There aren’t many twenty-three year old musicians that can say they’ve had a career that’s already spanned more than a decade, and there aren’t many at any age that can compare resumes with Sierra Hull.
Hull has been named the 2015 Blue Blaze Award recipient by the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival. She will be presented this award on the same stage that her love of competitive bluegrass music began. Her journey began on the stage of the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree at the young age of 9 years old. By age 11, Alison Krauss had called with an invitation to the Opry stage; by 12, Rounder Records was expressing interest (she signed a record deal with Rounder at 13, with her first album released at 16.) She’s also played the White House, Carnegie Hall (twice), the Kennedy Center, traveled around the world sharing her music, and released three albums. Then there’s the fact that Berklee gave her the school’s most prestigious award, the Presidential Scholarship, a first for a bluegrass musician; her choice to accept it, to delay her dream of hitting the road full-time after high school in favor of expanding her musical worldview, was hardly a light one.
“When the Jamboree board and committees were talking about potential recipients for this year’s Blue Blaze Award, we were looking for a candidate whose roots of success grew from their participation at the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree. Sierra Hull, with all of her great success and accolades, was the uncontested fit for this honor,” said Shan Burklow – Jamboree Marketing Committee, “We are honored that Sierra’s humble beginnings started right here on the Jamboree stage and have enjoyed watching her career explode at such a young age. She is a remarkable talent and extraordinary person. The core mission of the award is to acknowledge a musician that has kept the embers of bluegrass music glowing for future generations to come. We believe that Sierra embodies the heart of this mission.”
“At 9 years old, I stepped on to the stage at the Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree for the first time to play “Jerusalem Ridge”, said Hull, “It was my first contest, and I had only been playing about a year at the time. I didn’t place in the contest, but felt really inspired by all the other kids and musicians I met that day. I immediately looked forward to going back the next year. My dad certainly reminded me that I’d have to work hard if I wanted to place next time. The next year, I went back and won 1st on guitar, which was really exciting, but only 2nd on mandolin. I’ve always thought of myself as a mandolin player first, so I really wanted to win the mandolin contest at least once. It was such a good thing for me as a young kid to enter a contest and lose! It really gave me a boost to work hard for another year. I went back the next year and won both mandolin and guitar! I was so excited. It was also great local exposure with the contest being broadcasted on WCTE. After winning – later that year, Gibson gave me my first mandolin endorsement – mostly because Danny Roberts had seen me play at the Jamboree. I couldn’t believe it! I am so honored to be chosen for the Blue Blaze Award this year. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Smithville as a place where some of my fondest memories as a young musician were made.”
Boundaries—age, genre or otherwise—don’t hamper an artist like Sierra. She’s already earned considerable respect in the bluegrass world, the IBMA’s voting members having nominated her for no fewer than eight awards. We’re thinking that there’s a good chance that she’ll be the first woman to win the mandolin category. But as a player, singer, and a songwriter, she also has remarkable range. Matt Glaser, head of Berklee’s American Roots Music Program, put it this way, “She has no limitations as a musician.”
Hull has a fan base that includes country icons and legends alike. Country Music Legend Dolly Parton was quoted as saying, “I can’t say enough about Sierra Hull….Sierra is truly a beautiful and talented gift to this world, so special and unique.” Alison Krauss weighed in with her feelings on the young artist, “Sierra is a remarkably talented, beautiful human being. Success could not have come to a more worthy person. I adore her.”
…and we couldn’t agree more. Congratulations to Sierra Hull, the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree Blue Blaze Award recipient for 2015. For more information on her career, accolades, and upcoming tour dates, go to www.sierrahull.com

Erin M. Cantrell, of Smithville, was named to the Dean’s List for the Spring 2015 semester at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The Dean’s List is an academic honor awarded to students for high academic achievement.
