The DeKalb County 4-H Health Rocks team joined 440 youth leaders from across the state at the Tennessee Teen Institute.
The Institute is a five-day youth leadership and prevention camp sponsored by the Jackson Area Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (JACOA). This year marked the 30th Anniversary of the Teen Institute Program in Tennessee. The program addresses teen issues such as bullying, violence, suicide, teen pregnancy, distracted driving, teen health and substance abuse prevention through a five-day, peer-led prevention camp designed to provide teen participants with the skills and education necessary to develop and implement alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs in their own communities. The DeKalb County 4-H Health Rocks teen leaders do after school programs during the school year which address many of these issues for youth. TTI is a comprehensive program that trains, mobilizes and empowers youth to prevent the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and self destructive behaviors in themselves and their peers. TTI prepares students to not only make positive changes, but to be proud advocates of those changes. Students will have the opportunity to grow and learn as individuals, while enhancing their leadership abilities. Because TTI is peer-led, teens are given a unique opportunity to have a “voice” in addressing issues important to them. Giving youth some ownership in this type of program is one of the key factors in the success of enforcing a substance free lifestyle.
Held on the University of Tennessee at Martin campus in Martin, Tennessee, June 18-23th, TTI 2017 hosted approximately 440 teen leaders, adult advisors, and TTI staff. These participants leave motivated not only to make healthy decisions in their own lives, but also committed to work so that others are making healthy decisions as well.
For more information about the Tennessee Teen Institute visit www.tnteeninstitute.net.

“Coach to Coach” returns to WJLE
You are invited to the weekly coach’s meeting for the coach’s view of every Tennessee Football game. “Coach To Coach” is your weekly connection to your favorite team. The program will air again this college football season on WJLE AM 1480 and FM 101.7 Fridays at 5:00 p.m. and will repeat Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m.
The first program airs this weekend, August 4 & 5.
Former coaches Phillip Fulmer and Doug Mathews go “Coach To Coach” every week with one hour of intense football discussion. It’s just like you’re in the coaches’ meeting, talking offense and defense with the men who called the plays to win the big games.
Share the lessons from last week’s game. Breakdown the SEC slate. Talk about the issues inside college football. “Coach To Coach” comes your way every weekend, hosted by one of the state’s premiere sports broadcasters, Larry Stone.
Get inside the 2017 Tennessee football season. Go “Coach To Coach” with Phillip Fulmer and Doug Mathews.

You’re invited to get a Moon’s Eye View from Downtown Smithville. The Solar Eclipse Downtown Block Party will be on Monday, August 21st.
Children’s Solar Eclipse Activities led by Helen Sefsik will be from 10 AM to 12 PM at the Justin Potter Library. Then right across from the library starting at 12:30 PM, come to Evins Park Open-Air Stage where free Solar Eclipse Glasses will be given away while they last. First come/First serve.
The City of Smithville will be providing Moon pies & the library & DeKalb County Government will be providing water. Bring a lawn chair and set up in the county lot where everyone will watch it together!
Hope you can come & experience the 2017 Eclipse with us! Sponsored by the Justin Potter Library, Smithville-DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, DeKalb Co. Govt., & the City of Smithville.

District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway of Cookeville, Tenn., was elected to represent Middle Tennessee on the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference’s (TNDAGC) Executive Committee.
“It is an honor to be elected by my colleagues to be a part of the Executive Committee,” said District Attorney Bryant Dunaway. “The Executive Committee is committed to meeting the challenges that we face in Tennessee, and I look forward to representing Middle Tennessee.”
Dunaway also serves as chairman of the Conference IT Committee, as a member of the Conference Legislative Committee and Finance Committee. As District Attorney for the 13th Judicial District he serves Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam and White counties.
“General Dunaway is an excellent choice to represent Middle Tennessee, and his leadership is invaluable to the efforts of the District Attorneys General,” said TNDAGC Executive Director Jerry N. Estes. “We are fortunate to have Gen. Dunaway in this role as we look for solutions to the state’s most difficult problems.”
Dunaway was first elected as a District Attorney for the 13th Judicial District in 2014. He received his B.S. degree from Tennessee Tech University and his law degree from Nashville School of Law. He and his wife, LeeAnn, live in Cookeville.
About TNDAGC
The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1961 to provide for a more prompt and efficient administration of justice in the courts of this state. It is composed of the District Attorneys General from the state’s 31 judicial districts. The District Attorneys General are elected for a term of eight years and are responsible for the prosecution of criminal cases on behalf of the state. Visit www.tndagc.org for more information or to contact your local District Attorney General.

