.comptroller.tn.gov/repository/ia/20121015UCCDaudit.pdf
To view photos of the contrasting accommodations of the UCDD’s executive director and the senior citizens who lived in the Living the Dream facility, go to:
http://www.comptroller.tn.gov/repository/NR/20121015TheLivingTheDreamPro…

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce recently presented a Community Improvement Award to Attorney Vester Parsley, 111 W. Main St., Smithville for the exterior improvements made to his building including new paint, colorful plants, and beautiful signs.
The purpose of the Community Improvement Award is to encourage and recognize improvements giving DeKalb County an enhanced and value added appearance as well as increasing service and organizational offerings to its citizens. If you would like to make a nomination, please contact the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce at (615)597-4163.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry and the Department of Commerce and Insurance’s Division of Fire Prevention are observing National Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 7-13), by reminding homeowners to follow simple safety practices to prevent forest fires. The official start of forest fire season in Tennessee is Oct. 15.
“Burning vegetative material that has accumulated around the yard or using fire to clear an old field can be an efficient way to get rid of debris,” said John Kirksey, Fire Chief for the Division of Forestry. “However, this activity needs to be done safely. The division’s burn permitting system focuses attention on the safe use of fire for debris burning.”
Activities requiring a burning permit include unconfined outdoor burning of brush and leaves, untreated wood waste and burning to clear land. Burning permits are free of charge. Citizens can apply for burning permits online or by calling their local Division of Forestry office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The DeKalb County Forestry office phone number is 615-597-4015. Forestry offices are listed in your local phone directory under state government, or can be found by visiting www.burnsafetn.org. The website also includes tips for safe debris burning and provides access to the online permitting system. Permit holders should also check for other restrictions in their locale.
Online permits will only be available for small scale burning of leaf and/or brush piles measuring less than 8 feet by 8 feet in dimensions. These permits can be obtained on days that burn permits are being issued, including after-work hours and through the weekend, by going to www.burnsafetn.org.
“It only takes a couple of minutes to get a burn permit, whether one is obtained by calling in or online” said Kirksey. “Either way it’s important for citizens to know when, where and how it’s safe to conduct a debris burn, and the burn permitting system is our way of getting that information to them.”
Homeowners living in forested communities can take steps to protect themselves and their property. Keeping gutters and rooftops free of debris, maintaining at least two to five feet of none flammable material next to the foundation of the home and clearing away flammable brush at least 30 feet from the house are just a few simple examples of what homeowners can do.
Wildfires are occasionally started by out of control house fires. The state Fire Marshal’s Office is warning citizens to also be aware of fire hazards in their home.
“For many years, Tennessee has occupied an undesirable ranking in the country for fire deaths. Falling asleep while smoking in bed or in a comfortable chair remains a significant cause of fire deaths in Tennessee,” says Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak. “Always make sure your home’s smoke detectors are functioning properly.”
Escaped debris burns are the leading cause of wildfires. Burning without a permit is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $50. Wildfires caused by arson are a class C felony punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 fines. Anyone with information about suspected arson activity should call the state Fire Marshal’s Arson Hotline toll-free at 1-800-762-3017.
For more information, visit www.burnsafetn.org.

According to recently released figures from the U.S. Travel Association’s Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee Counties Report, tourism and travel-related expenditures in DeKalb County are continuing to grow at a good pace. The latest report shows DeKalb County is up 4.6% and ranks 3rd in terms of travel-related expenditures in the 14-county Upper Cumberland Region.
Travel-related expenditures for DeKalb County rose to $36.32 million dollars. The study reflects the 2011 estimates of the impact of traveler spending in DeKalb County, as well as the employment, payroll income, and tax revenue directly generated by this spending.
Chamber Director Suzanne Williams says she is excited and encouraged by the news. “We are very appreciative of all the efforts and benefits that our local businesses and event organizers are providing for our visitors as shown by the increase in tourism dollars coming to our area. We look forward to more opportunities as the new downtown Evins Park Open-Air Stage becomes available for our 2013 tourist season. We are also excited about the downtown Smithville revitalization efforts which will encourage more tourism and local shopping to our downtown area,” says Williams.

