At least two business customers of Smithville Electric System were recently targeted in a scam in which callers demanded payment of their bills under threat of having their power turned off.
Smithville Police Chief Randy Caplinger cautions customers not to be taken in by the scam.
“A couple of customers have said they were called from a company saying that their electric bill had not been paid.,” said Chief Caplinger. ” When Smithville Electric learned of the scam, a representative of SES called this company and acted like she was with the business (victim). The girl (SES representative ) said the man told her that he was an employee of Smithville Electric and he said if the bill wasn’t sent in immediately to the address ( he provided), her electricity was going to be cut off,” he said.
Chief Caplinger said both the Smithville Police Department and Smithville Electric System want you to know this is a scam and that if you should be targeted, please don’t send any money to this company and notify police.

Donny Green, County Executive Director of the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency, says the DeKalb FSA and Cannon FSA County Committees met in regular session on Tuesday, January 21 to canvass and tabulate the ballots received in the 2013 Local Administrative Area (LAA) # 3, # 4, and # 5 County Committee Elections. The deadline to return ballots was January 17.
In DeKalb County’s LAA-3 election, R.V. Billings, Jr. was elected to serve as Committee Member and Carl Douglas Cantrell was elected to serve as 1st. Alternate. In Cannon County’s LAA-4 election, Javin Fann was elected to serve as Committee Member, James Joyner was elected to serve as 1st. Alternate, and David George was elected to serve as 2nd. Alternate. In Cannon County’s LAA-5 election, Charles Brown was elected to serve as Committee Member and Robert Barton was elected to serve as 1st. Alternate. All elected members will begin their terms on February 18, 2014. Alternates elected by write-in ballots will not officially be elected until they have submitted their written agreements to serve.
The 2013 election was a transitional election resulting from the October 2012 closing of the Cannon County FSA Office. Beginning on February 18, 2014, DeKalb and Cannon counties’ farmers will be represented by one 5-member committee (two LAA’s in Cannon County and three LAA’s in DeKalb County), instead of two 3-member committees. The DeKalb/Cannon FSA County Committee will meet on February 18, 2014 for its Organizational Meeting. The Committee will select a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson from among the members. The Committee meets quarterly at the DeKalb/Cannon County USDA Service Center located at 647 Bright Hill Rd.
Green says that the DeKalb/Cannon FSA County Committee and office staff wishes to express their appreciation to voters in LAA’s # 3, # 4, and # 5 who participated in the elections by voting and returning their ballots. “The local County Committees are a very important part of Farm Service Agency’s program delivery and administrative processes,” added Green.
For more information about FSA’s County Committees or other program inquiries, call 597-8225 (extension 2) or come by the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency office at 647 Bright Hill Street in Smithville. You can also visit the agency’s web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov.

DeKalb County’s unemployment rate for December was 6.8%, down from 7.1% in November and below the 7.2% rate for December 2012.
The local labor force for December was 9,430. A total of 8,780 were employed and 650 were without work
County unemployment rates for December 2013 show the rate decreased in 51 counties, increased in 29 counties, and remained the same in 15.
DeKalb County’s jobless rate for December was fifth lowest in the Upper Cumberland Region. Here is how the fourteen counties ranked from highest to lowest:
Pickett: 12.1%
Clay: 9.8%
Van Buren: 9.7%
White: 9.6%
Jackson: 8.9%
Cumberland:8.8%
Fentress: 8%
Overton: 7.9%
Warren: 7.6%
DeKalb: 6.8%
Putnam: 6.6%
Smith: 6.2%
Macon: 6.1%
Cannon: 5.6%
Davidson County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 5.7 percent, down from 5.8 percent in November. Knox County’s December rate was also 5.7 percent, down from 5.8 percent the previous month. Hamilton County was unchanged at 7.3 percent. Shelby County was 9.1 percent, down from 9.4 percent in November. Tennessee’s unemployment rate for December is 7.8 percent, which is three tenths of one percentage point lower than the November revised rate. The national unemployment rate for December 2013 was 6.7 percent, down three tenths of one percentage point from November.