Cantrell is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science and Sustainability with a concentration in BioGeoChemistry at Cornell University. She is an active member of Phi Mu Sorority, where she serves as historian, and Theta Tau Engineering Fraternity. She holds a research assistant position in the CALS Lab working with water salinity and soils. She is also a certified caving and rock climbing instructor with the Cornell Outdoor Education department. Erin is a 2013 graduate of DeKalb County High School. She is the daughter of Lori and Edgar Pryor of Smithville.
Cornell University is a privately endowed, Ivy League, research university and a partner of the state of New York. It is ranked in the top 10 engineering programs in the US, and the 11th best university in the world. Cornell just celebrated its Sesquicentennial, in April 2015, which celebrates 150 years since its founding charter was signed, Cornell is a community of scholars, known for intellectual rigor and engaged in deep and broad research, teaching tomorrow’s thought leaders to think otherwise, care for others, and create and disseminate knowledge with a public purpose.

Middle Tennessee Head Baseball Coach Jim McGuire has announced the addition of five transfers who have signed letters of intent to continue their careers with the Blue Raiders including former DCHS pitching standout Cody Puckett who has played two seasons for Columbia State Community College.
Puckett is expected to fill an immediate need for the program as a left-handed pitcher. Blue Raider southpaws Johnathan Frebis and Nathan Foriest exhausted their eligibility following the 2015 campaign.
Puckett (6-0, 190), who starred as a pitcher/outfielder at nearby DeKalb County High School in Smithville posted a 9-4 record and registered more than 125 strikeouts in two seasons at Columbia State. Puckett was a member of the weekend rotation both seasons at Columbia State and helped lead the team to the JUCO World Series in 2014 when he posted a 5-0 record.
Puckett was the District 8-AA Pitcher of the Year as a junior at DeKalb County, where he led the Tigers to two Class AA state tournament appearances.
“With the left-handed pitchers we are losing we felt we needed to add another lefty to the class,” McGuire said. “Cody can start or relieve for us. He will definitely help us from the left side. He has a strong body, strong arm and could be a draft pick before his career is complete at Middle Tennessee.”
All five signees are transfers and are expected to help make an immediate impact in the program following the loss of nine seniors who exhausted their eligibility following a 32-win season in 2015.
In addition to Puckett, incoming players for the Blue Raiders include Riley Delgado, infielder, Columbia State CC; Will Jackson, RHP, Georgia Perimeter College; Vaughn Shapen, catcher/infielder, Bosier Parish CC; and Chaz Vesser, catcher, Chattanooga State CC.

Anyone wishing to qualify for the Alexandria Municipal Election has until noon next Thursday, June 18 to get in the race.
In this year’s election on September 3, three aldermen are to be elected, each to serve a four year term. Meanwhile, a mayor and two other aldermen are to be elected to fill vacancies or the remaining two years of unexpired terms.
According to the election commission Bennett Armstrong and Tony Tarpley have picked up petitions to run for mayor. Armstrong has already returned his petition to become a candidate. Armstrong is currently an alderman appointee. Tarpley was appointed mayor in 2013 after Jim York was elected mayor and resigned three days after taking office. Tarpley has served the first two years of York’s unexpired term as mayor. Both Tarpley and Armstrong plan to seek the last two years of the term.
Kelly Pyburn, David Cripps, and John F. Suggs have each been issued petitions to seek a four year alderman term. Both Suggs and Cripps have returned them to become candidates. Cripps and Suggs are incumbent aldermen, appointees serving out unexpired or vacant terms.
Matthew Boss and Danny Parkerson each have obtained petitions to run for a two year alderman term.
The sitting members are Mayor Tony Tarpley and Aldermen Pat Jackson, David Cripps, John Suggs, and Bennett Armstrong. All are serving as appointees except for Jackson, who was elected in 2013 and still has two years remaining in his term.

Four years ago the county established a four tier wage scale for employees of the Sheriff’s Department to give them more pay and make their wages more competitive with law enforcement officers in other counties of similar size.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said at the time that his deputies and detectives were some of the lowest paid of any county our size in the state.
