Voters urged to seek accurate information from appropriate sources during 2020 election season

December 16, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

As the 2020 elections approach, voters are encouraged to seek accurate information from the appropriate source—local and state election officials.

“It is imperative for everyone to understand that election officials are the verified and trusted sources for election information,” said Dennis Stanley, DeKalb County Administrator of Elections.

“We’ve all heard the stories about outside interference with the 2016 presidential election, and it’s time to remind voters that not all information on Facebook and social media is accurate,” Stanley continued. “If voters will simply seek information from election officials, we can cut down on the misinformation and disinformation that can surround elections.”

“In simple terms, voters are urged to turn to their state and local election officials for election questions—from voter registration to polling locations, voting methods and more,” he added.

In addition, Stanley urged voters to follow WJLE and WJLE.com along with “verified accounts” of the chief state election official on social media for election information, news and updates.

December 15, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

With 10 days left until Christmas Day, Santa made another appearance in DeKalb County on Sunday for the Alexandria Parade.

Grownups and kids gathered along Main Street to catch a glimpse of Santa and all the other attractions.

The parade made its way into town led by Alexandria Police Chief Chris Russell followed by Sheriff Patrick Ray. The Parade also featured  the Grand Marshal’s Mac and Eva Willoughby,  Mr. and Miss DeKalb County Dr. Doug Hooper and Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin, floats, Alexandria Mayor Bennett Armstrong, State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver, Road Supervisor Danny Hale, Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell, Constable Mark Milam, the DCHS and Watertown high school bands, vintage automobiles, farm tractors, four wheelers and motorcycles, fire trucks, Tennessee Division of Forestry and Smoky the Bear, Smithville- DeKalb Rescue Squad, DeKalb EMS, horseback riders, horse and mule drawn wagons, Santa Claus, and more.

In the floats category, the West Main Baptist Church won for their entry “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus” .

For best vintage automobiles, Dayton Jameson took 1st place for his 1990 Fox Body Mustang

For ATV’s Junk & Jewels took 1st place and Close & Paschal Realty received 2nd place.

Josee Cripps received 1st place for her “Rockstar” horse entry.

Prizes were given away after the parade.

2019 Alexandria Christmas Parade from dwayne page on Vimeo.

December 15, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb was among 33 Tennessee counties that experienced a jump in the unemployment rate for October.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) reports that the DeKalb County Labor Force for the month was 7,951. A total of 7,548 were employed and 403 were unemployed resulting in a jobless rate of 5.1%, an increase from the September rate of 3.8% and a jump from the rate of 4.4% in October 2018.

The state report shows that 38 counties had a drop in unemployment during October, while rates remained the same in 24 counties.

Williamson County’s statistic of 2.3 percent mirrored its previous month’s rate. Davidson and Cheatham counties also had a rate of 2.3 percent in October, both down by 0.1 of a percentage point from September’s number.

During most of October, employees at the General Motors manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, along with workers at several dozen automotive suppliers in surrounding counties, were not working.

In Maury County, unemployment more than doubled, causing the county to have the second-highest rate in the state. It spiked 3.4 percentage points, going from 2.6 in September to 6 percent in October.

Other counties in Southern Middle Tennessee also experienced a jump in unemployment.

Perry County had the state’s highest unemployment rate in October at 8 percent. That represents a 4.5 percentage point increase from the prior month’s rate of 3.5 percent.

Decatur, Lewis, and Marshall counties experienced similar spikes in unemployment during October.

“Many different factors impact a county’s employment situation,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “The vast majority of Tennessee’s counties had continued low unemployment in October. The ebb and flow of the statistics in several areas will likely return to more typical numbers in the coming months.”

Statewide, unemployment held steady in October. Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent matches the previous month’s rate.

Nationally, unemployment experienced a slight uptick. October’s rate of 3.6 percent is 0.1 of a percentage point higher than September’s rate of 3.5 percent.

Tennesseeans looking for new employment opportunities find more than 205, 000 current openings from across the state on Tennessee’s workforce development website www.Jobs4TN.gov. They can also find job search assistance, resume writing tips and job interview advice at more than 80 American Job Centers across the state.