Brady Evans, of Smithville, received the Avo Anderson memorial scholarship from Tennessee Tech University’s College of Business.
Evans is a senior studying basic business at TTU and a graduate of DeKalb County High School. He was one of more than 100 students to receive scholarships from the College of Business. The college distributed $155,000 this spring to its top students.
“We are proud of this outstanding group of students,” said Ken Wiant, interim dean of TTU’s College of Business. “We are also extremely pleased with the support we receive from businesses and alumni in supplying the private funds for scholarships. In these trying times, they have responded by increasing the amount that we could award this year.”
“These awards recognize our students’ achievements and help us to attract quality students to TTU.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering the public free guided tours of the Center Hill Dam.
The tours in 2014 are scheduled Saturday, July 19, Aug. 16, and Sept. 6; with tour times at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 noon. Tour size is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. All guests including minors are required to submit a request form at least fourteen days prior to the tour and receive confirmation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District.
Approximately 45 minutes in length, the tour begins at the Center Hill Power Plant reception area. After guest check-in and a brief introduction, Corps of Engineers personnel will provide registered participants an up-close look at the dam and power plant facilities.
In addition to the guided tours of the power plant, Corps Park Rangers will be available at the Power Plant to answer questions and conduct a brief presentation on the many benefits that Center Hill Lake provides. Linda Adcock, Project Manager for the Center Hill Dam Seepage Rehabilitation Project, will also be providing an update during the tour on the progress of construction.
Call (931) 858-3125 to request a registration form. Once completed, return the form to 158 Resource Lane, Lancaster, TN 38569; or email the completed form to centerhilltours@usace.army.mil.
For more information visithttp://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Locations/Lakes/CenterHillLake/OpenHouseTo…

The Keep Tennessee Beautiful’s DeKalb County Clean Up Campaign was a huge success according to County Mayor Mike Foster and Chamber Director Suzanne Williams. Approximately 200 people participated in this year’s event.
Volunteers reported litter pick-up at various locations including Hwy. 56 S, Hwy. 56 N, Hurricane Bridge area, Smithville Golf Course area, Memorial Gardens, Dowelltown, Alexandria, Liberty, Austin Bottoms, Belk, Keltonburg, and the Smithville Public Square. Employees at SHIROKI, North America picked up miles of litter on Hwy. 70. In the Four Seasons area, volunteers spruced up the children’s playground area.
The dumpsters that had been placed all around the county days prior to the main event, to give people a head start on the clean-up and to serve as motivators to spruce up homes and neighborhoods, quickly became full to capacity.
“This was our most successful clean-up campaign ever,” says Chamber Director Suzanne Williams. “The weather was perfect, and it was amazing to see a long line of people waiting to sign-up and help out. Beautification in our communities is especially important right now with our peak tourism season about to begin.”
Keep Tennessee Beautiful Executive Director, Missy Marshall, and Clean & Green Programs Coordinator, Stine Moss-Cooperwood, drove from Memphis to be a part of this year’s event in DeKalb County. State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver also attended and helped picked up litter.
Many groups volunteered to contribute to our success including the Boy Scout Troop #347, Sheriff’s Department, “Friends of Tennessee”- Jim & Diane Loy, SHIROKI North America, Solid Waste Department, Church of the Latter Day Saints, Justin Potter Library employees, and General Sessions and Juvenile Court community service workers.
“We are so grateful to everyone who came out and helped,” says County Mayor Mike Foster. “The community support and willingness to work together is a reminder of how blessed we are to live here in DeKalb County.”
(Bottom Photo: Keep Tennessee Beautiful Executive Director Missy Marshall; State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver; County Mayor Mike Foster; Clean & Green Programs Coordinator Stine Moss-Cooperwood; Chamber Director Suzanne Williams)

Donny Green, DeKalb/Cannon County FSA County Executive Director, announces that the nomination period for the 2014 Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee Election is underway. The nomination period continues through August 1, 2014.
“I encourage all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the August 1 deadline,” said Green. “We are counting on as much participation as possible, because county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We have seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority, beginning farmers, and women producers and we hope that will continue.”
Committees apply their judgment and knowledge to make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other farm program-related issues. Nationwide, there are more than 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to five members who are elected by eligible local producers.
To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.
