The annual Little Miss & Mister and Spring Blossom Pageants will be held Saturday, April 14, beginning at 4 p.m. at DCHS gymnasium. The Little Miss & Mister will feature children between the ages of four and six and the Spring Blossom will include young ladies in grades six through eight.
Fourteen year old Kelsey Sueanna Hedge of Smithville, daughter of David and Trina Hedge, is the reigning Junior Miss.
The retiring Little Mister and Miss are six year old Trevor Matthew Kirby, son of Cindy and Clent Shehane and seven year old Addison Jean Puckett, daughter of Jimmy and Anita Puckett.
The pageants are sponsored by the Smithville Women’s Club.
This year’s event will feature eight contestants in the Little Mister, twenty six in the Little Miss and eighteen in the Spring Blossom.
Practice for Little Mister and Little Miss this Friday, April 13th, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the DCHS Gymnasium. Spring Blossom rehearsal is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
On Saturday, doors will open at 2:30 p.m.. Little Miss and Little Mister contestants must be present by 3:30 p.m.. Pageant starts at 4:00 p.m.
Spring Blossom will be immediately following. Contestants must be present by 5:30 p.m.
Admission will be $4.00 and kids under age three and contestants will be admitted free.
Concessions will be available.
Studio Six Photography will be doing photos.
For more information details please call 464-7910.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has arrested another person in the recent burglary of a local business on Highway 70 east.
Sheriff Patrick Ray reports that 26 year old Johnna Michelle Maynard of Banks Pisgah Road, Smithville is charged with burglary and theft of property over $1,000. She is also cited for simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Maynard was arrested on Tuesday, April 3. She will be in court on April 18. Her bond is $10,000.
Sheriff Ray reports that on or about March 17, Maynard served as a lookout while another person (Willie Ray Murphy) broke into a business on East Broad Street, taking several items. She is accused of helping in the commission of the theft.
During her arrest, Maynard told a drug detective that she had two needles in her bra and a bottle of xanax in her body cavity. A female correctional officer removed those items from Maynard. Found were eight and a half lorazopam pills (2 milligrams) and five lorazapam (1 milligram) pills along with the needles.
Maynard is the third person charged in this case. 28 year old Matthew Malachi Lawson of Haley Road, Smithville and 29 year old Willie Ray Murphy of West Bryant Street, Smithville are also charged with burglary and theft of property over $1,000. They were arrested on Friday, March 23.
According to Sheriff Ray, “Murphy went around to the side of the building (a business) and busted out a glass door. He then entered the business. While Murphy was in there, he took out some power tools for concrete work. Lawson, who brought Murphy to the business, sat in the vehicle and served as a lookout person. Lawson then left and later returned to pick up Murphy and the stolen equipment”.
50 year old Lucille Killian Wright of Ragland Bottom, Sparta is charged with violation of an order of protection. She was arrested on April 3. Wright will be in court April 19. Her bond is $1,500.
Sheriff Ray reports that a deputy, while responding to a complaint of a female threatening another person at Ragland Bottom, found Wright causing the disturbance. By being near the person who had taken out the order of protection against her, Wright was found to be in violation of the order.
50 year old Danny Ray Ponder is charged with theft of property under $500. His bond is $3,500 and he will be in court April 19. Sheriff Ray reports that on Wednesday, April 4 a deputy was called to a location on Old Mill Hill Road, where someone had reportedly stolen some metal. Upon arrival, the officer found Ponder to be the suspect. He also saw metal roofing in the bed of Ponder’s truck. The deputy asked Ponder if he had permission to take the metal. Ponder replied “no”.
33 year old Christina Marie McClain of Earl Steel Road, Brush Creek is charged with two counts of forgery. Her bond is $3,000 and she will be in court on April 19. She was arrested on April 5. Sheriff Ray said that two checks, which were stolen from a location in Smith County, were forged and cashed at an Alexandria business last month. He said that on Thursday, March 22, McClain passed a forged check on an account in the amount of $185.15. The victim stated that she had not signed the check nor authorized anyone else to sign it. Four days later on Monday, March 26, McClain passed another forged check in the amount of $240 at the same business.
