DeKalb and Cannon County participated in The Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge recently where teams and individuals lost all the weight they could over a three month deadline. Winners were revealed on Friday, July 26th at the DeKalb County Fair where DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster and Cannon County Mayor Mike Gannon showed up to hopefully claim the title of County Champion Overall. The 90 day challenge was sponsored by DeKalb Community Hospital and Stones River Hospital to encourage both counties to eat wise and exercise their way to better health.
“We are very proud of all of the participants of the challenge. A combined total of 943.2 pounds were lost. To celebrate this success, DeKalb Community Hospital and Stones River Hospital are donating 943 pounds of food to our local food banks,” said Sue Conley, CEO of DeKalb Community Hospital and Stones River Hospital, “We appreciate both county mayors supporting the event as well as allowing us to use the DeKalb County Complex. Additional thanks to Manager Pat Ford of Smithville Subway for sponsoring the challenge and providing coupons and gift cards throughout the event.”
Top winners revealed during the Friday evening finale’ included:
•DeKalb County Champion Daniel Seber lost a total of 17.04% total body weight making him the Ultimate Weight Loss Champion receiving a trophy and $500 cash prize as well as awarding DeKalb County the title of County Ultimate Weight Loss Champion Overall for 2013.
•Cannon County Champion Billy Moulder lost a total of 11.07% body weight receiving a trophy and $500 grand cash prize.
• Additional DeKalb County top scores for cash and prizes included second place winner Linda Fowler, Amy Seber, Jimmy Crawford, Kevin Manning, County Mayor Mike Foster, Beth Chandler and The Happy Booker Team from Justin Potter Library / Kathy Hendrixson and Rochelle Turner Captains.
• Additional Cannon County top scores for cash and prizes included second place winner Teresa Bouldin, Mary Duncan, James Bogle, Pam Hoskins and the Junk in the Trunks Team / Faith Bogle Captain
When asked about DeKalb’s victory, County Mayor Mike Foster replied, “I am proud to accept this trophy on behalf of DeKalb County. We are proud of Daniel Seber for a job well done and hope everyone continues to make healthy choices throughout the year.”
Concerning Cannon County’s defeat, County Mayor Mike Gannon smiles, “This was all in good fun and we are proud of both counties for their efforts. Mike Foster and I had a good time during the challenge. I am proud of Cannon County’s hard work and congratulate Billy Moulder for representing us well.”
“I was personally excited over the first year success of the challenge,” said Director Shan Burklow of DeKalb Community Hospital and Stones River Hospital , “People are already coming up to me and asking if we will start another challenge for this fall. Although there are no immediate plans to start a fall challenge, we are scheduled for April 2014 and plan to make it even more interactive with more classes, workout groups, online recipes and continued support. Now that we know that both counties support the event and have given great feedback, we know what to plan for to make it even better than ever.”
For information on how you can participate in the next Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge, join the Challenge facebook page: WeightLossChallenge.
PICTURED: The two Ultimate Weight Loss County Champions receive their awards presented by both county mayors along with DeKalb Community Hospital and Stones River Hospital. (from left to right) Cannon County Mayor Mike Gannon, DeKalb / Stones River Hospital CNO Kim Frazier and CEO Sue Conley, DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster, Champion Overall Daniel Seber, Champion Billy Moulder, and Director Shan Burklow of DeKalb / Stones River Hospital.

Dwight Mathis was elected Mayor of Liberty Thursday.
Mathis received 32 votes in the municipal election. He was unopposed.
Meanwhile Incumbent Alderman Howard Reynolds, Jr. was also re-elected unopposed. He received 30 votes. The terms of office become effective with the next council meeting, Monday August 5.
Since the election was uncontested, voting was done by paper ballot. “The law states any municipality with a population of five thousand (5,000) or less may elect to use paper ballots instead of voting machines for municipal elections when there is no opposition for any of the offices involved (on the ballot),” said Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley. “Liberty did choose to use paper ballots, rather than voting machines, which will save the town approximately $1,200,” he said.
The city government is now made up of Mayor Dwight Mathis and Aldermen Howard Reynolds, Jr. Paul M. Neal, and Jason H. Ray.
Mathis and Jarrett Pistole have held the other two aldermen seats. Those positions will remain vacant until the remaining aldermen appoint persons to fill them.

The Department of Revenue is reminding Tennesseans that the seventh annual Sales Tax Holiday is scheduled for Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 4. During these three days Tennessee shoppers can save nearly 10 percent on tax-free clothing, school and art supplies, and computer purchases.
“I want to encourage Tennessee families to take advantage of the Sales Tax Holiday because it was created with them in mind,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. “The weekend provides savings for families, especially as students are starting the new school year, and the holiday can provide relief on clothing, school and art supplies and computer purchases.”
