The trial date for former UCDD officials Wendy Askins and Larry Webb has been delayed again in U.S. District Court.
The new trial date is July 15.
Attorneys for Askins filed the motion seeking the delay because they are scheduled to be involved in another federal court jury trial on June 3, the date when the trial of Askins and Webb was supposed to begin.
WJLE has obtained a copy of the motion filed by Askins’ attorney Peter J. Strianse and the law firm of Tune, Entrekin & White, PLLC which states that “counsel is scheduled to begin the trial of United States of America versus L. Brian Whitfield (The Sommet Group Case) before U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell and a jury on June 3, 2014. Obviously, the setting of the Whitfield case conflicts with the current setting of the Askins case. The Whitfield case was indicted on March 1, 2012, is older than the Askins case, and has a huge volume of discovery. Additionally, counsel has significant jury trials set on March 24 and April 29, 2014 which appear very likely to be tried”.
The motion goes on to state that “On March 12, 2014, counsel for co-defendant Larry G. Webb filed a second motion to enlarge time within which to file pretrial motions. In the motion, counsel for Webb represent that they do not object to this continuance request.”
“Defendant Askins will supplement this filing with an appropriate, executed Waiver of Speedy Trial,” the motion concluded.
U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger has granted the request for a continuance.
The trial was originally scheduled for May 20 but Judge Trauger ruled on January 22 in favor of a motion filed by Askins for a continuance. Askins sought the first delay because her daughter is getting married in May. Webb joined Askins in making the request, which was reset for June 3, 2014

Two people from Rutherford County escaped serious injury Sunday when their car ran off West Broad Street (Highway 70) in Smithville and into a creek under a bridge at Anthony Avenue.
44 year old Christal Cantrell of Murfreesboro and 36 year old Matthew Phillips of Smyrna were treated at the scene by DeKalb EMS but refused transport to the hospital.
According to Captain Steven Leffew of the Smithville Police Department, Cantrell was driving east on Broad Street in a 2013 Ford Mustang when she lost control of the car, plunged down an embankment, clipped a guide wire, and then went into the creek and under a bridge on Anthony Avenue.
Cantrell told police that she and Phillips, the passenger of the car had been arguing which may have contributed to the accident. She submitted to and passed field sobriety tasks. Cantrell was cited for violation of the financial responsibility law.
Captain Leffew expressed his appreciation to members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department who came to the scene to render assistance along with the sheriff’s department, who answered service calls for the police department during the crash investigation.

DeKalb County Schools would like to share two upcoming dates with parents for the 2014-15 school year concerning enrollment in the pre-kindergarten program and the kindergarten classroom.
“Smithville Elementary will have pre-K pre-registration on Friday, May 9 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. DeKalb West School will be having a registration day at a later time,” said Michelle Burklow, Supervisor of Instruction for Pre-K through 6th grade.
“Parents interested in applying for the pre-K program should be aware that your child must turn four years old on or before August 15. When you come to register the student for the pre-K program, parents you will need to provide the following information:
*Original certificate of birth. This is the birth certificate with the state seal.
*Paperwork showing an up to date physical examination. You can get this from your doctor or health department. Make sure they are aware that this form will be used for enrollment in school.
*A certification of immunization record or shot record. Again, make the doctor or health department aware that this form will also be used in registering the child for school.
*Proof of income for all household members.
*Proof of residency. An electric bill. Cable bill. Water bill. Any type of documentation that has your name and address on the paperwork.
Parents, you will be notified prior to the start of school if your child qualifies for the pre-K program. Once the committee meets, teachers will be given a list of their classroom names and they will call and let you know if your child has been accepted into the program. Again, this date is only for Smithville Elementary pre-K registration. DeKalb West School will be having a registration day at a later time,” said Burklow.
Meanwhile, Smithville Elementary and DeKalb West School will have kindergarten pre-registration on Friday, May 16 from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Children who plan to attend kindergarten must turn five years old on or before August 15, 2014.
Parents, when you come for that registration, you will need to bring with you the following information:
*Original certificate of birth. The birth certificate with the state seal.
*The physical examination record. It must be current and up to date.
*Up to date certification of immunization record (shot record)
*Proof of residency for DeKalb County.
“Parents, please share with your child that he or she will be tested on registration day. This is an opportunity for your child to show the kindergarten teachers what he or she knows,” Burklow concluded