43 year old Elsie Mae Judkins of Jefferson Road, Smithville was named in sealed indictments returned by the grand jury last week, charged with aggravated burglary, theft over $1,000, burglary, and theft under $500. Her bond is $20,000. Judkins was arrested April 5 and she will be in court May 25.
77 year old William Albert Warren of Holiday Haven Road, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court June 14. Sheriff Ray reports that on Sunday, April 8, Warren’s pickup truck was stopped by a deputy after the officer saw it traveling in the middle of the roadway on Short Mountain Highway. Warren had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and his speech was slurred. He was very unsteady on his feet and he could not perform any field sobriety tasks. He did submit to a blood alcohol test. Warren told the officer that he had consumed three beers.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has announced that on Tuesday during non-peak hours the contractor for the Hurricane Bridge project on SR-56 over the Caney Fork River will be switching traffic on the bridge to the other side. There may be delays during the traffic switch, and THP will assist with traffic control. Once the switch is over, the bridge will remain at one lane under signal control with the same weight restrictions.

Smithville Police have arrested a local man in a prescription fraud case.
20 year old Chase Groshon of Evins Mill Road, Smithville is charged with passing a forged prescription at Rite Aid Pharmacy. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court on April 12.
Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger reports that Groshon allegedly passed a forged prescription for roxicodone 30 milligrams (150 pills) using the name of Nashville physician Dr. Gita Mishra. A total of $125.88 was paid for the prescription by Groshon and $61.98 by Tenn Care. The incident occurred in December.
Smithville Police became aware of the incident after Murfreesboro Police Detectives made an arrest of another man there on drug charges who implicated Groshon as the source of the narcotics. Police investigated Groshon and determined that he was not a patient of Dr. Mishra and that he had passed the forged prescription here.
23 year old Christine Moore is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,500. Chief Caplinger reports that early Saturday, March 24 just after midnight police went to a residence on South Mountain Street in response to a 911 hangup call. The officer arrived and found Moore, along with a man and a five year old child. It was determined that an altercation had taken place between Moore and the man. He said it started as a verbal argument earlier in the evening but later turned physical when she allegedly smacked the man in the face with her open hand and had allegedly hit both the man and the child with a belt.
27 year old Rhonda Goff and 31 year old Nicka Barrett were cited for shoplifting on Friday, March 23. They will be in court April 12. Chief Caplinger reports that a Walmart employee saw the women putting items from the store in a purse. After being stopped the women allegedly produced the stolen items from their purse.
Meanwhile, Chief Caplinger wishes to thank local businesses who donated food, cash, and prizes for the recent “Night out with the Police and Fire Department” get together with the public.
Special thanks to Florence & White Ford, El Rancho Mexican Restaurant, Tractor Supply, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts, Dollar General Store, Family Dollar, Gentleman’s Barber, The Tannery, Bumper’s Drive-In, Potter’s Home Center, Tangles Salon and Spa, Wal-mart, DeKalb Community Bank, and Liberty State Bank.

The AmVets Post 101 Ladies Auxiliary hosted the 5th annual Easter Egg Hunt at Greenbrook Park on Saturday for children up to twelve years old.

The event also included an egg coloring contest, a coloring book contest, and refreshments.
Prizes were awarded in three age groups, one to four years old, five to eight years old, and nine to twelve years old.
The Easter Bunny also made an appearance during the Easter Egg Hunt

Two DeKalb County men were taken into custody in Warren County Wednesday morning after allegedly committing an armed robbery at the Sparta Discount Drug Store in White County.
34 year old Christopher Morris Stanley and 33 year old Ricky Allen Ashford, II were reportedly arrested separately after a foot chase off Shady Rest Road near the VFW in Warren County. They are being held in the White County Jail facing charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. They will also face charges in Warren County for trying to flee from authorities.