The holiday begins Friday, August 2 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday, August 4 at 11:59 p.m. During the designated three-day weekend, consumers will not pay state or local sales tax on clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item, and computers with a price of $1,500 or less.
“As in years past, last year’s tax-free weekend was very successful, providing Tennessee taxpayers over $10 million in tax savings” said Revenue Commissioner Richard H. Roberts. “We are hopeful that Tennessee shoppers will again take advantage of the tax relief provided by the 2013 Sales Tax Holiday.”
Please visit the Sales Tax Holiday Web site at www.tntaxholiday.com to learn more about the items exempt from sales tax. The Tennessee Department of Revenue also assists consumers via e-mail, Salestax.Holiday@TN.gov, and through its toll-free statewide telephone hot line, (800) 342-1003. Staff is available to answer questions Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. (Out-of-state and Nashville-area callers, please dial (615) 253-0600.)
Examples of exempt items include:
•Clothing: Shirts, dresses, pants, coats, gloves and mittens, hats and caps, hosiery, neckties, belts, sneakers, shoes, uniforms whether athletic or non-athletic and scarves
•School Supplies: Binders, book bags, calculators, tape, chalk, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens, pencils, lunch boxes, notebooks, paper, rulers and scissors
•Art Supplies: Clay and glazes; acrylic, tempera and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork; sketch and drawing pads; and watercolors
•Computers: Central processing unit (CPU), along with various other components including monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables to connect components and preloaded software (Note: While the CPU may be purchased separately, other items must be part of a bundled computer package in order to be eligible.) iPads and other tablet computers are eligible for tax exemption, while smart phones and video game consoles are not.

In his latest report on city crime, Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger reports that 30 year old Jamie Anne South was cited for shoplifting on July 12. K-9 Officer James Cornelius responded to the Dollar General Store where it was discovered that South allegedly put items inside her clothing in an attempt to deprive them of their property. South will be in court August 29.
29 year old Megan Ann Lann was cited for shoplifting on July 15. Officer Chip Avera responded to the Dollar General Store where it was discovered that Lann had concealed an item in her purse in an attempt to deprive the store of its merchandise.
Detective Brandon Donnell cited 25 year old Karie Lynn Padgett for shoplifting at the Dollar General Store on July 16. She allegedly took items belonging to the store without paying for them.
Officer Stephen Barrett arrested 38 year old Kevin Donald Bogle on July 18 for DUI. He was also cited for violation of the implied consent law. Bogle, operating a motor vehicle, was stopped for reckless driving. Bogle had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. His eyes were glazed over and he performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Bogle’s bond is $2,500.
27 year old Nikita Dawn Clark was cited for theft of property on July 19. Corporal Travis Bryant was called to Wal-Mart to check out a reported theft where it was discovered that Clark was in possession of several items she had not paid for.
46 year old William Ray Cantrell was cited for two counts of simple possession on July 21. Officer Joey Myers responded to a motor vehicle crash on Smith Road where the vehicle had turned over. Officer Myers found outside the vehicle a zip lock bag containing pills believed to be Xanax and a small plastic bag with a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana.
25 year old Brandon Wayne Hutchings and 24 year old Jessica Anne Jenkins were arrested July 21 for promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine. Hutchings was also cited for simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sergeant Bradley Tatrow stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. Sergeant Tatrow noticed that the driver, Hutchings, had slurred speech and he was unsteady on his feet. When Hutchings was asked to empty his pockets, a pill believed to be morphine was discovered. Police asked Jenkins for permission to search her vehicle but she refused. K-9 Officer Cornelius was then called for assistance. Jenkins’ vehicle was searched after K-9 LEO was deployed and alerted on the automobile. Several items were found during the search known to be used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine. Bond for Hutchings and Jenkins is $25,000 each and they will be in court September 12.
19 year old Amber C. Barrett was arrested for assault on July 22. Captain Steven Leffew was dispatched to a residence to check out a domestic call. Upon arrival Captain Leffew spoke with the victim who stated that she and a family member (Barrett) got into an argument that turned physical. Barrett’s bond is $1,000.
53 year old Debra Ella Hayes was arrested on July 22 for leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a revoked license due to a DUI. Officer Stephen Barrett was dispatched to South Congress Boulevard to investigate a hit and run accident with injuries. It was discovered that Hayes was operating the car involved in the crash. She was found at Jewels Market. A computer check revealed her license were revoked in Oklahoma and Missouri for DUI. Hayes’ bond is $7,500 and she will be in court August 8.