The Sheriff’s Department has arrested three people named in Grand Jury sealed indictments.
34 year old Kenny Wayne Bly of Gallatin, indicted on July 29, 2013, was arrested on Friday, April 11. Bly is charged in the indictment with sale and delivery of a schedule II drug over .5 grams in a drug free zone. He is under a $50,000 bond. The case was investigated by the Smithville Police Department.
47 year old Roger Tremain Rapp of Cookeville, indicted in August 2013, was arrested on Saturday, April 12. He is charged in the indictment with two counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug in a drug free zone. His bond is $100,000. The case was investigated by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
41 year old Randy Glenn Haslam of Murfreesboro, named in a sealed indictment on Monday, April 7, was arrested a few days later. He is charged in the indictment with theft of property over $10,000. His bond is $40,000. The indictment alleges that “on or about December 7, 2012, Haslam knowingly did obtain or exercise control over certain property, to wit: a digital camera, a gold Timex women’s watch, a gold nugget bracelet, a three carat diamond bracelet, a pair of diamond loop earrings, a gold and diamond band ring, a three carat diamond cluster ring, a one carat diamond cluster ring, and various other pieces of jewelry being over the value of $10,000, constituting the offense of theft.”
Meanwhile, three other persons have been named in separate domestic assault cases.
62 year old William Alexander Davis of Brown Street, Dowelltown is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500. Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Wednesday, April 9 an officer was dispatched to Brown Street in Dowelltown in reference to a domestic call. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with a woman who said that she and her husband, Davis had been in an argument. According to the woman, the argument became physical and he pushed her to the ground, causing a bruise to her right wrist and a scratch on her leg. Davis allegedly admitted to arguing with his wife and causing her to be injured. He was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
44 year old Kathy Jo Massengail of Keltonburg Road, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. Her bond is $2,000 and she will be in court on April 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, April 11 a deputy was dispatched to Jones Road on a domestic assault call. Upon arrival the officer spoke with a man who said that Massengail grabbed him by the neck and threatened to punch him, leaving scratches on his neck. Massengail then grabbed a knife but did not use it. Massengail, determined to be the primary aggressor, was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
Two days later, on Sunday, April 13 Massengail was arrested for violation of bond conditions. Her bond on that charge is $4,000. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, April 13 a deputy went to a residence on J.C. Jones Road, where he found Massengail and a man on the front porch. The man was the victim of the domestic assault in the incident on Friday, April 11. Massengail was intoxicated. Under terms of her bond conditions, Massengail is prohibited her having any contact with this man and she is not to consume any alcohol. She was placed under arrest.
24 year old Cody Lynn Murphy of Ferrell Road, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court on April 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, April 6 Alex Cody Murphy was sleeping at the residence on Ferrell Road when he was awakened to an argument in the living room. Melissa Murphy and Cody Murphy were in the living room. Alex said that his brother, Cody and his brother’s girlfriend Michelle Bilbrey, grabbed Alex’s girlfriend, Kim Johnson by the throat and began choking her. As Alex tried to break up the fight, Cody began hitting him in the face, arms, neck, and chest. Alex was able to escape with Kim. They drove to Kim’s mother’s house on Keltonburg Road, where the sheriff’s department was contacted.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will offer soybean producers the opportunity to request a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order), as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act).
The Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a Request for Referendum every 5 years after the initial referendum, which was conducted in 1994. The last Request for Referendum was conducted in 2009. Soybean producers who are interested in having a referendum to determine
whether to continue the Soybean Checkoff Program are invited to participate.
The Request for Referendum will be conducted at USDA’s county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. To be eligible to participate, producers must certify and provide documentation that shows that they produced soybeans and paid an assessment on the soybeans during the period of Jan. 1,
2012, through Dec. 31, 2013.
Beginning May 5 and continuing through May 30, 2014, producers may obtain a form by mail, fax, or in person from the FSA county offices. Forms may also be obtained via the internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/SoybeaninformationontheSoybeanRequestfor…
during the same time period. Individual producers and other producer entities may request a referendum at the county FSA office where their administrative farm records are maintained. For the producer not participating in FSA programs, the opportunity to request a referendum will be provided at the county FSA office where the producer owns or rents land. Completed forms and supporting documentation must be returned to the appropriate county FSA office by fax or in person no later than close of business May 30, 2014; or if returned by mail, must be postmarked by midnight May 30, 2014, and received in the county FSA office by close of business on June 5, 2014.
USDA will conduct a referendum if at least 10 percent of the nation’s 569,998 soybean producers support a referendum. Not more than one-fifth of the producers who support having a referendum can be from any one State.
The Soybean Checkoff Program is administered by a 70-member producer board and is designed to expand uses of soybeans and soybean products in domestic and foreign markets. The national Soybean Checkoff Program is financed by a mandatory assessment of one-half of 1 percent of the net market price of soybeans.
Notice of the Request for Referendum will be published in the March 4, 2014, Federal Register. For more information, contact James Brow, Research and Promotions Branch; Livestock, Poultry and Seed Program, AMS, USDA; STOP 0251 – Room 2610-S; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, D.C. 20250-0251; tel. (202) 720-0633; or via the Internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/SoybeaninformationontheSoybeanRequestfor….