Nominees must reside in Local Administrative Area (LAA) for which they are seeking to be elected. For the 2014 Election, the DeKalb/Cannon County FSA County Committee Election will conduct elections in LAA-2 (DeKalb County) and LAA-4 (Cannon County). Below are the descriptions of the LAA’s that will be conducting elections this year:
Local Administrative Area # 2, the portions of DeKalb County described as follows:
West of a line where Hwy. 146 crosses the Cannon County line following Hwy. 146 north to Hodges Rd.; thence north to Tabernacle Rd.; following a line from Tabernacle Rd. to Dry Creek Rd.; west of Dry Creek Rd. to Hwy. 70 West; north of Hwy. 70 to Hwy. 96 North (Dale Ridge Rd.); west of Hwy. 96 North to Hwy. 141 (Wolf Creek Rd.);West of Hwy. 141 to Center Hill Dam; thence following the Caney Fork River north/northwest to the Smith County line; thence south of the Smith County line; thence east of the Wilson County line to the Cannon County line; northwest of the Cannon County line back to the intersection of Hwy. 146 and the DeKalb/Cannon County line.
Local Administrative Area # 4, the portions of Cannon County described as follows:
That portion of Cannon County that lies east of Highway 53 (a state highway that runs south from the DeKalb County line and north from the Coffee County Line).
Individuals may nominate themselves, or others, as a candidate. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based and other organizations in the county where the election is being held before the close of the nomination period, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, nation origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. The nomination form (FSA-669A) is available at USDA Service Centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/elections
Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in LAA’s 2 and 4 on November 3, 2014. Completed ballots must be returned, either in person or postmarked, no later December 1, 2014. For more information about FSA county committees, visit the DeKalb/Cannon County USDA Service Center or call 615-597-8225, extension 2.

Trying to live a normal life with burns isn’t easy, especially for children. But for one week a year, the kids of Camp Phoenix get to forget their troubles and just have fun!
Eleven burn survivors ages six to sixteen from various places in Tennessee and Kentucky are at Indian Creek Youth Camp in DeKalb County through Saturday on a week-long camp sponsored by the Tennessee Firefighters’ Burn Foundation and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Director Judy King said the staff of Camp Phoenix first brought a group of children to Indian Creek Youth Camp five years ago and they have been returning every year since. “Camp Phoenix is a one week summer camp for children ages six to sixteen who are burn survivors. It’s a chance for them to come out and be with other children that have similar situations. They get to go on the lake and go swimming. They do arts and crafts, horseback riding, and then we do unique things such as take them on motorcycle rides. It starts on Memorial Day and goes through the whole week and we leave on Saturday,” she said.
The DeKalb Firefighters’ Association partners with Camp Phoenix each year to lend support. “We’re a supporter of Camp Phoenix. We try to donate so kids can do fun things. A lot of these kids have been through a tragedy and we’re just trying to uplift them and show that there are people who care. It’s something we look forward to doing every year. Earlier this week we sponsored a charter bus for them to travel to an amusement park in Kentucky, said Brian Williams, Secretary-Treasurer of the DeKalb Firefighters’ Association.
The children were transported by school bus from Indian Creek Youth Camp to Edgar Evins State Park on Thursday for a pizza party, sponsored by the DeKalb Firefighters Association. The kids were also treated to rides in DeKalb County Fire Trucks and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department Patrol Cars. Firefighters from other areas of Middle Tennessee were there to give children motorcycle rides through the park.
Members of the DeKalb Firefighters Association wish to thank Sheriff Patrick Ray and his department along with Park Rangers and Manager Carl Halfacre of Edgar Evins State Park for their support.
Camp Phoenix is funded through the Tennessee Firefighters Burn Foundation. “They do the fundraising. We have memberships and fundraisers that fully fund and support the camp. Everyone here is a volunteer so all the money we raise goes back into the foundation and Camp Phoenix. Our staff all go through an extensive background check. We’ve got paramedics, firefighters, school teachers, and members of the community that volunteer to give a week of their time to put this on for the kids,” said King.
The primary objective of the Foundation is to assist burn survivors in their recovery and to keep in close contact with burn units and medical facilities that provide care for burn victims. Providing burn awareness education through various community programs is also a major purpose of the Foundation.
Visit their website at www.tnfbf.org to learn more.

The DeKalb County Board of Education will have to revisit it’s tentative budget for the 2014-15 year after the budget committee of the county commission Thursday night unanimously rejected it.