35 year old Jeremy Austin Scruggs was arrested July 23 for public intoxication. Officer Stephen Barrett was dispatched to Highland Avenue to a fight call. Upon arrival, Officer Barrett made contact with Scruggs whose arm was bleeding. Scruggs had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. He was unsteady on his feet and he wouldn’t comply with officer’s commands. It was discovered that Scruggs, who had been drinking, hurt his arm in a fall due to his intoxication. Bond for Scruggs is $1,500 and he will be in court August 8.
59 year old Dale A Golden was arrested for DUI and cited for simple possession on July 24. Corporal Travis Bryant received a call of a possible drunk driver on West Broad Street. Corporal Bryant spotted the vehicle in question and stopped it for a light violation. Golden, who had slurred speech, was unsteady on his feet and he performed poorly on sobriety tasks. A search incident to arrest revealed a small blue pill believed to be Diazapam on his person. Bond for Golden is $1,500 and he will be in court August 15.
18 year old Zachary Vincent and a juvenile were cited for simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia on July 26. Vincent was a passenger and owner of a vehicle that Sergeant Bradley Tatrow had stopped for speeding. Upon a search of the vehicle, a small bag of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana was found along with paraphernalia. Vincent’s court date is September 26.
37 year old Jody Lee Wright and 40 year old Amanda C. Oaf were arrested on July 30. Wright was charged with DUI and cited for failure to maintain his lane of travel and violation of the implied consent law. Oaf was charged with public intoxication. Officer Chip Avera stopped Wright’s vehicle for failure to maintain lane of travel. He noticed that Wright had slurred speech. Wright was unsteady on his feet, uncoordinated and performed poorly on sobriety tasks. Oaf, a passenger in the vehicle, had slurred speech. She was unsteady on her feet and she performed poorly on all field sobriety tasks. A search incident to arrest revealed two pills believed to be oxycodone in Oaf’s possession. Bond for Wright and Oak is $1,500 each and they will be in court August 15.

DeKalb County Schools Open Today.
Registration for all students will be Thursday, August 1. That will be an abbreviated school day from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.
Friday, August 2 will be an administrative day for teachers only
The first full day of school for all students will be Monday, August 5
The 2013-14 school calendar is as follows:
Students will not attend on Monday, Labor Day, September 2.
Schools will be closed for the fall break October 14-25
Students will be off for the Thanksgiving holiday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 27, 28, & 29 and for the winter break December 23 through January 3. Wednesday, December 20 will be the last day students attend before winter break and that will be an abbreviated school day. Students will return after the holidays on Monday, January 6.
Schools will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 20 and for President’s Day, Monday, February 17.
Schools will be closed for spring break March 24-28
No school for students on Good Friday, April 18 and Memorial Day, Monday May 26.
The following are designated as Early Release dates: Friday, October 4; Friday, February 14; Friday, March 7, and Friday, March 21
Students will not attend on Tuesday, May 27. That will be an administrative day and all teachers must attend. The last day of school will be Wednesday, May 28. That will be an abbreviated school day and report cards will be sent home.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, October 8 and Tuesday, March 11 at DeKalb County High School from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will also be held from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, October 10 and Thursday, March 13 at DeKalb Middle School, Northside Elementary, Smithville Elementary, and DeKalb West School.
DCHS report cards will be sent home on Monday, October 7 and at all other schools on Tuesday, October 8. Report cards to be sent home from all schools on Tuesday, January 7. DCHS report cards to be sent home Monday, March 10 and at all other schools Tuesday, March 11.
ACT Test for the 11th grade will be Tuesday, March 4
Writing Assessment for the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades will be February 3-7.
TCAP testing of elementary students will be April 28 through May 9

The Eighth Annual First Day of School Education Celebration for DeKalb County will be held on Thursday, August 1 from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. downtown around the courthouse square.
The celebration is held on school registration day.
Michelle Burklow, Supervisor of Instruction for Pre-Kindergarten to 6th Grade, said the event is free and all parents and students are urged to attend to help kick off the new school year. “Our goal is to provide an evening of activities, education, and enjoyment for the residents of DeKalb County. We will be having information booths, passing out school supplies, refreshments, and various activities for the students to participate in while promoting education.”
“This will also provide a time for our teachers and parents to come together to build a foundation for new and positive relationships, right from day one,” said Burklow
“Our First Day of School Celebration is an opportunity for our schools to take a leadership role in re-enforcing and improving relationships among parents, teachers, students, and the community. This is the one day each year when it is both easiest and most important to enlist families as partners in our children’s education. This is a great time for us to engage our families and make them feel welcome into our schools.”
“So come out and join us. Everything is free that evening. We’ll have free school supplies, free food, snacks and lots of community people coming together to make this event possible”, said Burklow.
“There are many volunteers, churches, and organizations that come together to make this event possible for our children so they are able to start school with new supplies and a great positive attitude.”