DCHS FCCLA joined more than 7,500 FCCLA student leaders, members, and advisers at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN, July 2nd-6th to participate in the annual FCCLA National Leadership Conference (NLC).
The conference provided DCHS FCCLA student opportunities for listening to inspiring speakers, attending learning sessions, competing on the national level, and networking with other leaders. The theme of this year’s conference was “Unlimited Possibilities,” which inspired attendees to discover the unlimited possibilities within their reach while exploring career opportunities, developing leadership skills, and growing personally while making difference in their families and communities.
“We were thrilled to have an attendance of over 7,500 members, advisers, partners, and guests who were committed to discovering the unlimited possibilities available through FCCLA. The relationships and skills developed during this conference have inspired students to make a difference in their own communities and to discover the unlimited possibilities within their reach,” said Sandy Spavone, executive director of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.
Ashley Reynolds from DCHS FCCLA participated in one of 30 Family and Consumer Sciences related Competitive Events offered at NLC, including STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) Events and the FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl. These events support foundational, leadership, and workplace skills in areas such as advocacy, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship. Competing with over 4,200 STAR Event participants in Nashville, Ashley Reynolds achieved Silver Recognition in her Advocacy project.
Ashley stated the following about her experience, “Going to National Leadership Conference was honestly a dream come true! I have worked extremely hard on my Advocacy project to help teens become aware of the effects and responsibility of teenage pregnancy, and being able to go to Nationals and showcase everything that I did and be recognized just tops it all off. I will be forever grateful for this experience and couldn’t have done it without the patience, love, and support from my advisors, parents, family, and friends! Hopefully, NLC will see me again next year!”
About FCCLA
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a dynamic and effective career and technical student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has more than 164,000 members and more than 5,300 chapters from 49 state associations, in addition to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
FCCLA: The Ultimate Leadership Experience is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by members, and it’s the only career and technical in-school student organization with a central focus on careers that support families. Participation in national FCCLA programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.
For more information on FCCLA, please contact Linda Parris at 615-597-4094 or lindaparris@dekalbschools.net

The Friends of DeKalb County Animals has two fundraisers planned in August to benefit the new DeKalb Animal Coalition Shelter:
The first is a Canoe & Kayak Poker Run on the Caney Fork River Sunday, August 6, 2017 at Big Rock Market/Caney Fork Outdoors River Store located at 1193 Wolf Creek Rd, Silver Point, Tennessee 38582.
Registration is from 9 am until 12 pm, cost is $30 per person to participate in the poker run. The actual float should take an average kayaker approximately 4 hours to complete. You may begin the float anytime between 9:30 am – 1 pm and be able to complete it by 5 pm. If you do not have your own kayak or canoe, all rentals from Caney Fork Outdoors will help the animals as Janice Martin, owner, has graciously offered to kickback $15 from each boat rental to the event. Canoes will rent for $45 (2 ppl can ride in a canoe for $45) and kayaks will be available for $40 each (1 person only). All rentals include PDFs, paddles, and boats-just bring yourself and coolers if you want to have lunch along the river!
The best poker hand/scorecard wins! All scorecards must be turned into last checkpoint by 5 pm in order to be eligible for prizes. The poker run is NOT a race; you simply register/obtain a score card, float the 7 mile stretch of the Caney Fork River between the Gordonsville Access boat ramp and the Bob Lowery Sr. Boat Ramp in South Carthage below the AG Center/Crump Ballfields stopping along the way at each of the 4 checkpoints to ‘draw’ a poker card. Your cards will be recorded on your score cards by the poker run officials. After 5 pm, all score cards submitted on time will be evaluated by poker run officials. The best 3 hands win! You do not have to be present to win. Winners will be contacted by Debbie Rowe to set up prize delivery times.
The Grand Prize, donated by our Sponsors Big Rock Mkt and Caney Fork Outdoors River Store is a $500 value, 2-night cabin getaway, kayak rental (a $2000 Jackson kayak), and a gourmet lunch.
2nd place donated by Kayla Miller of Salon Gallaria in Mt. Juliet, TN is a $100 Gift Certificate
3rd place is a kayak paddle donated by Friends of DeKalb County Animals
The last checkpoint in South Carthage, at the boat ramp, poker run participants will have the option to ‘buy’ extra poker cards for $5 each or purchase an entire new hand for $15. All proceeds go to opening and operating the new animal shelter located behind Tenneco on Transfer Station Road, Smithville, TN. All current and future fundraisers are public events posted on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1045907762211547/?acontext=%7B%22action_…
The 2nd fundraiser is a Kayak Raffle. A Jackson Rivera Kayak donated by Cindy Ward of Architectural Custom Cabinetry will be given away on Saturday, August 26, 2017.
Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $12 and are on sale NOW until the date of the drawing on Saturday, August 26, 2017.
Tickets can be purchased at the Mike Foster Mutli-Purpose Center on Wednesday, August 2 from 7-10 am and Thursday, August 3 from 3-6 pm. OR you can contact Debbie at 615-417-4623 to purchase tickets at other times.