While the pay plan implemented in 2011 has been good for his department, Sheriff Ray believes its time the scale was brought up to date. During Tuesday night’s meeting, the county budget committee approved the sheriff’s budget request for 2015-16 which includes a new modified scale that adds two more tiers to the plan.
“We’ve had some loyal employees that has been with the county for a long time here at the sheriff’s department and we want to see them make a little more money for being loyal to the county and staying with us. They are good employees and we want to give them an incentive to stay on and also to give our younger people on the first tier something to look forward to. A goal to reach,” Sheriff Ray told WJLE Wednesday.
Although the budget committee gave its blessing for the plan, cuts were made in the Sheriff’s proposed budget to help pay for it. ” Some of the increase was anticipated because of the existing wage scale but I cut $48,480 out of my budget to help offset this (extra costs). Since taking office in 2006 we’ve always been under budget. We’ve never been over budget and we’re going to try our best this next budget year to do the same. We’ve always turned in quite a bit of money back to the county (at year’s end). I appreciate the budget committee working with me on this and the employees here will also appreciate that,” said Sheriff Ray.
Under the new wage scale, Sheriff’s Department employees start out on the first tier either as a Detective, Sergeant, Deputy, Correctional Officer, or Cook.
“After they work one calendar year from July 1, employees are eligible to advance to the second tier the following July 1. Employees may then advance to the third and fourth tier. When employees work at this department for a total of six consecutive years in the same job position, they may advance to the fifth tier. After they work two more years (eight years) in the same job position, employees will move to the sixth tier,” Sheriff Ray said.
The Chief Deputy’s pay will be based on performance rather than the six tier plan. “He is at $40,144 now and will go to $43,365. His tiers are set on performance which means the Chief Deputy will be evaluated on his performance within the Department and will then be raised to the next step accordingly. It is not a year by year tier like the other positions,” Sheriff Ray told WJLE.
The following tier plan for each position is as follows:
Chief Deputy: (Performance Tiers)
$40,144 (Yearly Pay)
$43,365
$44,675
$46,016
Detective:
1st Tier: $35,597 per year
2nd Tier:$36, 603
3rd Tier: $37,676
4th Tier: $38,615
5th Tier: $39,621
6th Tier: $40,628
Sergeant:
1st Tier: $35,597
2nd Tier: $36,156
3rd Tier: $36,715
4th Tier: $37,274
5th Tier: $37,833
6thTier: $38,392
Deputy:
1st Tier: $30,141
2nd Tier: $31,505
3rd Tier: $32,869
4th Tier: $34,233
5th Tier: $35,597
6thTier: $36,961
Correctional Officer:
1st Tier: $26,429
2nd Tier: $27,145
3rd Tier: $27,860
4th Tier: $28,598
5th Tier: $29,269
6thTier: $30,007
Cook:
1st Tier: $20,966
2nd Tier: $21,299
3rd Tier: $21,632
4th Tier: $22,006
5th Tier: $22,297
6thTier: $22,630
The budget committee’s favorable recommendation on the sheriff’s department and jail budget including this new pay plan now goes to the county commission this summer for final approval

The proposed budget for schools is on its way to final passage by the county commission later this summer.
The spending plan met the approval of the county budget committee Tuesday night and will be recommended to the commission for adoption.
Members of the budget committee commended Interim Director of Schools Dr. Danielle Collins for her work on the school budget, which has been adopted by the Board of Education, and for her cooperation.
The committee, made up of Chairman Wayne Cantrell and members Larry Summers, Jack Barton, Jimmy Midgett, and Jerry Adcock, amended the school budget, making minor changes or corrections to certain line items to accurately reflect that funding for extended contracts would not be included as intended by the school board.
This was the second attempt by the Board of Education to satisfy the county budget committee on a school budget.
After the budget committee Tuesday night, June 2 rejected the original spending plan offered May 28, the school board made some cuts last Thursday night, June 4.
