News
DeKalb County Schools Art Exhibit Today (Saturday, May 24)
May 24, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
The DeKalb County Schools Art Exhibit will be Saturday, May 24 featuring works of local art students. The annual event, sponsored by the Smithville Study Club, will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the DeKalb County Complex at 712 South Congress Boulevard. The public is invited to attend. For more information contact Art Chair Susan Hinton at 615-597-9300 or Smithville Study Club President Elaine McGuffey.
FSA County Committee Election Nomination Period Underway
May 24, 2025
By:
Donny Green, DeKalb-Cannon County FSA County Executive Director, announces that the nomination period for the 2025 Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee Election is underway. The nomination period continues through August 1, 2025.
“I encourage all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the August 1 deadline,” said Green. “We are counting on as much participation as possible, because county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We have seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority, beginning farmers, and women producers and we hope that will continue.”
Committees apply their judgment and knowledge to make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other farm program-related issues. Nationwide, there are more than 7,700 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members who are elected by eligible local producers. Members serve three-year terms.
To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.
Nominees must reside in Local Administrative Area (LAA) for which they are seeking to be elected. For the 2025 Election, the DeKalb-Cannon FSA County Committee Election will conduct the election in LAA # 3 (DeKalb County).
Below is the description of the LAA that will be conducting election this year:
Local Administrative Area # 3, the portions of DeKalb County described as following:
East of Hwy. 56 South beginning at the DeKalb/Warren county line, following Hwy. 56 in a northern direction to the intersection of Highway 56 and Highway 70; south of Highway 70 East to Center Hill Lake; following Center Hill Lake north and northwest to the Caney Fork River thence to the Smith County line; south of the Smith County line and west of the Putnam County line to the White County line; west of the White County line to the Warren County line; north of the Warren County line following the county line back to Highway 56 South at the DeKalb/Warren County line.
Individuals may nominate themselves, or others, as a candidate. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based and other organizations in the county where the election is being held before the close of the nomination period, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, nation origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. The nomination form (FSA-669A) and other important election materials are available at USDA Service Centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/newsroom/county-committee-elections/index.
Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in LAA # 3 on November 3, 2025. Completed ballots must be returned, either in person or postmarked, no later December 1, 2025. For more information about FSA county committees, visit the DeKalb/Cannon County USDA Service Center or call 615-597-8225, extension 2.
State Rep. Michael Hale to provide Legislative Update at GOP Meeting
May 24, 2025
By:
DeKalb County’s own, State Representative Michael Hale will provide a Legislative Update to the DeKalb County Republican Party on Saturday, May 31st at 10AM at Smithville City Hall. Rep. Hale will provide highlights of this past Legislative Session and discuss issues that may arise in 2026. Donuts and drinks will be available. All DeKalb County Republicans are invited to attend.
“The Tennessee State Legislature passed some very important laws this year and we appreciate Rep. Hale coming to speak with us,” said Ryan Mollinet, Chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party. “We look forward to hearing from him, and other elected officials as we work towards the 2026 Elections. Filing deadlines, primaries, and general elections for 2026 will be here before we know it.”
Michael Hale was first elected as Tennessee State Representative for District 40 in November 2022. Michael is a proud DeKalb County High School graduate and a lifelong resident of the 40th District, where he and his wife Tara, own and operate DeKalb Funeral Chapel, and attend New Life UPC. They are the proud parents of Kayla (Chad), Jaley (Trevor), and Maddux, and have been blessed with five grandchildren.
