A “Meet & Greet” for former DCHS Tiger and Middle Tennessee Blue Raider pitching star Cody Puckett will be held today (Friday, June 16) from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Northside Elementary School.
Selected by the Oakland Athletics in the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday, Cody is expected to be leaving for Arizona this weekend and later to the A’s rookie camp in Vermont. Family and friends invite you to stop by during today’s “Meet & Greet” for photos with Cody and to wish him well as be begins this new venture in his baseball career.
Puckett has spent the last two years as a Middle Tennessee Blue Raider after transferring from Columbia State Community College. Cody was also a standout for the DCHS Tigers during his high school years.
In an interview with WJLE Thursday, Puckett said MLB scouts first began taking notice of him last summer during the Northwoods competition, a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from North America and beyond.
“Scouts were there to watch another player but then they saw me pitch. Later there was another summer showcase of the top 100 prospects in the Northwoods and I got invited to that. But it really started to pick up around the pro day in the fall. After that I started getting interest from a lot of different teams. Toward the beginning of the spring, several scouts came out to watch me and then I knew I had a pretty good shot at the draft,” said Puckett.
Becoming a major league player has been a dream of Cody’s since he was a child. “I remember watching the Little League World Series and Major Leaguers play. Its always something I told myself I’m going to do one day. I have always dreamed about it since I was probably five years old or ever since I could walk and know what baseball is,” Cody continued.
Puckett said as the draft began this week, a couple of teams contacted him but he became a bit discouraged as nothing panned out right away. “I was kind of thinking of being drafted in the 15th to 25th rounds but on Tuesday I got a call from the Phillies in the 8th round saying they were going to take me in the 9th or 10th round. I was kind of disappointed though when they never called back. On Wednesday I got a call from the Royals and they made me an offer but right after I got off the phone with the Royals, the Oakland A’s called me and congratulated me on being drafted,” said Puckett.
The left hander, was selected by the A’s in the 30th round with the 861st pick on Wednesday.
While his goal is to make the majors, Cody said it would be nice to get some playing time in his home state with the Nashville Sounds, a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
“I know the Nashville Sounds are their Triple-A team so that would be pretty cool If I made it to that level in my home state. That would be nice,” he said.
Although he would have liked to have been taken higher in the draft, Cody said he is pleased with this opportunity. “It would have been nice to have been a top ten rounder but really I just want the opportunity to prove myself and make the most of it and hopefully I can advance to the minor league system and make it to the majors,” Puckett said.
“I appreciate all the support from the people back home and hopefully I can make you proud,” he concluded.

Caitlyn Lawrence of DeKalb County High School recently received a $250 Scholarship from the 3.21 Run for Down Syndrome Awareness fund. The award was presented by Clark Oakley
The 3.21 Run 4 DS 5K and Fun Run was started in the Spring of 2015 by Addison Oakley, who at the time was an 8th grade student at DeKalb West Elementary in Liberty.
Addison and her family have been blessed with connections to Down Syndrome children, who are close friends and family members and wanted to bring awareness in rural areas to the need to provide resources to children with Down Syndrome and other special needs that are often missed by not living in a larger metropolitan area. They have worked with support in DeKalb & Smith County as well as the support of Down Syndrome Association of Middle TN (DSAMT).
Through the help of friends, family, and strangers, the event has grown with over 150 participants and strong sponsorship each year. “We have been able to give $1500 in scholarships to DeKalb, Gordonsville, and Smith County High Schools, as well as over $10,000 to assist individuals, communities and school systems’ special needs programs with games, tools, and other educational supplies to benefit children with Down Syndrome and special needs,” said Clark Oakley
If you are interested in helping this cause, or would like to donate or become a sponsor, please contact 321Run4DS@gmail.com or Clark Oakley @ 615-548-4624. The 2017 5K and Fun Run will be October 7th taking place at DeKalb West Elementary, 101 Bulldog Ln, Liberty, TN. Mark your calendars and look for more info to come!

Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troop 347 conducted a flag retirement ceremony on Flag Day (June 14) at the Alexandria Senior Citizens Center. Each year on June 14 people across the United States celebrate Flag Day to honor the United States flag and to commemorate the flag’s adoption. When “Old Glory” becomes worn, torn, faded or badly soiled, it should be retired with dignity and respect and replaced with a new flag.
After leading the group of seniors in the Pledge of Allegiance, the Scouts retired the Star-Spangled Banner in a special vigil. They talked about the flag’s significance as the symbol in our nation’s history.