Welcome to the new WJLE website.
(NOTE: Most are having no problem viewing the new website but if you are experiencing difficulties with our new site not displaying correctly on your computer in Internet Explorer, please click the link below and follow the directions for turning the COMPATIBILITY MODE OFF for the WJLE website. Our site like most sites will look and perform better if using Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Try looking at the site using another browser.)
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1196-internet-explorer-compatibilit….
As WJLE begins its 50th year of broadcasting, serving the people of Smithville-DeKalb County, we have also updated our website with a number of significant improvements.
To keep up to date with technological advances in a mobile society, the most significant change to the site is the responsive design: The new WJLE Radio website will automatically adjust itself to display properly whether you are visiting from a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet device like an iPad, or a browser on a smartphone. The page layout will adjust depending on your device to provide the ideal interactive experience, yet all devices will share the same content.
Viewers will no longer find local news stories at the bottom of the home page. The new site allows viewers to click the link for “News Headlines”
located in the top center of the homepage for a specific local news story or to read ALL local news, click the “News” link located directly below the “WJLE” banner in the upper left hand corner. Local news and sports stories will also continue to include occasional pictures and videos to help enhance our coverage.
To further enhance viewership and provide a service to the business community, the new WJLE website will feature videos of community events on the right side of the page near the top, while on the left side advertisers will have an opportunity to promote their businesses through commercial videos. The new website also offers more space for placement of advertisements, both along the left and right sides of each page as well as at the top of each page.
On the left side of the page near the top, viewers will see links under “Community” where announcements can be found for “Church News”, “Classifieds”, and “Community Calendar”, along with audio links to the “Old Time Country Community Radio Show” and other programs as well as video links
“Obituaries” are on the top right side of the homepage.
As with the old site, the new WJLE.com offers a pictorial slideshow on the home page as well as a weekly web poll, a program guide and audio archives (in drop down box under WJLE Home) and a “Search” box near the top right side of the page where viewers can perform a word search to find older news, sports, or obituary announcements.
“LIVE Streaming” of talk programming on WJLE AM-FM such as local news, high school sports, Election return coverage, Smithville City Council, DeKalb County Commission, and School Board meetings, Chamber Chat, Sunday religious programs, and other events may be accessed next to the “Weather” link near the top center of the homepage.
“We appreciate the fact the WJLE web site is so popular, as evidenced by the over 40,000 unique or unduplicated (counted only once) visitors it receives per month,” said General Manager Dwayne Page. “The timing was right to do an upgrade to meet the needs of the public. As with any major change like this, we expect to be making adjustments over the weeks ahead, and look forward to your feedback during that process.”
Send your comments to wjle@dtccom.net or call 615-597-4265.
We hope you enjoy this new look and continue to visit wjle.com and listen at WJLE AM 1480 or FM 101.7 as we celebrate our golden anniversary of service to this community.

While most of the attention has been focused on the May primary elections, petitions for the non-partisan school board seats and the Smithville Municipal Elections on August 7th are now available.
Matthew Boss has picked up a petition from the election commission office to run for the School Board in the First District.
A petition has also been issued to Gayla Hendrix for Smithville Alderman.
Five school board seats are up for election including the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Seventh Districts. Each term is for four years. Those positions are currently held by John David Foutch in the First District, Charles Robinson in the Second District, Kenny Rhody in the Third District, Billy Miller in the Fourth District, and Johnny Lattimore in the Seventh District.
The other two positions are held by W.J. (Dub) Evins, III in the Fifth District and Doug Stephens in the Sixth District. They are currently in mid-term and won’t be up for re-election until 2016.
A Mayor and two Aldermen will be elected on August 7th in the City of Smithville, each to serve a four year term. Those positions are currently held by Mayor Jimmy W. Poss and Aldermen Tim Stribling and Jason Murphy. Stribling will not be running for re-election. He is seeking the County Mayor’s office.
The qualifying deadline for the school board and City of Smithville is NOON April 3.