Stanley and Ashford allegedly robbed the pharmacy at gunpoint, demanding cash and drugs. The incident occurred after 9:00 a.m.
The Sparta Expositor reports that according to police, the store clerks described the suspects as dressed in dark colors with long sleeves, gloves and ski masks. They also said one suspect had a handgun, and the other had a device that appeared to be a taser. Before officers arrived, the suspects reportedly fled the scene in a black Chevrolet Impala heading north on Spring Street in Sparta. A description of the vehicle was reported to White County authorities and a BE ON THE LOOKOUT or BOLO was issued. The car was later spotted by a Warren County constable near Rock Island.
The Southern Standard reports that “officers converged on the area and a chase ensued onto Shady Rest Road, which runs nearly parallel with Sparta Highway just outside the McMinnville city limits.”
The men abandoned the vehicle on foot into the woods between Shady Rest and Sparta Highway. One of the men was soon apprehended and the other man was captured after a tracking dog led officers to him. The men were found with cash, drugs, and a handgun.

Should porta potties be set up to accommodate anticipated larger crowds at the Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool this summer?
The aldermen Monday night decided to check with the health department to find out if inspectors would approve porta potties, even if only on a temporary basis until the city decides if it wants to build a permanent restroom facility there.
Restrooms are already available at the golf course for swimmers but after an increase in pool activity last summer, Alderman Steve White said more restroom facilities are needed. The issue has been raised more than once in recent months but so far no action has been taken.
Alderman White, who presided over the meeting Monday night in Mayor Taft Hendrixson’s absence due to an illness, brought up the subject again. ‘We talked about this back in December, and here it is April and we’re still not any further along than what we were then,” said White
Alderman Danny Washer suggested that since pool season opens soon, the city should look into the possibility of setting up porta potties, at least for this year to gauge how much they are used and to perhaps look at a long-term fix for next year, if there is a need. “To see how its going to work out, why not get porta potties for this year, because its going to push us right now,” said Washer. “Try porta potties that are handicapped accessible. They have them. They come with sinks in them. They maintain them and everything. Try that for this season and see how that works out and that will give us plenty of time to see what we need to do for next year,” said Washer.
Alderman White objected to the porta potty idea, saying he thought it might pose a sanitary health concern and environmental risk to the pool, especially if vandals were to turn them over. “I would be definitely against the porta potties just because of the sanitary part of it, with it being a temporary thing, and the vandalism thing. I’m also pretty sure that the porta potties would not be approved by the health department either,” said White.
Alderman Gayla Hendrix said porta potties might be the answer in the short term, especially during peak usage times at the pool, until a plan can be drawn up and proposed for permanent restroom facilities. She said the aldermen need to see a plan that includes costs estimates and where such a building would be erected on the grounds. “As he (Washer) was saying for this season, maybe try this especially during the busiest weekends. But we need to see a plan. We discussed maybe something like they have at the lake, concrete blocks with maybe two women and two mens (restrooms). Where are you going to put it? Are you going to put it in front of the pool? Are you going to put it behind the pool? We don’t have a drawing. We don’t know what we’re looking at. We don’t know how much money and pool season starts in six weeks,” said Hendrix.
Alderman White replied “What I’m talking about is something similar like we did out there at the airport (park). With our employees doing most of the work, probably five to six thousand dollars would fund a four commode bathroom.”
Alderman Hendrix asked “Why don’t we check on the cost of having the handicapped accessible porta potties for the busiest times and weekends at the pool? Then Hunter (Hendrixson) can look up what it cost to build the bathrooms at the airport park. We can look a little bit closer at the pool area and come up with a feasible place to put it. I think the front of the pool would not be a good idea. I think that would look bad. Maybe if we can get an estimate on prices and get a design and a place, it might be something we can have completed by the end of the season. We’re coming up here and discussing it but we’re not bringing any concrete information,” said Hendrix.