If you’re a fan of Old-Time Appalachian and Bluegrass styles of music, and you haven’t heard of the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, well… you must purt’ near live under a rock!
Self-proclaimed as “five guys and a scrubboard, with roots like wisdom teeth,” the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band has performed all over the country, have been featured prominently on RFD TV, and have made several stops at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. They provided the entertainment for the society wedding of Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie, played the Kennedy Center, and even played a New Year’s Eve show at the historic Ryman Auditorium, a show that nearly brought the house down!
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO OF THE TENNESSEE MAFIA JUG BAND)

With their passion and showmanship, steeped in the rich tradition of Old-Time Appalachian and Bluegrass music, and with the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree’s long-time tradition of promoting and carrying on the lineage of these styles of music, well, it just makes sense that these two finally got together!
The Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Crafts Festival proudly welcomes the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band for a performance on Saturday, July 1 at 5:00 p.m. and in addition, will make the group the fourth recipient of the annual Blue Blaze Award. They will join Darrin Vincent, Sierra Hull and Danny Roberts, all past recipients of the prestigious award. The award was created in 2014 to honor and recognize premier musicians and entertainers who have both had an impact on the Jamboree and who continue to promote the Old-Time Appalachian and Bluegrass styles of music.
Hailing from Goodlettesville, Tennessee, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band has shamelessly stolen a feature of the old Roy Acuff Show — a bit known as “Pap & the Jug Band.” This frolicking five-some brightens up the stage with rib-tickling old-time tunes. Even better, they have an utter lack of self-consciousness (and some might say any sense of decorum). The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band not only know the music, they wear the costumes, tell corny jokes and even do slapstick gags that throw a cable-tv-numbed audience into hysterics.
The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band was founded by the late “Lonesome” Lester Armistead, who, along with his brother, Jack, grew up around Roy Acuff‘s Smoky Mountain Boys, as their dad co-owned a bait store with Acuff’s fiddler, Howdy Forrester. Lester learned to sing from Bashful Brother Oswald and could pick a mean banjo, but was best known with the Mafia Jug Band for his jug blowin’. In several appearances on RFD TV’s The Marty Stuart Show, Marty would ask, “Lester, how’s your jug?” Only to have Lester reply, “‘Bout half.” In addition to playing music, he spent his later years as a retired printer raising grandchildren on his Middle Tennessee farm. Lester Armistead passed away on May 2, 2014, at the age of 71.
Lester’s passing, however, did not put an end to the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. His son, Mike, kept the music flowing with the remaining members of the band, along with some newcomers to fill his father’s void. In addition to Mike Armistead, current members of the group include Leroy Troy, Dan Kelly, Mike Webb and Ernie Sykes.
Known as “The Tennessee Slicker” and “The Sultan of Goodlettesville,” Leroy Troy has the “star power” of the group, having performed his astounding old-time banjo act since the 1980’s at the Knoxville World’s Fair, in the cast of Hee Haw, on many recordings, at concerts and festivals all over this country, and has also performed in Ireland. Leroy gives all credit to old-time Opry stars, the Bailes Brothers, who taught him show business. Besides banjo, Leroy also plays an elaborately outfitted scrubboard, after the fashion of long-ago Opry star Robert Lunn, who played the scrubboard in Roy Acuff’s show. Leroy’s grin and eyes are hypnotic – he knows how to connect with an audience.
Armistead, known in the group as Li’l Mikey Armistead, shares lead singing duties with Leroy, sings high tenor and harmony, and also serves as the group’s booking agent and manager. Like his dad, Mike has a taste for strong tenor singing and loves the repertoire of Bashful Brother Oswald and Ira Louvin. He runs his own record label in Goodlettsville and was a graduate of the very first International Bluegrass Music Association Leadership School. He also serves with the Nashville Fire Department.
Pennsylvania native, “Handsome” Dan Kelly provides most of the actual music with his fiddle. In his youth, Dan won hundreds of fiddle contests and was a six-state champion. He also won the Canadian National Open championship at age 12. In 1983, Dan won the coveted Grand Masters Fiddle championship in Nashville, and soon after, was hired by Roy Acuff to be the fiddler for the Smoky Mountain Boys, replacing his mentor and hero, Howdy Forrester. Dan remained with Acuff until the legend’s death in 1992. After Acuff’s passing, Dan played with several country music stars, including Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, Steve Wariner, James Bonamy, Faith Hill, Jessica Simpson and SheDaisy.
Mike Webb plays dobro, steel guitar and the old clawhammer banjo. He learned his craft at the knees of his hero and mentor, Bashful Brother Oswald, and spent several years playing dobro for Wilma Lee Cooper on the Grand Ole Opry. Mike also won election to office in his home county in Tennessee.
A native of Long Island, New York, Ernie “Sir Cecil” Sykes kicked around Nashville for decades with his big bass fiddle and bag of good ol’ country songs. He spent time with Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, with Don Reno, and with the Bluegrass Cardinals. He’s also known for his singing, particularly when he pulls a legendary Roger Miller tune from his repertoire.
In addition to their many live appearances, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band has produced five albums, including their most recent one, titled Barnyard Frolic. They’ve had a music video featured on CMT and GAC, and can be heard on the soundtrack of the Faye Dunaway movie, Yellowbird. This weekend, however, the group will take the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree by storm, and it will most certainly be a treat for all in attendance. Don’t miss their performance, and the presentation of the annual Blue Blaze Award, Saturday night, around 6:00 p.m., on the Jamboree stage.
For more information on the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, visit their website at www.tennesseemafiajugband.com.