Meanwhile, petitions are still available for all the races that will be on the ballot for the DeKalb County Democratic Primary and the 13th Judicial District Democratic and Republican Primary elections. The qualifying deadline for those candidates is NOON February 20th.

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night adopted a resolution making application for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant for DUD to run water line extensions to areas of the county in need.
Amanda Mainord of Grassroots Planning & Consulting, grant administrator, said the project will serve thirty eight households on Tramel Branch, Oakley Road, Carter Lane, Old Givens Hollow, and the Dismal to Alexandria Road.
“There are six houses left to complete the (existing) water line on Tramel Branch and that’s just a half mile left there. On Old Givens Hollow, there’s nine houses there in a mile and three tenths. The Alexandria to Dismal and the first part of Oakley Road, there’s actually thirteen houses there and that is in 2.6 miles. There is kind of a spot on Oakley Road where I call no man’s land because there is one house in a whole mile so we’re going to leave that. It’s not cost effective to run a water line to serve one person or one household. To start at the other end of Oakley Road and go on to Carter Lane, there are ten houses there and that’s just a mile and eight tenths,” said Mainord.
The county’s grant application will be through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, which if approved would assist the DeKalb Utility District in extending water lines into these areas of the county not already served.
The DUD would be responsible for paying the grant’s local 20% matching requirement or $96,000 plus any additional funds required to complete the project.
Several residents in the area to be served showed up for a public hearing Tuesday night, January 7 at the courthouse expressing their desire for water services.
County Mayor Mike Foster said surveys were conducted to determine which areas could benefit most from this project. The public hearing was held as part of the grant application process.
According to Foster, many of the residents in the targeted areas have to live with poor quality water or little or no water. “I think it’s a really important thing that we try to get water into some of these areas. Some of them (residents) have sulfur water and salt water. Some have no water. They are using cisterns . Some haul water and put it in a tank. Some just have seasonal water. When the spring gets dry in the summer they don’t have water. Others have no water pressure much. It’s in an area that really does need help. I’ve heard of them digging wells several hundred feet deep and not getting water,” said Foster.
A similar grant was approved two years ago to extend water lines to a portion of this area but that project did not include everyone who needs water. “We did one grant that went (extended lines) from Liberty to Dismal. One went about half way up Dismal. Another one went up Dismal to Tramel Branch and turned right. It’s just in sections that we’ve been trying to piece all this together. Now we want to come back down Dismal toward Oakley Road in that area,” said Foster
The grant application is due by the end of February.
“We will send in the application in February. We’ll probably be notified in October (if the grant is approved). If we get the money, we’ll get started on this project,” said Foster.
There are no guarantees that the grant will be approved. “There will probably be 125 applications. Last year they (state) funded 65 so we have about a 50/50 shot of being approved,” Foster concluded.

Second District County Commissioner Jack E Barton, III has resigned his position because he has moved his residence to the Third District.
In a letter to County Mayor Mike Foster, Barton said “I am writing to inform you that I will be resigning from my office and responsibilities as County Commissioner of the second district, effective January 28, 2014. I will be moving out of my district and as such cannot continue in my elected capacity as commissioner.”
“I first took office in August 2006 and have been serving the people of the second district since then. I have enjoyed greatly the time I have given to this very important role in our county government and regret that I cannot fulfill this second term I was elected to.”
“I wish only the best for this governmental body and its role in overseeing the county. The county commission performs a very important function and I am pleased with what it has accomplished while I have been fortunate enough to be a part of it,” he wrote.
Barton has announced his intention to run for a county commission position in the Third district. He will be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for one of the two seats on May 6th. Winners will advance to the August General Election.

In an effort to reduce the number of false fire and burglar alarms, the DeKalb County Commission Monday night adopted a resolution establishing “False Alarms Service Fees” for those who don’t keep their emergency alarm systems in proper working order.
