FBLA students from DCHS earn regional awards

February 22, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Several students from DeKalb County High School recently placed in the FBLA Regional Competitions.

2022 Regional Winners are as follows:

Agribusiness – Luke Magness – 5th place

Business Calculations – Dexton Emberton – 9th place

Business Law – Cooper Brown – 3rd place, Jacob Hendrix – 4th place

Entrepreneurship – Isaac Knowles, Nathaniel Crook, Grayson Hendrix – 1st place

Health Care Administration – Maleah Ruch – 8th place, Abby Cross – 9th place

Hospitality and Event Management – Addison Kyle, Chloe Lawson, Caley Taylor – 2nd place

Human Resource Management – Garrison Randolph – 5th place

Insurance and Risk Management – Emily Young – 4th place

International Business – Jacey Hatfield, Aniston Farler, Aly Griffith – 1st place

Intro. To Business Communication – Madeline Martin – 1st place, Annabella Dakas – 5th place

Intro. To Business Procedures – Emily Robinson – 1st place, Hannah Keith – 5th place, Alison Poss – 6th place

Intro. To Event Planning – Carson Vincent, Luke Midgett, Brayden Summers – 2nd place

Intro . to Financial Math – Ty Webb – 8th place

Intro. To Parliamentary Procedure – Bryan Ramirez – 5th place

Job Interview – Christina Howard – 4th place

Journalism – Jade Mabe – 3rd place, Camryn Branin – 7th place

Organizational Leadership – Ella Vanvranken – 4th place
Ella Hendrixson – 5th place
Ally Fuller – 8th place
Cadee Griffith – 10th place

Sports & Entertainment Management – Brayden Tubbs, Cesar Gaspar, Kyle Miller – 2nd place Ari White, Briz Trapp, Trace Hamilton – 3rd place Makayla Scales, Dawson Bandy, Courtney London – 6th

Supply Chain Management – Olivia Davenport – 4th place

February 22, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

It’s time to pay your 2021 county property taxes!

The deadline for payment is February 28, 2022 before any interest becomes due on March 1, 2022. If you choose to mail in your tax payment, it must be postmarked on or prior to February 28, 2022 to avoid any accrued interest.

The DeKalb County Trustee’s office offers up to 6 different options to pay your property taxes:

*Come in person to the office to pay

*Mail in your payment

*Pay online @ www.tennesseetrustee.org, then select DeKalb and follow the instructions to the next screens. The Vendor BIS (Business Information Systems) accepts Visa, Discover, MasterCard, or American Express-The Vendor convenience fee of 2.75% on the total tax bill will apply and fees are subject to change for using credit/debit cards. Also, a $2.75 fee will be assessed on an e-check payment of any amount.

* A QR (Quick Response Code) is also on your notice to access the website with your I-phone, smartphone, etc @ www.tennesseetrustee.org.

* Dropbox located on the outside of the building at the County Complex (County Offices Section) for your convenience after hours or on weekends.

*Partial Payments are accepted and you the taxpayer sets the amount to pay until full payment is made.

The Trustee’s office is also accepting applications for the Property Tax Relief Program through April 5, 2022. If you would like to inquire more about a possible tax relief for property taxes, come by the Trustee’s office in the County Complex at 732 S Congress Boulevard-Room 103, Smithville or call 615-597-5176.

Eligibility for Property Tax Relief:

*The State of Tennessee offers qualified property owners tax relief on property taxes. This program was implemented in 1973 and has a few changes every year. At this time, DeKalb County has 412 applicants on the program for 2021. As a property owner for 2021, you can qualify for Tax Relief if:

( A.) Your DeKalb County home is your primary residence, ( B.) You are 65 years old (or older) on or before December 31, 2020, (C.) Under 65 years of age with a total and permanent disability per the SSA or another qualifying agency, and (D.) The 2020 Annual Income of all living owners on the deed and their spouses DID NOT exceed $31,190. If the State of Tennessee qualifies you for Tax Relief, then you can receive a rebate up to $126 for 2021. You must pay your 2021 tax bill IN FULL to start the application process.

* Also, the State of Tennessee offers TAX RELIEF to Disabled Veterans and the surviving spouses of a disabled veteran. You must provide proof from the Veteran’s Administration that you have a total and permanent disability rating that was service connected. You and your spouse will NOT have to report any income to apply as a disabled veteran or the widow or widower of a disabled veteran. If the State of Tennessee qualifies you as a disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran, then you can receive a rebate up to $757 for 2021.

February 20, 2022
By:

Tennessee Tech University’s Appalachian Center for Craft is currently hosting an exhibition of portrait drawings, “There Will Come a Time,” by artist Michelle O’Patick-Ollis, which will run until February 23.

O’Patick-Ollis’ collection depicts the changes and challenges that occur during the aging process. The artist creates psychological portrait drawings that capture both the outward appearance as well as the inner state of mind of her parents. The drawings tell stories of a mother with Parkinson’s disease and a quadriplegic father, enduring the winter of their lives.

Although the stories are personal in nature, they speak to a wide audience. Anyone who has watched a family member grow old, and become imprisoned within their withering bodies, can have an understanding of and emotional connection to the work.

“As I watched my parents decline, I desperately wanted to help them. I wanted to make them happy again. Although I couldn’t do that in reality, I can do that in my artwork,” O’Patick-Ollis said.

“Mom Has Parkinson’s” is a drawing where the artist depicted her mother smiling and dancing. Six arms wave back and forth and the body appears to be swaying from side to side.

“In truth, it is a depiction of how my mother’s body would move as she spoke,” O’Patick-Ollis said. “The more she concentrated on what she was trying to say, the more her body jerked back and forth.”

The artist is able to depict her parents in a way where they seem to be at peace or joyful, yet upon closer inspection, the viewer is able to see a visual hint to the truth of the situation.

O’Patick-Ollis is an art teacher at Indian Trail Intermediate School in Johnson City, Tennessee. She received a master of fine arts from Arizona State University and a master of arts in teaching from East Tennessee State University.

Her body of work consists of mixed media pieces. Painting with different strengths of coffee, she blocks in large areas of her images first and then draws on top of the paintings with sepia toned pencils and graphite.

The Appalachian Center for Craft is located at 1560 Craft Center Dr., Smithville, TN.