Authors of the very popular book “Under the Lake” have announced that more copies are now available after a second printing.
Copies from the first printing sold out quickly several months ago. Due to continued requests, 100 additional copies have been printed.
“Under the Lake”, authored by Carol Williams, Judy Fuson, and Ria Baker, features Historic images, stories, and genealogy of life along the Caney Fork River before the impoundment of Center Hill Lake.
The book chronicles four years of research and interviews with families revealing stories associated with the removal of homes, cemeteries, churches, and schools to make way for the lake.
Center Hill Lake was formed as the result of the Federal Flood Control Act of 1938 under which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was authorized to erect a dam on the Caney Fork River to provide electricity and flood control to the area.
“Under the Lake” is a 9” x 12” inch hardback book with 304 pages.
Because of the small number of books that have been printed this time the cost increased to $80. If anyone is interested contact: Judy Fuson 615:464:5305 , Carol Williams 931:260:5844, or Ria Baker 615:529:2840

Erin McKenna Cantrell of Smithville graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Sustainability with a focus in Biogeochemical Science at Cornell University’s commencement ceremony, held on Sunday, May 28.
While at Cornell, Cantrell’s activities included research assistant, Water Soil and Water Lab; Phi Mu where she served as chapter historian; Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity; Cornell Outdoor Education Instructor for rock climbing and caving; BEARS Mentor; research and tree climbing expedition to Madagascar. She had a summer research internship at the University of Tennessee’s Soil Biogeochemistry Lab. In addition she studied abroad in Denmark for two semesters. Cantrell plans to work for a year as a biotech for a non-profit before returning to school to earn her Ph.D.
Cantrell, a 2013 graduate of DeKalb County High School, is the daughter of Lori and Edgar Pryor of Smithville. She is the granddaughter of Burnace and Barbara Vandergriff of Smithville.

The Oakland Athletics selected LHP Cody Puckett, a former DCHS Tiger, in the 30th round with the 861st pick of the 2017 MLB Draft Wednesday afternoon.
Puckett has spent the last two years as a Middle Tennessee Blue Raider after transferring from Columbia State Community College, making 29 appearances on the mound in a Middle Tennessee uniform. The southpaw has a career 6-6 record, to go along with a 4.57 ERA and 101 strikeouts.
“I’m extremely happy for the opportunity that Cody has,” said Head Coach Jim McGuire. “Oakland has followed him over the past year, and he’s pitched really well when their scouts were at our games.”
The lefty made nine starts this season and led the team with 71 strikeouts. Puckett also ranked 44th in the country in Strikeouts per Nine Innings with 10.89. He finished the 2017 season with the lowest ERA amongst the starting rotation, compiling a 4.76 ERA.
The Smithville, Tennessean, showed his brilliance on the mound against Rice, throwing the best game of his career, going seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, while striking out eight.
Puckett, who starred as a pitcher/outfielder at DeKalb County High School, 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. He graduated from DCHS in 2013.
Puckett is the second Blue Raider to be taken in the draft after shortstop Riley Delgado (a teammate of Puckett’s at Columbia State CC) was picked by the Atlanta Braves in the 9th round yesterday afternoon.
“I’m very proud of how far Cody has come in his career, he’s worked really hard to get to this point,” concluded McGuire.
More information on Cody Puckett is as follows:
2017 (Senior at Middle Tennessee):
• Made 12 appearances, and a team second best nine starts
• Compiled the lowest era amongst the starting rotation, 2nd on the team with a 4.76 ERA.
• Ranked 44th in the nation in Strikeouts Per Nine Innings (10.89)
• Led the team with 71 strikeouts
• Struck out a career-high 10 batters on two separate occasions, vs. WKU (3/26/17) and vs. nationally-ranked Southern Miss (4/29/17)
• Dominated Rice (5/13) tying a career-high throwing seven scoreless innings, while only allowing four hits, two walks, and striking out eight in the 13-1 win
• In his first appearance of the season at Memphis (3/8), he threw four scoreless innings and earned his first win of the year.
• Named TSWA Pitcher of the Week (5/18)
• Named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
2016 (Junior): Tied for team lead with three wins … Made 17 appearances, all in relief … Posted a 3-2 record with 4.22 ERA and three saves … Notched first career win in first appearance as a Blue Raider, pitching 2-2/3 innings and allowing no hits or runs with two strikeouts vs. Indiana … Also earned wins vs. Lipscomb (2/23) and Kennesaw State (3/11) … Collected first career save with three-innings of one-hit, shutout relief and four strikeouts at South Alabama (3/4) … Also collected saves vs. Florida Atlantic (3/18) and No. 5 Vanderbilt (3/22) … Worked more than one inning in 12 of 17 appearances … Allowed no hits in four appearances and one hit or less in 11 … Career-high five strikeouts in two innings of work vs. Miami (Ohio) … Power pitcher had at least one strikeout in 14 of 17 appearances and multiple strikeouts in eight outings … Career-high 3-2/3 innings at Old Dominion, allowing one hit … Named to C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
Columbia State CC: Started 11 games and went 4-4 with a 4.60 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 62.2 innings … Named second team All-TJCAA as a freshman … Started 13 games, going 5-0 with a 3.14 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 66 innings during freshman campaign … Helped the Chargers make it to the Junior College World Series in 2014.
DeKalb County: Held a 30-3 career record and 1.54 ERA for the Tigers … Named the District 8-AA Pitcher of the Year as a junior … Perfect Game Underclass All-American Honorable Mention in 2012 and 2013.
Personal: Born March 29, 1995 in Knob Noster, Mo. … Son of Lisa Puckett … Has one brother, Jake, and one sister, Krista … Major is Leisure, Sport and Tourism Studies.