Under the resolution, owners and or operators of emergency alarm systems that transmit a false alarm to the County Fire Department or Sheriff’s Department will receive verbal notification by the county fire chief or Sheriff for the first false alarm; a written warning for a second alarm; and a service fee of $50 will be imposed for a third false alarm. On the fourth and subsequent false alarms, a service fee of $50 will be imposed for each violation plus the actual costs of such response by the responding agency, including the costs of equipment, fuel, personnel, administration, and other such factors as determined by the County Fire Chief or Sheriff.
“We have a couple of commercial places in the county where their fire alarm is going off several times a quarter and we have to send a fire truck and the sheriff usually sends a car too,” said County Mayor Mike Foster during Monday night’s county commission meeting. “The False Alarm Service Fees are meant to tell the operator or person servicing that alarm system that they need to make sure it’s working correctly. It’s not to be punitive. It’s to be mildly corrective so that we don’t send people out there risking equipment and their lives and time when it is actually probably something that can be adjusted by the person serving that facility,” said Foster.
According to the resolution, “Activated emergency fire alarm and burglar alarm systems are many times false, and responses to such alarms reduce the available resources and finances of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and the DeKalb County Fire Department . Adequate maintenance of such emergency alarm systems can reduce the number of such false alarms.
The “False Alarm Service Fees” Resolution is as follows:
False Alarm Service Fees
I. Definitions.
(a) “False emergency alarm” means any signal actuated by an emergency alarm to which the Fire Department or Sheriff’s Department responds, which is not the result of fire, burglary, or other actual emergency, and not caused by an extraordinary act of nature.
(1) “False alarm” includes:
a. Negligently or accidentally activated alarm signals; and
b. Alarm signals that are the result of faulty, malfunctioning, or improperly installed or maintained equipment.
(2) “False alarm” does not include:
a. Alarm signals activated by severe weather conditions;
b. Alarm signals knowingly activated during installation or routine maintenance, IF 911 is properly notified of the testing or maintenance prior to the alarm activation and after testing or maintenance is completed.
(b) “Owner” and/or “Operator” means any person who owns the premises where the alarm signaling system is installed, or the person or persons who lease, operate, occupy, manage the premises, or are bound by the contract for services provided by the alarm signaling monitoring company.
(c) “Service Fee” means the monetary service fee reimbursement due to the responding service. This reimbursement is calculated based on approximations of expenses including, but not limited to, personnel, equipment, administrations and fuel.
II. Notices and fees
The following schedule of notices, warnings, and fees (commensurate with actual costs incurred by responding agencies) shall be assessed to the owners and/or operators of emergency alarm systems for false emergency alarms transmitted to the DeKalb County Fire Department or Sheriff’s Department within any calendar year, January 1 through December 31:
1st false alarm – Verbal notification by the Fire Chief or Sheriff of
DeKalb County, Tennessee.
2nd false alarm – Written warning informing the owner or operator of the
alarm system of the provisions of this ordinance, and of the
occurrence of a second violation.
3rd false alarm – A service fee of $50.00 will be imposed.
4th and subsequent false alarms – For each violation, a service fee of $50 shall be
imposed plus the actual costs of such response by the responding agency, including the costs of equipment, fuel, personnel, administration, and other such factors as determined by the Fire Chief or Sheriff, will be imposed.
III. Testing of alarm signaling systems
(a) No person shall conduct any test or demonstration of an alarm signaling system without first contacting the DeKalb County 911 Emergency Communications District. The dispatch center shall also be contacted when the alarm test or demonstration is completed.
(b) A violation of this section shall have fees assessed as follows (per calendar year):
(1) 1st offense; written warning; no fine
(2) 2nd offense and subsequent occurrences: $50 service fee shall be
imposed, plus the actual costs of such response by the responding agency, including the costs of equipment, fuel, personnel, administration, and other such factors as determined by the Fire Chief or Sheriff, will be imposed.
(c) For purposes of this resolution, an alarm contractor that employs a person who violates this section will be held accountable for the offense.
(d) The offenses will be cumulative for all of the alarm contractor’s employees who violate this section within a calendar year.