The Harlem Wizards entertained a packed gym at DCHS Thursday night.
The event, sponsored by the DCHS Basketball Boosters, was a fundraiser for the DCHS basketball programs
M2U00849 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

The Class of 2013 at DeKalb County High School will graduate on Friday, May 24.
The Board of Education set the date for the graduation during Thursday night’s monthly meeting.
Meanwhile, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby presented his monthly report on personnel. Those employed since the last meeting are as follows

Substitute Teachers:
Ellen Ammons, Guylene Atnip, Jennifer Braswell, Carolyn Caldwell, Matthew Carpenter, Brenda Colwell, Julie Cook, Marcia Davey, Donna Davis, Linda Dean, Suzanne Dunn, Debbie France, Ann Frazier, Holly Frazier, Katie Frazier, Robbie Joann Frazier, Wayne Fuson, Sherrie Giles, Johnna Goff, Natalie Green, Chelsea Grissom, Vicki Haggard, Glenda Hall, Charlene Hallum, Jimmy Hendrixson, Betty Hickey, Ester Holder, Michelle Hoyle, Kelly Huling, Shirley Ingram, Milinda League, Linda Luna, Deliah McGhee, Sharon Moffett, Stephen Moore, Eden Nokes, Angela Osment, Paul Parker, Bruce Parsley, Jessica Patrick, Angelia Pedigo, Elaine Perricone, Jessica Rackley, Ivadell Randolph, Holley Reffue, Virginia Rose, Jessica Sims, Michelle Snipes, Melissa Vantrease, Vickey Vickers, Wander Vickers, Mack White, Rena Willoughby, Kimberly Young, Jessica Antoniak, Matthew Antoniak, Justin Brown, Michelle Critser, Betsy Driver, Danny Fish, Bobbie Hale, Chad Hendrixson, Connie Johnson, LaTonya Kleparek, Mary Sanders, Robert Smith, Brad Trapp, Cassie Tripp, Stephanie Turner, and Natasha Vaughn
Bus Driver: Myron Rhody
Leave of Absence: Barbara Hibdon, DeKalb Middle School Cafeteria worker and Penny Smitty, DeKalb Middle School Teacher.
The board adopted a resolution of appreciation for custodians.
The resolution is as follows:
“Whereas, custodians frequently go to infinity and beyond the call of duty to help keep schools free of dirt and germs that can cause illnesses; and
Whereas, the custodians in the DeKalb County School System perform a long list of behind the scenes jobs that are very important but often go unnoticed; and
Wheras, the custodians are required to do many tasks at the school that are unappealing and cringe-worthy and they do them with style; and
Whereas, custodians arrive at school long before anyone else and leave after everyone; and
Whereas, DeKalb County Schools could not function properly without our outstanding custodial staff.
Therefore, be it hereby resolved, that the DeKalb County School Board expresses appreciation to the custodians who are constantly going to infinity and beyond to keep our schools clean, safe, and free of germs.
Be it further resolved that October 25, 2012 is declared Custodian Appreciation Day and that each school is encouraged to get students, employees, and parents involved in the 2012 Custodian Appreciation Day Event.

Mallory Sullivan finished tied for 14th in the girls Class A/AA state golf tournament at Willowbrook in Manchester Wednesday.
The DCHS Junior shot 84 on Tuesday and 86 on Wednesday for a total score of 170. It was her third straight state tournament appearance. Sullivan finished in second place last year.
“She did have a great year,” said Coach Joe Pat Cope. She had the low score at district and second low score at region and got a trip back to the state. After coming in second place last year in the state, we had some pretty lofty goals this year. I know she (Mallory) is disappointed but I don’t want to take anything away from her season. She’s had three state tournament appearances. She’s received a lot of recognition from college coaches. Its been another great season. But I know the type of kid she is and her work ethic. She’s not going to be happy for a while but she will look back and realize how good it was. She was awfully disappointed today coming in 14th but that is still great because there were fifty five golfers there and I’m tickled to death with her and happy with the season,”he said.
Coach Cope said he is also proud of what his boys team accomplished this season. “Our boys ended up undefeated again winning their ninth straight district championship but came up a little short in the region to Signal Mountain,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to next year. Mallory will be back for her senior season. Ethan Roller will also be coming back. He was at the state tournament as a sophomore last year. He came up a little bit short this year but he will be back near as well,” said Coach Cope.