If you would like to help with this event please call Michelle Burklow at 597-4084. Volunteers are needed.
This celebration is totally free of charge to those who attend so make plans now to join the fun downtown Smithville on Thursday, August 1.

DeKalb County student performance on the 2013 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program shows growth in nearly all subjects.
The data, released by the Tennessee Department of Education, show district-by-district results for each subject of the 3-8 Achievement Tests and High School End of Course exams.
“These numbers reflect that the DeKalb County staff and students have done an outstanding job this past year,” said Director of Schools Mark Willoughby in an interview with WJLE last Friday, July 26. “We’ve seen growth in almost every area and we’re really excited about that. The achievement scores are wonderful,” he said.
“Our Annual Measurable Objective (AMO’s) are broken into two areas,” said Lisa Bell, data analysis. ” One area is achievement which is the percentage of students that are able to meet the bar set by the state. The other side is our growth side. That is how much growth a student has made from the last year of testing to this year of testing,” she said.
Growth over last year represents the difference between 2011-12 and 2012-13 in terms of the number of students who scored proficient or advanced. The following shows combined grades 3-8 student performance in the subject areas of Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies:
DeKalb County:
Math:
(43% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(1% growth over last year)
Reading:
(50% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(0.6% growth over last year)
Science:
(64.9% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(1.8% growth over last year)
Social Studies:
(84.8% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(0.9% growth compared to last year)
DeKalb County exceeded last year’s percentage of proficient students locally in 3-8 Reading which means more students met the expectations set by the state than last year. DeKalb’s growth rate in 3-8 Reading was also among the best in the state, according to Bell. “We have some very positive things to say about growth. The state releases a ranking of all of the systems compared to one another and they compare us in many ways. One of the ways they compare us is how much our students change their percentile ranking from third grade to eighth grade. They take the third grade’s percentile ranking and they test those students in third grade and then they test those exact same students in eighth grade and then they compare where they fall in the percentile in the state. They rank 135 systems across Tennessee. I am really proud to say that in Reading we (DeKalb County) are twelfth out of 135 systems when you look at how much a student changes from third to eighth grade in that percentile ranking,” said Bell.
DeKalb’s 3-8 Reading Growth Standard also ranks high, according to Bell. The growth standard reflects how much our average eighth grade student had grown (academically) each year since third grade. “As for our Reading growth standard, we are 27th out of 135 systems. When you look at the growth standard that we have for our third grade students, as you look at them progressing from third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh grade, and eighth grade, our growth standard makes us 27th out of 135 systems in Reading. That is extremely positive,” she said.
Math is another subject in which DeKalb County, on average, exceeded last year’s percentage of proficient students locally in grades 3-8. “When you look at our three year average, the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) gives you colors and green is always great. Green means you are significantly above the growth standard for the state. When you look at our growth standard for our three year average in math, we are still solid. I think that says a lot about our teachers and about the effort they have put forth when it comes to the changes that the state has been doing for the last three years,” said Bell.
As for the End of Course Achievement test 9-12 student performance, Annual Measureable Objectives (AMO’s) were met in all areas, Algebra I and II, and English II and III. “Our students and teachers are working very hard and I am very proud of them all” said Lisa Cripps, Supervisor of Instruction for grades 7-12th. “We missed our Graduation Rate Target Goal of 94.6 by 1.1%.” Tennessee’s overall graduation rate continues to improve reaching 87.2 in 2012. “Our high school graduation rate, while falling short of our target continues to be significantly higher than the state average” said Cripps.
End of Course Achievement and Growth results for grades 9-12 are as follows:
Algebra I:
(56.2%)
(1% growth over last year)
Algebra II:
(28.8% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(8.2% growth compared to last year)
Biology I
(72.1% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(15.5% growth compared to last year)
English I
(68.1% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(0.7% growth compared to last year)
English II
(56.9% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(-2.3% growth compared to last year)
English III
(32% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(0.7% growth compared to last year)
U.S. History
(92% of students performed at the proficient or advanced level)
(-2.1% growth compared to last year)
While the overall results are positive, officials said the local school system still has some work to do in closing achievement gaps among certain subgroups of students.
“I would like to commend our teachers and our students on such a great job that they did last year when we know that the rigor of the test changed tremendously from one year to the next,” said Michelle Burklow, Supervisor of Instruction for Pre-K through 6th grade. “This speaks volumes for the hard work that our parents, teachers and our students did in partnership. I think we’re proving that everyone working together can make changes for our students in DeKalb County,” she said.
“Our goal starting in kindergarten and going to twelfth grade is for them to be college and career ready. We’re spiraling up to that and I think we’re getting where we need to be,” said Cripps.