Meanwhile, Alderman White said existing bathroom stalls at the golf course will have to be modified to make them handicapped accessible, but he added that this would not be too expensive.
The city is also apparently making plans to purchase a portable chairlift to make the pool more handicapped accessible to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
ADA requirements were to have been met by March 15th, but officials say the U.S. Justice Department has granted the hotel industry at least a 60-day extension for complying with a new rule aimed at making existing hotel pools compliant. City officials say that extension also applies locally.

As the DeKalb County Beer Board voted Thursday night to issue permits to five businesses, one member spoke out against the county commission for the way they went about changing the minimum distance regulations in February.
Second district beer board member Frank Thomas said he wasn’t pleased that the county commission voted to make the change on a night when two members of the commission, previously opposed to it, were absent. “The wool was pulled over our (beer board members) eyes by changing the distance from 2,000 to 800 feet. It was sneaked in on us,” said Thomas.
Even though the issue was not on the agenda, the commissioners in February, by a vote of seven to five, adopted a motion to reduce the minimum distance requirement from 2,000 feet to 800 feet between stores seeking to sell beer and places of public gathering such as churches and schools.
Last December, some members of the commission tried to change the distance requirement from 2,000 feet to 400 feet but that proposal died on a seven to seven tie vote. All members were present that night but eight votes were needed for passage and County Mayor Mike Foster refused to break the tie.
“The commission voted on it and had a tie vote (in December),” said Thomas. “The county executive could have broke the vote (tie) either way but he wouldn’t. He said he didn’t want to make nobody mad either way. But he didn’t give a damn who he made mad down here (beer board). But then it come up again (in February) when they (county commission) found out two of them wouldn’t gonna be there at the meeting. One of them (commissioners) had to be out of town on a trip. The other was out of town on account of sickness,’ said Thomas
The 2,000 foot distance regulation is the maximum allowed under state law and it had not been changed since the county adopted it in October 1939, until the meeting in February.
During Thursday night’s meeting, the beer board voted to issue an on and off premises permit to Viva Gail Johnson at Jewel’s Market and Pizza at 600 North Congress Boulevard; to Araceli Godinez Soto of Nicole’s Market at 7221 Short Mountain Highway, Smithville; and to the North Alabama Bank and Bank of Lincoln County for Back 9, LLC doing business as Riverwatch at 167 Highland Trail, Sparta (DeKalb County)
The beer board also voted to issue an off premises permit to Jesus Villa at the Stop Market , LLC at 3794 Short Mountain Highway, Smithville; and to Debra Sacran of D & D Market at 7166 Short Mountain Highway, Smithville.
All applicants apparently meet all the requirements, including the new minimum distance regulations.
The vote was four to one to issue a permit to Jewels Market and Pizza, Nicole’s Market, and D& D Market. Board member Frank Thomas asked for a roll call vote and he “passed” when his name was called. These three businesses had been unable to sell beer under the 2,000 foot rule.
The vote was five to nothing to issue permits to the Back 9, LLC, and the Stop Market. Thomas voted in favor apparently because those locations have had permits to sell beer in the past and now have new operators making application.
Meanwhile, two other businesses are seeking an on and off premises permit to sell beer, the Company Store near Cove Hollow and the Sharpe Lodge on the Cookeville Highway. The beer board Thursday night accepted the applications and will take a final vote on issuance of the permits at the next meeting in May. The Company Store already has an on premises permit, but is now seeking to sell beer for consumption off the premises as well.
In other business, the board accepted the resignation of long time member and chairman Mack Harney of the seventh district, who stepped down after last month’s meeting. The board also named member Edward Frazier as the new Chairman and Robert Rowe as Vice Chairman.
Sixth district board member Harrell Tolbert last month announced his resignation from the board. Because of redistricting, Tolbert has been moved from the sixth district to the fifth district and can no longer serve the sixth district as a beer board member. The county will have to appoint a new member to succeed both Tolbert and Harney.