IV. Owner Responsibilities:
(a) The owner shall ensure that the alarm signaling system is inspected and tested. (b) The owner shall ensure that the alarm signaling system is maintained per manufacturer’s specifications. (c) All owners of premises where alarm signals are installed shall provide the monitoring companies a current contact list of at least 3 representatives or designees of the owners of which 1 will respond to the premises within 30 minutes to assist the responding agency in gaining access to the premise. (d) On 1st offense, a written warning will be issued to the owner. A $50 fee, plus an amount to offset the actual expense incurred for responding will be assessed on the 2nd and subsequent occurrences when an owner or designee does not arrive within 30 minutes of the responding agency’s arrival at the premise.
V. Fee Collections
(a) The DeKalb County Fire Chief or Sheriff shall assess all service fees as outlined in this resolution, and will provide written notification and payment instruction to the responsibly party. (b) All service fees will be paid within 30 days from the date on the written notification. (c) All service fee collections shall be submitted to the County Mayor’s Office, along with a copy of the fee assessment notification letter. Proper budget amendments will be prepared to credit the applicable agency’s respective budget. (d) An owner or alarm contractor may appeal the service fee assessment to Emergency Services Committee. (e) The DeKalb County General Sessions Court shall have jurisdiction over all unpaid service fees

A fire Tuesday morning at a mobile home on Toad Road left a family homeless and an adult and a child with minor burns.
Central dispatch received the call at 3:14 a.m. of a fire in a trailer park.
County Fire Chief Donny Green told WJLE that Brandon Tramel was the owner of the mobile home but that it was being rented by Amanda Duke.
The initial call to 911 was that children may still be inside the structure but a few minutes later it was reported that everyone inside got out. However, an adult and a child suffered burns “Duke, three other adults, and four children ages 6 to 16 were in the residence at the time of the fire and narrowly escaped,” said Chief Green. “One of the adults suffered first and third degree burns and one of the children had first degree burns on his arm and hand from the fire. The family also lost at least two dogs inside the home,” added Chief Green.
There were no smoke alarms installed inside the residence.

Members of the Liberty, Main Station, and Short Mountain Highway Stations of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the tanker and equipment truck. DeKalb EMS and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were also on the scene.
Chief Green said firefighters could not save the structure. “When the fire department arrived, approximately 75% of the mobile home and a 2005 Chevrolet 4 X 4 pickup truck were fully involved in flames. The rear porch area of another mobile home in front of the burning structure was also beginning to catch fire,” he said.
“Despite the challenges posed by the extremely cold temperatures, firefighters arrived on the scene within six minutes from the time of dispatch and quickly took action to save the adjacent mobile home that had already begun to burn on the rear porch eave,” Chief Green continued.
“The mobile home, where the fire originated, and pickup truck were a complete loss. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and is being investigated,” he added.
“DeKalb County’s American Red Cross Chapter representatives assisted at the scene and arranged immediate shelter, clothing, and food for the family,” Chief Green concluded.

Four persons have been arrested recently by the Sheriff’s Department on burglary and or theft charges.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said Monday that 21 year old Terry Lee Jones, III of Dowelltown is charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft of property over $1,000. According to Sheriff Ray, Jones allegedly broke into a residence on Dale Ridge Road on Friday, January 17 and stole several items including a 2003 Red Honda 250 Recon ATV, a Remington Model 870 Shotgun, Insulated Carhartt Jacket, Trail Cameras, a full box of 12 gauge shotgun shells, eight bottles of whiskey, and one Igloo cooler. Six days later, on Thursday January 23, Jones allegedly broke into a garage on Johnson Ridge Road and took a Yamaha Kodiak 400 four wheeler, valued at $4,000. His bond is $30,000 and he will be in court on February 13. The case was investigated by a deputy of the Sheriff’s Department.