“I don’t think this committee is ready to have a tax increase to present to the county commission,” said budget committee member Wayne Cantrell.
The DeKalb County Board of Education Wednesday night adopted the tentative school budget and sent it to the budget committee on Thursday but the proposed $21.1 million spending plan does not have sufficient revenues to fund it without a property tax increase, which members of the budget committee said would require an additional six to seven cents.
Total revenues to fund the proposed school budget comes to $19,193,975 versus $21,151,531 in expenditures, a difference of $1,957,556. To help close the gap, the school board proposes to plug in $898,000 from Basic Education Program (BEP) reserves, $89,981 in Technology reserves, and $700,575 in unassigned money from the fund balance. Still, the board would have to come up with another $273,000 from the county commission or make cuts by that amount in order to balance the proposed budget.
The school board voted 4-3 to adopt the tentative budget Wednesday night. Members Billy Miller, Kenny Rhody, John David Foutch, and Charles Robinson voted in favor. Chairman Johnny Lattimore and members W.J. (Dub) Evins, III and Doug Stephens voted against it.
“I’m in favor of a large number of programs in here. Some of them have just been brought to my attention. In order for me to know what I’m voting on, I’d rather know a little more about it so I vote no,” said Evins.
“I’m going to vote no. This is the first time that I’ve seen these nine pages (budget) and I’m not going to put my name to it without digging into it deeper,” said Stephens.
“I’m going to vote no. There are some things I think we could cut,” said Chairman Lattimore.
To meet the requirements of the Affordable Care ACT the Board has budgeted for 2014-15 school year a “defined Employer contribution” for the health insurance program, effective for coverage beginning January 1, 2015.
Based on calculations this will make the “Limited” health insurance option affordable to all eligible employees, according to Director of Schools Mark Willoughby. The Board will also pay 100% of the cost of a GAP insurance plan for each employee enrolled in the “Limited” plan. The GAP plan will offset the deductible and out of pocket expense of the “Limited” plan.
Again, based on projections it is anticipated that the overall cost to the School System will essentially remain the same. However, should enrollment in this plan exceed projections the school system could incur additional cost, according to Director Willoughby.
The proposed budget includes funding for a new second grade teacher as well as an English teacher, Chemistry teacher, and a part time English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at DCHS. “There will be a second grade teacher added simply because of our (enrollment) numbers. We’re planning on adding an English teacher and a Chemistry teacher at the high school in order for us to change to a modified block schedule with five- seventy minute periods for the state mandated tested course subjects We also need to add a part-time ESL teacher based on the (enrollment) numbers we already have right now which have gone up. It’s been a long time since we’ve added any teachers at the high school but we have approximately 225 to 230 students coming into the ninth grade (from DeKalb West and DeKalb Middle School),” said Director Willoughby.
A total of $25,045 has been added to the proposed budget for additional supplements including two DCHS assistant soccer coaches (one for the girls team and one for the boys team totaling $5,570), two assistant DeKalb Middle School soccer coaches ($2,790), a DeKalb Middle School assistant basketball coach ($1,395), a DeKalb Middle School and DCHS Cross Country coach (2 positions totaling $5,000), an Athletic Director supplement ($5,000), an assistant DeKalb West School basketball coach ($1,395), an assistant DeKalb West Baseball coach ($1,395), and a DeKalb West School Cross Country coach ($2,500).
The proposed budget includes funding for a half-time speech pathologist. “We are presently contracting those services. Our system needs a full time person and the budget would have to be amended if one is found. The funds are in the proposed budget they would have to be transferred into the correct category and line item,” said Director Willoughby.
The proposed budget includes funding for four Academic Coaches totaling $200,000 to help teachers and students.
A new full time Technology position is budgeted at $30,000. The school system already has a Technology Director and two part time employees in this category. “I believe since 2006, we have added 1,500 devices and we’re fixing to add a lot more. We need to add this new technology person,” said Director Willoughby.
The Transportation Director would get a four thousand dollar pay raise again this year in this proposed budget. His salary would go to $36,710. “Last year we increased the Transportation Director category (salary) by approximately $4,000. We said at that time that we would do it again this year,” said Willoughby. The pay raise would bring the salary more in line with transportation directors in other counties.
Funds are also included in the budget for Odyssey Ware. “This is a credit recovery program and we have been paying for that out of the Race to the Top money. That money has gone away so we have added that ($20,000) into the budget (Under Other Contracted Services),” Willoughby said.
