WJLE’s Fearless Forecasters College Football Talk Show Airs Today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m.

December 2, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Chad Kirby has pulled into a tie with Jared Davis for the overall lead on WJLE’s Fearless Forecasters panel picking college football winners.

Chad and Jared each have a record of 124-71.

Scott Goodwin had the best single week record last week at 11-4 followed by Scott Brown, Chad Kirby, and Ricky Atnip each at 10-5, Grant James and John Pryor each at 9-6, Eli Gill 8-7, and Jared Davis 7-8

Overall, Grant James is in third place behind Chad and Jared after 13 weeks at 120-75 followed by Ricky Atnip 118-77, Scott Brown and Eli Gill each at 117-78, Scott Goodwin 115-80, and John Pryor 112-83.

Two of the Forecasters hit their underdog picks last week. Ricky Atnip got 8.5 points as Michigan upset Ohio State 42-27 and Scott Goodwin picked up 6.5 points with Tulsa’s win over SMU 34-31
Jared Davis maintains his lead for the most underdog points after 13 weeks at 44 followed by Ricky Atnip 34.5, Chad Kirby 30.5, Grant James 20, Scott Goodwin 12.5, Scott Brown 11.5, Eli Gill 7, and John Pryor 5.5.

Today (Thursday) the Forecasters will be picking winners in the following games:

Western Kentucky vs UTSA, Oregon vs Utah, Kent State vs Northern Illinois, Prairie View vs Jackson State, Utah State vs San Diego State, Appalachian State vs Louisiana, Houston vs Cincinnati, Michigan vs Iowa, Kennesaw State vs East Tennessee State, East Washington vs Montana, Baylor vs Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh vs Wake Forest, USC vs California, Alabama vs Georgia, and Army vs Navy.
The program is sponsored by the Charles D. Atnip Realty and Auction Company, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, FirstBank, DeKalb County Insurance, Davis Auto Body, Gill Automotive, Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, and Domino’s Pizza.

Catch the Fearless Forecasters today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m. on WJLE.

December 2, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Christmas Parade and Christmas on the Square will be celebrated together on Saturday, December 4th.

The Smithville Parade begins at 4 PM with the line-up beginning at 3 PM at the New Life Connection Center, 750 S. Congress Blvd., Smithville. The parade route will leave from New Life Connection Center onto South Congress Blvd. to the Downtown Smithville Square, Smithville.

“This line-up location gives people and vehicles more room to park including parking at the DeKalb County Complex and on both sides of the road to the New Life Center”, said Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker.

Immediately after the Smithville Parade, Christmas on the Square will begin around 5 PM. The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber invites everyone to stay after the parade to enjoy many fun activities happening in downtown Smithville.

The Christmas on the Square event includes:
Smithville City Hall – Festive outdoor Christmas displays and holiday music playing on the outside with cookies to eat and decorations to see on the inside. Folks will enter the City Hall building through the south side of the building and exit through the front main entrance.

DeKalb Courthouse – Stop by to visit the elected county officials and enjoy free refreshments and a festive atmosphere. Large Christmas trees will be decorated on both sides of the exterior of the courthouse.

FREE Photo Booth sponsored by the City of Smithville will be located on the main floor of the courthouse.

“Live” Windows Contest in Downtown Businesses/Offices – The downtown windows will have “LIVE” scenes in their decorated windows from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. YOU CAN VOTE for your favorite “Live” Display Window. Take a picture and post your favorite on the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber Facebook Page. The live display window with the “Most Likes” will get points added to the judges’ tally sheet. Chamber Director Suzanne Williams and Smithville Mayor Josh Miller will be presenting 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places along with a “Chamber Choice” award for the “Live Window” contest. Mayor Miller is personally donating $250 to the top winning store’s favorite charity.

Justin-Potter Library – Santa will make a special visit at the library from 5:30 PM until 7:00 PM for photos with the children, so bring your cameras. There will be a Christmas take home craft for the children that visit the library.

Smithville Electric – The lights will be shining bright at Evins Park’s Open-Air Stage beautifully decorated by Smithville Electric employees.

DeKalb Animal Shelter Pet Photos with Santa

Chamber Director Suzanne Williams said “We hope everyone can attend this year’s Smithville Parade and stay for the enjoyable and heartwarming Christmas on the Square event! It’s the perfect way to begin the Christmas season.”

December 1, 2021
By:

The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), the philanthropic arm of NTCA– The Rural Broadband Association, announced the recipients of 20 grants totaling over $89,000 to support projects in communities served by NTCA members.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce was sponsored for the grant by NTCA member, DTC Communications, and awarded $5,000 by FRS to purchase technology equipment for meeting rooms and training areas in the new DeKalb County Agriculture Building located on the grounds of the DeKalb County Fairgrounds in Alexandria.

“FRS is proud to support these projects throughout the country to promote health, safety, education and growth in rural communities,” said FRS Executive Director Pam Becker. “The pandemic has shown us how important access to these vital services is, and these organizations have done tremendous work in their communities. Thank you to the NTCA members who partnered with FRS to fund these projects. I also want to thank former FRS Board Chair Carri Bennet for her generosity and vision to create the Carri Bennet Rural Economic Development Grant Fund to support rural economic development as part of the FRS Community Grant Program.”

“Many thanks to our sponsor, DTC Communications! Without their endorsement, the Chamber wouldn’t have been eligible to apply for this grant,” says Chamber Director Suzanne Williams. “And we are so grateful to FRS for the award to equip the agriculture building’s meeting and training areas that will be utilized for many purposes for years to come.”
Plans are in place to showcase all the new Agriculture building interior projects at the 2022 DeKalb County Fair in July.

The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), the philanthropic arm of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and its members, seeks to sustain and enhance the quality of life in rural America by advancing an understanding of rural issues. Through scholarships, grants, and a variety of educational programs, FRS focuses on educating rural youth, encouraging community development and introducing policymakers to challenges unique to rural communities. Visit us at www.frs.org.

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. In an era of transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.