Local News Articles

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) today named 36 year old Trooper Donald "Dewaine" Jennings as the 2009 Trooper of the Year. The announcement was made during a special ceremony Thursday, April 22, at 10:00 a.m., at the THP Training Center located at 283 Stewarts Ferry Pike in Nashville.

Trooper Jennings, assigned to DeKalb County in the Cookeville District, was named Trooper of the Year for an act of heroism on December 13, 2009. He responded to a traffic crash on Bright Hill Road where he found a vehicle submerged on its top in a rain-swollen creek. The creek water was high and the current was swift. Nobody at the scene had checked to see if there was an occupant inside the vehicle. Without hesitation, or regard for his own safety, Trooper Jennings entered the frigid, waist-deep water to check for entrapped passengers. Unable to determine if anyone was inside the vehicle, Trooper Jennings called for a wrecker to hoist the car out of the creek. Although the efforts of Trooper Jennings did not save the life of the driver, 49 year old Lisa Adcock Tatrow Johnson, he made every effort, including risk to his own safety, when he entered the water knowing that he could not swim.

"These dedicated Troopers represent the outstanding achievements of the men and women of the Tennessee Highway Patrol," said Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. "They are being recognized for their hard work, enforcement activity, and daily commitment to keeping Tennessee and its citizens safe."

"Every single day, Commissioner Mitchell and I receive an e-mail, card, letter, or phone call about State Troopers across Tennessee making a difference in the lives of citizens," said THP Colonel Mike Walker. "These nine Troopers recognized today are examples of the Tennessee Highway Patrol's professionals who have served Tennesseans for more than 80 years."

Trooper Jennings was among nine members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol who were also honored and named as Trooper of the Year for their respective districts.

The DeKalb County Tigerette Alumni Game is set for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the DCHS field.

Coach Danny Bond says this is the first Tigerette Alumni game in the program's 25 year history. "I want to invite everyone in DeKalb and surrounding counties to come out Saturday, April 24th for our Alumni game. This is our first Alumni game in 25 years and it'll start at one o'clock at the DCHS field. There's going to be three teams and there will be three, five inning games. We're looking for a big turnout. We're hoping everybody will come out, watch the game, and enjoy some good softball."

Among the players scheduled to participate are:

Michelle Gard
Beth Hale
Dondi Miller
Laurel Landrum
Nanci Allen
Misty Blumn
Danyelle Davenport
Bethany Pack
Rebecca Waggoner
Cherise Phillips
Kelly Taylor
Rachel Evans
Julie Ashley
Mindy Higdon
Mindy Redman
Crystal Norton
Kelly Maynard
Kari Taylor
Amy Barnes
Kelly Parkerson
Amanda Washer
Martha Knowles
Cassie Johnson
Jennifer Hampton
Karen Taylor
Jennifer Turner
Jessica Turner
Brittany Alvis
Ashley Redman
Courtney Davis
Madison Denman
Chelsey Young
Kelsey Foutch
Brittany Armour
Kara Young
Sara West and possibly others

Former players who plan to attend as spectators include Gena Cripps, Patty Redman, Tonya George, Kim McCoy, and Elisha Vickers

Meanwhile, Coach Bond says in appreciation to the fans, next Tuesday children will be admitted free to the game while next Thursday, senior citizens will get in free.

Each year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators. It's called National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week

In DeKalb County, local dispatchers at the central dispatch/911 center were recognized.

"We took this opportunity to honor our local dispatchers in DeKalb County. We would like to say thank you to the Smithville Fire Department, the DeKalb County Fire Department, and Bumpers Drive-In for their contributions to this years PST week. Each year National PST week is set aside to nationally recognize emergency dispatchers," said Brad Mullinax, Director.

National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week was first conceived by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County (Calif.) Sheriff's Office in 1981 and was observed only at that agency for three years. Members of the Virginia and North Carolina chapters of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) became involved in the mid-1980s.

By the early 1990s, the national APCO organization convinced Congress of the need for a formal proclamation. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced what became H.J. Res. 284 to create "National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week." According to Congressional procedure, it was introduced twice more in 1993 and 1994, and then became permanent, without the need for yearly introduction.

Across the nation, 9-1-1 dispatchers are celebrated National Public Safety Telecommunicators' Week. The United States Congress designated the second week in April as a time to honor all 9-1-1 dispatchers who answer the calls for help and provide emergency assistance to the public and emergency public safety responders.

Most people do not think about the people behind the voices of 9-1-1 until they need to call for help. Some people equate 9-1-1 with police cars and fire trucks, with lights and sirens blaring, or an ambulance speeding off to a hospital emergency room. While police, fire, and ambulances are obviously linked to 9-1-1, it may be difficult to visualize the people who perform the functions behind the scenes. 9-1-1 dispatchers are the "first" first responders in emergencies. In addition to the long hours, holidays, and weekends worked that these professionals endure, the 9-1-1 dispatchers often volunteer their time in other ways to support the community, such as helping to educate children about 9-1-1, participating in school events, and lending a helping hand for various community causes.

National Telecommunicators Week is dedicated to public safety Telecommunicators who aid in providing 9-1-1 emergency assistance to citizens everywhere. The term "9-1-1" is often associated with rapid emergency response, poise under pressure, aid and compassion in times of distress, and critical decision-making within seconds. Many people do not stop to think about these seemingly nameless, faceless individuals until they experience an actual emergency themselves. These professionals make the difference between life and death in many instances.