A total of 318 persons have cast ballots during the first three days of early voting for the May 6th Primaries. That includes 40 who voted by absentee.
Only twenty four people have voted in the Republican Primary. A total of 294 have voted in the Democratic Primary.
The voting totals each day are as follows:
Wednesday, April 16: 82 in person and four by absentee (36 previously voted by absentee)
Thursday, April 17: 128 in person
No voting on Good Friday, April 18
Saturday, April 19: 68 voted in person
Early Voting continues through May 1 on the following dates and times on the first floor of the courthouse:
Mondays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturdays 9 a.m. to Noon

An original staff member of WJLE paid a visit Thursday to share a few photographs and memories of her time working here when the station went on the air for the first time 50 years ago this month.
Elaine Rigsby worked as a secretary and announcer for WJLE from 1964 to 1966 and then returned in 1968 for a short stint as General Manager. “We signed on the air in April 1964 and I worked here at the time that we signed on the air. Aaron Durham was the General Manager. I was the secretary. I also did a thirty minute or a one hour show and then I helped do the news and things like that,” said Rigsby.
At the time it signed on the air, WJLE was an AM station only. The FM station was added in the early 1970’s.
Although she had no previous broadcasting experience, Rigsby found the work enjoyable. “I had never been involved with radio. I was working in Nashville at Ralston Purina and I found out they were opening a radio station. I just came out and applied for a secretary’s job. He (Durham) said I want you to read a commercial for me. I read it and he called me later and told me I had the job. I really enjoyed it. We all did different things. Aaron sold the ads and we all taped commercials. We did anything we had to do. It was fun. We learned a lot. Mr. Durham was really smart and he had a great voice. His brother Hal was the voice of the Grand Ole Opry,” she said. Aaron Durham later became owner and operator of WAKI in McMinnville.
Unlike most radio stations today that program one format, Rigsby said WJLE had block programming featuring a different kind of music with each dee jay show. “We played everything. Mine was easy listening. Tommy Miller (Jet Daddy) played rock. Aaron played all kinds. We had Gospel shows and of course we had the ministers on the air like you do now,” she said.
In addition to Durham and Miller, Rigsby said some of the other announcers she worked with were Jim (Bud) Dearman, Dale Williams, Jack Atnip, and Ralph Vaughn.
As she reminisced, Rigsby recalled some happy and not so happy occasions which took place here back in those days. “An interesting thing, Dale Williams was one of the first announcers and he got married on the air in one of the rooms (studios)”.
“I also remember When Dr. Vanhoosier passed away, Mr. Durham talked to the family and they agreed there were so many people who would want to come to the funeral that there wouldn’t be room for them in the church so they did a LIVE feed of his service on the air”.
“One year at a staff Christmas party, they had taken all the goofs we had made on commercials and played them back for laughs,” she said.
Today, Rigsby works part time in the law office of Margie Rigsby Miller.

The latest statistics from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth reports that DeKalb County has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the Upper Cumberland region and ranks 38th in the entire state.
The University Of Tennessee Extension Office Of DeKalb County along with the Health Department are joining forces to offer a program designed to decrease the teen pregnancy rate in our county. “Girl Talk Tea Time” is an educational program designed to enhance communication between moms and their pre-teen (9-12 years old) daughters about puberty, sexuality, family values, decision making and responsibility. Your daughter is changing daily from a girl to a young woman. There is nothing you can do to stop the progress of Mother Nature, but you can equip your daughter with the knowledge she needs for her journey into womanhood.
Instructors for the “Girl Talk Tea Time” program will be University of Tennessee Extension Agent Mrs. April Martin, Health Educator Mrs. Michel Deaver with the Health Department, and Miss Alejandra Cisneros Conohan with Healthier Beginnings.
The “Girl Talk Tea Time” program will be held at the DeKalb County Complex on April 28-29 from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. A light meal will be served each night in a “tea-like” setting. This class is limited to 12 mother/daughter pairs and pre-registration is required. Daughters must be between the ages of 9 – 12 years old.
The cost is $15.00 per mother/ daughter team. Please contact April Martin at 597-4945 for more information. The registration fee is due by Friday, April 25.

On April 26 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. the Smithville Police Department, the Dekalb County Health Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its eighth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Smithville Police Department at 104 E Main St. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last October, Americans turned in 324 tons (over 647,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 4,114 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its seven previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 3.4 million pounds—more than 1,700 tons—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
DEA is in the process of approving new regulations that implement the Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” (that is, a patient or their family member or pet owner) of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.

Director of Schools Mark Willoughby updated the Board of Education on recent personnel moves during Tuesday night’s monthly meeting.
Those employed since last month include the following:
Barbara Hicks, custodian at Smithville Elementary School
Jeanne Roller, substitute school nurse
William Boman, part-time computer tech
Resignations:
Helen Faye Pollard, bus driver, resigned/retired
Dinah Cripps, bus driver, retiring at the end of the school year
Starr Ferrell, bus driver, retiring at the end of the school year
Sherree Macemon, teacher at Smithville Elementary System, retiring at the end of the school year
Louann Gum, School Psychologist, retiring at the end of the school year
Marie Hill, DCHS Librarian, retiring at the end of the school year
Bill Tanner, teacher at Northside Elementary School, retiring at the end of the school year
Gail Kirksey, teacher at DeKalb Middle School, retiring at the end of the school year
Margaret Nichols, teacher at Smithville Elementary School, retiring at the end of the school year
Laura Carter, teacher at Smithville Elementary School, retiring at the end of the school year.