The end of an era.
After almost 136 years Smithville’s oldest business, F.Z. Webb & Sons Pharmacy, will soon be leaving the public square and moving to the former location of the Family Dollar and more recently the Big Bounce on South Congress Boulevard.
“We’re not going out of business. We’re moving and expanding,” Alan Webb told WJLE Tuesday.
Webb, owner of the pharmacy, said that his son-in-law Justin Hooper, who is also a pharmacist, will be joining him in the business.
“My new son-in-law, Justin Hooper is buying into the store and we will be partners. The pharmacy will be owned by me and my wife Lora along with Justin and his wife and our daughter Martha. That will bring along a fifth generation of ownership to Webb’s Drug Store,” said Alan.
While he hates to leave downtown, Webb said having the pharmacy on South Congress Boulevard will make it more visible and hopefully draw more business. “ We decided to move out on the highway where there is more traffic. Since the courthouse moved so many of their offices to the county complex there has not been as much activity downtown in recent years,” he said.
The new pharmacy is expected to offer more services and conveniences including a soda fountain, something F.Z. Webb & Sons Pharmacy was once known for at the present location until it was discontinued several years ago. “We’re going to be remodeling the building and we’re planning to put the old soda fountain back in. We’ll have a drive-through window and consultation rooms and there will be plenty of parking. We don’t yet know what all we are going to offer but it will be good for DeKalb County and the surrounding areas. We expect business to grow there because there will be more space for growth,”said Webb.
Although a target date has not yet been set for the move, Webb said it will be sometime within the next few months. “I don’t know when or how long it will take to get the building remodeled but we plan to move sometime this year,” he said.
F.Z. Webb & Sons Pharmacy was founded in 1881 and now has locations in Alexandria and McMinnville in addition to Smithville. “We appreciate all our loyal customers and the families we have served for generations and hope you will continue to patronize us. We also hope to make new friends and customers. As in the past we will continue to operate as a locally owned independent pharmacy,” added Webb.
F.Z. Webb & Sons Gifts, operated by Webb’s sister Annette Greek, will remain in operation downtown on the public square.

A 17 year old Smithville boy has been missing for two weeks and authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating him.
Jacob Linder is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. His hair is light brown and he has blue eyes. He was last seen on Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Anyone with information should contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or the Smithville Police Department at 615-597-8210.