As students are starting back to school, Jimmy Sprague, Transportation Supervisor for the DeKalb County School System wants to caution drivers to be aware of the rules and penalties for improperly passing a school bus.
“Buses will start running on August 7, which is an abbreviated school day. Our first full day is August 9. I want to let the public know that the buses will be running so please pay attention. We will have children at the bus stops to be picked up in the mornings and dropped off in the afternoons. Remember when the buses stop and the lights are flashing, don’t pass the buses because we’re either loading or unloading children. If you should be running late for work in the mornings, please don’t try to make up for lost time by trying to pass a school bus. Leave a little earlier to get to your destination to avoid the bus traffic. Nothing is as dangerous as when children are getting on or off a school bus, especially when there is traffic that doesn’t stop for a bus,” said Sprague.
Four lane highways are of particular concern. “For example Highway 70 (West Broad Street) in Smithville is a four lane with a driveable median and state law says if there is a driveable or paved median between the (east and westbound lanes) then all four lanes of traffic have to stop if a bus is picking up a child. If there is a non-driveable (grass or barrier) median only traffic going in the same direction as the buses have to stop. The state has been cracking down violators. It is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine. I want to encourage everybody to practice safe driving at all times but especially around school buses,” he said.
Sprague said all buses are in good condition and drivers are certified to begin the new year. “Our drivers have been certified this year. DeKalb County is blessed with an outstanding group of drivers. I go to meetings within our state transportation department and I tell them all, and I make no bones about it, DeKalb County has the best bus drivers in the state of Tennessee,” said Sprague.
The Tennessee law states: The driver of a vehicle upon a highway, upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus that has stopped on the highway for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children, shall stop the vehicle before reaching the school bus, and the driver shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or is signaled by the school bus driver to proceed or the visual signals are no longer actuated. Subsection (a) shall also apply to a school bus with lights flashing and stop sign extended and marked in accordance with this subsection (a) that is stopped upon property owned, operated, or used by a school or educational institution, if the bus is stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children outside a protected loading zone.
All motor vehicles used in transporting school children to and from school in this state are required to be distinctly marked “School Bus” on the front and rear thereof in letters of not less than six inches (6”) in height, and so plainly written or printed and so arranged as to be legible to persons approaching the school bus, whether traveling in the same or opposite direction.
The driver of a vehicle upon a highway with separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus that is on a different roadway or when upon a controlled-access highway and the school bus is stopped in a loading zone that is a part of or adjacent to the highway and where pedestrians are not permitted to cross the roadway. For the purpose of this subsection (a), “separate roadways” means roadways divided by an intervening space that is not suitable to vehicular traffic.
Except as otherwise provided by subdivisions (a) (1)-(3), the school bus driver is required to stop the school bus on the right-hand side of the road or highway, and the driver shall cause the bus to remain stationary and the visual stop signs on the bus actuated, until all school children who should be discharged from the bus have been so discharged and until all children whose destination causes them to cross the road or highway at that place have negotiated the crossing.
It is a Class C misdemeanor for any person to fail to comply with any provision of this subsection (a) other than the requirement that a motor vehicle stop upon approaching a school bus.
It is a Class A misdemeanor punishable only by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for any person to fail to comply with the provision of this subsection (a) requiring a motor vehicle to stop upon approaching a school bus.
Be alert and allow our children to arrive to and from school safely without harm.