Eleven persons obtain qualifying petitions for Municipal Elections August 4

February 12, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Eleven persons have been issued qualifying petitions by the DeKalb County Election Commission for municipal elections on Thursday, August 4 in DeKalb County.

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13th Judicial District

County Commission and School Board

County Wide Races

City elections will be held in Smithville, Alexandria, Liberty, and Dowelltown.

Persons may now pick up a petition for the municipal elections as well as the state and federal primaries also to be held on Thursday, August 4.

Petitions have been issued to the following persons for August 4, 2022 Municipal Elections:

City of Smithville:
Josh Miller-Mayor (Incumbent) (petition filed)
Beth Chandler-Alderman (Incumbent) (petition filed)
Don Crook-Alderman (petition filed)
Rhonda Tiefenauer-Alderman

City of Alexandria:
Lloyd Dyer-Mayor
Beth Tripp-Mayor
Allen Lawson-Alderman

City of Liberty:
Darrell W. Johnson-Mayor
William H. Reynolds-Alderman
Kendra Stanford Alderman
Derek Johnson-Alderman

A mayor and two aldermen will be elected in Smithville on Thursday, August 4th. Each term is for four years.

In Alexandria, voters will elect a Mayor to a full four-year term, three Aldermen each to a full four-year term; and two Aldermen to fill unexpired terms.

Liberty voters will elect a Mayor to a full four-year term and five Aldermen each to a four-year term.

In Dowelltown, two Aldermen will be elected each to a full four-year term.

State primary elections will be held on Thursday, August 4 for Governor, U.S. House of Representatives, and Tennessee House of Representatives. General elections will also be held for state judicial offices and applicable county offices.

The qualifying deadline for municipal and state primary elections is Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 12:00 Noon including for Independent candidates and the withdrawal deadline is Thursday, April 14, 2022, at 12:00 Noon

February 11, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

The Tennessee Department of Education has announced that the DeKalb County School System is among 68 districts that have received statewide recognition as Best for All Districts for significantly investing federal COVID-19 stimulus funding to drive student achievement and improving academic outcomes.

Best for All Districts will receive financial, operational, celebratory, and resource benefits in appreciation for districts’ planned investments to spend their share of the $3.58 billion in federal COVID-19 relief and stimulus funding directly on services, resources and supports that will help students achieve academically. Governor Bill Lee announced a Day of Recognition in honor of Best for All Districts on Friday, February 11, 2022. Additionally, each Best for All district was awarded grant funds from the department’s ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) funds, with the full grant funding for Best for All Districts totaling more than $15 million. DeKalb County’s allocation is $200,000.

“Tennessee’s ‘Best For All’ districts have gone above and beyond to invest strategically in student achievement, address learning loss, and drive positive outcomes,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “As we continue to prioritize students, I commend each of these high-performing districts for their hard work and thank our teachers and administrators for their commitment to providing high-quality education across Tennessee.”

“Tennessee’s Best for All districts are truly deserving of this recognition for their strong commitment to strategically investing in their students at a time when there were literally billions of other opportunities to spend,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Our kids deserve the best possible education we can provide them, and I am proud to honor our Best for All districts for their leadership in putting a clear focus on academic achievement to help them succeed.”

Beginning in 2020, the U.S. Congress responded to the global COVID-19 health pandemic by passing several pieces of legislation, and as a result Tennessee is benefitting from over $4.5 billion for K-12 education to be spent between spring 2020 and fall 2024. Through three rounds of funding referred to as ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 funds, over $3.58 billion will flow directly to local school districts to decide how to spend.

The department understands the importance of rewarding investments in mission-critical initiatives that are most likely to benefit students. Best for All Districts are those entities that have strategically planned for and invested in ways that are likely to accelerate student achievement. To qualify for the Best for All recognition program, a district must have planned to spend an amount equal to or more than 50% of its ESSER 3.0 award amount on strategies to raise student academic achievement, as well as opted to participate in the state’s high-dosage, low-ratio tutoring program, TN ALL Corps.

February 11, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

A man indicted over six years ago for two counts of aggravated child abuse of a five-week-old infant has been sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

33-year-old Charles Justin Wiggins entered a plea Thursday to one count of attempted aggravated child abuse, a lesser crime, and received a 13-year sentence to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He was given 10 days of jail credit.

Wiggins was arrested Monday, October 19, 2015 after a five-week-old infant was brought to Cookeville Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. According to Smithville Police, Wiggins was an acquaintance of the child’s mother and at the time was charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse.

According to the arrest warrant, “At approximately 4:00 a.m. on Monday, October 19, 2015 at his Cooper Street residence, Wiggins did knowingly treat a five-week-old boy in a manner as to inflict serious bodily injury. Wiggins stated that he squeezed the child’s ribs and bounced the child aggressively enough to cause the child serious injury”.

In the second offense involving the same child, the warrant states that “At approximately 3:00 p.m., on Monday, October 19, 2015 at his residence, Wiggins did knowingly treat a five-week-old boy in a manner as to inflict serious bodily injury. Mr. Wiggins did state that he did pick the child up and squeeze his ribs and slammed him down aggressively into the crib causing the child’s head to bounce. Mr. Wiggins stated he pressed down on both the child’s legs and felt them break”.

The child was later taken to Cookeville Regional Medical Center for treatment. Law enforcement authorities were subsequently notified.

In a prepared statement at the time of Wiggins’ arrest, Smithville Police Captain Steven Leffew said, “On Monday, October 19 at approximately 6:07 p.m., Cookeville Regional Medical Center contacted Smithville Police in regard to an infant that was severely injured and had been brought into their facility for treatment. The injury was believed to have occurred in the jurisdiction of the City of Smithville”.

“Lieutenant Matt Holmes and Sergeant Brad Tatrow responded and upon arrival spoke with medical staff who advised that the infant had sustained obvious severe injuries. Officers quickly developed Charles J. Wiggins as a suspect and upon investigation Smithville Police arrested Wiggins for two counts of aggravated child abuse. District Attorney Bryant Dunaway and investigators from his office as well as the Department of Children Services responded to the scene,” said Captain Leffew.