A convicted felon was arrested last week after being found with a weapon during a traffic stop and a small bag of marijuana while being booked into the jail.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MUG SHOTS OF PERSONS RECENTLY BOOKED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY JAIL. INTAKES AND RELEASES FROM: 1/23/2017 Thru: 1/30/2017)Seagate Crystal Reports – REPOR_7.pdf (2.4 MB)
24 year old Natalie Gail Barrett of Miller Road, Smithville is charged with illegal carrying or possession of a weapon and bringing contraband into a penal institution. She was further issued a citation for driving on roadways laned for travel. Her bond is $10,000 and her court date is February 16.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, January 26 a deputy spotted a vehicle traveling in the middle of Snow Hill Road. After making a traffic stop, the officer was given consent to search the automobile by the driver, Barrett. A 22 caliber revolver was found wrapped up inside a bag on the back seat. Barrett, who has a felony criminal record for a 2012 schedule I drug offense, admitted that the bag belonged to her. She was placed under arrest and brought to the jail. While in the booking area a correctional officer asked Barrett if she had anything on her person. Barrett replied “yes” and then produced a small bag containing a green leafy substance, believed to be marijuana, from the front of her pants.
22 year old Dustin Allen Sullivan of Jackson Street, Smithville is charged with failure to appear, possession of methamphetamine, and resisting arrest. His bond totals $10,000 on two of the charges but he is being held without bond for the failure to appear. His court date on the FTA is February 24 and February 16 on the other offenses.
Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, January 27 a detective and deputy conducted a traffic stop on Cecil Hale Road in Smithville. Sullivan was a passenger of the vehicle. He had active warrants against him. Sullivan was asked several times by the detective to step outside the vehicle but he refused. Sullivan was forcibly removed from the automobile as he continued to resist. Sullivan was then handcuffed and transported to the jail for booking. While making the arrest, the officers found a small baggie which contained a crystal like substance, believed to be methamphetamine. It weighed 0.08 grams and it field tested positive for meth.
52 year old Ricky L. Shehane of Wade Street, Smithville is charged with filing a false report and resist, stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. His bond is $3,000 and his court date is February 9.
Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, January 23 officers went to 309 Wade Street to serve arrest warrants on 31 year old Clint Shehane for two offenses of failure to appear. Upon arrival, the deputies saw Clint Shehane moving about inside the home while knocking on the door. After making entry, the officers spoke to Ricky Shehane and asked for Clint. Ricky replied that he did not know Clint’s whereabouts and asked why the officers were in his home. The deputies answered that they were there to arrest Clint. Ricky asked if they had a search warrant. The officers responded that they had a warrant for Clint’s arrest. Ricky again denied knowing Clint’s whereabouts. Clint was subsequently found in Ricky’s bedroom closet that Ricky had earlier been spotted coming from. While the deputies were placing Ricky under arrest for giving false information, he refused to comply with their commands to put his hands behind his back. The officers were able to get Ricky’s right hand cuffed from the front though Ricky continued to resist by trying to pull away from the deputies.
Meanwhile Clint’s bond totals $4,000 and he will be in court on the two failure to appear warrants February 9 and April 6.
33 year old Ryan Lee Walden of Dale Ridge Road, Dowelltown is cited for simple possession of a schedule IV drug (Alprazolam) and a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine). His court date is February 16.
Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, January 27 a deputy pulled over a vehicle on Bryant Street in Smithville. Walden was in the automobile. After receiving consent to search, the officer found inside the vehicle a small container with 0.05 grams of a white substance believed to be methamphetamine and two blue pills thought to be Alprazolam.

The DCHS FBLA club recently competed at Region 5 Conference at Middle Tennessee State University. The club brought home several awards. The following students will be competing at state conference in Chattanooga in March. Congratulations to the following FBLA members who placed in their Regional Contest.
1st place:
Madison Mick, Client Service
Ealy Gassaway and Wesley Carpenter, Global Business
Raiden Martin, Introduction to Business
Abby Evans and Madi Cantrell, Marketing
Holly Evans, Spreadsheet Applications
2nd Place:
Maggie Robinson, Accounting
Andrew Fuson, Parker Gassaway, Global Business
3rd Place:
Matthew Poss, Agribusiness
Ami Patel, Health Care Administration
Sarah Ann Colwell and Rachel Fuson, Hospitality Management
Caiti Milligan, Word Processing
4th Place:
Lance Davis, Business Law
Ethan Jenkins and Chance Mabe, Entrepreneurship
Mackenzie Partridge, Health Care Administration
Dosson Medlin, Public Speaking 2
5th Place:
Jasmine Parker, Health Care Administration
Luke Green, Public Speaking 2
6th Place:
Casey Vickers, Agribusiness
Eli Cantrell, Public Speaking 1