This year the week of April 11 - April 17 was set aside to recognize these individuals across the nation and to show appreciation for all that these dispatchers do on a daily basis.

(Pictured from Left to Right Back Row:
Supervisor Anthony Boyd, Leslie Lytle, Misty Green, Kim Ray, Training Officer Janice Higham, Jennifer Bouldin, and Ronnie Davis

Kneeling from Left to Right:
Lonnie Laxton, Terry Cowart, Stephanee Wright, Kristina McMillen, and Supervisor Tony Thomas.

Sitting in the Middle:
Director Bradley Mullinax
(Not pictured: Chase Ferrell and Darcie Cripps)

The Smithville mayor and aldermen have asked the water plant supervisor to do what he can to find the cause of a water loss, which if not addressed could prove costly to the City of Smithville.

In his monthly update to the mayor and aldermen Monday night, Supervisor Kenny Dyal reported that for at least the last couple of months, the city has had a significant water loss. "In February we pumped 49-million, 401 thousand raw gallons of water from the lake. We treated 44-million, 602-thousand gallons. The gallons sold were 34-million, 649-thousand 400. We had a loss of 9-million, 952-thousand 500 gallons. That's a 23% loss. I have no idea where it's going."

"In March, we pumped 55-million, 060-thousand gallons from the lake as raw water. We treated 48-million, 956-thousand. We sold 34-million, 116-thousand gallons. That's 12-million, 845-thousand gallons lost. That's 26%. It's a big loss.

Dyal added that while all utilities have some water loss, this is out of the ordinary."There's always loss, but the normal loss is between seven and fifteen percent. If we keep it below fifteen percent, the state is happy. But when it starts getting above fifteen percent they start wondering where your water is going."

Dyal says this large water loss is a mystery because there haven't been any large noticeable leaks. "Our leaks haven't been that big, it's just been service leaks. And I've checked the meters at the plant and every thing is registering fine."

The mayor and aldermen, in response, suggested that a concerted effort be made as soon as possible to address this problem.

In other business, the mayor and aldermen voted to have a workshop next Monday night, April 26th at 7:00 p.m. at city hall to interview the three applicants for the position of Smithville Police Chief, Randy Caplinger of Smithville, Larry D. Parsley of Lenior City, and Kenneth Smith of Watertown.

Caplinger is a retired Lieutenant Colonel/Major of the Tennessee Department of Safety/Tennessee Highway Patrol. Parsley is a retired Lieutenant of the Tennessee Department of Safety/Tennessee Highway Patrol. Smith is currently serving as Chief of Police of the Lakewood Police Department at Old Hickory, Tennessee.

Meanwhile, the aldermen voted five to nothing to include $1,500 in next year's budget to donate to the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce to help fund the printing of a new DeKalb County tourism brochure.

Suzanne Williams, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, made the request during Monday night's meeting. "One of the main ways the chamber promotes our area to potential newcomers and tourists alike is through our brochure. Hundreds of these brochures are distributed annually through the chamber office, local and state welcome centers, key entry locations like the Lebanon Outlet Mall and many other venues through the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association. Our current brochures will be depleted by around June of this year. We're in the final stages of developing a brand new brochure. Our new brochures are designed to stimulate tourism activities as we showcase Smithville and our county with it's charm, Center Hill Lake, the arts, and major events including the Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree and Crafts Festival. We'll be printing a minimum of five thousand copies. That'll provide brochures for a minimum of the next five years. We need to raise $3,000. The county has agreed to contribute $1,500 for marketing materials if the city of Smithville will agree to contribute the other $1,500."

Williams was joined in making the request by Chamber President Tim Hintz and Leadership DeKalb Director Jen Sherwood.

Kevin Robinson, Public Works Director, reported to the mayor and aldermen that the city has recently paved all or parts of several streets including Williams Lane, all of Carter Street, two portions of West Main Street, Magnolia Lane (by the golf course), part of Riley Avenue, and Shaw Street.

Mayor Taft Hendrixson said the city could do still more paving later this summer at the current bid price before the new bid prices take effect. "When we did our bid last year, we specified in our bid as we did two years before, that the bid would hold good for a year. This current bid price will remain good until September. I think we got it at around $58 dollars per ton in place. Right now the bids are going for $75. So what we did two years ago and what we can do this year is whatever we have in the budget, starting in July, we can opt to do it (street paving) on this $58 per ton bid price before (the bid price goes up) September 1st and save a third. That will be good business to do it that way."

Earlier this month, the aldermen voted to take advantage of a Neighborhood Stabilization Program through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency which provides funds to cities and counties wanting to demolish blighted properties.

Mayor Taft Hendrixson says the city owned building, located across the street from city hall on the north side, qualifies for the program. Once the building is removed, the property may be used for any city purpose, but under terms of the program, the property cannot be sold or leased for private purposes for a period of time, otherwise the city would have to refund all or a portion of the funds used to demolish the building.

During Monday night's meeting, Mayor Hendrixson said bid notices for the demolition of the building will be advertised next week. "I talked to Ken Mabery today with the Upper Cumberland Development District. A week from Tuesday and Wednesday, a bid notice for the demolishment of that building will be in the papers for contractors, so it's moving rather quickly, more quickly than I thought it would. So I'd say within the next five or six weeks it should be all done and cleared away."