“We have added ($6,000) in copy paper for schools (Under Other Supplies and Materials for Summer School),” Willoughby continued.
Twenty thousand dollars is budgeted for New Attendance Software under Other Contracted Services.
Under Evaluation and Testing $37,000 is budgeted including new money of $18,000 for Universal Screener and $4,000 for ACT software. “We will be doing state required assessments of students throughout the year through Universal Screening. The ACT software will help students score better on the ACT,” said Director Willoughby.
While the school system normally anticipates having to use some reserves to balance its budget each year, it has not yet had to do so. Last year (2012-13), the district projected a deficit but actually ended up around $300,000 to the good by the end of the fiscal year. Director Willoughby Thursday night told the budget committee and county mayor that he did not feel as comfortable this year. “Balancing the budget with reserves is not a good thing to do. This year I feel its a sure bet that we’ll be using some of those reserves,” said Willoughby

Recently, the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce applied for the TACP Farmers Market Promotion & Retail Grant Program on behalf of the DeKalb Farmers Market to purchase new DeKalb Farmers Market Signage, Rack Cards, and Display Tables.
Chamber Director Suzanne Williams was thrilled when she received the good news that the non-matching $1,000 grant request was approved. After working with County Mayor Mike Foster and DeKalb Farmers’ Market President Jeff Cantrell on these projects, the new and much-needed items have now been acquired and just in time for the new growing season.
The new DeKalb Farmers Market double-sided signs, designed by Jeff McMillen, are full-color and include the new Pick Tennessee Logo. The signs will be placed in high traffic areas at different entrances to the county to be able to reach the greatest number of people – directing locals and visitors alike to the DeKalb Farmers Market location at 205 East Bryant Street, Smithville (north side of the DeKalb County Complex).
The DeKalb Farmers Market Rack Cards, designed by Shan Burklow, showcases our local farm produce vendors and will be distributed by the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and marinas, Edgar Evins State Park, county and city offices, community buildings, and other public places. During the DeKalb County Agricultural Fair, the rack cards will be handed out at the DeKalb County Fair Exhibit Building and other distribution points. The local community, as well as tourists, will have the opportunity to become more aware of the location, hours, as well as other pertinent information about the delicious array of produce available at the DeKalb Farmers Market.
The 4 new Display Tables will be available to be used by farm produce vendors to help attractively display and better market their fresh produce and other items for sale. Having available tables for the vendors provides convenience for the farmers and gives the DeKalb Farmers Market the opportunity to grow in the number of vendors they currently have.
DeKalb Farmers Market President, Jeff Cantrell, is very excited about the new marketing tools provided by this grant. Jeff says, “The DeKalb Farmers Market is very grateful to the Chamber for doing this for us and for this opportunity to expand our customer base by helping more people find out about the Farmers Market and what we have to offer.”

A new group being formed to address the problem of abandoned and abused animals in DeKalb County is now a 501 (c) 3 organization.
“The IRS has approved our tax free, 501(c)3 status, so we are moving forward with organizing and planning,” said David McDowell, a member of the DeKalb Animal Coalition for the Humane Treatment of Animals.
“The purpose of the coalition is to provide for an adequate animal shelter and facilities; to provide a permanent & safe location for neglected, abandoned and abused animals; to provide an alternative low-kill policy so these animals receive medical attention, reduce overpopulation, and be cared for until they can be placed in permanent homes,” he said.
The coalition may already have a location for such a shelter. “The site for a permanent county-wide animal facility has been proposed. Tentative plans are to build a facility to care for and find permanent homes for abandoned or abused animals near the site of the future solid waste transfer station, behind Tenneco off of the Sparta Highway, said McDowell in a statement to WJLE.
“We want to work together with the mayors and city councils, and the DeKalb County Mayor & County Commission, to provide a more humane treatment of unwanted or neglected animals,” he added.
Other members of the Coalition are Sue Puckett Jernigan, Dr. Hugh Don Cripps, Marsha Darrah, Renee Ferguson, and Smithville Alderman Jason Murphy.
The City of Smithville currently operates the animal shelter for the county just behind the DeKalb County Road Department headquarters off of Smith Road. Officials say that facility, owned by the county, is no longer sufficient to meet current needs.