Wilson Bank & Trust has promoted Clark Oakley to executive vice president and COO, officials announced recently.
Oakley, a 28-year banking veteran, joined Wilson Bank & Trust in 1995. Prior to his January 1 promotion, he served for 8 years as president of the bank’s eastern region, overseeing all banking functions in DeKalb, Putnam, Smith and Trousdale counties as well as Watertown in Wilson County. Oakley’s roles with the bank have also included manager and assistant manager at the Watertown office. He started at WB&T as a mortgage originator, having previously worked at other institutions in operations, information systems, customer service and lending.
“We are pleased to have someone of Clark’s experience, expertise and internal organizational knowledge stepping into this new role at Wilson Bank & Trust,” CEO Randall Clemons said. “His practical approach and commitment to making WB&T better have brought him success at every level, and his combination of retail and operational skills will serve him well as our bank’s first COO.”
Oakley, a graduate of DeKalb County High School and Middle Tennessee State University, has completed professional programs through the Southeastern School of Banking at Vanderbilt and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU as well as the Tennessee Bankers Association’s Executive Development Academy. In the community, he serves as a board member for United Way and as a church ministry chairman for Gideons International, and has previously served with the Lions Club and as a member of the Rotary. Oakley is also a Leadership Wilson graduate.
Oakley and his wife of 23 years, Lisa, reside in Liberty and have two children, Cason and Addison.
Wilson Bank & Trust (www.wilsonbank.com), member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender, is a community bank established in 1987 to provide personal and professional service in a hometown setting. One of the top banks in the South in stability, products, technology, growth and earnings, WB&T currently operates 25 full-service offices in eight Middle Tennessee counties, offering a full range of financial products that include secondary market mortgage loans and online banking services.
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Photo:
Wilson Bank & Trust’s Clark Oakley, front, was recently named an executive vice president and the bank’s Chief Operating Officer. He is pictured with WB&T executives (L to R) John McDearman, Elmer Richerson and Randall Clemons.

The Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department paid tribute to a very special 17 year old boy Saturday by making him an honorary member and giving him a ride around town in one of the city’s fire engines.
Tanner Malone, son of Shannon and Julie Malone of Alexandria, was presented a plaque and tee shirt by Alexandria Fire Chief Brian Partridge. Other members of the department were also on hand for the occasion.
Tanner was born with a very rare genetic disorder and has undergone numerous surgeries and treatments for his condition.
“Tanner was the only one at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital with this condition and there were actually only ten other kids worldwide with it. His doctors at Vanderbilt actually call him their question mark. We just don’t know why this happened to him but God knows why,” said Julie Malone, Tanner’s mom who spoke with WJLE Saturday.
“It’s the fourth chromosome. Tanner underwent open heart surgery when he was six weeks old. He had two cranial surgeries when he was six months old and eight months old. He was hospitalized the first five years of his life numerous times with pneumonia and he had a bad case of asthma. Six years ago he went in for a six hour brain surgery to remove almost all of the right side of his brain. He went back in on the next week for an eleven hour brain surgery. After those two brain surgeries, he went in to have a shunt put in because fluid was building on his brain. His liver is now being affected because of the high dosages of medication he is taking,” said Julie.
Although he can’t attend school like other students, Tanner is home schooled. “He has had a homebound teacher, Lori Rogers since he was in kindergarten. Now she comes to our house because he has an immune deficiency. He can’t have MMR shots, Chicken Pox vaccines and things like that. They have to be extra careful with him. But he has actually been going to school with her, usually one day a week for about four hours. She goes with him to kind of get him out of the house and let him enjoy being with other kids. He is mentally with probably a three or four year old,” Julie continued.
Through it all, Tanner is a happy teenager with an outgoing personality and he makes friends quickly. “This kid is amazing. Tanner never meets a stranger. He is just the happiest kid ever and is just a blessing to everyone,” Julie said.
For his 16th birthday, Tanner received almost 400 birthday cards. “He loves to get mail. He thinks that is just grand. He is so loved by so many in DeKalb County,” said Julie.
After he healed from his surgeries, Tanner and his family got to take a trip to Florida for a week. A wish granted to Tanner by the Make A Wish Foundation.
As Tanner continues to receive treatment for his condition, his family asks that you keep them in your prayers. “We had no clue when I was pregnant that anything was wrong. Then after we had him they were telling us everything that was wrong. We were just devastated. A lot of times it’s a tough road and it seems like there is always something new that comes about. We feel like we get one thing fixed and something else messes up. Now its with his liver. But God has a plan. Always pray for Tanner,” said Julie.