Seniors Colby Barnes and Morgan Walker named Mr. and Miss DeKalb County High School (View video here)

August 31, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Seniors Colby Barnes and Morgan Walker have been named Mr. and Miss DeKalb County High School for 2022-23.

Barnes is the son of Terri and David Kilgore and the late Joey Barnes and Walker is the daughter of Renee and Jason Walker.

“How this comes about is the teachers all nominate students, five boys and five girls for the honor and then the whole school votes for Mr. and Miss DCHS,” said Walker.

“To me it’s a big honor knowing that all the teachers like you enough to nominate you. Its pretty good,” said Barnes.

Both Barnes and Walker have excelled in high school both inside and outside the classroom.

”I am really enjoying my senior year,” said Walker. “Its really fun. The principals try to make the school year the best it can be and to include all the students in everything,” she continued.

“I am enjoying it and trying to make the most of it because its our last year here,” added Barnes.

In the classroom, Barnes and Walker say math is their favorite subject. Athletically, Colby is a running back and defensive end on the Tiger football team while Morgan is a centerfielder on the Tigerette fast pitch softball team and a Co-Captain on the Tiger football cheer team

Barnes is involved with the FFA club and Walker is a member of the Beta, FBLA, Science, and Literature Club.

As for future plans after high school, Colby said he is still undecided. “As of right now I don’t really know for sure. If I were offered a football scholarship, I would probably take it otherwise I would probably go to a trade school and become a mechanic,” he said.

Walker said she wants to further her education at Tennessee Tech University to major in business and accounting.

August 31, 2022
By: Leigh Fuson

The Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in DeKalb/Cannon County, Donny Green, reminds foreign persons with an interest in agricultural lands in the United States that they are required to report their holdings and any transactions to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

“Any foreign person who acquires, transfers or holds any interest, other than a security interest, including leaseholds of 10 years or more, in agricultural land in the United States is required by law to report the transaction no later than 90 days after the date of the transaction,” said Green.

Foreign investors must file Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) reports with the FSA county office that maintains reports for the county where the land is located.

“Failure to file a report, filing a late report or filing an inaccurate report can result in a penalty with fines up to 25 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land,” said Green.

For AFIDA purposes, agricultural land is defined as any land used for farming, ranching or timber production, if the tracts total 10 acres or more.

Disclosure reports are also required when there are changes in land use. For example, reports are required when land use changes from nonagricultural to agricultural or from agricultural to nonagricultural. Foreign investors must also file a report when there is a change in the status of ownership such as the owner changes from foreign to non-foreign, from non-foreign to foreign or from foreign to foreign.

Data gained from these disclosures is used to prepare an annual report to the President and Congress concerning the effect of such holdings upon family farms and rural communities in the United States.

For more information regarding AFIDA and FSA programs, contact the DeKalb/Cannon County FSA office at 615-597-8225 or visit the USDA website at http://www.usda.gov.

August 31, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

If you love DeKalb County High School and UT football, WJLE will offer you both Thursday night, September 1.

The Vols will open the season against Ball State in a special Thursday contest on Thursday, September 1 at 7 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium. That is 6 p.m. Smithville Time. WJLE AM 1480 will have LIVE coverage of the game on the VOL Network beginning with the  Big Orange Countdown Show at 4 p.m.

Meanwhile WJLE FM 101.7 will bring you DeKalb County High School football as the Tigers (2-0) host Macon County (2-0) in the region opener for both teams Thursday night, September 1. Coverage on WJLE FM 101.7 begins with Coach to Coach at 5 p.m. followed by Murphy’s Matchups at 6 p.m. and Tiger Talk at 6:30 p.m. featuring Tiger Coach Steve Trapp and three Tiger Football Players. Kick-off will be at 7 p.m. in Smithville.

WJLE will also be debuting the Fearless Forecasters on Wednesday, August 31 at 4:30 p.m.

This season’s regulars are Scott Brown, Jared Davis, Chad Kirby, the James Gang (Grant and Jeff James), Ricky Atnip, John Pryor, The Gill Gang (Darrell, Eli or Noah Gill), and Scott Goodwin.

The “Fearless Forecasters” pick who they believe will win in fourteen of the biggest or most interesting college football games of the week along with the Tennessee Titans games.

They also make an underdog selection each week.

The first show will be on Wednesday, August 31 but after this week the Fearless Forecasters program will be on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. on WJLE.