This week’s “Classroom Champion” award goes to DeKalb West School student Ethan Reynolds.
The award was presented by Smithville Attorney Jim Judkins.
Reynolds is the son of Sean and Courtney Reynolds.
A third grader this past year in Rachel Desimone’s homeroom, Ethan said he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.
Ethan has quite the funny bone and enjoys making up jokes. He is also a hunter. His favorite television show is The Loud House. Ethan also plays baseball for the Blue Jays.
In an effort to recognize achievements of students in the DeKalb County School System, WJLE has partnered with attorney Judkins in featuring a “Classroom Champion” each week.
The name of the student selected each week will be announced on WJLE and will be featured on the WJLE website. Each student winning will receive a plaque and a gift certificate.
“This is our way of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the future citizens and leaders of the community. It can benefit their learning and overall school atmosphere and climate. The students’ selection is based on academic performance, responsibility and work ethic, leadership abilities, and citizenship and character,” said Judkins.

Its official!
21 year old Jessica Ashley May will have to serve at least two more years behind bars before her next parole hearing.
She is serving an eight year sentence for attempted aggravated child neglect stemming from the 2015 death of her 23 month old son.
Three members of the Tennessee Board of Parole have voted and concurred that May should be declined parole due to the seriousness of the offense. Her case will be reviewed again in two years.
A parole hearing was held for May on Tuesday, May 23 at the Carroll County Jail where she is incarcerated as a state prisoner. The parole hearings officer who heard the case made a non-binding recommendation to the Tennessee Board of Parole that Ms. May be declined parole.
The board members consider a variety of factors in making decisions on whether to grant parole including the seriousness of the crime, time served, victim input, the inmate’s institutional record (programs completed, educational progress, disciplinary incidents, etc.), and other factors.
May stood before Judge Gary McKenzie in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 and entered a plea to attempted aggravated child neglect, a Class B felony, and received an eight year sentence as a range I mitigated offender to serve at least 20% before parole eligibility. At the time May had already served 568 days since her arrest on May 19, 2015.
Less than a week before May’s plea, her fiance at the time, 25 year old Cody Key was handed a 45 year prison term for the beating death of May’s child, 23 month old Colten Alexander May after entering a plea in Putnam County Criminal Court to second degree murder. Key is to serve 100% of the sentence but he was given jail credit of 563 days for time served from May 19, 2015 to December 1, 2016.
Key is incarcerated at the South Central Correctional Center in Wayne County, a Tennessee Department of Correction facility.
The couple brought the child to the emergency room of Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital on Sunday morning, May 17, 2015 but he was already dead. It was determined that the child had suffered internal and other physical injuries that resulted in his death. Law enforcement officers concluded that Key had severely beaten the child and that May knew the abuse was taking place but did nothing to stop it.
May, who was pregnant again at the time of her arrest in 2015, was later transferred to the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction due to her special needs. After giving birth, she was initially incarcerated in the Warren County Jail. Her child was placed in the custody of the Department of Children Services and is reportedly now with May’s family members.