Almost 1,500 Cast Ballots During Two Week Early Voting Period for August 6 Elections

August 1, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Almost 1,500 people cast ballots during the 14 day early voting period which ended Saturday for the August 6 elections in DeKalb County.

At 1,488, the total number of early voters and absentees (July 17- August 1) eclipses the total early voting/absentee turnout of 1,123 for the August election four years ago. In August, 2016 a total of 2,525 voted in the election including 1,402 on election day and 1,123 by absentee or during early voting.

According to the DeKalb County Election Commission Office, 122 people cast ballots Saturday including 109 in person and 13 absentees. Of that number 93 voted in the Tennessee Republican Primary, 22 in the State Democratic Primary, and 7 voted only in the DeKalb County General Election without voting in either state primary.

The City of Smithville vote stands at 480 total through Saturday including in-person, absentee ballots, and 58 property rights voters. Forty seven people voted in the city election Saturday.

During the two week early voting period a total of 996 voted in the Tennessee GOP primary, 437 in the Tennessee Democratic Primary, and 55 voted only in the DeKalb County General Election without voting in either state primary.

Election day voting at all 15 precincts will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6.

August 1, 2020
By:

The DeKalb County Fire Department has been contacted by Congressman John Rose’s office notifying Chief Donny Green that the department’s 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) application, in the amount of $427,360, has been awarded. The AFG Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The funding award will be used to purchase Self-contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA’s) and associated equipment to serve all 12 of the department’s stations across the county. The Federal share of this award is $407,009.52 and the local matching share, to be provided by the DeKalb County Government, is $20,350.48.

Chief Green says that the firefighting equipment to be purchased with these grant funds will have a huge impact on the department’s daily operations. “We are really fortunate to be able to get federal funding to pay for this essential and expensive equipment. Our grant application aligned perfectly with AFG’s purpose of the grant—‘to protect the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards’—and our county will soon be getting the benefit of $427,360 for a cost to our local government of only $20,350,” said Chief Green. Using a competitive process, grants are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the AFG Program.

Congressman John Rose was in Smithville today and personally congratulated Chief Green and the DeKalb County Fire Department on their grant award. “Our firefighters at DeKalb County Fire Department put themselves on the front lines every single day to protect our community and I am proud to fight for the resources they need to safely do their jobs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our first responders have been there to answer the call and I will continue to have their backs in Washington.”, said Congressman Rose.

The DeKalb County Fire Department wishes to express its sincere thanks to County Mayor Tim Stribling, the DeKalb County Commission, Congressman John Rose, and the Department of Homeland Security for their loyal support of the department’s application for this grant.

August 1, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A McMinnville woman lost her life in a three vehicle crash Friday afternoon on Highway 70 at Liberty.

Dead is 22 year old Keley Roller.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Roller was traveling west in a 2013 Honda Civic when her car crossed the turn lane and sideswiped a gray 2000 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, driven by 69 year old William Bell, Jr. of Dowelltown. 88 year old Jenelle Pugh of Dowelltown was a passenger with Bell. Roller’s car then spun into the path of an eastbound 1996 red Dodge Ram pickup truck directly behind Bell driven by 69 year old Jerry Dutton of Liberty. The front of Dutton’s truck struck the side of Roller’s car

Neither Bell or Dutton was injured but Pugh was transported by DeKalb EMS to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital and later to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville.

Members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department’s Liberty Station and the Rescue and Extrication Team were on the scene along with officers of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

The crash was investigated by Trooper T.J. Withers and Trooper Rodney Whiles of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The cause has not been determined but according to the THP Roller’s medical condition may have played a part since she was an insulin-dependent diabetic.