In the revised version, the school board cut the request for two RTI positions down to one, hoping federal money can be used to fund the other. No local money is included to cover extended contracts which are no longer funded by the state. The board has decided to save $4,100 by no longer having a billboard on the side of the road near the high school, which has been there for the last several years showing a picture of high school graduates with the theme “Education Counts in DeKalb County”. And the board is freezing funding for five positions in the school system, which have been left vacant with the recent retirement or resignation of former employees. While the funding for those five jobs will remain in the budget, the money will not be spent unless the school system’s average daily (student) membership numbers increase, requiring them to be filled. The board is also considering dropping its association with AdvancED for accreditation of the schools which would save the school system money. In the school transportation category, the board had budgeted $250,000 for the purchase of two buses but the cost is not expected to be that much. The board has cut $20,000 from that line item of the budget.
The school budget does include a new computer teacher postion at Smithville Elementary School, a new part time janitor position at DeKalb West School, a new school nurse, technology and equipment upgrades, additional supplies for classrooms and intervention programs, a deaf education contract, a new scrubber, and a few other proposed new expenditures.
The school budget for 2015-16 totals just over $21 million dollars. Anticipated revenues are budgeted at $19.3 million. More than $1.6 million of the school’s BEP and Technology reserves will be needed to balance the budget on paper but the actual number by the end of the fiscal year in 2016 is expected to be in the neighborhood of $250,000 to $300,000.
The school board will be asked to adopt the budget as amended by the county budget committee.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce recently presented a Community Improvement Award to the Alexandria Fire Department.
The fire department has undergone a complete interior renovation including walls, floors, ceiling, signage, new furnishings and a new TV for weather emergency information and for training purposes. Recently, the ISO Rating for Alexandria dropped from a 7 to a 4 which may translate into lower residential and commercial insurance premiums.
The Alexandria Fire Department also has a 2nd engine now.
(PICTURED): Alexandria Alderman David Cripps, FF Rebecca Partridge, FF Lorrie Merriman, Asst. Chief John Partridge, FF Chris Cavin, FF Justin Avera, Capt. Brent Davis, Alexandria Mayor Tony Tarpley, Chief Brian Partridge, FF Chris Henderson, Alexandria Alderman Bennett Armstrong, Alexandria Alderman John Suggs and Chamber Director Suzanne Williams

Joe Foutch’s term as a member of the DeKalb Utility District Board of Commissioners is expiring August 31.
During its regular monthly meeting Thursday, July 2 the DUD board is expected to certify a list of nominees to the county mayor to fill the position which may also include the name of Foutch for reapppointment. A DUD customer may submit a name to the District General Manager for consideration on the nominee list at least one week prior to the July 2 meeting
As WJLE first reported last year when DUD board members Jimmy Womack and Roger Turney were up for reappointment, by law the DUD board must submit the names of three nominees to fill each position, listed in order of preference.
Under the law, a customer may also submit names for consideration by the DUD board for the list of nominees.
The general provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated (State Law) TCA § 7-82-307 provide that the utility board members must submit three nominees, listed in order of preference, to the county mayor (where the vacancy exists). The county mayor has the authority to appoint one of the nominees to the vacant position on the board or reject all of the nominees. If the county mayor rejects all three nominees, then the board of (utility) commissioners has to submit three additional nominees to the county mayor for consideration. If the county mayor rejects these nominees, then the process would continue until the position is filled. There are, however, exceptions to these general provisions in the statute. Any order either appointing or rejecting a list of nominees shall be entered of record on the minutes of the county legislative body and a certified copy of the order shall be furnished to the board of (utility) commissioners and to the appointee; provided, that upon the rejection of any entire list of nominees by the county mayor, the board of (utility) commissioners shall continue to submit new nonidentical lists of three (3) nominees to the county mayor within sixty (60) days after each such rejection until such procedure shall result in the vacancy being filled for the remainder of the term or for the new term, as provided in this section.
The DUD Board is made up of five members, three from DeKalb County (Jimmy Womack, Joe Foutch, and Hugh Washer), one from Cannon (Roger Turney), and one from Smith County (Danny Bass). The terms are staggered. All terms are for four years.