The Board for the DeKalb Animal Coalition will meet again next Thursday night, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend and participate. The meeting will be in the arts room of County Complex. Please contact Marsha Darrah at 615-597-6138 or David McDowell at 931-260-1693 with any questions or feedback.

DCHS Softball standout Danielle Tyson has been named “Miss Softball Middle Tennessee” by the Tennessee Softball Coaches Association. Tyson is now in the running with West and East Tennessee “Miss Softball” designees for the title of “Miss Tennessee Softball” to be named on June 16th.
Meanwhile, Tyra Graham , another DCHS Tigerette, has been named to the TSCA’s Class AA All State Team.
Tigerette Coach Danny Bond told WJLE Wednesday that both players are worthy of the honors. “Dani Tyson came in four years ago having moved in here. She tried out for the team and we found that she had a lot of talent. She has refined her skills through the years and has led us in many categories each and every year. In the season just completed she led the team in several categories. Her batting average was .556 and she had an on-base percentage of .704. Dani had 40 stolen bases and led the team in runs with 64. She primarily played first base and also was a pitcher. She has developed into a good overall player. Dani can do a lot of different things. She can play the outfield or infield, which she has done here. She pitched for us and has turned from being a dominant batter from the right side to the left side with the drag and slap. She has great speed and I think that will be one of her biggest assets in college along with her size and raw talent. She will do well at Trevecca,” said Coach Bond.
Graham led the Tigerettes in the season just completed in sacrifices. Her batting average was .412 and her on-base percentage was .471. She played short stop for the team and will return next year as a Junior.
Tyson, who graduated last Friday, has signed to play softball next season at Trevecca Nazarene University.

City residents and property rights voters are expected to decide in November on whether to allow liquor stores as well as liquor by the drink in restaurants inside the City of Smithville.
Local businessman Randy Paris has submitted to the local election commission more than the required number of signatures on two separate petitions calling for the referendums. The election commission will vote in June on putting the referendums with the November State General Election ballot.
Paris circulated petitions, to “Authorize consumption of Alcohol on the premises in the City of Smithville” and to “Authorize retail package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in the City of Smithville” during the November election. He had to get ninety three valid signatures on each petition to force a public vote. According to Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections, Paris turned in petitions bearing the signatures of 121 persons for alcoholic beverages in retail package stores and 125 names for consumption of alcohol on the premises.
Voters will have the option of voting “for” or “against” either referendum or both in November.
Paris successfully organized two liquor referendum petition drives two years ago but both were defeated at the polls.
In a previous interview with WJLE, Paris said liquor sales is a way to boost the local economy and bring in more tax revenue. “The decision really shouldn’t be about whether you drink or not or whether you approve of it or not. It should be a business decision that will help our city economically. We have a huge tourism trade and this is a way of generating revenue for our city from the amount of tourism we have as well as our local people who are spending money in Putnam County, Rutherford County, Jackson County, and all the surrounding areas. The money would stay in our county and our city to help us,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily going to bring great revenue into our city. I never have known when liquor has been the answer to the revenue problems of a city, county, state, or anyone. It brings too much bad stuff with it. That’s the problem with it,” said Don Davidson, minister of the Real Life Community Church of Smithville in a recent interview with WJLE.
“Anyone who is wanting liquor can get it anywhere they want to. Many people shop all the time out of town and across our county lines to buy this or that and to go out to dinner. They have access to all the liquor they could ever want already. Making it more available in Smithville would be for the convenience of a few rather than the majority,” said Davidson.
“Liquor by the drink certainly would be devastating because the problem of people who drink and get drunk is they don’t know when they are drunk. They can’t tell when they have had too much. I think liquor by the drink is going to put more people on the road who will have gotten drunk and that will put more people at risk,” he said.
Smithville voters, by a vote of 402 to 333 in June 2012, said “No” to the liquor by the drink referendum, which would have given eligible city restaurants the opportunity to apply for a license from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission to serve wine and other mixed alcoholic beverages to its patrons.
Five months later in November 2012, Smithville voters rejected liquor in a separate referendum, voting 684 to 558 against a ballot question that sought to allow retail package stores, under certain conditions, to sell alcoholic beverages within the city limits of Smithville.
By law, a full two years has to lapse from the last vote before another liquor referendum can be held, making November 2014 the earliest that a liquor vote could be put before the voters. State law also requires public referendums to be held during elections where there is no primary. The only election this year without a primary is the Tennessee General Election in November.