41 year old Randy Glenn Haslam of Murfreesboro is charged with theft of property over $1,000. He will be in court February 6. The case against Haslam is more than a year old, but he has been incarcerated since then on separate charges in another county. Sheriff Ray said that December 7, 2012, Haslam allegedly took several items belonging to a female family member. The items were locked up in a safe at her home on New Hope Road in Alexandria. Haslam was living with this woman at the time of the theft. Several pieces of jewelry were taken with a total estimated value of $12,725. The stolen items included a gold woman’s watch, a gold nugget bracelet, a 3 karat diamond gold bracelet, hoop earrings with diamonds, an 8 mm gold band quarter karat ring with seven diamonds on the top, a 3 karat diamond cluster ring, and miscellaneous gold rings and earrings. The case was investigated by a criminal detective of the Sheriff’s Department.
26 year old Lydia Renee Judkins of Jefferson Road, Smithville is charged with burglary and theft of property over $1,000. Her bond is $20,000 and she will be in court on February 6. Sheriff Ray said that on December 16, Judkins allegedly broke into a building on Blue Springs Road and stole property valued at approximately $5,500, including a 2003 Polaris 4 Wheeler, two chainsaws, and a cordless drill. The case was investigated by a criminal detective of the Sheriff’s Department.
25 year old Lucas Dale Hall of Brush Creek is charged with theft of property over $500. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court on February 6. Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, January 15 a deputy met with a complainant on Evins Mill Road who told the officer that he believed one of his employees had stolen a Glock model 19 handgun from a residence. After the deputy asked for permission to search that employee’s vehicle, Hall came forward and told the complainant that he had the gun in his 1999 Dodge Intrepid. The officer asked Hall to turn the weapon over to him. Hall then went to his vehicle, reached between the front seats, pulled the gun out, and handed it to the deputy. Hall was placed under arrest.
Meanwhile, two more persons have been arrested by the Sheriff’s Department from the recent undercover drug investigation. Sheriff Ray said 30 year old Christopher Wayne Miles of Earl Avenue, Smithville was indicted by the grand jury on January 13 on two counts of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug (Percocet) in a drug free zone. His bond is $100,000 and he will be arraigned February 21.
Vickie Anne Cantrell of Adcock Cemetery Road, Smithville was arrested on Wednesday, January 22. She was indicted by the grand jury on January 13 on one count of sale and delivery of a schedule II drug (Dilaudid). Her bond is $30,000. She will be arraigned on February 21.
In other cases, 34 year old Dwayne Allen Reeder of Meridian Drive, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, January 19 a deputy went to Meridian Drive on a domestic call. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with Reeder and a woman. She had marks on the back of her head and chest allegedly from an altercation with Reeder. He was determined to be the primary aggressor and was arrested for domestic assault.
33 year old Heather Starr Trapp of South College Street, Smithville is charged with driving on a suspended license. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court on February 20. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, January 20 Trapp was operating a vehicle on West Main Street in Smithville when she was stopped for driving on a suspended license. The arresting officer had prior knowledge that Trapp’s license were suspended and a computer check confirmed it. Trapp’s license were suspended on October 4, 2012 in Warren County for failure to satisfy a citation. She was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
29 year old Jonathan Dewayne Barnes of Judkins Lane, Smithville is charged with two counts of criminal impersonation, simple possession, and a fourth offense of driving on a suspended license. His bond is $15,000 and he will be in court February 13. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, December 26, Barnes was a passenger of a vehicle that had been stopped by a deputy for a traffic violation. When asked for identification, Barnes told the officer that he had no identification on him and then said his name was John Walls. It was later learned that Barnes had given the officer a phony name. Almost a month later on Tuesday January 21, a deputy stopped Barnes’ vehicle on J.C. Jones Road to serve a warrant on him for the previous criminal impersonation charge. Barnes could not produce a driver’s license and a computer check revealed that his license were suspended in Jackson County. When the officer asked for his name, Barnes identified himself as Randy Jackson. The officer actually already knew Barnes’ real name and arrested him. During the stop, Barnes admitted to the officer that he had a bag of marijuana in his pocket. When the officer emptied Barnes’ pocket, he found a plastic bag containing a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. Barnes was brought to the jail for booking.